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I finished work early to surprise my husband Ben on his birthday, only to find him undressed, leaning comfortably into his best friend Colin's arms. I pushed the door open just enough to see. Colin's arm was wrapped low around Ben's waist, holding him close, his hand moving lazily along Ben's hip. Then Colin's wife, Vanessa, crawled into view. Kneeling on the bed in black lace, she looked at them both. "Pick your present, Ben." "God, you're such a tease," Ben replied, his voice low and soft. "You know I can't focus on gifts when you wear something like that." Then he instinctively cupped Vanessa's face, leaning into the peck. My stomach dropped, the icy numbness inside her giving way to a sudden wave of nausea. Each image I caught sight of was burning itself into my mind now. Colin's arm still wrapped tightly around Ben. Vanessa's hips rocking slowly against them. Ben's mouth on Vanessa as he pulled back the black lace. All their bodies fitting together with an ease that spoke of long familiarity. I lifted the phone slowly, holding it just past the edge of the doorframe as I forced myself to keep watching... —— Eliza eased her car around the last bend of the quiet cul-de-sac and felt a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth. Perfect timing. The edge of the cloudless desert sky was turning the deep gold of early evening, the sun sliding lower behind the distant mountains. Long shadows stretched across the street and the warm light caught the stone exterior of Colin and Vanessa's house, making it glow softly against the pale pavement. Five o'clock. Still bright out. Exactly the perfect kind of evening to linger over drinks before heading out to dinner. Ben thought she was still in Denver. Another night of meetings, another hotel, another flight home tomorrow afternoon. He'd been insistent that she not worry about missing his birthday. We'll celebrate when you get back, he'd said. Seriously, it's not a big deal. Ben was always like that-easygoing about things that mattered to him, enthusiastic about the things that mattered to her. It was exactly why surprising him felt so good. The anticipation encouraged her to accelerate, speeding down the last bit of road between her and her husband. She parked at the curb, grabbed her phone from the console, and stepped out of the car. She smiled at the sight of Ben's SUV in the driveway as the hot desert air wrapped around her immediately, carrying the faint smell of chlorine and sun-baked stone. Ben's location had been here when she checked it earlier. It was the perfect way to surprise him. He'd said he'd swing by Colin and Vanessa's while she was gone so he wasn't by himself for his thirty-third. Dinner, maybe drinks first. It was practically tradition and she was glad not to miss it. Eliza almost skipped up the familiar path, already picturing the moment when she stepped inside and Ben looked up from whatever ridiculous story he was telling. She carefully pushed the door open, making sure to be quiet, and stepped inside without knocking, as she always did. She almost called out, but stopped herself. Better to let the surprise play out. The house was quiet, and she tiptoed through the living room, expecting at any moment to hear voices from the living room or the patio. Eliza crossed through the kitchen to the back of the house and slid the patio door open. Outside, the pool shimmered in the golden light. A light breeze moved across the water, creating tiny ripples that flickered against the pale tile. Somewhere nearby she could hear the distant hum of traffic from the Strip, softened by distance. No one was outside. She stepped back inside, letting the door close softly behind her and looked around, her gaze lingering on Colin's bar. Custom walnut shelving built into the wall, soft recessed lighting illuminating rows of bottles arranged with obsessive precision. Crystal decanters. Imported liquors. Everything perfectly aligned. It was Colin's pride and joy. Three empty cocktail glasses sat on the marble counter. One still had a lime wedge clinging to the rim. Another held the cloudy remains of melting ice. Beside them, two small dishes of flaked salt and thick sugar for the rims sat open, grains mixed and scattered across the counter. A bottle of prosecco rested in a silver bucket, uncorked and sweating despite the cool air conditioning. A lost ice cube had slipped from somewhere and was slowly dissolving into a thin puddle on the marble. And the glasses-Eliza frowned slightly. Colin's good glasses. Not the heavier ones he used when guests came over, even them. These were the thin-stemmed crystal coupes his father-in-law had given him for the wedding. Clearly, thirty-three was cause for serious celebration. Eliza turned her frown into a smile. She'd have to catch up, she thought as she realized they'd probably gone out. Colin was notorious for finding last-minute restaurant reservations if the mood struck him. She turned toward the entryway, already thinking about how to regroup her planned surprise. It might take them a few minutes to reach wherever they were going in the city. She'd have to check Ben's location again in a bit. She didn't want to call and ruin it after all the effort she'd gone to. They'd probably left while she was driving over, even though it was quite early for dinner, at least for them. Maybe they'd decided to hit a casino or bar before dinner. She'd figure out where, go home and change into something appropriate, and then find them. Lost in thought, she nearly walked past the row of shoes by the door, but the sneakers at the end of the line stopped her. Bright colors against the dark wood floor. Grateful Dead bears dancing across the sides. Eliza blinked. The crazy pair she'd given Ben for his collection before she left for Denver. Her gaze lifted slowly. His jacket hung neatly on the hook above them, a faded blue denim trucker jacket he'd had for years, next to Colin's dark brown leather coat. For a moment she stood in limbo. Colin would never wear shoes like that, besides Vanessa knew she'd ordered these for Ben. Colin barely wore sneakers at all. He was the kind of man who looked ready for a business meeting even when he was supposedly "relaxing." Polished leather, tailored shirts, perfect hair. Those ridiculous sneakers belonged to exactly one person, her slightly silly, effortlessly charming husband. Eliza stood very still in the quiet entryway, confused. If his shoes were here, where was Ben? For a long moment, the house gave her no answer. Then- A sound. Faint. From somewhere down the hallway. Another followed and she stepped forward without thinking. A voice. Low. Close enough to hear, but too muffled to make out the words. Something cold slid down her spine and she shivered involuntarily. The trickle of sweat on her neck was suddenly like ice in the air conditioning. As if she was walking through a mist, an uncanny, disorienting feeling that something was very, very wrong settled over her. Eliza's feet slowly carried her further down the hall. And she listened again, desperately trying to hear over the rush of her pulse in her ears and the fuzz of static in her mind. The doorframe was smooth under Eliza's fingers as she gripped it to steady herself while she avoided staring at the narrow crack where the master bedroom door hadn't been fully closed. If she kept looking at the frame instead of looking through the opening, this would end up being nothing. Nothing at all. She closed her eyes, gripped harder, and listened. "Vanessa, come on," Colin called, impatience edging his voice. "We still have dinner to get to later." His voice sounded completely normal. Casual. The same voice he used when he was calling across the house for another drink or asking where something was. Then Ben laughed. "You always worry about being on time." Eliza's brain struggled to keep up with messages her husband's voice carried. The words themselves weren't strange. Ben had teased Colin about that a hundred times before. But something about the tone was wrong. Too soft. Too close. Like he was leaning right beside him. Like they were sharing a private joke she wasn't part of. "Oh, I won't rush us. She's been waiting all week for this." Colin's voice had dropped lower now, rougher, threaded with a kind of anticipation Eliza had never heard from him before. "And you're going to love it." The icy cold feeling spread through Eliza's chest. She had had a million conversations with Colin over the years. But he had never sounded like that with her. The silence was broken by quiet movement and the rustle of sheets. Her breathing slowed as she forced air in and out through her nose, her pulse settling into a dull background hum. Swallowing, she made herself open her eyes. She shifted forward just enough to peer through the narrow gap. The hallway behind her was almost dark, lit only by the fading daylight spilling in from the living room windows. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brighter light inside Colin and Vanessa's bedroom. She felt like a creep, spying like this. But the icy chill that had taken hold somewhere deep in her chest refused to let her retreat. At first she couldn't see much. Just the corner of the bed, the nightstand, and the soft glow of a lamp casting warm light across the room. The pale linen sheets were pulled loose across the mattress, the edge of their familiar slate-blue throw blanket pushed aside. The patterned rug Vanessa had been so proud of when she finally decided on it-cream and rust and deep desert red-spread thick across the hardwood beside the bed. Eliza had sat in this room dozens of times before, cross-legged on that rug while Vanessa tried on outfits or complained about Colin's work schedule. Her hand moved before she consciously decided to move it, silently pushing the door open a fraction wider. She had heard Ben's voice. Whatever was happening in there-she needed to see it for herself. As more of the room slid into view, her vision narrowed until the two men on the bed were all she could see. Colin was there, sitting tall against the headboard, one arm wrapped low around Ben's waist, holding him comfortably against his chest. His face rested against the side of Ben's head, his mouth almost hidden in her husband's hair, just behind his ear. Ben was leaning back against him as though the position were completely natural, one arm raised, his long fingers tangled in Colin's usually perfectly styled hair as if holding him in place. Colin's other hand moved lazily against Ben's hip, and for a moment, Eliza couldn't tear her eyes away from where his fingers traced slow, absent patterns across her husband's skin. A creak of the bed and rustle of sheets broke her frozen gaze. As her eyes rose again, both men were staring at something just out of Eliza's line of sight. Her brain refused to process the image. Her husband. na.ked. Leaning comfortably into his best friend's arms. She would process that later. For one impossible second her brain tried to insist Colin was just steadying him, like someone helping a drunk friend stay upright even though neither looked drunk at all. But right now she needed to see what they were looking at. She leaned forward just a little more, her hand not daring to push the door again. Then Vanessa crawled into view. She moved across the bed on her knees and stopped in front of the two men as they shifted together, automatically making just enough space for her between their long legs. Vanessa leaned back to sit on her heels and lifted both hands, holding them out in front of her, closed into loose fists. She looked tiny but confident, an island of dangerous sweetness on the bed framed by the two tall men. Unlike Colin and Ben, she was wearing something. Black lace-delicate, sheer, and carefully chosen to reveal almost as much as it concealed. Thin straps traced over her shoulders and down her back, a slit from breasts to hips showing her pale stomach, the soft fabric catching the lamplight as she moved. Eliza recognized it instantly. She had helped Vanessa choose that exact set two weeks ago. Vanessa had said it was a surprise for Colin. They had spent nearly two hours in a boutique fitting room while Vanessa tried on different pieces, laughing and asking Eliza which one he would like best. Now Vanessa smiled and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Pick your present, Ben." She held both fists out like a magician offering a trick, voice as natural as if she was asking what he wanted to watch on TV. The slow grin that spread across her husband's face made Eliza feel suddenly ill, but her body refused to cooperate and remained frozen in the darkness. "Fu.ck, you're such a tease," Ben replied after a moment, his voice low and soft. "You know I can't focus on gifts when you wear something like that." Eliza bit down on her cheek, still frozen but needing to know she wasn't dreaming as Ben slowly moved, reaching forward with a lazy hand. His gold wedding band caught the lamplight as he did, flashing briefly before his fingers lingered along the delicate edge of the lace at Vanessa's chest and trailed down her arm. Finally his left hand closed around her right fist, engulfing it easily, but not prying it open. "This one," he whispered, his eyes on hers. Vanessa's smile widened as Ben held her stare. Then she glanced past him to her husband. "Good choice," she murmured, watching Colin as he loosened his hold so Ben could lean forward. As she watched her husband ki.ss her best friend, Eliza bit down harder on her cheek, grinding her teeth until she tasted blood. The sharp, copper tang filled her mouth and she knew with absolute certainty this was no nightmare her travel-weary brain had invented. Vanessa's hands dropped their gifts before she instinctively cupped Ben's face, leaning into the ki.ss as Colin watched them, his hands flexing slightly on Ben's hips. The ki.ss finally broke the numbness holding Eliza in place. Her phone was already in her hand, although she didn't remember pulling it out. Fingers trembling, she fumbled for the camera, switching it to video. No one would believe her. For one wild second she wondered if she would believe it herself later. She lifted the phone slowly, holding it just past the edge of the doorframe as she forced herself to keep watching. As she filmed, Colin pulled Ben back from Vanessa gently, settling Eliza's husband once more against his chest. "Nessa," Colin said, his voice quieter but filled with the same tight anticipation as before. "Go ahead. I made sure he's ready." For a moment the two men on the bed stilled after Vanessa pulled back. Eliza found she couldn't move, couldn't look away. She stood in the dark of the hallway holding her breath and her phone, the taste of blood lingering unchecked in her mouth. She heard the rustle of sheets out of sight as Vanessa moved around, but all she could see was Colin's steady hands, unmoving and splayed over her husband's stomach, ready to support him. Then the sharp snap of a bottle lid opening. The air seemed to thicken around her as the silent seconds stretched impossibly long. Then- Ben gasped, his mouth falling open. His body arched back against Colin and then stiffened as his mouth closed and a sharp hiss escaped him. His eyes fluttered, his body staying taut while Colin shifted him slightly so he could watch. It also meant Eliza could see the hazy, unfocused look in her husband's eyes as he reached out, grasping Colin's arm. Colin let Ben grip hard, fingers digging into his skin before he tilted Ben's head back and ki.ssed him, swallowing the sounds that followed as their mouths met. Eliza stared, numb, as the two bodies on the bed moved together with an ease that spoke of long familiarity. Then Vanessa climbed back up the bed. Instead of settling beside him, she swung one leg over theirs and lowered herself gently into Ben's lap, straddling them both and watching as the two men lingered on each other's lips. Colin's hand reached out and closed around her waist as he slowly broke the ki.ss, steadying her there while she leaned forward slowly. Ben let out a long, low moan as Vanessa began to move, his eyes drifting closed as the three of them pressed together. "Happy birthday," Vanessa murmured softly. Then she glanced at her husband with a satisfied smile. "I think we've outdone last year's gift." Eliza's stomach dropped, the icy numbness inside her giving way to a sudden wave of nausea. Last year.