A Threesome and a Wood-Burning Stove
Remembering a cold night, a warm fire, and three naked bodies
The heat came on for the first time last night.
In the early morning hours, I heard the furnace come to life in the basement, and the smell of the radiators filled my nostrils as I pulled the covers up. I was cozy and warm, and autumn arrived in a single moment.
This type of warmth brings back different memories, only partially because I grew up cold.
Our house was old and drafty, with more cracks in the insulation than an old barn. And to top it all off, we heated the house with wood. More specifically, an old wood-burning stove that sat in the kitchen and allegedly blew heat up into my bedroom.
At least it would have if we ever installed that fan.
But as much as I shivered in the morning when I got out of bed, that old stove holds a special place in my heart. And my memories.
Tonight I remember an old friend and a girl I might have loved as we huddled in front of the crackling fire. He and I had come home from school for Christmas break, and she came to visit us while my father was away. The three of us sat sipping cider on the floor, a blanket beneath us, and the heat of the fire warming our faces.
I turned down the lights, stuffed the stove full, and Elena, Alex, and I cuddled together for more than warmth. We laughed and told stories, and our hands lingered as we nestled tight. He kissed her fingers absentmindedly, and I smelled her hair with a sigh. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, and four lips found her neck.
It was not a frantic discovery. Nor was it a desperate mingling of limbs.
In my memory, it was as slow as molasses and as tender as early morning snow. We kissed, and we held one another, losing our clothes in lazy moments of curious desire. When Elena let us take off her shirt, it was with a laugh and a blush, and when Alex undid his jeans, it was four hands playing.
Her mouth was so gentle he trembled. I pushed her hair to one side so I could kiss her neck, my fingers between her thighs as she sucked him, and her skin was hot to the touch. When she held him, twitching and glistening to my lips, I kissed him as well as Elena pressed against me.
Alex held me in his hand as she hovered above me, and they kissed when I entered her. I felt all of her in such agonizing slowness I thought I might never return, and by the time I was inside her, the fire cast glorious fires on our three naked bodies. When he moved behind her and replaced me within her, I kissed her breasts and neck as I whispered words of love.
Between us, she turned her head to kiss me while I fucked her from behind. His arms reached around us both to grip my ass, and there on the blanket on the floor in front of the roaring fire, the three of us made love for the first and only time. There, with the crackling spitting dancing flames shining through the ashy glass, the three of us burned.
When I close my eyes tonight, I can see her on her back between us as we devoured her with our eyes, promising never to forget. I can see her stomach and breasts, and thighs, along with the soft black hair between her legs, which barely covered her glistening lips. I can remember her eyes and her freckles, which danced across her nose. Her neck still keeps me up at night begging to be kissed, and I like to pretend that we fell asleep and never woke up.
I like to pretend that moment lasted longer than a few minutes and that peace and warmth were our rewards for our audacity. We kissed without jealousy, and we held each other with promises. The fire never died, we never grew up, and the night never ended.
And tonight, with the furnace rumbling and the radiators hissing, I’m there with a hand on her stomach and her hair in my face smelling faintly of smoke and vanilla. Alex is still with us, and his smile glows brightly with an eager and easy love.
Maybe if I try hard enough, I can pretend that nothing has changed and nothing was broken.
And maybe the fire will take me away.
Stunning writing. *chef's (writer's) kiss* 🥰
Possibly my favorite so far! Definitely in the top 5 ❤