[interesting]

Jacob dragged me back to the living room. Both the girls had covered their top by putting their shirts back on (the bras were still on the couch), but that didn't matter to me at this point. Jacob was right; I really needed to do something about my feelings for Danielle, either fess up to them or just learn to let go. I looked at Sandra: she didn't seem upset, but rather worried.

"Are you all right?"
"I am. I'm sorry..."
"You can tell me... I... Do you want me to go?"
"No... no I don't."
"Okay..."

Her tone was full of understanding and compassion.

"I think someone needs a group hug!" Jacob said

Laurie and Sandra both complied, and soon, I was being wrapped from all around. Laurie and Sandra both took a cheek and kissed me there. I felt silly for being so complicated. They hugged me for a long while.

"I'm sorry guys... I'm just..."
"I think you need to talk," Laurie said. "And we're here. Let's talk."
"I think I'm a mood killer."
"A cock-block is what you are!" Jacob spurted.
"Jacob!"

Laurie seemed angry at him, but she was exagerating. We returned to the couch and sat down. We remained clothes as were, both guys in underwear and topless, both girls in shirts and undies. They were right: I needed to get my feelings out in the open to them, even if they meant no sex for me tonight.

"I'm in love... I think... with this girl..."
"The one in the picture?" Sandra asked.
"Picture? There's a picture?"

I smiled at Jacob, hurried into the computer and took her decent picture off the wall.

"Wow! She's hot."
"She is... anyway, we were out this afternoon and... shopping for... well, doing dares basically. We saw Sandra at the store and... I don't know, it just seemed... Sandra you're very beautiful..."
"Thank you... but when people say that, it's usually a bad sign. There's usually a 'but'."
"In this case, there isn't. I'm just... well, my relationship with Danielle is complicated. I've known her for years, she was the sister, she is the sister of my former best friend. She's younger than me by a few years. So... a few years ago, I was seventeen, she was thirteen so... nothing happened."
"But now, "Laurie said, "she's back in your life... and she's nineteen."
"Yeah... now we have a complicated relationship. She had a boyfriend but they just broke up, and I'm sort of the rebound guy, but she doesn't want me to be that guy, because she loves me too. So, we decided to take it slow... except that we don't want to..."

I laugh. I get a nod of understanding from the three people in the room. I'm mostly looking for it from Sandra.

"You've never had sex with her."
"No... I haven't."
"Well that's all right. But why... did you agree to her conditions?"
"Because... it's complicated... She said... I just... I don't know."

There is a moment of silence. Sandra speaks up.

"It's clear that your problem is with her and not with me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. This has been fun... your friends are nice, you're pretty nice yourself... a bit confused maybe but..."
"I've always been confused."
"I don't think you are. I think you know what you want. I think... you want her to be happy. Right?"
"Yeah. I do."
"And do you want me to be happy too?"
"Of course!"

Sandra pondered her words before speaking again.

"What did she ask you to do, specifically?"
"She... asked me to call you up, to invite you for something tonight... she told me... she told me If I had an opportunity to get close to you..."
"...to have sex with me?"
"Yes... if it happened."

I notice Jacob and Laurie remaining quiet, letting the conversation between Sandra and myself evolve.

"And are you sure that's what she really wants?"
"I know she wants me to be happy... and I know she's not ready to... be intimate with me. So... maybe?"

Her exact words came back to my mind.

"She told me... to fuck you. To fuck you as if you were her."

My boldness - or the boldness of the words - took everyone aback for a moment, but Sandra recomposed herself.

"Well, despite the change of pace and the seriousness of the conversation... I'm still having fun here."

She turned to Laurie and Jacob.

"Are you?"
"Are you kidding? This is better than the OC!"

Everybody laughed. Jacob continued.

"I thought... maybe... Frank could call her. Have her join us?"
"That's a great idea!"
"Unfortunately, I don't have her phone number... we only communicate through e-mail."
"Ooh... that blows..."

Laurie's eyes widened as we saw the idea pop into her brain.

"Let's send her an e-mail? Sandra, how game are you?"
"Varies... right now, pretty game."
"Frank, got your camera?"
"uh... yeah..."
"Get it for us, please."

I got up and retrieved my camera from my desk. I handed it to Laurie but she declined it.

"Here's what I propose. This girl... Danielle... she seems to enjoy daring you to do things, so let's make it worth her while. We're going to take some pictures of us, together, doing stunts, and then we'll e-mail those pictures to her... if everyone is game."
"What kind of pictures?"
"Anything Frank feels is appropriate. He knows her best, after all. What do you think?"

I enjoyed the notion of sending her pictures of myself; including others in those pictures was a unique and unexpected twist, something which was sure to surprise Danielle. At the same, another thought occured to me.

"I know what's wrong."
"What?"
"I know what's wrong with me."

My friends waited on bated breath for me to speak.

"She's not here. She's not... involved. I... every dare, everything I've done so far has revolved around her... when she's here, I lose my inhibitions, I allow myself to have fun... right now she's not... but... including her like this, having her participate in our fun, even if it's only a delayed reaction to the pictures... I guess, that involves her, somehow."

I looked at Sandra.

"I'm sorry. I must feel like the weirdest date ever."
"Maybe so. But this is fun... it's way better than just dinner and a movie. And I kind of dig the fact that you have the hots for another girl."
"You do?"
"Well, yeah... two reasons. First of all, it means that it should be less complicated between us... should we ever get intimate. And second, well, it's nice to have a challenge... to win you over, I might say."

I blushed.

"But enough of that... what kind of pictures are we going to take?"