Pizza Doesn't Count

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Alex was asking Dominic, knowing he had never been a fan of crowds. They stood outside one of the busiest restaurants in the city. It was hot enough outside that Dominic was finding his plain button-down shirt a little too warm. He undid the top couple of buttons as he answered her.

“Yeah, of course, I made the reservation, didn’t I?” Dominic soothed, “You and Jeremy can drink as much of that fancy wine as you like, and I’ll get both of you home safe.”

She shifted onto the tips of her toes to kiss him on his stubbled cheek, “You really are a mind reader.”

Three years of dating and she still purposely mislabeled his abilities, Dominic rolled his eyes in mock humiliation. Alex grinned, “You know, I think this is our first official dinner date.”

“What? Pizza doesn’t count?”

She elbowed him in the stomach playfully, “Pizza on your couch definitely doesn’t! This is our first official fancy dinner date for the three of us.”

“Yes, are you nervous?”

“Why would I be nervous? We’ve already had a threesome together,” Alex played with her hair—she had cut it short to try to curb the habit, but it hadn’t helped. He knew her tells. He also knew that pointing them out only exacerbated them.

Dominic shrugged, “Yes but this is the first time the three of us will have to you know… talk to each other. In public. Like normal couples.”

Alex laughed, “Hunny, normal couples are not polyamorous triads for one. They also can’t read memories or transform into animals.”

Alex had first met Jeremy at one of her art openings at college—he had made a sad attempt at complimenting one of her abstract paintings. He wasn’t the most dedicated student but the two of them had gradually become friends despite having completely different majors. She would paint in her studio while he struggled through chemistry and statistics. He preferred the space of the studio over the crowded library. Dominic and Jeremy’s relationship had been purely sexual to start off—Jeremy wasn’t out of the closet and Dominic had to maintain a certain level of public privacy as a psychiatrist. It made public outings together uncomfortable at times but Alex had grinned and bared it all.

“Good thing us boys have you to keep us grounded then,” he smiled, looking down her dress. Alex’s usual attire consisted of jeans and a T-shirt too large for her—all of them splattered with at least one spot of paint. She had wanted tonight to feel special though, choosing to wear a red dress with black lace. It was so short she decided to pair it with the thickest pair of black stockings she could find. He kissed her forehead, “You look amazing, like always.”

“I’m glad you like it—you did pick it out,” Alex said, pulling her phone from his pocket, “Jeremy is already inside. A back corner to the left he said.”

She tucked her phone back into his pocket before they moved past the line of people waiting to get in. Jeremy greeted them with a broad smile. Alex gave Jeremy a hug and a kiss on the cheek before he could stand up to greet them, “You didn’t start without us?” She slid to the middle of the booth before plucking the unopened wine bottle from the table, “Alpha and Omega Merlot huh?”

Jeremy stood, giving Dominic a hug, lingering for just a moment as their eyes met. Dominic resisted the urge to look through the man’s most recent memories, wanting him to tell them about it instead. The two men sat on either side of Alex, a waitress suddenly appearing before them. She opened the wine for them, offering them a chance to taste it before setting the bottle down to let it breathe and rattling off the specials with a practiced repetition. Alex ordered a roasted chicken, Jeremy a bloody steak, and Dominic asked for the salmon, all of them eager to get started on their own conversation. Jeremy had told them this morning that he had good news to share. Alex sipped her glass of Merlot while Jeremy finally told them, “It’s official! I’m now a graduate of the University of Victoria! I was a little worried about a couple courses, but I scraped by.”

Dominic congratulated him, “Plus, your forestry surveying job for the summer. Great news.”

Alex nodded, patting Jeremy on the lap, “Now Jeremy, just promise me you won’t get caught out in the woods naked. And don’t go exploring during hunting season—I don’t want to see your white butt on the news.”

Jeremy’s ears reddened, “I know, I know. I’ll be careful. Honestly, it will just be nice to get out into the woods more regardless of what form I’m in.”

They exchanged looks, settling into silence for a moment. Alex offered Dominic a taste of wine. He took a very careful, measured sip and then made a face, “I’d rather experience it through your memory, it’s just bitter awfulness to me.”

Alex grinned, refilling her own glass and Jeremy’s. She swirled it before taking another taste, deliberately focusing on the experience. Enjoying the rich, full-body flavour in the way a seasoned wine sipper could. Dominic nodded, “Way better.”

Jeremy, curious, mimicked her actions and then raised an eyebrow at Dominic. The therapist shook his head in response, “I think Alex has visited a few more art openings than you Jeremy.”

He chuckled, “It’s true. I’m more of a beer drinker. So, tell me, Dominic, how exactly does it work? The memory reading—is it the reason you became a therapist?”

Dominic ran a finger along the scar on his cheek, thinking before he responded, “I guess it stems from my fascination with trauma. I’d rather deal with another person's memory of trauma instead of my own. The distance of it felt… It’s like watching a movie or reading a book. I can be removed from it and provide a fresh perspective.”

“And you can read any memory? Like… that man over there,” Jeremy gestured to a table nearby. A couple quietly eating their dinner, “Can you read his?”

Dominic looked, “No. I haven’t made eye contact and it’s so busy in here, it’s hard to tell what belongs to who. It’s not always clear. Sometimes it is more like a dream with a certain darkness to everything—or it is just smells or sounds without any visuals.”

Alex patted Dominic’s lap, a brief moment of concern creasing her forehead before she changed the subject, “What about you Jeremy? Can you change into anything?”

Jeremy tasted his wine, “No. Not anything—I tried an elephant once after seeing one at a zoo but I think they are just too big.”

Their conversation paused for a moment as the waitress returned to check on them. They all smiled politely as she set a bread basket on the table and filled glasses of water for each of them.

“What about a baby elephant?” Alex asked, pulling a slice of warm bread out of the basket and slathering it with butter.

“It never occurred to me to try,” Jeremy admitted, “Dogs are probably easiest, but birds are the most fun—eagles or albatross mostly.”

“But you have to be naked,” Dominic said after a bite of bread.

Jeremy’s ears reddened, “Yes. And I haven’t figured out how to change my eye colour either.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing your eyes are brown then?” Dominic questioned.

“More of a golden brown,” Alex corrected, “Like a golden eagle.”

A server came, carefully placing each plate before them followed by their waitress who was holding a silver condiment caddy, offering Jeremy toppings for his baked potato—sour cream, finely chopped bacon and green onion. Alex asked for extra sour cream on her mashed potatoes, the waitress scraping the bowl clean with a small spoon before Alex nodded in satisfaction. When the waitress left, Alex laughed, looking at the roasted chicken that occupied the center of the table, “I didn’t know I was ordering a whole roast chicken.”

“Don’t worry love. I’ll help,” Dominic took a bite of his salmon. It was expertly cooked and seasoned, layered on a bed of risotto. A medley of glazed vegetables layered in between the rice and salmon. After taking a moment to savour his meals perfection he added, “Alex always fills up on wine and bread.”

“I was too hungry to wait!” Alex responded, dipping a bite of roasted carrot into her pile of sour cream while Jeremy took the time to thinly slice his entire steak before eating. A pool of blood soaked his fully loaded baked potato. Dominic was no longer concerned about the flow of conversation as they filled their stomachs, each of the men sampling Alex’s meal. Despite being too full to finish a quarter of her meal Alex reached for the dessert menu, “A chocolate cake with chunks of creamy chocolate mousse, chocolate cookie crust, topped with caramel, toffee, and pecans. That sounds amazing.”

“I think I know what you are having for breakfast,” Dominic mused, later asking the waitress to pack everything in to go containers plus a slice of the Chocolate Cake Explosion. Jeremy sat back, a look of exquisite content on his face that Dominic didn’t know was possible. They smiled at each other.

Alex looked from one of them to the other and back again, “So are you guys going to kiss in public or what?”

Dominic rubbed the back of his head, uncertain if Jeremy was willing to take the plunge. They exchanged looks again, Jeremy leaning forward. Dominic met his lips halfway, engaging in a slow kiss before each of them gave Alex a kiss as well. She grinned, “I like this.”

Dominic paid the bill and carried the leftovers outside waiting as the other two went to the bathroom. As pleasant as the meal had been, he was eager to get away from the crowd of people. They took a detour down to the empty beach to walk along the sandy shore and enjoy the sunset. Alex slipped off her flats, tugged off her leggings and passing them to Dominic to walk barefoot in the sand. Jeremy tucked his socks into his worn but fashionable shoes, the buckles clinking as he walked next to Dominic. They watched Alex dance along the water’s edge, treading in that space between dry sand and surf, where the sand was wet. When it became too dark to navigate the sandy shore they returned to Dominic’s apartment. It felt good, the three of them enjoying the night air together.

With the leftovers tucked in the fridge the three of them took their time undressing each other, becoming a tangle of limbs in Dominic’s bed. It was past midnight when Jeremy wiped sweaty hair from his forehead, “I could really go for a pizza after all that exercise.”

Dominic shared a look with Alex, “I still think pizza at home counts as a date.”

________________________________

If you enjoyed this bit of fiction, please support my work with a heart and check out my other articles! These characters belong to a larger work in progress. Let me know what you thought on FB, Twitter, or Insta @akelseyreich.

Written by Kelsey Reich on March 31/2021 in Ontario, Canada. Edited July 7/2021.