Mathew laughed, “I am so loving where this is going.” Joe gulped some more wine, “Can’t we skip the embarrassing parts.” “Nope!” Arielle continued, “We started dating, or whatever you call it. By then, we had already known each other for a year and a half. We were good friends for a year and knew each other pretty well.” “When we went on dates, it was oddly awkward because I thought he was just messing with me, and he could understand why I was being weird. At that time, he had not quite figured out he was gay.” “We were buddies and used to eat together and go to movies that we both liked, but mostly we used to go to a cafe and compete over hacking or some games. And that used to be a lot of fun. Our dates were anything but fun.” Joe laughed, recalling those dates, “We dated for an entire semester, and we had formed a weird rapport. We would have a lot of fun when we hung out normally. But when we called it a date, it would be awkward and mentally draining.” Arabella added for t

Thomas finally voiced, “The idea sounds good. We all know how to run a company, but none of us know what to sell.” John nodded at the realization. “That’s right. You, your wife, Mathew, and I - have a finance and management background. Arabella is from product marketing, Joe is a network engineer, and Rick is a cop. We know how to protect and sell something. But none of us know how to produce anything.” Arabella chimed in, “How about we open a Logistics company?” Mathew asked, “Logistics?” Arabella hummed, “There isn’t any good logistics company where we grew up, especially at the international level. Same with where they currently stay. It’s been a nightmare when I have to send something to this cavewoman.” Arielle rolled her eyes at the reference, “So, I take it you did some research?” Arabella clinked her glasses, “Touché!” She shrugged and added, “Work habits are hard to suppress. There is a good market for it, though the initial few years would be bad. Combined with all o

Brenda broke John out of his thoughts as she patted his shoulders. “You were so lost in thought. What were you thinking about?” Brenda asked as John wrapped his arms around her. “I was just thinking about life. How far all of us have come since Mathew, Thomas, and I graduated! Not to mention having five kids at home. It’s been a long journey and, thankfully, a very fulfilling one.” John explained succinctly. Brenda hugged him, “Well, you have good friends. They are so welcoming. It’s like living in a joint family but of your choice. You get all the good parts and not many bad parts.” John had to agree. “Well, you are more than welcome to join that family officially.” Brenda punched him, which hurt for real, “Ouch!” John cried. “Was that supposed to be a proposal? If that was, it was fucking lame.” Brenda punched him once more but managed to control her strength this time. John gulped and kept quiet. He would get beaten if he confessed that he had yet to think about marriage. T

By the time Arielle and Thomas returned home, it was already 4 hours later. They did not offer any explanation. But the glow on Arielle’s face and the satisfied smirk on Thomas’s were self-explanatory. “You ruined my date to screw your wife. You have a big house; you could have done that anytime.” John grumbled under his breath. Having been friends with Thomas for over a decade, despite working for him for eight odd years, they shared a good rapport, even though it could not compare to that between Thomas and Mathew, who had been friends since diapers. Brenda heard him and laughed but did not comment on it. “She is sleeping now. I think John and I will get going now. I will come some other day to eat garlic shrimp.” She said to Arielle before she started tidying herself. “I would ask you to stay back, but we have not even started prepping for dinner. We will probably end up with takeouts now. You guys have fun. Call me next time you have time off, and I will cook you a feast.” A

Thomas decided not to overthink things and enjoy his wife’s enthusiasm. He told others they were taking an impromptu vacation for a week. Their friends did not even have to think to know that they were going on a honeymoon. Everyone knew that they had started to plan for their last baby, and what better way to make another human than to do it like bunnies. When Adrian came from school, Thomas told him that he and his mother would be going away for a week to make him another sibling. Adrian was ecstatic and ran off to Joe and Rick’s place without looking for his mother. Moreover, he shouted it at the top of his lungs for everyone else to hear. Thomas fed Arielle some food in her sleep, and she obediently ate after he alternated every bite with a kiss. He drove her to a port from where they would take a boat to an island where he had booked a small villa with a private beach. Arielle woke up when they were boarding. It had a private cabin and a person who was ferrying them to th