Mark and Beth left the next weekend to visit some out of town friends, giving Kevin and Chrissy some time alone in the apartment.
They were together in the common room. Chrissy was drawing in her sketchbook, while Kevin tried to read a book on the couch. It was some new science fiction his friend had recommended, which usually was his thing, but it really wasn't capturing his attention with so much on his mind.
He looked over at Chrissy, who was curled up in the chair in a way that seemed like it couldn't possibly be comfortable. Her eyes were serious and focused, carefully studying her drawing. She twisted the sketchbook every now and then, changing the angle to suit the next line. The gentle scratching of the pencil was hypnotically calming. Kevin knew he could stare at her for an hour and she wouldn't notice- when she was like this, lost in her art, very little would distract her.
He watched her work for a while, relaxing to the sounds of the pencil, before his curiosity got the better of him. "What are you drawing?"
Her eyes popped up, and she seemed almost surprised he was there. "Oh, um..."
"Can I see?" Kevin asked, gently. Sometimes she didn't want to show him, sometimes she did. He never pushed if she said no, though he always wanted to see.
"It's not done yet."
"That's OK," he said. Her face flushed slightly. "You don't have to show me if you don't want to, of course."
"No, it's... well, look." She turned the sketchbook around so he could see.
It was a beautiful pencil sketch of Beth- still unfinished in some places, but mostly done. It depicted Beth staring directly at the viewer, her full lips open slightly. The eyes had an almost unusual amount of detail compared to the rest of the work. Kevin felt his heart rate spike, as if Beth was in the room, actually staring at him.
"It's beautiful," said Kevin genuinely. It was unusual for Chrissy to draw people realistically. While she taught it to her students, her personal art tended to be more abstract.
"Well... she's beautiful," replied Chrissy, deflecting the compliment.
"I meant the art, not the subject."
"Thanks," she said, though her face showed frustration. She turned the drawing back to herself. "But it's not quite... I can't get the eyes quite right."
"The eyes are the best part, I thought."
"It's just... when she's been looking at me. Lately. There's something in them, some characteristic that's hard to nail down. Just a little twinkle of some emotion hidden behind the eyes. It's like she's... she's..."
"Like she's the cat looking at the canary," Kevin finished, knowing what Chrissy meant immediately.
Chrissy looked over at him. "Yes! Yes, exactly. Like... a little mischievous, like she's plotting something for you..."
"I noticed she's looking down at the viewer. Or the artist, maybe."
Chrissy took a pause before snapping the sketchbook to her chest dramatically. "Hey!" she said, with humor, "Don't psychoanalyze my art!"
"Sorry, sorry!" said Kevin, with a smile.
"I am the shortest one around here, you know! Everyone's always looking down at me. Doesn't mean anything."
"That's true." They both paused, studying each other. Kevin gestured at the sketchbook. "So, uh... is... is something on your mind?"
Chrissy nodded and closed the book. "I suppose it's obvious now. Though don't pretend like you were actually reading your book over there."
Kevin chuckled. "No... no I was not."
"So... should we talk about... them?"
Kevin nodded.
"So, I've been thinking about it," she said softly, leaning towards him as if she was sharing a secret. "And I think they don't see our Rule as a Rule. I think they see our Rule as a challenge."
"A challenge?"
"Right. Think about it. They found out we only allowed ourselves two seconds to check them out, and what happened? Beth takes off her pants and spanks herself in front of you. A situation, I think, no living straight human male could limit themselves to two seconds of.
"So, then we changed the rule. Looking is okay, but touching is off limits. As soon as I tell Mark that, a few minutes later, suddenly he needs a massage, and he gets me flustered to the point where I'm practically begging you to change The Rule again. So, then, as long as underwear stays on, we're OK. So what does he do next?"
"He asked you to strip," finished Kevin with realization.
"Exactly! Now, he didn't get my underwear off, but... come on. I think that's where he was heading. And they don't want to trick us or force us. Mark doesn't rip off his own underwear to win. They want the two of us to choose to break The Rule. That's the game. Like, they realize we're so attracted to them, they want to prove whatever line we choose to draw, we'll choose to break it if they push just a little bit."
There was a pause as Kevin thought about this. "Oh my god. They're... they're sirens, or something!"
"Right? It makes sense, right?"
"The timeline certainly matches up, but it leaves a question. ...Why? I mean, you're beautiful, obviously, and my grandma tells me I'm very handsome."
She threw a pencil at him. "Hey, I think so, too!"
"But why torment us, when they have each other?"
They both looked at each other silently, neither certain of the answer.
"I just want to make sure," said Chrissy, hesitant, but serious, "Are you okay with... where this is going?"
Kevin looked at her thoughtfully, understanding what she meant.
She continued. "Because I think we're at a bit of a crossroads right now. I think either we put our foot down, ask them what the hell is going on, and tell them that while this was fun, we don't want anything to impact our friendship..."
There was a pause. "Or?" asked Kevin, already knowing the other option.
"Or... we keep pushing the Rule as far as they'll take it. Because I think if we keep letting them put the pressure on without saying anything... Kevin, we're going to give in to whatever they want."
He nodded and swallowed.
"Which is a pretty big change to a relationship," she added. She was looking at him carefully. "I mean, we were monogamous, like, a week ago! And now, we're kind of... not? Or something?"
Kevin thought for a moment. "Well, let me ask you something: is there anything that Mark could do that would change the way you feel about me?"
"No," she said without hesitation. "Nothing, never, not in a million years. And you with Beth?"
"There's nothing Beth, or anyone, could do to make me change the way I feel about you."
She smiled. "That's a very good answer."
"Which is, of course, that I hate you."
Chrissy groaned, throwing yet another pencil at him. "You ruined it! That was so sweet, and you ruined it! Why did you do that?!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
She huffed dramatically, but with a smile on her face, before turning back to him seriously. "So... I just want to be sure of what you're saying here."
Kevin scratched the back of his head. "I'm saying... Let's see what happens. We're both enjoying this, right? I mean, realistically. How much further will they actually take it?"
***
They started to call these moments- when Beth or Mark would go on the attack- "Challenging The Rule." The next one came a few days after they returned from their weekend trip.
Kevin was working in their common room, sitting on the couch. He usually preferred to work at his desk, but every now and then he liked a change of scenery, so long as the apartment was quiet. And, if he was being honest with himself, he wanted to increase the chance of Beth dropping by without wearing pants or something.
He was writing and rewriting an email on his laptop when he heard footsteps approach. He looked up to see Beth.
Beth may have been fully clothed, but she was, as always, stunning. She wore her office attire, with a crisp white button down tucked into tight pants. It seemed the perfect mix of respectable office fashion while still showing off her beauty.
She held a cup of tea in one hand- she always drank out of the same white mug. Beth was not the type to have a silly mug like everyone else on earth that Kevin knew.
She leaned against the door frame, studying him.
"Working from home today?" he asked, smiling at her. This was a first for her, as far as Kevin knew.
She did not smile back. "I have conference calls all day, so. I decided to take a page from your book."
"And what do you think?"
She sat down in the chair next to the couch, carefully putting her mug on a coaster on the coffee table. "It feels lazy, staying at the apartment all day."
"Well, I'm lazy, so it suits me. I usually don't even bother with pants."
"... But I could get used to it." She picked up and sipped her tea. She never slurped or made any sound at all when she sipped it, Kevin noted, even though it seemed boiling hot. She pulled out her phone, seeming to check on work.
Kevin got back to his email- it seemed that today wasn't a day to challenge the Rule. Today they were just roommates. While he couldn't help but be a little disappointed, it did make him less nervous. He re-read the last paragraph he wrote, and deleted it with frustration.
Beth looked at him quizzically. "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing an email asking for a raise. Well, another email."
She blinked at him, then turned back to her tea, sipping it again. She sighed, and leaned back in the chair. "If you're writing an email, you're already doing it wrong."
"I thought... someone told me to always get these things in writing."
"You get the details in writing, but you negotiate them in person. Or at least over the phone."
"You've negotiated a raise?"
She looked over at him, annoyed. "Yes." She said it as if he had asked her if she breathed air, or could walk on two feet.
"Well... what would you do?"
She sipped her tea, seeming to ignore him, before finally answering. "That information will cost you."
Kevin paused. Was this a challenge? "Cost me... what?"
"Five hundred an hour."
"Oh, hah! Right. Money." Kevin went back to his computer before doing a double take, looking back at her. "Do you really make five hundred an hour?"
She shot him a look that let him know how stupid she thought that question was, taking another sip of tea. This time she actually did ignore him.
"Come on, please? In my shoes, what would you do?"
She sat in silence, not looking at him for a moment. Finally she spoke, turning her head and locking eyes with him. "Well... I heard about the massage Chrissy gave Mark. It sounded... intense."