New Years Eve, 2021:

      "So, do you two ever miss the big celebrity bashes you used to get to go to, instead of hanging out on the couch on New Years Eve?" Aidan inquired, her eyes shifting from Ashley to Bobby and back as they gathered near the fireplace in Ashley's living room, each of them holding what looked like a small tablet in their hands. "I mean, wouldn't you usually be at some fancy hotel, or someone's condo, watching fireworks and just getting generally rowdy?"

      "I've got no problem with some fireworks, or maybe a little bit of dancing, but I pretty much gave up on 'rowdy' back when you were still in preschool," Bobby observed. "And even if I hadn't, I don't think my lady here is really up for that kind of mayhem right now, if you recall."

      "Yeah, I guess you're right," Aidan acknowledged. "That keeps slipping my mind. I guess after a couple years of listening to her talk about not wanting kids, it's taking a bit to sink in."

      "Sweetie, I'm not sure it's completely sunk in for me sometimes, so don't feel lonely," Aerin retorted. "I still wake up at least a couple mornings a week and kinda ask myself if this is actually happening. But then my stomach hurries to reassure me that yeah, it is, so I'm back in touch with reality until I get a chance to chug my pink shit."

      "So what about you, babe?" Aidan questioned, turning her attention back to Ashley. 

      He reached out to slide an arm around her waist, shifting his position so that she wound up seated between his legs, with her back resting against his chest. After dropping a kiss on her temple, he said, "Well, I hit a couple of parties last year, but it's actually been a couple of years since I've been to a 'celebrity bash', as you call it. And to be honest, I can't really say that I miss it all that much. I miss a few of the people I knew in LA, yeah, but I've figured out that the lifestyle itself was pretty toxic, and I'm better off where I am now. I mean, after all, if I hadn't wised up and gotten away from there, I never would have met you, now would I?" Then his lips curled in a mischievous smirk as he added, "And as for 'fireworks', I was kinda hoping we could set off some of our own after we all finish ringing in the New Year."

      "Ah, crap!" Aerin commented sarcastically to Bobby. "Sounds like we may need some earplugs tonight, babe."

      This caused Aidan to start giggling, earning her puzzled looks from the other three. "You say that jokingly, but you may be righter than you know," she informed the younger woman. "Remember that conversation we had a couple weeks ago, when I was at the Dollar Tree? Well, guess what I decided to bring along for the ride this time?"

      Ashley and Bobby still looked rather confused, but Aerin's eyes widened as she blurted, "Oh, no you did not! Seriously?" When her friend nodded an affirmative, she let out a crow of laughter and said, "Well, lemme know if it works like you think it's gonna. If it does, maybe I'll pick some up and keep it in case of a 'special occasion'. That could make the situation a bit more... palatable, so to speak."

      "What is it?" both of the men asked in unison, sending the ladies into another fit of laughter.

      "I'll explain it to you later, love," Aerin informed Bobby. "Cuz I'm pretty sure that Aidan would prolly smack me if I open my mouth now and spoil her surprise."

      "I'm not in the habit of hitting pregnant people, but I'd definitely think of something," Aidan chuckled. Then, in a teasing tone, she added. "Y'know, I did bring extra. So I might be persuaded to part with some if you want to have an after-party of your own."

      Then it was Aidan's turn to be surprised when her friend replied, "Sure, what the hell! I doubt that it'll become an everyday thing, but I guess he deserves a little somethin' special every now and then."

      Then, when both women lapsed into silence, Ashley spoke up. "So I'm guessing that you're just gonna be a couple of teasing wenches and leave us in suspense for who knows how long, is that right?"

      Aidan paused for a moment, as if she were considering his words, before smiling broadly at him and saying, "Yeah, I'd say that pretty much covers it. After all, if we tell you now, it won't be a surprise later." Aerin simply nodded in agreement and shifted herself to a more comfortable position as she waved the device she was holding at the rest of the group, to remind them of their original plan for the evening.

      The items that each person held were actually digital picture frames, which had been early Christmas gifts from Zach and Zoe, which each recipient had loaded with pictures taken during their respective holiday celebrations. Bobby, Aerin, and his kids had spent the holidays at his ski cabin, along with his brother and other members of his extended family, who had been invited in order to introduce them to Aerin. 

      Ashley, however, had once again traveled to Missouri and had spent Christmas Eve with Aidan and her family, plus her elderly neighbor Harry, whose plans had fallen through at the last minute. Then, on Christmas morning, he had taken the family to have dinner with his relatives in Berger, giving everyone a chance to become acquainted with each other. Ashley was chosen to show his pictures first, and when he brought up a picture of Aidan standing in her living room, with her cat draped around her neck, Bobby's attention was caught by something in the background of the photo.

      "That's a nice piece on your wall there," he remarked, indicating what appeared to be a multi-layered mixed-media depiction of a Native American Kokopelli in a glass box frame. "Did you make that?"

      "No, but it's pretty special anyway," Aidan explained. "That was my last Christmas gift from one of my friends a few years ago. She passed away a couple of months later, not quite a week before her thirtieth birthday." 

      Everyone else winced slightly, and Bobby said, "I'm sorry to hear that. Was it a car accident or something like that?"

      Shaking her head, Aidan responded, "No, it was kidney failure caused by repeated bouts of anorexia. She'd fought with it for several years, and by the time she was ready to actually buckle down and try to get better, it was too late. So that's one of the first things that gets put up whenever I move to a new place."

      She then changed the topic back to the photos, and once Ashley had finished with his, she began scrolling through her own, and came to a shot that Ashley had taken of Aidan standing between two other women, with a teenaged girl in front of her, and three teen boys lined up behind them. "So who are all these people?" Aerin queried.

    "The one on the left is my sister, Paige, and the one on my right is my mom. Her name is Eleanor, but she prefers Nell. My niece Gracie is in front of me, she's seventeen," Aidan informed her. Then, indicating each boy from left to right, she added, "And the boys are Joey, Steven, and Will, who are fourteen, nineteen, and turning thirteen next week."

      "So your sis goes for the old-fashioned names, huh?" Aerin remarked. "To each their own, but I sure hope nobody expects that from me. I prefer to be a bit more... unique."

      "Nah, it's not really so much that she's traditional, or whatever you wanna call it, they're actually all named after singers she likes," Aidan explained. Once again pointing to each teen in the photo, she continued, "Here we have Joseph Elliott, Steven Tyler, William Joel, and Grace Alanis. My dimwit ex-brother-in-law actually wanted to name her Apollonia, but Paige put the brakes on that real hard."

      "Can't say as I blame her for that," Bobby snickered. He then turned his head to glance at Aerin, saying, "And please tell me that one isn't on your short list."  

      "It's not even on the long list, so you can stop worryin', love," she assured him. "It's uncommon, I'll grant that, but it also verges on cheesy, so I'm okay with giving it a pass."

      After they finished viewing Aidan's photos, the rest of the group waited as she excused herself for a moment, dashing to Ashley's bedroom, then back, pressing a small, black rectangular object into Aerin's hand before returning to her seat next to Ashley. Then, once Aerin had tucked said item into her pocket, and everyone was comfortable again, she and Bobby displayed the pictures from their ski trip, which included a shot of Bobby head-first in a snowdrift after losing one of his skis. Another picture, of Aerin, caused everyone except her to burst into laughter as they viewed the look of astonishment on her face as both Zach and Zoe dropped snowballs down the back of their future stepmother's sweater. When he finally recovered his ability to speak, Ashley brushed tears from his eyes with the back of his hand and inquired, "So what did you do to get even with them? Is that why they're not here, because you've got 'em locked up in the car trunk or something?"

      "Nah, they both had plans with their friends before they ever knew I was moving up here," Bobby said. "So they're back in Florida right now. They'll be back when it's time to get everything moved."

      "And that's when I'll get even," Aerin declared. "They both had their guard up then, so I decided to wait 'til they think I've forgotten, and then I'll make my move. Gives me a bit more time to think of somethin' good, which you should understand from experience, since I've done the same to you on several occasions when you've been a little too enthusiastic about pushing my buttons."

      Once they were finished with the pictures, Aerin excused herself for a bathroom break, and Ashley went to his room to check his computer for an expected message from one of his APFI suppliers, which left Aidan and Bobby alone in the living room.

      "Aerin tells me that she's asked you to be her maid of honor at our handfasting," Bobby remarked. "So I'm pretty sure that means it's gonna be on you to to convince her to wear an actual dress, even though she claims to hate them."

      "Under the circumstances, I think she'd prolly tolerate the idea, although I wouldn't be willing to put money on her going for anything traditional," Aidan replied. "Somehow I can't picture her walking down the aisle looking like she's wearing the wedding cake. And even if she does balk, after watching the two of you together, I'm pretty sure a T-shirt and blue jeans wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker, would they?"

      Bobby offered a lopsided grin and stated, "Hell, I'd marry her if she showed up wearing the damned pink bunny suit from that obnoxious Christmas movie. I'd probably even dress up to match if that's what she wanted."

      "Good, that's pretty much what I wanted to hear," Aidan informed him. "I just wanted to be sure that she's not the only one who's willing to give things up for this relationship."

      A puzzled look crossed Bobby's face as he said, "Sorry, but I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean by that, hon."

      "I guess maybe I wasn't real clear there, so let me try again. From what Aerin tells me, you two are pretty open about everything, so I'm guessing that you're aware of her fondness for... well, let's call them 'alternative practices', yes?" As he nodded an affirmative, she continued on, saying, "She's also mentioned that you don't share her interest in the bondage and whatnot, so that told me right off how much she really cares about you, since she's willing to put all that aside to be with you. So it's good to know that you're just as willing to compromise on things to make her happy, too."

      At that moment, her phone went off, and she picked it up to check her texts, which distracted her from the fact that Bobby's expression had morphed from confusion to a strange combination of annoyance and alarm. And because of this, she paid little attention to the fact that as soon as Aerin returned from the bathroom, he practically leapt from the couch and said, "Sweetheart, do you think I might be able to have a word with you? Privately?"

      **********************************************************************

      Ashley had just closed his laptop when he heard footsteps approaching the bedroom door, which flew open to admit Aerin and Bobby. His roommate appeared to be utterly confused, while her fiancee seemed to be slightly annoyed.  "What is up with you?" Aerin demanded. "You say you want to talk to me privately, and then you drag me in here with Ash! How the hell is that private?"

      Bobby closed the door behind him, then leaned against it, effectively locking them in the room before leveling a glare at both of them and snapping, "When I said 'private', what I actually meant was that I'm not having this conversation out there in front of Aidan. This is not my circus, so I'll be damned if I'm gonna end up being the ringmaster!"

      Turning to stare at his roommate, Ashley blurted, "What the fuck is he talking about, sugar?"

      "Your guess would be as good as mine, since he hasn't bothered to tell me yet what's got his boxers in such a bunch," she replied.

      "Okay, fair enough," Bobby acknowledged. "Allow me to enlighten you. I just had a very interesting conversation with Aidan, which brought to my attention that you two seem to be holding her and I to some different standards, and I'm not down with that."

      Both Ashley and Aerin stared blankly at the older man for several seconds before Ashley managed to re-engage his brain enough to stammer, "Uh... what? You've lost me here, dude."

      "All right, let me put this as simply as possible, so the two of you can comprehend. When I first met you at the Atlanta show, we hadn't known each other for more than a couple hours before you made me aware of your... arrangement, because you said that you believed in being honest with any potential partners about that sort of thing. However, even though Aidan has been your friend for a couple of years now, and your girlfriend for the last couple of months, it was pretty fucking obvious out there that she doesn't have a clue. So who wants to explain that one?"

      Bobby watched as both his fiancee and their friend went pale, and turned to look at each other in horror. "What the fuck, Ash!?" Aerin shrieked. "You didn't fucking tell her?"

      "Because I thought you did!" he shouted back. "I assumed that you'd told her after she found out that we were roomies."

      "Why the fuck would you think a dumb thing like that, when you knew damn good and well I had no intention of disrespecting your privacy without permission. We lived together for almost a year before she even found out about that, so why would you assume that I'd go telling her things about your personal life without asking first?"

      "Hold up, you two!" Bobby interjected. "You'll have plenty of time later to bitch at each other about who dropped the ball. Right now, what you need to do is march your happy asses back in there and fix this little fiasco. And before you ask, I'll hang out and mediate, if it's needed, but that's as far as I'll go. You're gonna have to explain things to her yourself."

      He moved away from the door and held it open, allowing Aerin and Ashley to leave the room ahead of him, and following them back to the living room, where Aidan inquired, "Did y'all hear a noise a couple minutes ago? It sounded like a woman yelling, so I'm wondering if some of your neighbors might not be getting a little enthusiastic with their celebrating."

      "No, hon, that was me," Aerin acknowledged. "Umm... well, it turns out that there's a bit of an... issue, and we were trying to sort out whose fault it actually is."

      "If we're gonna be honest, I think we can probably call that one fifty-fifty," Ashley responded. "Like Bobby just said, we both dropped the ball, so..."

      Aidan turned her gaze toward Bobby, and queried, "Would you like to let me in on what these two are babbling about?"

      "Nope, that's their job," the older man replied. "Like I already told them, not my circus, and definitely not my monkeys. I'm just here to prevent possible bloodshed."

      "In that case, maybe you should just stop talking, Rob," Aerin grumbled.

      "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're not helping matters right now," Ashley added. Bobby nodded and resumed his seat by the fireplace as Ashley motioned for the women to join him on the couch, placing himself between them. 

      "Y'all can start explaining any time now," Aidan prompted them. "Because I'd really like to know how everything was just fine not ten minutes ago, but now Mr. Hall Monitor over there seems to be kinda pissed off, and you two are sitting here looking like you're about to throw up. What the hell happened in there?"

      "Well, he was telling us about your conversation a few minutes ago, and we kind of realized that there's been a bit of a... communication error," Aerin hesitantly explained. 

      "Yeah, what she said," Ashley added. "Nobody meant for it to happen, we both just assumed that the other had taken care of it. But, y'know what they say about assuming, so... There's something I really need to talk to you about, and you just might wanna kick my ass when I do."

      Aidan sat silently as they explained their 'play partner' arrangement, her face expressionless as Bobby acknowledged that he had been aware of it the entire time that he had known them, and had accepted it rather than pass up the opportunity to be with Aerin, as that was one of her conditions for the continuation of their relationship. Then, once they had all fallen silent, she stood and looked down at all of them for several seconds before saying, in a voice that seemed to lower the temperature of the room, "So, let's see if I have this straight. You two have been screwing around practically since you've met, with the approval of Aerin's fiancee, which is a whole 'nother category of weird. But none of you thought that maybe I should be let into the loop, so I could decide if I actually wanted to participate in a game of Musical Partners?"

      "Oh, not just no, but fuck no!" Aerin shouted, "Ash and I have never had sex, or even come close to it! It's basically just a way for both of us to... de-stress, I guess you'd say."

      "That's right, babe, there's no sexual contact involved," Ashley explained. "And neither of us was trying to hide anything from you. Like I told you earlier, I know that you two talk to each other about practically everything, so I assumed that she'd told you about it before you and I ever got together."

      "And I figured that he'd filled you in when y'all decided to start dating," Aerin chimed in. "Hon, you know how I feel about everything being consensual, so you should also know that if I'd had any idea that he hadn't told you, I would've done it myself, or made damn sure he did!"

      "But, if I correctly understand what Bobby says that you told him, this is not negotiable. If I want to be with Ash, this is part of the package, whether I like it or not, right?"

      "That's up to Ash. His conditions may not be the same as mine, so you'll have to take that up with him."

      Ashley stood and placed a finger under Aidan's chin, lifting her face so that she was looking into his eyes as he said, "No, that's not right at all. I can't honestly say that I wouldn't be a bit disappointed to lose my... let's call it my 'outlet', but if it interferes with our relationship, then that's the end. I care too much about you to let that happen. So just say the word, and we'll get this straightened out. What do you say to that?"

      Aidan looked around the room at each of her companions, then let out a deep sigh and responded, "I say that I need to process all of this. So can you all just give me a few minutes to go outside and have some peace and quiet so I can think?"

      Both Ashley and Aerin looked as though they might burst into tears, and even Bobby seemed to be somewhat concerned by her words, but they all agreed to the request, so she collected her coat from the foyer and stepped out, leaving the others to stare silently at each other as they waited for her to return.

      After some time had passed, Ashley glanced at his friends and said, "What do you think is taking so long? You don't think she decided to go back home, do you?"

      "Not with all of her stuff still here in the house, dude," Bobby reassured him. "Her phone is right here on the coffee table, so she couldn't even call an Uber. She's probably taking a walk around the block or something."

      "And you know as well as I do that she's too straightforward for that, anyhow," Aerin reminded him, even though she seemed to be nearly as worried as Ashley was. "Even if she's pissed enough to write us both off, she'd tell us to our faces to fuck off, instead of just running away from the problem."

      Finally, just after Ashley announced his intention to go outside to look for her, Aidan opened the back door and stepped into the house, walking from the kitchen to where the others waited. Her anger seemed to have subsided, and her face instead reflected uncertainty as she said, "Ash, I need to ask you a couple of questions, and I want you to be completely honest, even if you don't think I'll like the answer."

      "Absolutely, darlin'. Ask me anything you want, and if I have the answer, I'm more than happy to give it to you."

      "First question: Since you're into this 'scene' stuff, does that mean that you don't...? That you're... that when we're together, it's not... enough, I guess is what I'm trying to say?"

      Ashley's mouth dropped open in astonishment, and he flinched as though she'd slapped him as he blurted out, "I don't ever want you to think anything like that again, Aidan Elizabeth! I don't think I can explain to you how much I look forward to our times together. You're everything I've ever wanted in a woman, so don't for a second think that I'm not satisfied with what we have. Like I told you, there's nothing sexual about what happens between Aerin and I, so they have nothing to do with each other, anyway."

      "Okay, then, second question: Why? What is the appeal in... whatever it is that you're actually doing, if there's no sex involved?" 

      Ashley sighed deeply, and took several seconds to collect his thoughts before he responded. "Babe, we've discussed my time in the hospital after my Pop died, and all the shit that went on when I got booted out of the band. But we haven't talked as much about the fact that I was already on anti-anxiety meds long before I went in, or the history of depression and suicide that runs in my family. My mind can be a very dark place, and sometimes it even scares me. But when things start getting too heavy, this actually helps me clear my head, and keeps me functional and something resembling sane."

      "And it's not like we're doing it on a daily basis," Aerin pointed out. "He usually only gets to that point maybe once every couple of months, unless things at work are particularly stressful, then maybe once a month."

      Aidan paused, then asked, "Do you promise that there's nothing sexual between the two of you?" Both of her friends swore emphatically that this was the case, and she drew in a deep breath and said, "Okay then, that's good enough for me. I admit that I don't really understand a lot of the stuff Aerin's told me about, but if this is what you need, then I guess I'll have to accept it. Because I'd rather deal with having you going off to get spanked, or whatever you're doing, then worry about you winding up back in the hospital, or worse. The only thing I ask is that neither of you ever try to give me any details, because I'd really rather not know." 

      "I can live with that, hon," Aerin assured her. "I promise that you'll never hear a word about it from me unless ya ask."

      Ashley stood quietly for a moment, looking rather uncertain, before inquiring, "So this does mean that you're not dumping me, right?"

      "No, I'm not, as long as you promise not to hide anything from me again," Aidan informed him, reaching out to twine her arms around his neck. As he pulled her closer, the group became aware of the sound of fireworks from outside, and Bobby glanced at his watch.

      "Well, Happy Fuckin' New Year, everybody!" he called out, sweeping Aerin into his arms for a kiss. "This is how to do it; starting everything fresh. New year, new beginning." 

      This caused Ashley to lean back slightly, so he could look his girlfriend in the eye. "That reminds me, there is one more thing," he said. "I've had a pretty big decision dropped in my lap, and since it will affect your life as much as mine, I'd really like for us to make it together. Shall we go talk about it?"

      "I think that's our cue to call it a night" Aerin announced, offering her fiancee a devilish grin as she started down the hall toward her bedroom. "So ya might wanna get the lead out, love, before I change my mind about your... holiday surprise."

       As Bobby hastened to follow his fiancee out of the room, Ashley leaned his head forward, so that he and Aidan were nose to nose, and murmured, "Thank you for understanding, darlin'. I hope you know I never meant to actually keep you in the dark about this, I honestly thought that Aerin would have told you. I mean, I've heard some of the things you two talk about, so I didn't figure that would be off limits."

      Aidan reached up and cupped his face, dropping a gentle kiss on his lips. "To be honest, I can't say that I actually 'understand 'any of it," she told him. "I never really have, not even when Aerin told me stories about some of the parties her mom used to throw before she left home. I basically just smile and nod. But as long as everyone is legal, I'm also not going to judge anyone on whatever interests them, provided that they're willing to extend the same courtesy to me. So if this is what it takes to keep you grounded, and out of jail or a hospital, then it is what it is, and I'll work with it. Because your health and well-being are more important than any sort of hangups I might have about this, so if someone else has to do it, at least it's someone I can trust not to get carried away and actually hurt you, or deciding that they want you all to themselves."

      Then she stepped back, took his hand, and started leading him toward his room, commenting, "And I think our talk can wait for just a bit longer, because we have more important matters to consider right now."

      "We do?" Ashley inquired in a puzzled tone. "Like what, exactly?"

      As they reached the bedroom, Aidan reached into her pocket and produced one of the same black objects that she had given Aerin, which he finally realized was a packet of Pop Rocks candy. Offering him a mischievous grin, she opened the door and, before he could question her further, fairly shoved him into the room. And as she locked it behind them, she offered him a one-word response to his question.

"Fireworks."