Pam: Part 1 (introduction)
The living room is dimly lit as they walk through the front door, shoes still dusty from their trip back from Nevada. The familiar scent of lavender-sandalwood candles lingers in the air—Ashley’s signature choice. But there is another note too: heat, sweat, something floral and guilty.
And then the two are seen.
Ashley, reclined across the couch, her glasses slightly askew, blouse rumpled, one hand beneath a blanket… And beside her, tangled and flushed, is a new face—early-20s, petite, skinny, clearly caught mid-makeout—Pam.
She scrambles upright like she’d been struck by lightning. Her cheeks flares crimson against her light skin, curls mussed and damp around her ears. A little lacy bra strap slips down her shoulder as she grabs at the blanket in vain.
Ashley just glances over and smiles lazily, not the least bit sorry. “Hey, you’re back early.”
“You forgot to lock the door. Again.” June crosses her arms, raising an eyebrow, “Aww, you like the petite ladies now?”
Ashley grins, adjusting her glasses with the same hand that was just under Pam’s shirt moments ago. “I don’t discriminate. Not when Pam is this cute.”
Pam looks like she wants to melt into the couch cushions. “I swear, I’m not a lesb—…uh, this—um—I mean—…I’m mostly straight, you know—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” June snorts, slinging her duffel onto the armrest. “So’s spaghetti—until it gets wet.”
Pam makes a high-pitched noise of disbelief and hides her face in Ashley’s shoulder, muttering, “Oh my god, I should leave—”
“No,” says Ashley, firm but gentle. She kisses the top of Pam’s head. “You’re not going anywhere…unless you actually want to.”
June sits down across from them, deliberately relaxed, smirking just a little. “Welcome to the chaos. I’m June, by the way.”
From the hallway, Riley calls, “We brought pie!”
Kaori follows them in, toting a backpack and a fresh haircut making her look even more like a wandering courtesan. She clocks the scene instantly and grins. “Well well well. Who’s the cutie?”
Pam peeks up. “Wait a second…just how many of you are here?”
Ashley makes the introductions. “Pam lives one floor down. We met at the mailbox. She offered to carry my groceries, and…well, as you can see, things escalated from there…”
Pam buries her face again, this time in Ashley’s arm. “Why are you telling them everything?”
“Because,” Kaori responds sweetly, coming closer, “that’s how we do things here. Transparency, darling. Also, gossip and teasing.”
June collapses onto the floor by the couch, legs crossed. “Pam, you’re hot,” she said bluntly.
“Th-thanks?” Pam stammers, then looks up. “So… are you all, like, a… commune or something?”
“We call it a polyamorous harem,” Riley chimes in, already slicing pie in the kitchen. “But also affectionate. Queer. Kinky. We live together. It’s a lot, but it’s good.”
Pam’s eyes widens. “Wow. That’s…kind of amazing. And overwhelming.”
“Yeah,” Kaori says, smiling, “you get used to it. Or you run.”
She looks around—at Ashley’s steady warmth, June’s lazy sprawl, Kaori’s amused arch of brow, Riley’s quiet bustle in the kitchen. She doesn’t run.
Instead, at a loss of words, she asks, “Do I have to, like…sign something?”
June cackles. “Just your soul.”
Ashley leans in, whispering something in her ear to make her giggle again.
“Alright,” says Pam, eyes glittering with a mix of nerves and mischief. “Maybe one more kiss.”
The harem has returned, and Seattle feels like home again.