The Doctor's Choice

Chapter Five

Three weeks had passed since Kelsey went back to school, and every night Evan lay in his bed replaying their evening together in his mind. He was still having fun with Lucy and going on regular dates with Izzy; it wasn't as if he was wanting for good company. In truth, he found himself feeling genuine affection for each of the women, but for different reasons. Further complicating things was the dawning realization that he didn't want to stop seeing either Lucy or Izzy; and he certainly wanted to see Kelsey again if the opportunity presented itself. He was seeing Izzy that night, she had said she wanted to 'talk' about their relationship. He wasn't surprised, they'd been seeing a lot of each other over the past few weeks. It was only reasonable she'd expect him to take the next step and date exclusively. Evan dropped Abby off with his parents, promising to be back to get her first thing in the morning.

Talia's was packed. Typical for a Saturday night. It was their first real casual date, taking some of the pressure off the impending conversation. He looked down at his watch and scanned the downtown mall. It wasn't like Izzy to be late. When he did catch sight of her, all sense left him. Normally put together and statuesque, Izzy was wearing a low tank top with a short skirt. How she was walking on cobblestone in those shoes was nothing short of a miracle. The messy bun on top of her head flopped around as Izzy bounded over. She jumped into Evan's arms, pressing her lips to his.

"That's one way to say hello," he chuckled.

"What can I say, seeing you gets me all excited." She looked him up and down. "Looking good tonight."

"You look... different."

"Is that a bad thing?" Izzy tilted her head to the side. "I have to present a certain image most of the time. Tonight I want to relax and..." She dipped forward, revealing deep cleavage, "have fun."

"Oh yeah, we'll have a blast. They have pool here, and table hockey."

Izzy rolled her eyes and gave him a playful bat. "Cute. You're cute."

Evan laughed and opened the door for her. Despite the crowd, there were two stools next to each other at the bar. Izzy lifted her hip and scooted up onto the seat. Evan watched as her skirt rode up ever so slightly.

"Evan?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you what you want to snack on."

"Sorry." Evan sat. "Calamari?"

Izzy waved down the waitress and gave their food and drink orders.

"So you wanted to talk?"

"A little later if that's okay. I want to relax a bit first."

Evan nodded, wondering if he'd misunderstood the nature of their talk. It was rather vain of him to assume she wanted to be exclusive. Evan took a swig of the drink that had just arrived. No need to jump to conclusions, he told himself before falling into easy conversation.Izzy threw back the last of her drink. "I'm going to the bathroom. Why don't you grab a pool table. They look like they're finishing up."

Evan looked over and choked on his drink. Lucy was leaning over the table, angling for the perfect shot. Of course, Izzy knew he was seeing other people while seeing her, but he hadn't planned on running into one of them tonight. Especially not with an impending "talk." There had to be another table opening up soon. Evan rubbed his temples and ordered another drink.

"Dr. Ellison!"

Shit.

Lucy sauntered over with loose steps. The men she'd been shooting pool with exchanged looks. One shrugged at the other and nodded toward a booth of young women. The other nodded his approval and they headed in their direction. Lucy didn't seem to notice as she draped her arms over Evan and gave him a kiss. She stepped back, swaying her hips and whipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Not that I don't love kissing you, but I'm out with someone tonight."

The flirtation came to a halt. "Shit. I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, she knows I've been seeing other people. I don't want to flaunt it in her face, that's all."

"It's been a few weeks. Must be going well."

"I think so, at least I hope so."

"It's been fun. I'm going to miss our playtime." Lucy hopped up on Izzy's barstool. "You're different from the other guys I've slept with. You have this way of making me feel like I'm more than a cheap piece of ass."

"You, Lucy, are a bright and beautiful young woman who doesn't seem to see her own potential." Evan sat beside her and placed a hand on her chin. She looked up at him with clear blue eyes that fluttered shut as he leaned in for a kiss. The heated desire was muted, replaced by a tender affection. Evan pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers. "You have more to offer than your body."

Lucy looked away. "Maybe." Evan tilted her face back toward his own.

"Definitely."

The clearing of a throat startled Evan. Izzy stood behind them, watching with her brow raised. Lucy stumbled to her feet and scurried away. Evan wished he could too.

"Izzy."

"I think it's time for the talk."

Evan inhaled sharply and nodded. Izzy sat back on her barstool and folded her hands on the bar.

"I didn't mean—."

"I knew you were seeing other people." Izzy swirled the remnants of her last drink. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about anyway."

Evan braced himself.

"If we're going to keep seeing each other, I need to be totally honest with you." Izzy fell silent for a long moment. "I'm polyamorous."

Evan opened his mouth but no words came as he processed the statement.

"It's why I haven't settled down. I'm not interested in being with only one person for the rest of my life."

"Oh. Oh!" Evan nodded. "So the other people you've been seeing...?"

"One of them is my long-time girlfriend, I have a long distance boyfriend, I've been seeing you..."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Izzy took a deep breath. "I like you. A lot. I want to keep seeing you but I need to be transparent."

"I see." Evan ordered another set of drinks for them.

"I can't read you. What are you thinking?"

"As far as we're concerned, I don't think anything needs to change." He took a sip of his drink. "We like each other. We enjoy spending time together. Nothing says we need to go steady."

"When did the fifties roll back around?" Izzy nudged Evan who rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean."

"I do."

"Not the conversation I was expecting," Evan admitted. "But in a round-about way our relationship did go to a different tier tonight."

"I need a favor though."

"Oh?"

"My sister is getting married in December, and she's six years younger than me. Mom is insufferable, and that's saying something. Think you could help take the edge off for me?"

"Translation: I'll be showing up at family functions?"

Izzy winced. "If you don't mind. It's a weird thing to ask, I know, but..."

"It's okay," Evan laughed. "I don't mind in the least."

Izzy gave him a peck on the cheek. "Let's go back to my place. In the spirit of transparency, I think we should establish boundaries."

"Probably a wise idea. I've got to be honest, I've never been in this kind of relationship."

"It's mostly about trust and communication. I know we talked about safe sex before we slept together the first time. If we're going to see each other long-term, there's a lot more to get into."

"Well then," Evan waved down the bartender for their bill. "Let's head on out."