Naomi sat on a patio chair, observing Brinny direct Rusty to stay as she took ten slow paces away. When she called his name, he jerked ahead slightly, tail wagging, but he didn't rush forward until instructed to do so. Even then, he sat at her feet, looking up at his owner. Naomi couldn't be happier with the puppy's success. He'd left flowers and sticks alone on command, lay down, and sat for Brinny. It was decent progress for two months of working together.

While the dog still had lots of energy and needed redirection like most puppies, Naomi was fairly confident as long as Brinny kept up her independent practice, Rusty would maintain his training gains. Naomi would send Brinny links with other commands to teach him next and helpful videos.

Naomi dug in her bag for a certificate she'd printed at home and a sturdy toy for the dog.

"Rusty's ready for his graduation."

"Really?" Brinny petted him with an excitement that had his tail flicking like a windshield wiper in a downpour. They had discussed the possibility last week, but she had been uncertain about his skills.

"Yes, you'll have your Wednesday evenings free again."

Naomi handed Brinny the certificate and presented Rusty with the toy whose tags Naomi had already removed.

He grabbed the gift and darted to the cool patio stones in the shade.

"Thank you for everything." Brinny glanced at her happy pup, gnawing on the toy. "I would have had to give him up if it weren't for you."

"You're welcome. Rusty was a blast to work with, and I enjoyed getting to know you too. If you have questions, I'm just a phone call away." Naomi told her about the classes the training center offered too.

"Thanks, Naomi. We'll likely see each other around since you're dating Kieran."

It was an awkward position and a reason Naomi was relieved to end these sessions, although she would miss the padded paycheck and Rusty. Brinny had grown on her too. But given how Kieran still spent time with her, they would continue to cross paths.

"If you're interested, my best friend and I are throwing a potluck party next weekend with a few of our friends and Kieran's if you want to come."

"Oh." Brinny's eyes widened.

Curse Ian and his silly idea. The party had started as a double date for Kieran, Naomi, Shivanna and Louisa, but they decided to invite Austin and Felicity, and she didn't want to leave out Marc and Nimkii. Shivanna added friends to the guest list, and when Ian heard, he complained about discrimination against single people, so the net was cast further to include Jake, Ian, and Brinny.

She and Kieran hung out more often, and while Naomi trusted him, she wasn't sure about Brinny. The woman had a mix of compliments and criticisms about him, which left Naomi unsure if that was their normal friendship or if she was conflicted about her friend dating. Naomi was one hundred percent positive with Nimkii when she and Marc started dating because she loved them as a couple. With Greg's exes, it had been harder. But she'd swallowed her pain and did her best to either be friendly and upbeat or to hide when she couldn't be. While Brinny was in a relationship, it seemed like it was destined to fail or hurt her, which could change the dynamic between her and Kieran.

After voicing those concerns when drinking with her softball buddies, Ian had volunteered to investigate, especially after eyeing up Brinny's picture. Naomi hadn't loved the idea initially as it seemed underhanded, but Ian assured her he'd just have a quick conversation with her to see what kind of impression she gave off.

"You can bring Cole, or if he's not around, come solo. Some of my friends are. If it's too weird, I understand. This is the first time I've had a crossover between clients and my personal life, but I figured it might be okay because you are Kieran's friend."

Why did her thoughts all tumble out when she was feeling awkward?

Brinny wore a small smile and didn't seem to mind. "When is it?"

"Oh, that'd be helpful, eh?" Naomi laughed to herself. "This Saturday evening. I'll send you the details, and you can think about it. No pressure. And don't be intimidated by the potluck. Any food is welcome from pop-it-in-the-oven dishes to store-bought, homemade, or bags of snacks. I can't cook to save my life, so I'm setting up a bake-your-own pita pizza station."

"That's cute. I'll try to make it. Is it fancy or?"

"Very casual. Come as you are, bring a lawn chair if you have one and drinks. Rusty is welcome too. I have a fenced-off running area for my dog, Cleo, so you can relax while he's occupied. Cleo's usually okay with smaller dogs, even if they're energetic."

"Thanks, Naomi. It sounds fun." Her enthusiasm seemed genuine, which was nice, as Naomi didn't want to be on bad terms with her boyfriend's friends.

On Saturday afternoon, Kieran and Jake arrived early to help Naomi and Shivanna set up. Jake stared at the mess of plates, glasses, and the bin of cutlery on the kitchen table with his hands on his hips and his fingers tapping at his sides.

"None of these matches. There aren't even clear sets."

"We had to hit two thrift shops, but it'll keep that disposable crap out of the landfills." Shivanna grinned.

Jake paled and took a deep breath.

"Don't sweat it. I grabbed stuff from our place." Kieran held out a box with a place setting worth of dishes. "And if it gets too busy or intense, I can drive you home."

Jake smoothed his hands over his plain t-shirt, straightening it, and nodded. His eyes darted around the dining room, kitchen, and living room.

"Shivanna's making salsa and guacamole from scratch if you want to help her," Kieran said.

Jake turned to Shivanna with a serious demeanour. "Would you like help?"

She smiled. "Of course. One recipe is off your app."

That livened Jake up as he determined which one and rambled off facts about how the ingredients coalesced together. They wandered into the kitchen. When Naomi had invited Jake, he'd seemed eager to attend, but she regretted he was so uncomfortable. He wasn't like this during his first visit. 

Naomi leaned up to whisper to Kieran, "Is he going to be okay?"

"We'll see." Kieran gathered up the metal forks from the cutlery bin. "He gets social anxiety, which worsens with new people and crowded places, or anticipation of them, but he wanted to come."

Naomi focused on finding the spoons. "He seemed okay at game night and approached us at the grocery store ages ago."

"He controls everything for game night: the space, the guest list, and activities. His focus is almost always on playing the games. The grocery store was a quiet location on a dead night. He explained it to me once or twice, but if he has a defined role, like an app developer promoting his product, it's easier for him to socialize because he knows what he's supposed to say. It's small talk with thinking up and responding to various conversation topics with new people that he finds difficult. He'll be fine with Shivanna because they can discuss recipes and food."

"I hope today's okay for him. The guest list kept growing. Did Brinny mention if she's coming?"

"She did, and she is." He smiled wider than he would have last month.

Was that excitement because he wasn't enjoying Naomi's company as much anymore? Was he having second thoughts about having an asexual girlfriend like Greg and Luke had?

She inhaled until her chest was full of air and let it all out.

Kieran is not like your exes. Kieran communicates, and you both love spending time together. He's met your family, is excited to help host this party, and enthusiastically responds to any mention of your shared future.

He set down the forks on a tea towel on the table. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." She exhaled, and he raised an eyebrow. "We're good, right? You're happy... with us?"

He chuckled to himself. "Is that a serious question?" After she nodded, he removed the cutlery from her hand to hold both in his. "We're beyond good. It's been years since I've been this happy or connected to anyone. Did I make you think otherwise?"

She shook her head. "After three weeks in your first relationship with an asexual person, I want to check if this is still what you want."

He let go of her hand to stroke her cheek. "Yes, with absolute certainty. Is it what you want?"

"Yes."

After he looked at her lips and into her eyes, she gave him her unspoken permission with a smile. He kissed her with enough tenderness for her knees to wobble and for her lungs to struggle to breathe. He was her oxygen and her stability. As he pulled only his mouth away and toiled to catch his breath, she sensed she was the same for him. Their foreheads rested together, and their noses brushed each other.

A person chuckled in the kitchen, and Jake said, "Good thing they're not on food duty or we'd be eating next week."

Kieran lifted his hand off Naomi's back for a second, and Shivanna laughed.

Jake scoffed. "Real mature, brother. You are a guest in this home."

"That was exclusively for you. Let me be happy and enjoy this." Kieran softened his voice and stroked Naomi's cheek. "This is the best feeling in the world."

As her heart did a full round-off and aerials in her chest, she had to agree.   

I had to break this chapter in two as well. The longer part where Kieran gets to meet everyone is coming on Saturday. 

Thanks for reading and all your wonderful comments. They're what make this story so fun to write :D