The Night My Friend Left Me Alone With Them

There are days you mark on the calendar months in advance. Mine had had a red circle around it since spring, and the nerves had been with me since the night before. A while ago a friend had convinced me to buy a ticket for the first night of a festival in Mallorca, where I live. One of my favorite singers was playing, so she didn’t have to insist too much.

By the way, I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Marina, I’m twenty-six, and I’m from the island. I haven’t had a partner since I broke up with a guy who left me shaken, and since then I’ve found it hard to open up. I take care of myself without obsessing, I go to the gym when my body asks for it. I’ve got brown hair just past my shoulders; I cut it in summer because I was too hot, and I’ve always had curves. I look good, let’s say. Since my ex, just the odd drunk kiss at a party, nothing more.

The festival opened at half past seven, but my singer wasn’t on until eleven, so I wasn’t in a hurry for the opening acts. To avoid having to rely on insanely expensive taxis at six in the morning, we rented an apartment ten minutes’ walk from the venue. The idea was to sleep there and get up whenever we felt like it.

I’ll take the opportunity to introduce my friend Noa. She’s two years older than me, but she always comes out with our usual group. She’s taller and slimmer, and much more consistent than I am at the gym. She’s a bit mad, I’m not judging her: she has a job that burns her out, and when she goes out she goes all in, with the drinks and with the guys.

Her father drove us there. On the way we turned the back seat into our own private karaoke, belting songs out at the top of our lungs. The poor man didn’t say a word, probably just staring in disbelief at the two lunatics he had in the back. It was mid-September and it was stiflingly hot. Noa looked simple but cute: denim shorts, a black top, and ankle boots. I took more of a risk, with a bikini underneath and a sheer dress over the top.

When we got to the main stage there were still gaps where you could squeeze in. Thank God, because the sea of people looked promising. We went to the bar for a drink each. I hardly ever drink, but one day is one day. They charged us a pretty steep amount for the plastic cups, of course.

At the bar there was a group of four guys and one girl. From their accent we knew they weren’t from here. And since Noa talks to lampposts as well, she went straight over and introduced herself to the girl in the other group.

—Hey, I love your outfit, it suits you so well —she blurted out.

—Hi, thanks —the girl replied, laughing—. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but I bought it ages ago and I was determined to wear it.

—I came in something simple, because we’re here to dance! —they both laughed—. The one hiding behind me is Marina. Where are you guys from?

—We’re classmates in Seville —one of the guys answered—. We came for the weekend.

They each gave us two kisses on the cheeks. There was a bit of everything: tall ones, short ones, short hair, long hair. The girl, whose name was Daniela, joined us so naturally that within ten minutes we seemed like old friends. The guys kept more to themselves, but their presence gave us a certain sense of security. There was only one that rubbed me the wrong way a little; he seemed cold, though I assumed it was just shyness because we were meeting.

The night was spectacular. I hadn’t had my feet hurt that much or my voice go out from singing so much in a long time. We were on two drinks each when, around two o’clock, Daniela started feeling unwell. I don’t know if it was the alcohol or something that disagreed with her, but she turned as white as a sheet. Noa went with her to the bathroom and I was left alone with the guys.

I felt a bit uncomfortable with how they looked at me in the sheer dress, but I told myself it was normal.

When I saw they weren’t back, I went to look for them with one of the guys, the one I thought seemed the nicest. Daniela was in no state to carry on. She asked us to walk her to the taxi rank, saying she’d rather go back to the hotel. We bought her a soft drink and walked with her, because there was no way we were letting her go alone.

At the taxi rank, Noa asked her whether she wasn’t going to tell her friends so they could go back together, but Daniela just laughed. We looked at each other without understanding, though we assumed she didn’t want to spoil their night. Before getting into the taxi we exchanged phone numbers and socials; we’d really hit it off. It was almost four, the festival was history, and people were heading down in droves toward the taxis.

—Girl, let’s go back to the apartment already —Noa said to me, looking dead on her feet.

We walked in silence, exhausted. When we got to the building entrance, Daniela called to let us know she’d arrived safely at the hotel; thank God, the poor thing was a wreck. In the middle of the conversation I saw Noa typing something into her phone and finishing with, “done, that’s it.”

—What did you send? The photos? —I asked, curious.

—No, the location. The guys say taxis are impossible and they’re going to have to wait for the bus until six —she answered, completely calm.

My face changed.

—What are you talking about? I’m knackered, the last thing I feel like doing is waiting with them for an hour and a half —I was a bit angry now—. Besides, the one I liked was Daniela, not them.

—Don’t be mad, they’re from out of town and they don’t even know where to go. Let them wait here a bit and then we’ll tell them which bus to catch. A bit of empathy —she defended herself, hurt because she’d done it with good intentions.

I shut up. I sat down on the apartment sofa and tried to process it.

—Sorry, if you want go to bed, I’ll wait with them —she said after a while.

—It’s fine, sorry for snapping at you —I gave her a weak smile. In the end it was a special night; what did it cost me?

***

The four of them arrived together, with the alcohol already running lower. They started fiddling with their phones and I did the same, worn out. Noa, on the other hand, was the party cheerleader and kept asking stupid questions: which song they’d liked best, who had performed best. I prefer her to be the extrovert, so I don’t have to be.

I wasn’t paying much attention, but at one point I looked up and saw she had put her hand on one of the guys’ shoulder. It was almost five, not long before they had to leave, so I put my phone aside out of politeness and joined the conversation. The guy next to Noa was saying he’d tried it with Daniela without success.

—Well, her loss, because you’re really nice —Noa told him, convinced—. And handsome, let’s not kid ourselves.

They laughed with a kind of complicity that already sounded dangerous to me. When he put his hand on her thigh, I was stunned: we’d only just met them.

—You’re really pretty too, do you have a boyfriend? —Noa shook her head—. Well, even better for me.

Things escalated. Noa crossed one leg over his and he never took his hand off her thigh. I tried to downplay it and started posting a story from the festival, ignoring them. Until I noticed the silence. I looked up and they were kissing.

It was naïve to think it would stop at a kiss.

The other three were watching and laughing on their sofa. When I saw Noa starting to touch him over his trousers, I stepped in before things got out of control in front of everyone.

—Noa, go into the room, come on, we’re here.

—Sorry, girl —she broke off the kiss, took the guy by the hand, and led him into the bedroom.

I couldn’t believe it. She’d left me alone in the living room with three strangers. The situation was incredibly awkward. The guys laughed, making light of it, and that eased the tension a little. Then I realized one of them was staring at me, not even trying to hide it.

—What are you looking at? —I snapped, as sharply as I could.

—Sorry, Marina, I was spaced out staring into nothing.

—Not into nothing, at me —the other two laughed—. Cut it out a bit.

—You’re right, sorry.

—Don’t hold it against him —another one said—. After what we just saw, his blood went somewhere else and you were right there.

I laughed without much enthusiasm, just to keep things calm. And, involuntarily, my eyes dropped to his crotch. He was clearly comfortable.

—Hey, you’re looking too —he laughed.

I looked away at once, mortified. It was a reflex, I swear. He stood up and sat beside me.

—Don’t worry, mine was accidental too. It’s nothing —his confidence, in a way, got me out of my embarrassment—. Do you have a partner?

—Yes —I lied, hoping he’d leave me alone.

—What a shame, you’re really pretty —he laughed with his friends—. Don’t worry, I’ll leave you in peace now, sorry if I made you uncomfortable.

I liked that detail. I glanced sideways and he was still hard; suddenly the situation went from awkward to funny. I settled back with my phone, more relaxed. And then from the room I started hearing something: Noa’s moans, with zero restraint. They burst out laughing and, without meaning to, I joined in.

—See, Marina? How am I supposed to go down with that going on? —he said, pointing brazenly at his trousers.

—Yeah, I see, I see —I tried not to look.

—I’m going to ask you for something a bit strong —he swallowed, summoning courage—. Do you mind if I touch myself a little? I’m turned on by the scene. If you want, I’ll go to the bathroom.

—No, chill, do whatever you want.

Why did I say that so calmly? I didn’t even know.

He unzipped his trousers and I tried not to look, hearing soft moans beside me while my friend’s soundtrack kept going in the background. It was surreal.

—Marina —I lifted my gaze without lowering it—. Do you mind standing up? I’m embarrassed, sorry, but you’ve got a gorgeous ass and it would help me.

Without saying a word, I stood up and turned my back to him. The transparency of the dress showed the outline of my bikini, and from the way he was breathing I knew he liked it. I was trying not to look, but the situation was turning me on: me there, offering myself to help him. The other two became background noise; they were just watching and laughing.

—Can I touch a little?

—Yes, of course —I was already wet, fuck.

He touched me with one hand while with the other he kept doing his thing. He squeezed and kneaded me slowly. When I turned my head I ran into his erection and, I’ll admit it, I couldn’t look away. He was really putting on a show.

—Do you want to touch? —he asked, laughing.

—No, no.

—Come on, just a little —and he brushed me lightly. I shivered.

I let myself go. I started stroking him slowly while he held my hip. He looked me in the face and smiled, knowing I was enjoying it. When I turned around I saw the other two were also busy with themselves, taking in the whole scene. I couldn’t believe it.

—You’ve got time, babe —he murmured.

—Time for what? —I shot back, sharp.

—For whatever you want.

I carried on for another second until the idea came into my head: why not? Honestly, I’ve always liked giving pleasure with my mouth, long before that night. So I didn’t think twice.

—I’ll make this clear from the start —I took a breath—. Just that. Nothing more. I don’t know any of you from Adam.

—Okay, don’t worry.

I felt a strange relief, as if I had given myself permission. I knelt down and started slowly: kisses, a few licks, playing before going further. He was going crazy and I loved it. The other two were watching intently, and I liked being the center of attention. I gradually picked up the pace, growing more confident, not even remembering what his name was.

At one point he pulled away just to finish taking off his trousers. He sat down and gestured for me to keep going. I didn’t hold back: I leaned in, alternated, set the rhythm myself. Every so often I’d gag and stop to cough, and the three of them laughed. I laughed too; the situation was ridiculous, no point denying it. I took off my dress and stayed in my bikini, with that relentless soundtrack still playing in the background.

—She’s hot, huh? —he told his friends, inviting them to come closer and watch.

I was speechless. Seriously? But far from annoying me, part of me was enjoying it: three strangers focused on me in the middle of the night, and my friend on the other side of the wall. Life really turns. I concentrated on what I was doing, determined to finish what I’d started.

When he was close, he stood up. I stayed there waiting, looking into his eyes. He didn’t take long to finish, and he collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. I ran to my bag to get some wipes to clean myself, trying to ignore the other two.

—I knew it —he said from the sofa.

—Knew what? —I asked.

—That you were good at it. It showed on your face.

I blushed all over. What a way to thank me for the favor. And yet, in the cold light of day, it didn’t quite manage to annoy me.

—And you two? —I shot at the other two, surprising myself—. If you want, I can turn around and you can watch while you finish, no problem.

All three laughed, though this time I didn’t understand why.

—Don’t you feel like kneeling down for a little while longer? We’re almost there, and we want to try too.

—No, no. I don’t go around doing this; it was an exception —I replied.

—Are you sure? Just a little, so you can finish what you started properly.

I looked at them. The truth was I wanted to, but I didn’t want to completely throw my pride away.

—I’ll use my hand on you if you want, but nothing else —I said firmly.

They moved closer to the sofa. I dropped my bag, took one in each hand, and let myself go, keeping a serious face, just wanting to get it done. The funny thing is I couldn’t find the rhythm with my left hand.

—Sorry... —I said, embarrassed.

—Don’t worry. Do you want to take them one at a time?

And then the solution occurred to me: one with my mouth, the other with my right hand, and everyone happy. I didn’t warn them; I just leaned in and started. I wasn’t gentle, I wanted to finish fast, while they moaned watching me.

—You didn’t want to, huh? —one of them teased.

—I didn’t want to —I answered, pausing for a second.

—You can tell, you can tell.

I spent a good while alternating, no longer paying attention to anything around me. The only thing that snapped me out of it was Noa, on the other side of the wall, with one of her orgasms: the screams were prize-winning. I turned my head toward the door, and one of them, gently, pulled me back in. I was holding myself back so I wouldn’t seem too turned on, to preserve some shred of dignity, though by then I had very little left.

One of them started making faces: he was about to come. I focused on him, kept a good rhythm, and it didn’t take him a minute. He pulled away, finished himself off, and I stayed still, taking in the end with my eyes closed. The other one wasn’t far behind. When I finished, my face was a mess, and even so I was absurdly proud of having done it.

I went to the bathroom, cleaned myself up, and looked in the mirror with a strange mix of embarrassment and pride. From there I heard Noa come out of the room, laughing with the ones left in the living room. When I went back, there were knowing looks, but nobody judged me. It was almost six; the guys were leaving on the bus any minute.

We sent them the location of the stop because, honestly, I didn’t feel like accompanying them. We said goodbye with two kisses each, in the most respectful way in the world, as if nothing had happened. To this day I know nothing about them. All I still have is Daniela’s number, and I don’t know whether she ever found out how loose my friend and I were that early morning.