7/27/19 - Tyler and Derek
When she really thinks about it, Tyler and Derek were the two catalysts to the whole story. They werenāt even connected at all, at yet they were integral to the development of everything.
Tyler and Jada had known each other for years, having met back when they attended the same university. He was living in the same dorm as Jadaās friend, Cassie. Jada and Tyler got along right away, sort of like clicking into place. They would all hang out in the dorms, listening to music, playing games, and smoking weed.Ā
Cassie grew increasingly paranoid as she saw how much Jada and Tyler connected. She started checking Jadaās phone in private, and was becoming a little less available, until finally everything culminated.Ā
After a strange conversation with a mutual friend, Jada reached out to Tyler to make sure boundaries were not being crossed. She asked about his feelings for her, and shared her own. They agreed that they were good friends, and were happy to be in each otherās life. He was happy with Cassie, and Jada was happy for them. There was definitely flirting happening, because the chemistry was palpable, but there was also an agreement.Ā
The next day Cassie was furious. She spoke to Tyler, confiding in him that she thought that Jada had feelings for him. He consoled her by telling her they he and Jada had talked about her feelings, and that it was all taken care of.Ā
Cassie, for good reason, felt betrayed. She pulled away from Jada, upset by the whole situation. For almost a year they didnāt speak. But after only a couple months, Jada and Tyler reconnected.Ā
It was innocent at first, speaking with someone that Jada felt so connected to, and also wrongly detached from. But it slowly developed into much more. In time, Tyler was sharing thoughts about polyamory, a concept Jada had never heard of. It translates literally asĀ ālove manyā, but is essentially a form of consensual non-monogamy. An open relationship, so to speak.Ā
He wanted to open their relationship, but Cassie did not. At this point Tyler felt very frustrated, and was deciding that the only other alternatives were to leave her or to cheat on her. However, Tyler didnāt want to break up with Cassie and seemed pretty set on following through. He even created a Craigslist personal ad. Jada somehow got it into her mind that she was the best candidate for the position.Ā
It just made sense to her. Cassie had already ended their friendship, and nothing had even remotely happened. Yet, Jada only wished the best for her. She still cared about her and didnāt want something horrible to happen with a random crazy Craigslist lady. Jada felt like she was somehow doing both of them a favor. It was a one-time thing, which ended abruptly as she Jada did not feel right about it even in the moment. He left as quickly as heād come, and soon they were no longer even speaking.
Cassie and Tyler eventually proceeded to open their relationship. Months later, Cassie reached out to Jada, asking to get together. She started explaining how sorry she was, and couldnāt believe she almost threw away their friendship. Jada, feeling that honesty was the best policy, told Cassie what had happened. She gave the whole story, Craigslist and all. Cassie, understandably, was not very receptive to the news. Their friendship ended for good that day. Or maybe it ended the moment Tyler sat on Jadaās bed.Ā
But, one good thing did come out of all this. Jadaās new perspective on polyamory.
She had never heard of the concept before, but she liked it right away. It just made so much sense. She often felt like she didnāt want to be limited in any regard, and suddenly it occurred to her that her relationships were just another element of her life that had the potential to be limitless.Ā
After many years, Tyler reconnected to Jada. He and Cassie were still dating, now living with each other, and were still polyamorous, but it was not going well. In her last effort to make things work, Cassie allowed Tyler to pursue his feelings that he still held for Jada. They dated for some time, and it was a magical time indeed. She felt seen and understood, but also challenged and intrigued. He was a different sort of person, unlike anyone that she had ever met. It was like those first days in university, except better because there wasnāt any uncertainty. There was no limit.
But their time was short for he decided he wanted to focus on his relationship with Cassie. It was incredibly rocky, and his relationship with Jada was causing tension rather than easing it. She and Tyler went their separate ways, and she missed him immediately.
Some months past, a new job happened, and new friends were made. Jada began hanging around a new crowd, and Derek was one of them. He was also unlike anyone she had ever met, but in a much different way. He was a little self-destructive, and she would later learn, a functioning alcoholic.Ā
Their romance was a little slow to start, and it was a little choppy and inconsistent, mostly because of his tendencies. It happened only a couple of times that he came over, she had to sneak him into her house, and sneak him out early in the morning. Once he moved into his own RV, she started going over there. Eventually he moved into the garage at his cousinās house, and then finally into the bedroom.Ā
They would go eat tacos and watch B-movies. They would cuddle and sometimes also have sex. She loved the way he smelled like sweet beer. This relationship felt incredibly liberating to her, mostly because it was completely free of obligation and expectation. Her desire for him was always through the roof. She wanted to be close to him, to be touched by him, to have him inside of her. It felt to her like it was a part of her youth that she thought she missed out on. But here it was, in the flesh!
She enjoyed her time with him, even though he was often a jerk. But there came a point where they separated. She canāt remember if it was her idea, his, or maybe it was a mutual effort. Either way, they stopped seeing each other.
This was when Jasper came back into her life.
