'This must be one of General Grunt's sons', Katelyn remarked, 'looks just like him. Do you know General Grunt? A handsome man, but not easy to deal with. A bit paranoid, especially when it comes to aliens. I wonder what he would say if he saw his son speaking to one of them.'
'I know General Grunt', Kristen replied, 'We all grew up in Strangetown. Who would come to live in this dump unless they were born here? We shared a bedsit until we had enough money to buy the house, an awful place, no visitors allowed, not that we had space for them anyway.'

'You're Tank, aren't you? Does your father know you're here?'
'I only came round to say hello', Tank replied.
'Hey, no reason to become defensive. It's nice to meet you. I only worried that you might get into trouble, that's all.'
'No, Dad does not know, but I don't think he'd say anything. He's..', Tank stopped.
'A little bit different lately? It is said about a lot of neighbours and I remember you looking different too. Did you not wear that camouflage paint on your face all the time?'
'Yeah, uh, that looked stupid.'
Lola also remembered that Tank had been seen acting like a bully - like his father - but talking to him he seemed a nice boy. They had only moved into the new house two days ago, so maybe it was too early, but although she had noticed the seasonal changes and the strays on the street she had not observed a difference in the neighbours until now.

When they returned from work she and Kristen had talked to Katelyn about Desert City and she told them that it was a more interesting place now. Lola decided to go there in the evening, but despite the new shops, bars and restaurants she did not think much of it.
Neither of them wanted to spend her entire life with her housemates and they all hoped to find the right man eventually (except Chloe, who wanted more than one). There weren't many of them around and those she found unappealing, so she took some photos of herself and then went back home.

That things were not quite as before did not show until a few days later when they asked two guys from work to come back with them. She and Kristen had the same job in a hospital, both dreaming of becoming chief of staff one day. They also shared their fortune aspiration and were overall getting on well. Her sister Chloe was more interested in romance and Erin simply wanted to be liked by everyone.
At the moment they were all increasingly centred on the romantic part of life though, each of them experiencing an unfamiliar longing. Not even half an hour had passed since they came back before Kristen and one of the guys called Sinjin were making out. It did not matter to them that they weren't even friends yet.

Now was there a better way to celebrate the promotion she and Lola had gained? Sinjin was a good looking guy - not stunning, but - and she had been yearning for that type of thing.
He kissed really well too. She was not going to complain even if she was surprised that he was so straightforward. It made it a lot easier to get to the point.

Erin and their other mate, Justin, got close just as quick, when Erin returned home. While Kristen and Lola knew them from work, Erin had never met them before, which made the way she acted even more astonishing than Kristen's behaviour earlier. She and Justin hit it off straight away though and since Justin was a romance sim they were soon found kissing in the kitchen.

Chloe got a promotion too and it meant that they had enough money to open a small shop in Desert City. They had a very limited offer, a small choice of clothes and some flowers, but Lola and Kristen had done some research and knew that potentially a lot of money could be made with a shop if it became popular. Apart from the business awards, individual sims as well as companies were willing to pay for a good name.
The shop was also a good place to meet the neighbours. On one of her first nights in town she had met a guy named Gerard and had flirted a little with him, but Addison was the first man Lola found attractive.

Some men who came into the shop got 'special treatment' and they usually visited more frequently after that thus adding to the number of satisfied customers.
Lola liked how it combined to fulfil two of her ambitions at once: to earn money and meet interesting men.

When Lola (who had been the registered owner) sold the shop for the first time, they learnt that a good ranking, i. e. popularity, counted more than the actual profit. It was stupid really, because it passed away soon after the sale and Kristen could buy it back really cheap.
It did not bother them that they did not understand the logic of the business world as long as they were making good money from it.
When Lola hung up the phone she could overhear some of the conversation between Chloe and Trista Shaw. She said that she and General Grunt were going out and she sounded like she was very much in love with him. The way she was speaking about him it was as if she was talking about a totally different man, but Lola envied her for the feeling.

It appeared that she had left a lasting impression on Gerard Landry and he visited her one evening (and they kissed). He did not really appeal to her though and she did not want to let it go any further.

Not much happened after her first kiss with Sinjin and so Kristen's first serious romantic involvement came in the shape of one of the Strangetown neighbours, namely Pascal Curious. The Curious brothers were known as geeks, either involved in scientific projects or staring into space.
Pascal was not easy to deal with but he was cute and despite his initial rejection she continued to flirt with him. She understood that it was hard for a man to adapt to a pregnancy and why Pascal had been so moody and ill-humoured during that time. It had also shaped him though and funny enough she felt that he was more of a man due to this experience.

When they met in the shop that day, he did not snap at her anymore and after some more flirting - returned by him this time - they shared their first kiss.

Afterwards he looked at her very romantically and she had the impression that he had a crush on her. He was much nicer than before, charming even.

Chloe was the first one who found out how easy it was to get laid these days. She had gone to the Shack, a bar in Desert City, where she met a neighbour called Berjes. There was not much more to tell. They had met a few times before, one could say they were acquainted, they flirted.
Next they were on their way for an encounter in the hot tub and sparkles, fireworks and everything followed.

There had been no real opportunities before, so it was her first time. She had always known it was what she wanted and what Berjes did to her in the hot swirling water confirmed her belief.
He wasn't even such a special guy, however..

She felt very affectionate towards him afterwards and they stayed in the hot tub and each other's arms for a long time.

Shortly after meeting him in the shop, Kristen received a phone call from Pascal which she would have never expected. He left very little doubt what he had in mind when he asked if she would like to come over.

He was waiting outside when she arrived. He kissed her tenderly and then he repeated what he had said on the phone, only that this time he whispered it into her ear while touching it with his lips.

After another kiss they were in a hurry to get inside and into the nearest bedroom, which happened to be Vidcund's. Pascal's daughter Estella was sleeping in his own and he was afraid to wake her up.
Kristen guessed it would have happened because when Pascal got started she could not control herself anymore and thought that she made quite some noise. If he was a nerd then 'hooray!' to them. He had neither been cautious nor clumsy, in fact he had been very forceful, not rough.. just right. He was great.

'You did not waste time there', Kristen said, hoping it would not sound like a complaint.
'I was hungry. Very hungry', Pascal replied and followed it with a kiss which more than balanced the lack of foreplay.
While it might have been true that Pascal was quiet and reserved in most areas of his life, this did not apply to romance and definitely not to the way he acted in bed.

When Estella woke up, she was introduced to his baby daughter and simultaneously to yet another aspect of him. She thought that it had to be this particular combination which made him so appealing.
She liked his new 'messy' style, but generally he was not the type she fancied.

She stayed at his house the whole day and when Estella was cared for and asleep again they went back to bed and did it again. That's when she fell in love and probably also the moment when she began to think about engagement.
His qualities were not overt, but once she looked closer he had a lot to offer. Maybe she had guessed it, however, she was glad she had not given up after the first setbacks.

Usually he was very factual, and did not waste time on unnecessary niceties. With his daughter he had become very warm and caring and in bed - purposeful, but so passionate too.

When they said goodbye she added sweet to that list. She would have really liked to stay.

She and Pascal went into an almost steady relationship after that and Kristen anticipated that he would ask her to get married eventually.
He told her that he loved being with her and would never forget his first time.

Sex played an important role. Pascal's brother Lazlo had found a girlfriend very quickly and the two Curious brothers were probably the most active sims in that field. Both had a healthy appetite - Lazlo's girl Gerry was usually there as well - and sometimes Pascal would call her as soon as she got back from work.
Since it was not a one-sided desire she usually hurried over to his place not bothering about a shower or food.

She liked his daughter too. Even for an alien Estella's eyes were unusually large and she was not exactly cute, looking more like a little witch than a toddler girl. But she was lively and clever and it was fun to play with her. Sometimes she already imagined her to be her daughter. She spent a lot of time at the Curious house and she knew that Pascal was close to asking her to move in.

She was also fond of Vidcund's daughter Lunar, who was still a baby. She did not think of children yet, but one day she wanted to have one herself.

There was one particular night when she was sure that Pascal would propose a move-in (or even engagement) any minute but it did not happen. When they said goodbye he kissed her passionately and she turned several times on her way to the door and out on the street, expecting him to come after her.
It was not the last time she visited, but after a while his phone calls became rare and their relationship faded.

Chloe had not tried any other variant but decided that sex in the whirlpool was really good and not long after her experience with Berjes she repeated it with another neighbour called Abhijeet.
She liked it so much that getting a crush on her lovers appeared to be the inevitable consequence. She neither fancied Berjes nor Abhijeet enough to consider a steady relationship. She was aware that the attraction she had for them was part of the kick and caused her to see them in a more positive light.

Abhijeet was particularly impressed what she could do with her mouth while she was under water.

Strangetown was such a tiny place that there had hardly been enough (unattached and unrelated) men to provide for each of them. Then - fortunately - new faces appeared, mostly sims living in Desert City.
Joel Jeffress was hot and as open-minded as the other men they had recently met.
Lola looked like she was interested as well.
Maybe it was their lack of experience why they had not noticed much difference in the beginning and then they had explained it with the growth of Desert City and the new places to go out. But nobody used to socialise in such an easygoing manner and eventually they realised that it had to be more than that.

Lola had lately grown impatient with the way things developed and she envied her when she watched her sister with yet another man. She was not desperate to find a husband, but she wished there was at least someone she could think about in a romantic way. Simply a target for her affection.
Apparently Joel was not fixated on Chloe though and when they sat in the hot tub he was very charming towards her. Still, it was rather sad that she was looking at every stranger they met now, asking herself 'could it be him?'

With Erin it looked like she had settled on Justin the day they met and when she returned from work she gave him a call and invited him over.

They disappeared into the bedroom at an instant and Lola and Kristen thought it best to stay out of there. They planned to reinvest the profit they made with the shop and so they had not spent any money on the house. It was a very dissatisfying situation though to have only one bedroom and only one double bed.
Only Kristen was friends with Erin, Lola and Chloe did not talk to her much and did not know what to think of her. So Lola found it hard to decide if it was true  - as was her impression - that Erin misjudged Justin a little. He was open about being a romance sim and to her it was clear that he was only seeking fun. She was not sure if Erin was seeing it the same way.
Maybe she had a problem though and not Erin. It was possible that she was just too picky and overcritical.

What was it with him? She was attracted to Justin as soon as she walked into the house and saw him standing there. The way he had looked at her, showing that he was interested too. She had known that it was only a matter of time before it would end up like this. She wanted him so much.

'Oh baby, you're so hot', Justin groaned and as a result she came for the second time. Not even a minute later they heard the door and Chloe came in. Erin wished she would have digressed from the rule and locked the bedroom door.

Lola spent some more time with Joel, but it was clear that it was Chloe he wanted. Kristen was also throwing curious glances at him and those were returned on a few occasions.

With all the appreciation he gained for his person it was no surprise that he became one of their regular customers.

The shop was tiny and the amount of goods pathetic, but the neighbours still liked to come and socialise. There was good music and a punch bowl and it was enough to have fun.
Life was much more of a party nowadays and so it was easy to overlook some of the more subtle changes that were taking place. Lola and Chloe got closer than they had ever been while they grew up together. Afterwards they wondered why such familiarity had been lacking in their relationship, well, every relationship they knew of.

Even if she had no interest in Gerard it was nice to get so much attention from him. She liked him a lot and it was almost making up for the lack of attraction.

The clothes and the flowers were selling well and they added a make-up chair, offering free styling to their customers.
Nonetheless, the way they approached some of the men had a strong influence on the popularity of the shop. Although Chloe was less concerned about financial success than her sister she sometimes used her charms for business purposes, because when they were smothered in such a manner it was easy to convince those who were generally appealing but lacking in style, to do something about it and they left their premises better looking than they came in. She thought it was a nice side-effect.

'You look really good with your new style'. Erin led Justin straight into the bedroom upon his arrival. She felt at ease with him and it was strange to think that they had only known each other for a short time.
She never had a clear idea about her future. She liked company (or did not like to be alone), which was probably the only reason why she had turned into a popularity sim. She had never stuck out for anything, neither at home - where Loki was known as the clever one - or as an adult living with the other girls. It had never bothered her though, or resulted in a wish to do something great. She was unusually even tempered for a sim born in the sign of aries and not ruled by strong desires. Family or success in her career were not of such importance that she was desperate to move on from her current stage.

It explained to some extent why she liked Justin so much. He did not expect her to be more and even if she was not as starry-eyed as Lola feared she could see true affection in his eyes and his big smile.

And then there was the sex of course. She couldn't tell if she was very sensitive or if he was very good at it, but it increased her affection for him immensely.
The second time had been even better than the first (already because nobody disturbed them) despite feeling slightly ill now.

Later, when they had lunch (she was very hungry), she became aware that ideas about a permanent relationship and living together were forming in her head. It would be nice to sit together like this, share their accounts of the day and sleep at night with the other one next to you. She thought it better not to mention it to Justin, who had never claimed to be the domestic sort.
'I had no particular ambition and I must say, in politics you have a rather easy job unless you want to get right to the top. I have mainly administrative tasks.'
'To get into the medical career was not really a choice either. I am not too happy about it though, if you don't have a specific inclination for it it does not have a lot to offer apart from unfavourable work hours. You know Erin, it doesn't matter what you wear, even in this grey pyjama you look really cute.'
'Oh stop it, I am tired and I need a shower. That grey pyjama is sticking to me.'
'Okay. Even then you look cute.'

She got as far as taking a shower but then she was back in the bedroom with him. He really looked great without the glasses and a new haircut.
'So I take it you want another round? I'm at your service Miss.'
She giggled. 'Oh, I already know THAT about you, Justin. Always willing.'

It was true. Justin did not need any convincing.

She had spend most of her day off in bed and yet she felt inexplicably exhausted. It wasn't even dark when she and Justin fell asleep.

She snuggled up to him and rested her head on his shoulder and like this they slept, not hearing when the others returned from work and stuck their head through the door, closing it again when they saw them nestled in each others arms.

Erin wasn't often in the shop anyway, because she was the only one with regular work hours. Kristen and Lola worked late, which meant that they started late too and did not mind opening at night. Chloe's shifts changed since she was promoted a few times, but she usually started in the afternoon as well.
The business was going remarkably well that night and they climbed in the ranking as a result.

When they returned Erin and Justin were still asleep.
'Look at them, how sweet', Kristen said. She was in a splendid mood. After their agent had informed them about the current value of the shop she decided to sell. They had earned a lot of money running a business, actually they were on their way to become rich. Even if they were going to reinvest it eventually, there was enough to get some work done on the house. They would not have to share a bedroom much longer.

Having been in bed since the afternoon, Justin and Erin woke up shortly after. Erin was starving (again) and cooked some spaghetti while Justin had a shower.
'You know, I guess that even if marriage is not on your list, you still want someone who truly cares about you', Lola - who was in the middle of talking about this topic to Chloe anyway - hinted into his direction as he walked past, but he only grinned. Maybe she was wrong about him, he seemed to be very fond of Erin.

Erin - who finally managed to get dressed when everyone else got ready to sleep - stayed up after Justin had left. She had been sick after dinner and combining it with other symptons she wondered if she was pregnant. If it was true it could have already happened the first time she had been with Justin. It contradicted everything she had learned - it was unimaginable that he had tried for a baby - but the exhaustion, the hunger and the queasy feeling in her stomach were pointing to it.