Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
“That’s true.” He curled up on his side, and I got in the same position, so we were face-to-face. Then he grinned and said, “So, tell me about that sex dream.”
“I dreamt Noah was sucking my cock, and afterwards he held me in his arms and I felt really…safe. Then I woke up feeling guilty, like I’d just cheated on you or something.”
“There’s nothing to feel guilty about.” A smile spread across his beautiful face, and after a moment he said, “I’m really proud of us.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because we’re managing to talk about this stuff without getting defensive or jealous. That seems very mature, don’t you think?”
I grinned and said, “You’re right. Go us.”
We talked for another hour or so, before Kel finally dozed off. Then I settled in at his side and replayed our conversation.
We’d decided we were going to bring this up with Noah on our vacation. It could be a huge mistake…but somehow, it just didn’t feel like one.
Maybe that was because everyone was right. Maybe the three of us were already in a relationship, but we’d just been afraid to acknowledge it or take it to the next level.
And maybe things were going to get very interesting in that cabin, once all of this was out in the open.
3
Noah
I held a striped sweater to my chest and asked Timothy, my friend and neighbor, “Does this make me look like Freddy Krueger?”
He glanced up from scratching my dog’s ears. “Yes. Now, are we going to talk about why you’re so nervous? Because it seems like a week in a cabin with your two best friends should have the exact opposite effect.”
I tossed the sweater aside and shrugged. “It’s the first time Kel and Hudson and I have gone on vacation together, and it feels like a big deal.”
He flashed me a wicked grin as he crossed his legs and pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. “Or maybe it’s because the three of you might finally get a chance to enjoy that hot, sweaty spit roast you’ve been dreaming about.”
“Jesus, Timothy.”
“Am I wrong?”
“We’re just friends, so there won’t be any sweaty…anything.”
“Oh, you are not. You’re in love with both of them, and everyone knows it.” He leaned back on my blue sofa, and my dog rested her head on his lap.
“Everyone does not know it,” I told him, as I stuffed some clothes into a duffle bag. “You know who especially doesn’t know it? Hudson and Kel.”
He turned his gaze to what I was packing and exclaimed, “Woah there Paul Bunyan! Just how many flannel shirts does one person need?”
“A lot. One for every day of the week, plus a few extra in case I get dirty.”
“No! You need to sex it up a little. Pack that form-fitting Henley, the one you shrank in the dryer.” I frowned at him, and he said, “I’m serious! You work out like crazy and have an amazing body, so show that shit off.”
I hesitated before grabbing the Henley from my dresser and sticking it in the bag. Then I opened another drawer and pulled out a stack of underwear, and Timothy exclaimed, “What the hell! A pile of old, baggy boxers? Do better.” I sighed, but I swapped them out for the sexy, skimpy briefs I usually reserved for dates, and he nodded. “There you go.”
I took a seat on the bed—which was only six feet from the couch in my cramped studio apartment—and muttered, “Maybe this trip is a mistake.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because you’re right—I’m attracted to both of them, and if we spend all that time in close proximity, I might make it weird. It’s already hard to act normal when we’re together. The other day, I was sitting on the stairs in front of Kel’s house talking to Hudson, and when he turned to look at me he was so close. I almost leaned in and kissed him. It was all I could do to stop myself.”
“That’s hot,” he said with a grin. “The fact that both your crushes are in a relationship just makes all of this spicier.”
“It’s not spicy, it’s hopeless. And if I ever acted on this, it’d destroy two really amazing friendships.”
“Unless they’re into it.”
“Why would they be?”
“Because you’re totally fucking hot, and they already adore you. It’s not that big a leap from friends to lovers.”
“Yes it is,” I insisted, as I mashed down my clothes to make more room in the bag. “It’s a huge leap. Plus, how many people do you know who are actually part of a throuple? I mean, in real life, not celebrity trios you’ve heard of.”
“Twelve.”
I paused what I was doing and glanced at him. “Seriously?”
“We live in San Francisco, Noah, and this is the twenty-first century. Our definitions of relationships are expanding. So, yes, I know four throuples, and they all seem very happy. I also know one polyamorous collective, but that’s another story.”