I closed my computer for the day, ready to leave work and go home. I hadn’t accomplished as much as I’d wanted to, but so be it. I gave so many free hours to this company over the years, only to have them offer me a pay cut to move across the country or lose my job. I wasn’t going to play the game of giving them my all ever again. I was going to work my wage, and that was that. Iwasn’t slacking, but I wasn’t forgetting about my personal well-being this time around, either.
I’d been waiting to talk to the guys about my emotional stress, trying to figure out what to say to them. We’d been texting and chatting since our date, but the texts had been basically silly and surface level so far, nothing deep. And all group texts, not individual ones. I wasn’t sure if they were doing that for my benefit or if it was an unspoken rule. Yet another thing I needed to discuss with them.
I didn’t mind the group aspect or the lightness of the conversations. I was getting to know more about them and that was what mattered. When I’d asked what they were doing and they said they were watching a movie, I discovered that we had some favorite actors in common. When we talked about food, we found we also had a favorite restaurant in common. But we didn’t get very deep, and I was to the point where I was wanting to change that.
Wanting to take the next step, and it was time I told them.
Before I left my desk, I sent a text, but instead of texting back, I got a call, one they had on speaker, from the echoes.
“Are you out of work already?” It was Daddy Cliff.
“Yeah, I was just leaving for the day. But I was wondering if maybe…maybe I could come over?”
“Yes!” It was Brax. “You can come over. We’ll eat dinner together.”
“Want me to bring anything? I could grab food for us on the way.”
“No, we’re already making spaghetti. Daddy’s sauce smells wonderful. It’s been simmering for a while.”
“Oh, okay, sounds good. I have some things I want to talk about with you.” A lot of things, but I was going to start with the major ones and go from there.
“Drive safe.” Such a daddy thing to say.
I appreciated that they hadn’t pushed for me to tell them why I wanted to talk, the way I probably would have done in the reverse situation. If I hadn’t been scared of chickening out, I wouldn’t have mentioned it at all. It was kind of a dick move.
When I got there, they’d already set a space for me at the table.
“Dinner’s done. Perfect timing.” Daddy Cliff closed the door behind me.
I wanted to hug them, hug them both, but they were a little standoffish. It was me. I was the reason. I froze, hating that my comment had done this. It would’ve done that to me, if they’d been the ones to say it.Ugg.
“I only said I had things to talk about because I didn’t want to lose my nerve, not because it’s something bad. I didn’t want to make it like this.”
“We weren’t upset. We were trying to give you space, thinking maybe we’d overwhelmed you that night,” Daddy Cliff explained and then opened his arms. I climbed right in and, as he closed them around me, Brax closed in on the other side of me, hugging me from that angle.
“Relax,” Daddy Cliff whispered close to my ear. “Thank you for being so up front with us. Now, let’s eat and talk about it, whatever it is.”
The spaghetti was delicious, and it would have been easy to get lost in the food and leave the heavy topics till later. But I didn’t. Instead, I said as bluntly as I could, “I like you. I like both of you, and I want to see if this can be a thing. But also…I want to be the only one you’re seeing, if this can be a thing. At least for now?”
“Are you saying you want it to be exclusive, where we date you and no one else?”
I nodded.
“Oh, Edwin.” Brax grabbed my hand. “That’s what we want, too. You. We weren’t looking for a third, hadn’t even considered it. It’s not having another person that we want. It’s having you.”
Cliff took my other hand. “You and only you. I’m so glad you told us how you felt so we can alleviate your worries. Is there anything else you want to discuss?”
“I…it’s kind of silly, but…am I your boyfriend now?”
“Yes,” Brax said and kissed my cheek. “You’re my boyfriend, and you’re his boyfriend too. But you’re my boyfriend first, because I was the first one who waved.”
Cliff appeared amused. “I only write some of the rules, and apparently this isn’t one of them. Why don’t we finish eating, and then you two can color? Would you like that?”
“I always like to color.”
“Excellent. And Brax even made me buy a huge box of those twisty crayons. He says they’re your favorite, and some of them are sparkly.”
Brax beamed proudly. I was beginning to think this was going to work, after all.
