“I’m sorry would be a good start,” Alessa says, looking between us.
“No,” Gage says, all teasing gone from his face. “You want to date? We date. Do you want to fuck around? We fuck around. What doyouwant?”
I laugh without humor. “I was fucking stupid to think you would take this seriously. You think everything is a fucking joke.”
I know it’s the wrong thing to say when that cold look covers his eyes, the one he uses when he and Alessa are trying to scare people, and it fucking works.
“Fuck. You.” Gage grits out before turning on his heel, barreling from the room, nearly running Ryder over on the way out.
“What the hell?” Ryder asks, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
“What did I say?” I ask Alessa. Sure, I’m pissed, but I don’t want to hurt him; I saw the hurt flash across his eyes before they turned cold.
She hops off the counter. “His piece of shit dad used to say shit like that to him because of his ADHD.”
“I didn’t know,” I say miserably. I know something is different about Gage, but I never looked too much into it because I don’t care. This little altercation showed me I don’t know shit about any of them. Again.
“It’s fine,” she says, and it sounds anything but fine. “I’m going to go find him,” she says, pecking Ryder on the lips on the way by.
I slide back onto the stool with a sigh.
“What did I miss?” Ryder asks, jerking the refrigerator door open.
“I told my mom that four other guys are dating Alessa at the same time as me. Oh. And I told her I’m bisexual.” I laugh again. “And I told her I’m dating Gage when apparently I’m not.”
Ryder stands up and slowly turns around. “Dude. That’s a lot of info to drop on your mom in one night.”
“I know,” I agree. “But she deserved to know.”
He shuts the door and leans back against it. “I can respect that.” He shrugs. “Gage will be fine in like ten minutes.”
“The more these conversations come around, the more I fucking realize I don’t know shit. About any of you.”
“Have you tried asking?”
“Where the hell do I even start?”
“You can start by not being a little bitch. Start by having a conversation with either of them. Alessa let you in; all you have to do is open the fucking door.”
“Good morning,” Mom says with impeccable timing while Ryder and I glare at each other.
“Morning,” I say, turning to her and trying to plaster a smile on my face. “How did you sleep?”
“Wonderful! Those beds are like clouds,” she crows, and her eyes widen when Ryder stands to his full height.
“Ryder, Mom. Mom, Ryder,” I introduce and watch it dawn on Mom’s face that this is one of the others.
“Oh,” she says, sliding onto the stool beside me. “One of Alessa’s guys?”
I jerk my head to her, and she seems…fine. Did she come to terms with it that fast, or is this for my benefit?
“Yes, ma’am,” Ryder answers with a slight frown.
“Such manners,” Mom sighs, and I roll my eyes so hard I can see behind me.
Ryder fights a smug grin. “My dad raised me right.”
“What about your mom?”
