It was my turn to laugh. “My mom might not speak to her again because I walk on water. Anyway, how long did you commit to staying for the party?” If I’d had to accompany my mother to a party with a room full of strangers, I’d demand a time limit.
“An hour and a half. My partners were going to Brynlee’s parents’ house to tell them about me. If it goes well they’ll call me later tonight, and I’ll drive to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning to join them. If it doesn’t, they’ll be back home by midnight. I’m kind of on pins and needles.”
That had to be a tough spot, waiting to learn if you were going to be embraced by someone’s family or stuck on the outside looking in. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes in that scenario for anything in the world.
“How about we make a couple of plates of food before we grab a bottle of whatever you’re drinking and sneak downstairs to play video games? I have a lot of old-school games from high school and my father has a big screen television down there to watch sports.”
“I’ll get the snacks. You get the Belvedere.” Simon grinned and went to the buffet, grabbing two plates to load up.
The bar was attended by a gorgeous silver fox wearing a shiny gold wedding ring. “What can I get you, Mr. Langhorn?”
“I’ll take a bottle of Belvedere, please.”
He did a double take before he smiled and bent to a box beneath the table that served as a makeshift bar, producing a fresh bottle of expensive vodka. “Do you want me to bring you some ice to go with it?” He gave me a seductive wink that sent a shiver down my spine.
God, that would be heaven, bunking with the gorgeous man for a night of unbridled passion, though in my parents’ house? Probably not as fun as I wanted to fantasize it would be.
I merely chuckled. “My head says yes, but that ring on your finger tells me it’s a bad idea.” I took the bottle from him and nodded. “Thank you.”
If I ever found anyone for a relationship, I prayed he wouldn’t hit on a younger guy behind my back. I really had to hope for Simon’s sake that his partners were honest and not using him as a distraction from their boring sex life. That would be the unkindest cut of all.
I went through the butler’s pantry and down the back steps to the basement. We had a kitchenette down there with glasses and an ice maker.
I closed the basement door in case we got as invested in the games as I was known to do. I was a poor loser for sure, and while I didn’t know Simon Brownstein, I got the impression he was as aggressive as me. I liked him.
We flipped my dad’s poker tabletop to the wooden side and sat down with hors d'oeuvres, two glasses with ice, and a bottle of good vodka. “So, you live in Baltimore, I’ve been told.”
That was laugh worthy. “God, our mothers are nothing but thorough. Yes, I live in Baltimore with a couple, though not in the same way as you. We’ll be splitting up soon because they’re going to get married and—”
I stopped mid-sentence. My situation mirrored his in a lot of ways except I wasn’t in love with my room mates. “I’m sorry,” I said.
Simon grinned. “No, I get it. My situation is odd. I met Brynlee first. We were in a few classes together at George Washington University, and we joined a study group. I’m gay, but I was drawn to Brynlee for reasons I’m still trying to figure out. We’re not sexually attracted to each other, but we love each other deeply.
“We had a study group at their place in Alexandria, and I met Curt, Brynlee’s boyfriend. He made us some food—he’s a chef—and the looks we shared weren’t anything I’d ever experienced with anyone before.” Simon reached for a carrot, dipping it into blue cheese dressing.
Now I was sucked in. “So, how did it come to be? How did you start dating the two of them?”
I sounded hungry for details, and maybe I was because I had a shit love life. I wasn’t looking to be dating a man and a woman, but if Simon found a forever kind of love like that, I wanted to know how.
“There was a lecture on updates to the tax code, so Brynlee and I went to get coffee so we could stay awake through the dryestsubject matter known to man. After we finished, she invited me to their house for dinner and to make notes regarding what we’d learned that day.
“Needless to say, we drank a lot of wine, and we didn’t make any notes. She challenged us to a game ofTruth or Dare, and it was nothing like I remembered it from middle school. The three of us just started hanging out all the time. I moved out of my shared apartment and moved into their spare bedroom, but I sleep with them more than in my own bed.”
I was stunned silent for a moment. “This is none of my business, Simon, but can I ask you if it’s what you want for the rest of your life?”
Simon closed his eyes for a moment before he stared into space. I sipped my vodka and ate the pigs in a blanket that he didn’t eat. Had I pushed him too far?
“He’s a nice guy with a fucked-up life, but you aren’t pushing him to tell you anything he doesn’t want to discuss. Talk about it.”
Argh!
“Yes. It’s everything I want.” Well, that said it all.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were different than usual. Not once did Mom bring up my heart issues or ask if I was taking my meds like I should, which was a fucking relief.
Snow had fallen on Christmas Eve in big heavy flakes, painting the landscape white—a lot whiter than I wanted it to be considering I was driving a tiny ass car fifty-odd miles back to Maryland in a couple of days. The day after Christmas, Dad andI sat in the kitchen at five in the morning listening to the weather since more snow had fallen overnight.
“You can’t drive in this weather, Avery. Wait until tomorrow after they have another shot plowing the streets, okay? The highway is probably fine, but getting there on these two-lane roads could be treacherous.”
