Chase obviously forgot who he was dealing with. I knew that smirk. It was the way he looked when he was trying to do something he wasn't allowed.
“Would Jayden give you juice if he were here?”
Chase sucked his bottom lip between his teeth letting out a few deep puffs. “No, but you're my brother, and if you say it's okay then he can't say it's not.”
“Buddy, you have a thing or two to learn,” I quipped. “I'll be right back with a sippy of water for you. Get into your bed.”
“Fine. But you're no fun.”
“That might be, but doesn't it feel better knowing you don't have to hide from me anymore?” I knew it sure as hell felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, knowing that Chase knew most ofmytruths at this point.
“Yeah, it does.” By the time I got back from filling his cup, he was already half asleep.
I quietly shut the door behind me and went back to my bedroom. In a few hours, Daniel would be home and I’d ask him if he wanted to take a nap as well before heading out to the festival tonight. We were finally in a good place as a threesome, now it was time to make sure we were just as strong as couples.
17
Daniel
Chase knows about us.
If I hadn't already been itching to get out of study group so I could spend at least a bit of today alone with Colin, his text would have obliterated my ability to focus. While everyone else argued about whether rural or urban communities struggled more to get the assistance they needed, I started gathering my notes and shoving them into my backpack. All of them brought up valid points, but it was clear that no one was going to sway those who disagreed with them.
“Are you bailing already?” Marcus was the closest I had to a friend outside of the suite. As two of the few guys in our program, we’d bonded quickly, but that didn’t mean we were friends. Our interactions were still isolated to school projects. That probably wasn't healthy but, over the past couple of years, the guys and I had become this insulated unit—a hodgepodge family of sorts—and I rarely thought about how odd that would be to a lot of people.
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “My boyfriend’s waiting for me. He just texted and told me he had a heavy talk with his brother. I want to get back and see how he's doing.”
It may have been a bit of an exaggeration, since there was nothing in Colin’s text that indicated things had gone poorly, but I needed to talk to him. And in case he was holding something back, I preferred waiting until I could pull him into my arms if things hadn't gone well.
“A boyfriend?” He elbowed me playfully in the ribs. “Man, you've been holding out. I didn't even know you were gay.”
“Probably because I was never interested in sleeping with you,” I remarked. Marcus wasn't a bad looking guy, but I had blinders for Zach long before we met. “Seriously, it's not something I typically make a big deal out of.”
“But what about all the girls I saw you taking home?” It seemed like forever ago, when I’d reluctantly tag along with Zach and we’d find someone to fool around with for the night. It was a time I wish I could forget; I still hated the idea that I’d gone along with his plans so I could be closer to him. Never would I have imagined he might have been doing the same damn thing.
“You're the one who assumed I'm gay because I have a boyfriend,” I pointed out.
“Man, that's just not fair.” By this point, no one was arguing; they were all too interested in hearing about my sex life. This was exactly why I didn't talk about my sexuality. If a guy was straight, no one even gave it a second thought. But hearing that I didn't discriminate, as long as I felt some sort of attraction to the other person, had the ability to quiet everyone.
I hefted my backpack on my shoulder, waving as I walked away. I knew they'd all have questions for me, but right now, none of that mattered.
I opened my text conversation with Zach as I hurried across campus. I knew him well enough to assume he'd be stressed, knowing he couldn't be there when Colin needed us. The more comfortable he became with his own sexuality, the more his authentic personality shone through. He wasn't the self-centered dick everyone thought he was. Well, he'd deny it, but the man had a heart of gold and I was lucky as hell that he'd chosen to show that to me.
Headed home now. I'll let you know how Colin’s doing.
It wasn't surprising when he didn't immediately answer. Zach spent most of his day shifts on the road or in the kitchen doing prep work for the night crew. He'd get back to me as soon as he had a minute. I made a quick detour by the deli a couple blocks away from home and picked up lunch for Colin and me. I wasn't sure either of us would be in the mood to eat, but Colin had a bad habit of forgetting to take care of himself when he was stressed out, and the longer he kept us a secret, the more weight he’d lost.
Chase was in the kitchen making himself something to eat when I walked through the suite. It would’ve been easy enough to sneak past him; he tended to live in his own little world most of the time—no pun intended. But that made it seem like I had something to hide, and I didn’t. I was happier than I’d ever been, and I was proud of the men I was with.
“Hey Chase, how's it going?” I moved past him and pulled two plates out of the cupboard. He eyed me warily as I started unpacking the lunch I'd picked up for Colin. I sucked in a deep breath and decided to tackle whatever he was thinking head on. After all, I’d promised myself I wasn’t going to act like I was doing something wrong. Hell, if I’d told Colin already, I’d admit to Chase that I was head over heels in love with his brother. “So, I hear Colin told you about us.”
“He did.” Chase gripped the edge of the counter, leaning against it with his head hung low. He turned to me and I didn’t miss the hurt in his eyes. “I just don’t get it. Why him, Daniel?”
I held out my hands in surrender. “Look, I know you and Zach got off to a rough start, but, please, don't be mad at us. No one's taking advantage of Colin.”
“I know that,” Chase responded. He shook his head. “I'm just confused. Zach gave me such a hard time, I really thought he had a problem with gay guys. But then, he didn't have a problem with anybody else in the suite and that confused me even more. I don't want my brother to get hurt if he decides he’s done with this little experiment or whatever.”
“Neither do we,” I promised him. “As for Zach, I'm hoping he'll talk more about it when he's ready, but a lot of what you experienced was internalized bullshit from his old man. I think he was jealous of you because you were the most open about your sexuality. Hell, the rest of us were all trying to skirt around it, but then you come waltzing in like it’s no big deal. And maybe it doesn't help right now, but you should know that he's a totally different guy with Colin. It's kinda cool to see. And I promise, this isn’t an experiment to Zach. He’s finally living his own life instead of the one he’s convinced he’s supposed to.”
