Deciding we’d spent too much time there already, Sly leads us to the men’s department, where they start tossing all sorts of clothes into the cart. Almost everything is black or dark. I just watch with amusement as they all gravitate toward their own styles.
Sly sticks to dress shirts and pants, Pete likes the hoodies, Dex loves the tight sports T-shirts, and Jagger basically just buys multiple items similar to what he’s wearing, sleeveless shirts, and a matching cargo vest and pants.
When they finish, we pass by the men’s pajamas, and I point to some pants with a Batman logo on them. “Hey, you guys forgot pajamas.”
They don’t stop walking, but Pete spins around, walking backward as he grins at me. “Oh, angel, didn’t you realize yet? We don’t wear pajamas.”
“Oh,” I say, unsure what to think of that. I had to admit, seeing them in their boxers was definitely the highlight of my days lately. Although Pete was the only one I hadn’t seen like that yet. My eyes travel down his body, wondering what he looks like without any clothes on.
“My eyes are up here, Wren,” he says with a smirk, pointing at his face.
“I know, I wasn’t looking at your eyes,” I tell him, unsure why he felt the need to point that out. Dex lets out a loud laugh as we enter the women’s section.
“Do you want pajamas, Wren?” Sly asks, gesturing to the section we’re in. There were so many styles here, long nightdresses, some with thin straps and some with short sleeves. There were long pants and matching flannel button-up tops. There were silky short sets and cotton tees.
“Uhh…” I look around, unsure where to even start. If I were being honest, I would prefer wearing their T-shirts. They were really comfortable and smelled like them.
Deciding that I need to keep voicing my opinions out loud, I ask, “Can I just keep wearing what I have been?”
“You want to wear our shirts?” Sly clarifies with a tilt of his head.
“Is that okay? Or is it weird? I’m being weird again, aren’t I?”
Dex gives me a little boost on his back as if to shake me out of my rambling. “It’s not weird. It’s perfect.” Then he tells the others, “No pjs for Wren. What else do you need, baby?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Let’s get her some more outfits,” Pete says, grabbing some cute black crop tops and tossing them in the cart.
Jagger signs something, the only word I understand is“Comfort.”Then he grabs a pair of black yoga pants and sweatpants and tosses them in the cart.
Pretty quickly, our cart is piled high with all our goods, and as Dex carries me to the cash register to check out, Jagger and Pete take off on a secret side quest they refused to share with me, promising to meet us in the car.
As the cashier starts scanning our items, I take a second to look at her. I haven’t been around many women in my life, so I find it interesting to see real women in real life, insteadof just on TV.
Her name tag says Jessa, and she smiles and greets us politely, her eyes bouncing between both Sly and Dex as she licks her lips. She has brown curly hair that sits beautifully around her shoulders. She has pretty hazel eyes and is dressed in a floral white-and-pink top under her work smock.
“You have pretty hair,” I blurt out, wishing mine were like hers, instead of straight and boring.
Her eyebrows raise in surprise as she looks up at me, as if just noticing I’m on Dex’s back.
“Oh! Thank you.” She smiles warmly at us as she continues scanning our items. “He must be a really good big brother to carry you around like that.”
My nose scrunches as Dex leans his head against mine. I can feel the amusement coming from him as I correct her. “He’s not my brother.”
“No? Uncle?” I shake my head, feeling annoyed for some reason that she doesn’t see our connection. “Who is he then?”
“He’s my—” I stop, my mouth wide open as I realize I have no label for what he is to me.
“Boyfriend,” Dex finishes for me as Sly passes over the cash. My grip around Dex tightens when he says that word. Does he mean that? Is that what he is,my boyfriend?
“Oh,” she says in surprise as her eyes bounce between us. Sly pockets the change then places his hand on my back, rubbing it softly as Dex tosses everything back in the cart. I see her frown, and a smile pulls at my lips.
That’s right.They’re both mine.
“Have a nice day,” Dex says to her as we all move away from her and toward the door. Suddenly, I remember what they had told me. That sleeping with women beforemarriage is normal for them. Does that mean they’d want to sleep with other women? It’s not like we are having sex. And even if we were, would they want to do it with multiple women since I’m sort of with all of them? At least, I think I am.
A frustrated groan leaves me when I realize I have no idea what the hell is going on between the guys and me. As much as I was trying to ask questions, it was hard when I didn't understand much about sex, dating, or relationships. There was also the fear that if I tried to label it, they would not be on the same page as me.
