If Gael was here none of this would have happened. That stupid Brantley wouldn’t have even looked twice at the transfer student. I wouldn’t have had to step up, and no one would have gotten punched at all.
“...broken arm…”
I stomp out of the nurse’s office and start walking home. If it wasn’t already the end of the school day, I wouldn’t be able to get off campus, but I’ve been waiting to see Gael for a week and this day has been full-on bullshit. If Gael isn’t at my house when I get there, I’m going to go sit on his porch until he gets home. Life sucks when Gael’s not here, and I’m not living another minute of it without seeing his face.
I don’t even know howanyonecan live without seeing him everyday. His parents are lucky that they live with him. Someday I’m going to buy a house and make him move in with me so I get to see his face every day. No more vacations without me.
My breath leaves me all at once like someone punched me in the stomach again. Gael’s on my porch waiting for me.Finally. I smile at seeing him and run, ignoring the spike of pain in my arm. “You’re back!”
Gael’s smile isn’t as bright as I remember it being. “Sin, what happened to you?”
I huff at him and shake my head. “Nothing. Just a stupid fight with stupid Brantley. He decided to pick on a new student from Taiwan. I might’ve had to throw hands.”
Gael gently touches the sling I’m wearing and it makes my arm scream again. “Did he break your arm?”
“Yeah. I fell when he punched me and he stomped on my arm. Don’t worry. I knocked him down and kicked him in the head.” Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I don’t want Gael to worry.
Gael’s face morphs then. Rage I’ve never seen turns his smile into a vicious snarl. He grabs my shoulder just as my parents pull into the driveway. “Go get your arm taken care of, Sin. I’ll make sure Brantley and everyone else knows they don’t get to fuck with you.”
Before I can even respond, Gael shoots off, running back to his house.
My parents take me to the urgent care where I get my arm put into a cast, and the next time I see Brantley, there’s fear in his eyes, and he keeps his distance.
I don’t think he ever talks again, at least not where I can hear him.
Present Day
Phineas
A distant part of my mind knows I’m fucked. It’s blanketed in the haze of post-orgasmic bliss, but it’s still there, waiting for me to work through all the happy chemicals in my blood. I don’t want to lose the high, so when Gael unties me, I whine for a solid five seconds, but he turns me on my side and cuddles up behind me, holding me like I’m precious.
He exchanges some words with Sin, but I’m working hard to stay relaxed in the mind space that means I don’t need to think, so when Sin snugs in like my little spoon, and Gael puts both ofour arms around him, I don’t think about how good it feels to be sandwiched between the two men that belong to me.
I finally figured it out, but I’m ignoring it. I’d never tasted his cum before. I’d never have any kind of real exchange with Sin before—no open mouth kisses, no orgasms in my mouth, nothing—so I didn’t know. But now, I do. Sin doesn’t just belong to Gael and neither do I. He also belongs to me, and I to him. But he only likes me if I don’t like him, and that’s why I’m fucked.
Not going to think about it now. I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow, but right now, I’m just going to sleep sandwiched between my two mates, and maybe I’ll ask the archivist about whether there’s precedent for three person groups of fated mates the next time I see them.
Chapter 6
Present Day
Sin
Gael did, in fact, have a plan for three not-small men to sleep on my bed. It was weird for me because I was Phin’s little spoon that first time, but over the last month, I’ve gotten used to Gael’s pattern. Every other time he and Phin spend the night we alternate being Phin’s little spoon and his big spoon. Tonight I’m the big spoon, hugging his back as he cuddles Gael. The three of us fit on my bed this way, but I’m pricing out a custom bed because when Phineas lays on his back, his feet hang off the edge of this one.
I’ve been looking at them online and found a store that will custom build furniture for me. I’ve contacted the owners, and I’m waiting to hear back from them about my needs. I’m planning on replacing all my furniture with size friendly pieces for Phineas. It will take time, but eventually the house will fit him. At least until I decide whether I should build a custom home.
It’s strange for me to be making long term plans for a relatively new relationship, but Gael’s feelings for Phin have grown steadily, and Phin hasn’t shown the tiniest hint of losing interest in Gael. Most of the time, I ignore how much of a third wheel I am, but in the darkest hours of the night, when I’m still awake and those two are asleep, I can admit to the ugly feelings and petty jealousy that still haunt my heart.
Sometimes when I see Phin and Gael being affectionate, I want to destroy their happiness, and that’s never been an issue for me with Gael. His happiness has always been my first priority, and I don’t know why these feelings of envy even exist inside me. I recognize that I’m jealous, I’m just not sure if I’m jealous of Gael or jealous of Phin. Or if it is, perhaps, a little of both.
I don’t hate Phin. In fact, he has all the qualities that I would want in a lover for Gael. For as big and lumbering as he is, Phin is gentle and kind. He always prioritizes Gael, whether it’s the food they eat or Gael’s whims on where to go for an adventure. No matter what the request, Phin gives Gael what he wants, and he doesn’t ever look annoyed about it even when Gael’s not watching. Phin always has happiness in his eyes when Gael gets what he wants, and I know exactly how he feels because I feel the same way. Giving Gael anything he wants has always made me ridiculously content.
And maybe that’s the problem: Phin is the same as me.
So do I feel like I’m being replaced?
No. I don’t think so. Well, maybe, but not really. I’m not, and have never been, Gael’s lover. I never even wanted that. I’m his best friend, his ride or die. I’m the person who takes care of him after his lovers leave, except this one won’t. I already know that. Phin is here for the long haul, for the rest of his life, if he has any say in it. Gael gets to keep him, and that makes me so fucking angry.
