Stan sets the fork aside and reaches out, his fingers sliding around my wrist, testing whether I’ll allow it. I do, and I stare silently into his gray eyes that pinch with mirth.
He lifts my hand and brushes his thumb across my knuckles. “Gotta say,” Stan says, “this is doing things for me.”
His attention drifts to Nil, eyes dark and openly admiring.
“And you,” Stan adds, “all loosened up, pretending you’re still the responsible one. It’s seriously hot.”
Nil’s hand on my back trembles. “Stop…”
“I would,” Stan says. “But you like it.”
Stan hooks a finger under my chin, lifting my stare. The motion makes me look at him through half-lidded eyes.
His touch is tender. His intent doesn’t seem to be.
I don’t pull away. I don’t lean in either. I hold still, aware of the heat spreading through my body and the way his attention follows it.
“Look at you, Em,” he whispers. “Standing here, letting us spoil you. Tell me you know what you’re doing to us, gorgeous.”
Nil hums near my hair, tickling my ear. I’m not certain what to say when I feel warmer everywhere he’s close. My skin feels tight, oversensitive, as though every small movement registers more clearly than it should. My legs tense without warning. I have to consciously let them relax.
Words don’t come as easily for me at the moment. My thoughts feel displaced, trailing behind every single sensation they’re eliciting out of me.
“So,” Stan begins, biting down on his bottom lip as his gaze drops briefly to my mouth. “I’ve been thinking lately. I know, bad idea,right?”
I try to listen, but my thoughts feel hazy from their proximity, my focus diffusing with the passing wind.
“But here goes.” Stan takes a deep inhale, smiling as he lets it out. “Em, would you be interested in exploring things with us?”
“Exploring things…?” I echo.
“Yeah,things.” He gestures loosely, encompassing the space around us. “Hanging out. Just the three of us. Might end up cuddling in bed. Maybe making out.” He tips his thumb over his shoulder. “Maybe up here. Or in our room. Who knows where the night’ll take us?”
My breath catches. I didn’t expect this. His offer unfolds in words spinning in my head and occupies the limited space left inside my mind. It’s too much to process quickly. I search for words and find none ready.
Nil moves into my line of sight. “You don’t owe us an answer right away, Em.”
Stan nods. “Yeah,that. Even though I’m really into the idea of getting together. Like,extremely.”
Nil’s hand is still on my back, though his shoulders draw in slightly. “We’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” he whispers. “We just wanted to let you know.”
Stan glances at him, brows lifting with encouragement that calms my nerves a little.
Nil sets his eyes on mine. “We get that you’ve had other things to deal with,” he continues to whisper low and slowly. “You’ve been carrying a lot, Em. Too much for one person to hold on their own.”
His hand rubs my lower back, light and reassuring. The touch draws a long, silent breath out of me, soothing the rest of my nerves.
“We just want to offer a way to carry some of that weight with you,” Nil explains. “And we can wait on whatever you decide to do with what we said.”
“Sowilling to wait,” Stan adds. “Uncomfortable about waiting, but still willing.” He rocks back on his heels. “We wanted to tell you now. Before, y’know, Idris gets his hands on you and keeps you all to himself.”
Nil sighs. “Stan.”
Stan laughs. “Kidding. Kinda.”
While Nil murmurs something under his breath to him, I stay quiet, contemplating. The idea that the two of them could want something like this with me feels surreal.
Yet Stan seems delighted by my silence. He scoops another forkful of tiramisu and offers it. I take the bite without thinking. The instinct comes from simply wanting more of what I enjoyed tasting. Perhaps this moment with these two can be something similar.But…
