“How do we know he even wants to be in a relationship? He’s literally never been in one before,” he argues, and I feel him putting up a fight before he even bothers to open up to let in the truth.
“Because he’s been in our relationship the entire time,” I say.
“Not like this,” he says, his voice getting a little too loud. “The sex is great, babe, but what if that’s all it is?”
“It’s not and you know it,” I reply in a whisper. Moving away from Hunter, I walk toward the door.
Before I disappear from the room, he adds, “I’ll think about it, okay?”
And for Hunter, that’s enough. For now, at least.
Rule #32: If you don’t even recognize yourself anymore, chances are you’ve got it bad.
Drake
“Hey, I recognize that giant, sexy blond hunk.”
There’s something oddly familiar about the voice behind me as I walk through the lobby of the club. So I pause and spin to see the feisty and adorable, sable hair beauty from New Orleans.
“Silla?” I say with a smile, opening my arms for a hug.
She walks into my embrace and squeezes me tight around the middle. After pulling away, she cocks her head in my direction. “Let me guess—your boyfriend didn’t tell you he invited me.”
I laugh. “Okay, first of all…of course, he did. I just wasn’t expecting you today. And…he’s not my boyfriend.”
She winks. “Sure. The three of you had a good time in that room I rented.”
“You gave me the key,” I reply enthusiastically.
“I know. I know. I’m a good influence.”
I place an arm behind her back. “Come on. I’ll take you to the workshop space. We finished it this week.” Waving to the hostess, I guide Silla through the curtain into the main room and then off to the right hallway, where the back two rooms have been joined as one large room, something we can flip between rentable rooms and space for classes.
“Oh, very impressive,” Silla says with a smile as I show her the space. We erected a small stage at the front and enough space for tables, which is how it’s set up tonight. She walks up to the low platform to check out the ropes we hung for the demonstration.
“Look at you, Mr. Construction Man. So…have you been practicing Shibari with your boyfriend since our class?”
I blush. “Again, not my boyfriend. And no, we have not.”
“Oh, come on…” she whines, her head hanging back. “You guys were so good!”
With a laugh, I shake my head. “We weren’t that good.”
“Babe, I could watch him tie you up all day. That shit was hot. Or better yet,” she says, looking excited. “You tie him up.”
“I don’t think he would enjoy that,” I reply, leaning against one of the tables.
“Oh, he needs to be tied up,” she says with a laugh. I like Silla. It’s just easy being around her. It’s not often I’m in the company of people I’m not actively trying to fuck…or who aren’t trying to fuck me. Of course, she was at first, but the moment we established that I was sort of entangled, she let off.
“So…” she says in a light tone.
“So…？” I reply.
“So, did you end up losing…or did you end up gaining?”
My brow furrows quizzically as I stare at her. “I don’t follow.”
“Last time we talked, you were too afraid to get your sexy bits all tangled up with your friends because you were afraid of losing them, and I told you that you were just as likely to gain them. And you may not know this about me, but I’m very wise…”
My light chuckle echoes through the empty room as she smiles that big bright smile at me.
“Clearly,” I joke.
“So which one was it?”
My smile starts to wane as I think about it. Which one is it? I didn’t exactly lose them, but have I gained them? As I think back to everything that’s happened since I first met Silla, it’s a little daunting to believe.
“Oh…I know what that face means. Spill.”
It feels pointless putting up a fight, so I give in and I tell her everything. Crazy that this woman just walked in the club and I’ve known her for all of like two hours total, but she’s easy to talk to and I need someone to talk to about this stuff.
By the end, her eyes are wide, and she’s staring at me for a long time before finally saying something. “So…do you want to be with them? In a committed, poly relationship with both of them?”