Unconventional

Chase nodded, then smiled and rubbed his stomach. “I could eat.”

All eyes shifted to Julian. The big mason pulled his bandana down over two very bushy, but very sexy eyebrows.

“Sounds about right,” he said gruffly.

Fourteen

MADISON

Pasta. It wasn’t the most glamorous meal I could serve but it was the quickest and simplest. And it must’ve been popular enough, because there was nothing but an empty bowl left of the linguine in meat sauce I’d whipped up last minute.

“Okay,” I said, once everyone had eaten their fill. “So spill it.”

We were sitting around the kitchen table in the same spots as last time. The table, mind you.

“Spill what?”

“Everything,” I said, reaching out to gather the plates. “Apparently the three of you had some kind of powwow. You got together and talked about giving me ‘space’, whatever the hell that means.”

Noah and Chase were scrambling to help me clean up, but I waved them away. Julian was leaning back in his chair again, his arms folded behind his head. His big frame was balanced so precariously on two wooden legs it was making me nervous.

“So what’s the deal?” I asked again.

“Well…” Noah began awkwardly. “The other night was crazy. Awesome for sure, but totally out of the blue. And for you, it had to be intense. I mean… you know…”

“Yeah,” I said. “I know.”

“So the three of us got together,” he went on. “We made a little pact, that we’d leave you alone for a while. Not overwhelm you. Give you some time to think.”

“More like give you some room to breathe,” said Chase. “And maybe even… decide.”

I squinted back at them. “Decide upon what?”

The silence that followed was a little awkward. Nobody seemed to know what to say, until Julian spoke.

“Decide upon us.”

I dropped the dishes in the sink and turned around. I still wasn’t getting it. My expression must’ve said it too.

“Look,” said Chase. “We like you. It’s obvious that the three of us have been flirting with you. We just never expected to… well…”

“Fuck me all at once.”

The words were harsh, especially when said out loud. But they were also reality.

“Well when you put it that way,” Noah chuckled, a little nervously. “Yes.”

I leaned back against the counter, running everything through my head. I could picture it all; the three of them, waking up the next morning. Sneaking downstairs to clean up the kitchen. Talking about what had taken place, and what would happen next…

“So the three of you decided to back off,” I said, “and let me ‘reflect’. Instead of making me feel good about Sunday night by remaining supportive and happy, you decided it would be better to withdraw, stay quiet, and give me nothing.”

Julian continued staring straight ahead, totally impassive, while Noah and Chase shot each other a worried look.

“Shit. We didn’t mean it like that…”

“And then what did you expect?” I went on. “That I’d come to some sort of conclusion? That I’d just pick one of you over the others? Decide which of you I liked the most?”

“No, no,” said Noah quickly. “Not like—”