17
Tate
I didn’t usually spare this much thought to one woman before. It was insane how Adley had crawled under my skin and latched herself onto me.
But I wasn’t necessarily complaining.
I liked caring so much about something, or someone other than myself and my work. I cared about her happiness, her feelings; everything there was to know about her, I wanted it. I just wasn’t sure she wanted me the same way. Or wanted us.
That was the main problem, I couldn’t have her to myself. And the notion of sharing her made me want her more. There was just something about sharing a woman with someone else, with my best friend. I wouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of keeping her happy alone, or keeping her satisfied. There was just something about watching her give pleasure, and take it from someone else. It heightened my feelings for her, it made me want to fight for her even more.
I was putting a lot of myself into the work on her house. I never cared much for the work besides getting it right, but I wanted it to be special for her. We both did. We wanted it to be just right.
But we couldn’t even get in touch with her.
That time we spent in the bedroom was all we had seen of her for a week. It started with her responses being short to our text messages. A few days ago they stopped entirely.
It really worried me because I knew she had no family here. It was just her. On top of that, her grandmother and the only family she had left, recently passed away. I knew she shouldn’t be alone but I didn’t know if I had the right to give her that input yet. It wasn’t like we ever sat down and had a serious conversation. Maybe that was my fault. But I knew it really wasn’t.
It just hadn’t been that long. But feelings didn’t need time, they just needed truth.
And the truth was I really fucking liked Adley. I wanted her. Levi and I both wanted her. It had come up to a week and I was working on the dining room. We had to redo the trim, and Levi was working on the fireplace and living room floors. We thought we would have to replace half of the planks because they had worn down too much, but he was trying to find a way to fix it.
We were both just trying to keep busy, because we didn’t want to scare Adley away or come off as two creeps who started stalking her. We both had relationships in the past, of course, but they never lasted that long. My last serious one was just after high school, and we broke up amicably. I always knew I wanted something more out of a relationship.
This thing with Adley and Levi, it would be the more I was looking for. To have a woman that was just as devoted to me as she was to someone else, but always know that she was in for me too. Was that what Adley would want?
I kept asking myself that. I was so distracted I nicked my thumb with the hammer. I hadn’t done that since my first day on the job. My dad was always really proud of me when I started taking after him. He gave really good advice too. He would have told me to toughen up and be honest, because real men say what was on their mind instead of trying to use their dicks to solve everything. So very poetic.
“Hey man, we need to talk.” I went to Levi after my thumb stopped throbbing.
“Shit, I knew you always wanted me,” Levi joked.
I shook my head and gave him a look. I sat on the edge of the tarp covered couch. He was crouched down next to the fireplace. He wiped his hands off and looked at me with a calm expression.
“What’s up?” he asked.
I sighed. “Has Adley said anything to you?” I asked him. Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe she didn’t want us both, and only wanted him. Levi wouldn’t keep that from me though, so I knew it was a stretch.
“Nope. You?”
“No. I’m pretty worried about her. She hasn’t responded to our messages. Hasn’t said anything since that day she came over last week…maybe we did something wrong?” I shrugged.
He drew his brows together and went deep into thought.
“I don’t know. We could have pegged her wrong. Maybe she only wants to have fun.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Yeah, me neither honestly. I mean there isn’t much we can do. If she doesn’t want to talk to us, we can’t force her.”
I nodded and thought.
“Yeah. But maybe she doesn’t know how we really feel. Maybe she thinks we only want to have fun. We don’t, right?” I checked. Levi could change his mind pretty easily, and I wasn’t sure where he stood with Adley.
“No. I’m serious about her, more than I have been about anyone.”
“Yeah. And she has a lot going on. That’s why I’m so worried.”