My Brother’s Best Friends

***Charlie***

Lookingoutoverthe pond in my backyard, I slowly worked my arm over my head and stretched the stiff muscles of my shoulder. Sitting with my bare feet on the porch railing, I let my other hand drop down to stroke the soft fur of Jeremy, the stray cat who’d adopted me. I’d gotten a security notification a minute before, alerting me that August and Theo were at the gate and on their way in, but I didn’t bother moving from my chair, knowing they’d come straight to the porch.

Jeremy jumped into my lap to demand more attention just before the guys rounded the side of the house. I rubbed his head and nodded to them. “Did the location of poker night change without anyone telling me?”

Theo patted Jeremy before settling next to me. “Nope. We just thought we should talk before heading to Russ’.”

August leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. He’d lost his uniform for his other uniform, black tactical pants and a white T-shirt. “First poker night since the reunion. Seemed right to get a feel for where we are before heading into Russ’ house.”

“I saw you called me yesterday.” I nodded to Theo. “I meant to call you back but I did a few hours of physical training and then passed out. Are y’all worried about me being weird about Reagan? I wasn’t avoiding you, I promise.”

He snorted. “I know that, asshole. I slept with your girlfriend in the tenth grade and you didn’t avoid me even then. I don’t think you’ve ever felt awkward or angry enough to avoid someone in your life.”

I grinned. “Oh, yeah. Stacy, right? I was going to break up with her, anyway.”

August hit the side of my leg. “We don’t have time for memory lane, idiots. We didn’t get time to talk about Reagan after we woke up and found her gone. Where are we at?”

Theo rubbed his eyes wearily. “Well. It’s abundantly clear that we’re all still attracted to her.”

I nodded. “She’s even prettier now, somehow. Seeing her again was like taking a tackle from the biggest fucker out there.”

“Knowing she’s walking around town makes me feel like I popped a fucking Viagra. I feel like a teenager again.” August looked disgusted with himself. “I’m going insane, I swear. I had a fucking erection the entire time I was writing her a ticket yesterday.”

“I’m pretty sure I already know the answer to my next question, but I have to ask. Have either of you ever done anything like that with anyone else?” Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat and forced a laugh. “And you said I’ve never felt awkward enough to avoid someone. Proved you wrong.”

Theo snorted. “God, no. The idea of sharing a woman with someone else has never appealed to me before or after Rea.”

“So, just Rea?”

“I don’t even know that the idea of sharing her is appealing. I can guarantee I’d never be okay with someone else touching her. Knowing it’s you two makes it okay, for some reason.” He scowled. “I don’t get it. All I know is that the two times we’ve fucked her have been the two best nights of sex of my life. Which is a hard pill to swallow if I think about it too much.”

August shook his head and shifted even farther away. “The idea of possibly brushing against some other dude’s dick during sex makes me want to throw myself into your pond. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you fuckers rubbing against me, either, but when Reagan’s between us, that’s the last thing on my mind. I’ve known both of you my entire life. For some reason, the combination works.”

“To be clear, though, none of us are interested in touching each other during any of this, right? I accept you as you are, but neither of you are my type.”

August knocked my feet of the railing. “It’s only Reagan for me.”

Theo nodded. “I didn’t even consider it a possibility. And now that I have, I’ll be bleaching my eyes later, thanks.”

I held up my hands and watched as Jeremy jumped down and strolled away. “Well, that’s been clarified then. Now what?”

“I was serious. Being with Reagan is better than any sex I’ve ever had in my life. The fact that I’m going to say what I’m about to say makes me the biggest asshole ever, but I don’t want it to be a one-off. Russ would murder us all, but she’s an adult. I’m an adult. It’s impossible to wrap my brain around finding that kind of chemistry and just ignoring it.” Theo scrubbed his hands over his head and then laughed bitterly. “Though she hates me, so my declaration might be in vain.”

Unfolding his arms and shoving his hands in his pockets, August cleared his throat. “I agree. It’s wrong to pursue her, but it feels impossible not to.”

I raised my eyebrows and chuckled. “So, we all want to pursue her?”

Laughing, August shrugged. “Seems that way.”

“Despite how poorly Russ would react?”

Theo stood up and stretched. “Yes. I’d love it if we didn’t dwell on that part, though. Makes me feel less like a piece of shit if I don’t keep addressing how much our best friend would be against this.”

“Agreed.” I stood up and looked between them. “Are we all going for her, then?”

August nodded. “This is a first.”

“And if she wants all of us again?”