Our Love Story

“I’m gonna call it a night,” I tell them before sneaking off inside, wanting to see Enzo, Ethan, and Noah to make sure they are all okay.

Truth is, I’m not okay. Not okay with pretending what I have with all of them isn’t equally real. Equally important.

Hiding my love feels wrong... especially when I spent so long looking for it.

But at the same time, I’m not ready for a judgmental person like her to weigh in on what we have.* * *When I make my way upstairs, I’m surprised to hear the guys arguing. I’m not sure why I thought they would each be in their respective beds dozing, but I did. Or maybe that is what I wish they were doing. I could snuggle and spoon them, and reassure them and then they would fall into sweet sleep.

But instead, I am hit in the gut with the reality of the situation.

“It’s not that I’m jealous. That isn’t it at all. It’s just hard having to hide our love,” I hear Enzo say.

“I love her so damn much,” Noah says. “And I want the world to know it. I don’t care what Black Bull thinks. This is my life. My one shot at happiness. And being with Chloe, watching her broken heart become whole while we all take care of her. It’s more than I ever expected to find in life.”

“The situation is fucked up. I know Mason and Chloe didn’t intend to hurt anyone, but it’s rough. And I don’t know how long I can do this.”

I swallow my tears. Ethan wants out?

I step into Noah’s bedroom, and they all stop pacing when they see me. “Hey, Bella,” Enzo says walking over to me and pulling me into his arms. But I step away from his hold.

“I shouldn’t be here, I didn’t mean to overhear your private conversation. I should go,” I say in a flurry of tears.

“What?” Noah asks, stepping closer and lifting my chin with his hand. “Baby, you are always welcome with us.”

“But…” I sniffle. “But I am overcomplicating your life.”

Ethan smirks. “No way, Chloe, it’s not you complicating our life. It’s fucking Black Bull. I’m tired of their shit. This career was supposed to be fun. Not demanding, not demeaning. And when we have to pretend we aren’t in love with you—that is exactly how it feels.”

I wipe my eyes, not sure what to think. On one hand, I agree—it felt awful today lying to the camera crew as we were interviewed, pretending we were something we aren’t. But I also understand exactly why we had to do that. I remember how stressed Ethan was on the plane, how badly he wants this week to go well.

“You guys have such an important week ahead of you, I know being here at ExSports means so much to you and I worry I am nothing but a distraction.”

Noah’s eyes go dark, he takes ahold of me, pressing me against the wall. “Stop it, Chloe. Stop talking down about yourself. We love you. We fucking love you so damn much. And we hate that you doubt that for a second. We’ll figure it all out, in time, I swear it to you. But now—now you need to trust us when we tell you we need you in a carnal way. Watching you with our best friend all day... Telling the world you were in love with him, holding his hand, kissing him on the camera? Damn, it was torture.”

I gasp at his words, understanding what he means. It felt like I was betraying each of them by pretending our love wasn’t as real or as strong as my love with Mason.

“I’m sorry to doubt you,” I tell them.

“No,” Ethan says, standing next to Noah, next to Enzo. “No more sorrys. Stop apologizing.”

“What do you want from me then?” I ask. “I need to be more than your sex toy.”

My words must pierce something deep because the guys look so hurt. “We would never think of you like that, Bella,” Enzo says. “You are a treasure. A gift. We love you and cherish you. We want to take care of you and love you. We want to go through all of life’s ups and downs with you by our side.”

I blink back another flurry of tears. Their words are so true and full of promise, I believe them deep in my soul. I am not someone to sleep with. I am someone to have and to hold.

“You’re right,” I manage. “I know you see me as more than I see myself.”

“Then what do we have to do to convince you that we think the world of you, Chloe?” Ethan asks.

“I don’t know. I think some things take time. I have so many wounds that need to heal.”

Noah runs his hands through my long hair. “We will be with you every single step of the way.” Then he picks me up and carries me to my bedroom, the other guys with him. “We will be here whenever you need us.”