Page 13 of Throuple Next Door

Austin sighed. “I get that.” He swallowed hard, turning away from both of them. “Let’s go.”

Randy growled, and Austin once again found himself hauled onto Randy’s lap with those big arms wrapped tightly around him. “Don’t you think it’s time to tell us what’s going on in that amazing head of yours.”

“What? Because I don’t like to be tickled?” he demanded. “Fine, since it seems to be pick-on-Austin morning.” He tried to wrench himself away, but Randy held tighter. “You know I was the youngest of three boys. Well, my brothers used to love to get their way. They’d hold me on the ground and tickle me until I could barely breathe. They’d only stop when one of two things happened. Either I gave them what they wanted or I wet myself.” He pulled away from Randy. “Are you two fuckers happy now?” He marched to the front door, yanked it open, and stepped out into the warm summer air. Taking a deep breath, he couldn’t believe he’d actually told them that shit. It was stupid and had been many years ago. Austin had a good relationship with his brothers now and that kind of behavior was long gone on their part.

“Hey,” Randy said softly. “I didn’t know and thought I was being playful.” Once again, those arms engulfed him, and then Weaver’s arms joined his.

“You don’t have to be afraid of telling us the shit that happened to you. We all have a history, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Weaver whispered. “You know the neighbor’s chickens? I’m scared to death of them. If I would have been the one to look at houses, I would have seen that they were there and would have told the agent to move on. I don’t know why I’m scared of them, they’re just chickens, but….” Weaver held them both tighter before letting go. “Now it’s Randy’s turn.”

“What, me? I’m the strong, silent type, and I prefer to keep my embarrassing shit to myself.” He let Austin go. “Are we going to go to town or not?” Randy locked the door, and they all headed down the sidewalk, with Austin holding back.

“What are you doing?” Randy asked.

Austin grinned. “My favorite pastime, butt-watching.” He could almost see the guys rolling their eyes even though they never turned around.

Weaver shifted his walk, swinging his great ass from side to side, but Randy grew stiffer. Randy was always the ultimate top in bed. He was the one who called the shots, and between the three of them, there was only one rule… at least when dealing with Randy. He never bottomed. Austin knew that some guys didn’t enjoy it, and that was fine. But as he stared at Randy’s muscled ass with dimples hidden by his pants… well, damn. Randy turned around when he groaned a little. He didn’t push it, and they continued their walk while Austin continued enjoying the view.

Shopping had never been one of Weaver’s favorite things. Austin loved it and was great at finding bargains or managing to know what they needed. He dragged Randy into store after store, while Weaver stood outside under the trees, taking in their new home town. The clock on the old courthouse chimed noon, and Weaver’s stomach rumbled.

“Dang, we better feed this thing before it takes over,” Austin teased as he and Randy joined Weaver. “There’s a brew pub, a distillery, and a cidery within a few blocks. What sort of libation are you in the mood for?”

“Cidery?” Randy asked.

“Yeah. Hard cider. They have other things, too, I’m sure,” Austin said as he led them back toward the courthouse with its belltower, then turned to the west. “It’s right over there.”

“Sounds good to me,” Weaver said as the other two looked at him. “What?”

“I got it in one. I’m going to write that down in my calendar.” Austin pulled out his phone. “Mr. Picky Pants agreed to the first restaurant chosen. It’s a miracle.”

Weaver huffed. “Is it a sin to want to know what my choices are?” The others rolled their eyes. “Okay. I already looked on the internet and checked out the menus of most of the places in town. So sue me.”

Randy grabbed him. “He’s teasing you.” He drew closer. “Both of us appreciate the fact that you research places to eat. Remember our trip to P-town and that place we stopped? You refused to eat there and probably saved all three of us from food poisoning.” He grinned. “Let’s go. I’m hungry and thirsty.”

“And he’s buying,” Austin quipped and darted inside before Randy could grab him. Randy shook his head and followed Austin, who was already asking the hostess for a table. Weaver swore the man could smile and charm his way into a table at a restaurant that was booked solid for months. “Thanks so much,” Austin said as she led them to a table near the window.

“How do you do that?” Weaver asked.

“It’s a gift… and the fact that I did her job for three years.”

They sat down, and Weaver looked over the menu. A flatbread pizza sounded good, and he chose the one he wanted before gazing out the window. “What the…,” he said to himself at the reflection in the glass. Then he got up and went outside, checking out the theater marquee. He smiled to himself and hurried down the street to grab a flyer from the stand in front of the theater.

“Where did you go?” Randy asked as he sat back down.

He handed the flyer to Austin with a slight flourish. “The theater is having a fashion show as a fundraiser, and they’re looking for people to help.”

Austin picked up the flyer, read it, and set it back down.

“Hey, this is right up your alley.”

“It isn’t a job,” Austin said. Weaver didn’t understand why Austin wasn’t more excited.

“We’re fine for money. But this is something you could do to make a difference. The theater is important to the town, and they’re raising funds to restore the façade. There was a story about it last week,” Randy explained. “Honey, it’s a chance for you to use your skills and meet a lot of people. It’s how folks get jobs and find out about opportunities.”

Austin picked up the flyer once more and pulled out his phone. Weaver caught Randy’s eye, and they shared a quick smile. As their server approached the table, Austin pointed to what he wanted on the menu and then stepped outside. Randy asked her to come back in a few minutes as Weaver smiled brightly, watching as Austin spoke on the phone, pacing slowly up and down the sidewalk.

“I love how he always does that when he’s on the phone,” Randy said softly.

“I know. But watch him. It’s like he expects something bad to happen at any moment. His shoulders are tight, and watch his steps—he’s almost marching in formation.” Weaver lifted his gaze, frowning slightly.

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