Page 84 of Just Between Us

“They are from who I think they are, aren’t they?” Jenna asks, as my eyes go over the card again.

Just a reminder that we still want you. Badly.

I nod, slightly lost for words. Jenna picks the card from my hand. She reads it over, her eyes widening at each word. “Badly!” she screams. “They want you badly! Kai, you have to say yes. If you don’t, I’ll do it and volunteer to be their third.”

I raise an eyebrow, “What about Marie?”

“I’d be doing it for the both of us. She’ll understand,” she waves a hand. “I think we need more vases. Two won’t be enough.”

When we’re done sorting the flowers in the two vases and a few mason jars, I take a picture and send it to the new group chat.

Kai: Needed more than one vase.

Kai: They are beautiful. Thank you.

An idea comes to me.

Kai: How do you feel about Thai food?

Levi: I’m in at any mention of food.

Cole: Second-best cuisine

Kai: What’s the best?

Cole: You two are tied.

Kai: …

Kai: 6 p.m. tonight at Anurak’s

I send them the address. Jenna is right. I should let good things happen to me. This feels good and as nervous as I am, I’m also excited.

I want them too. Badly.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Kai

A cacophony of dishes and screaming from the chef behind a thin wall ring through the restaurant. The scent of lemongrass and fresh herbs dances through the air as servers place colourful dishes on the small tables throughout the restaurant.

It feels a little serendipitous being back at the small Thai restaurant with Cole and Levi and not with James. After everything they said yesterday, maybe I should feel a little more apprehensive, but I don’t. All I feel is relief, that none of it was in my head, that they fell right along with me, and it stopped being just about sex a long time ago.

“Our entire apartment smells of roses and peonies,” I say. “I’ve never received flowers so thank you.”

Across me, Cole smiles. “Glad you liked them. It was a debate between roses or peonies—”

“Well actually, it was a debate between Paris or flowers, but Cole said that was too much so,” Levi interrupts with a shrug.

I stare at them. “You’re being serious, aren’t you?” But Levi’s smirk is all I need to confirm.

Once the waiter takes our orders, I take in a quiet breath, all the questions I have flying through my head. What if they changed their minds this morning?

“I’ve thought about what you said yesterday,” I start, holding the back of my neck. “And uh, I think I want to give this a shot. I like you both. I think I’ve been into you since that first day and no matter how hard I tried to suppress it; it wouldn’t go away. I’ve been terrified it would never work because you two already know each other so well. Honestly, a part of me still thinks that but I want to try. I’ve never been happier than when I was with both of you so if you still want what you said yesterday then I’m in. Fully.”

The words leave my mouth so quickly I’m not sure if they caught any of it but Levi’s mouth parts slightly and Cole’s eyes soften. Butterflies launch in my stomach, frantically batting their wings inside me and for a moment, it’s like time stops and it’s just us in the restaurant.

“We still want you, Kai, that’s never changing,” Cole says. “And maybe this isn’t the best time to talk about it, but we want you to know everything before we continue this.”

My stomach falls but I nod anyway, bracing myself for something awful just in case. “Okay,” I whisper.

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