Page 13 of Treble

“Girlfriend?” I ask. Brows pinched, I gesture between Noah and Henry. “I thought you two were…”

“Together? We are,” Henry replies, then pins Noah with a glare, gritting out, “But we also have a girlfriend who we don’t talk about.”

“I’ve never been with two men before.” Keri sighs wistfully.

“You’re not starting now,” I groan under my breath.

“So, where do we go from here?” Keri asks. “I have an audition in forty-eight hours, Paul is making cummy whipped cream—very creative, by the way. And both Henry and Victor are growly as fuck right now. We’re all in agreement Dana is ready to lick balls to steal my seat, but it could be vacant if I sign with Baker anyway. Noah and Henry are out—I respect their little poly relationship—but do Paul, Victor, and I fuck it out? Getting it out of our systems seems like the most logical solution.”

“Yes,” Paul replies.

At the same time, I snap, “No. I don’t share.”

“Well, this is bullshit,” Keri huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Okay, well, this night is more unhinged than the books our girlfriend reads,” Noah says as he walks backward toward the door. “Hell, my mom is in publishing. I should pitch her this as a book idea.” Henry smacks Noah’s arm, making him chuckle. “What? You said yourself these guys are stalkers.”

“I never said that,” Henry whisper-shouts to him, then repeats to us a little louder, “I never said that.”

“You’re right. This whole thing has gotten out of hand,” Keri chimes in, rushing to the kitchen island to retrieve her purse. “Can I stay with you guys tonight?”

“Sure,” Henry replies, toying with his keys in his right hand. “But you should put pants on.”

Keri chuckles, and Paul rushes out, “I’m sorry. I never should’ve done it.”

“This is all your fault,” I groan at Paul. I was moments from proving to Keri that I could be the best she’s ever had, and he had to fuck everything up. I don’t blame Henry or Noah; I would’ve done the same thing in their shoes. This is all on Paul.

Keri retrieves her luggage from my room, then Henry and Noah escort her out. To my surprise, she kisses Paul on the cheek and doesn’t so much as wave goodbye to me. I’m stunned into silence, unsure if I should run after her, or respect her wishes. Part of me wonders if I should’ve left a few of the location trackers, if only so Paul could help me find her.

The moment the door clicks shut, my jaw tics and my fists ball at my sides. I’m about to lunge for Paul when he asks, “So, you didn’t eat the pie, right?”

“No, thank fuck.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. “So, the hockey game is on…”

“Are you fucking kidding me? The woman I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember just walked out my door with my friend and his boyfriend…andthey have a girlfriend. You heard her, she hasn’t been with two men before. All it’ll take is a few shots of vodka and she’ll be propositioning them to be part of some kind of poly love-knot.”

“Are you jealous? Because I sure as fuck am. I’m not looking for anything serious with Keri, so what do you say we share her?”

“Share her?” I scoff. “Why would I do that?”

“I can guarantee she’ll come and you’ll get to keep her after.”

I consider his proposition for a moment, then ask, “So, are you driving, or am I?”

11

KERI

This whole situation is so incredibly fucked up. Henry and Noah shouldn’t have to put up with me because one stalker destroyed my bathroom and the other is unexceptionable in bed.

My audition is in two days, and while I know nothing about Noah or his musical abilities, Henry is incredibly talented; he could help me fine-tune my audition piece. My focus should be on my music, not my cunt.

On the drive to his place—or is it their place—he pats my knee in solidarity. “I’m sorry about all of that,” he offers. “We needed to make sure you didn’t eat the, well, you know.”

“Thank you. To be honest, even if Victor hadn’t thrown it away, I would’ve. Who wants pie that tastes like mouthwash?” They both chuckle and I go on to explain how Paul likely assumed I enjoyed minty desserts, since I led Victor to believe mint chip ice cream is my favorite. Henry doesn’t interject, neither does Noah; they listen intently as I tell my story. When was the last time someoneactuallylistened to me? It’s refreshing and cathartic, but one thing is certain: I’m a bigger stalker than they are.

We arrive at their home and I’m in awe. It’s older, likely built in the early nineteen-hundreds, but in great shape. We walk up six steps to the main entry, then take the elevator up two floors. This neighborhood is significantly more expensive than mine, and I’m curious how they’re able to pay for this, even with two or possibly three incomes.

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