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“I want to explore this.” I gesture between the three of us. It’s been an eternity since I had a consistent woman in my life, but I cannot deny our connection. I don’t do this—relationships—and I feel like I’m bumbling through this like an inexperienced teenager. “I like being with both of you. I like the three of us together.”

The two of them glance at each other, Victoria’s unsettled gaze landing on me. “I know you’re a couple, and what I’m saying is messy. And I don’t want you to say anything right now,” I quickly blurt before she has a chance to denounce my interest in pursuing something meaningful with the two of them. I hold Victoria’s stare, slowing my words as I continue, “You and me. You and Elena. Me and Elena. The three of us together. Whatever happens happens.”

“Conor—” Victoria’s voice cracks.

“I’ll take you as you are,” I clarify. “I’m just asking you to think about it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

ELENA

The last hour at Conor’s apartment was… strange. Nothing was wrong, but after his confession, there was an awkwardness in the air, like the three of us were all trying to figure out the hell we were doing. Conor, the only one of us who was vocal, is clearly grappling with his feelings. Victoria—more guarded than ever—has been unable to pull her hands from me. Like if she lets go, she’s afraid that I’ll slip away. And I’ve been trying to ignore what I’m feeling since that first night. Thoughts that are becoming near impossible for me to pretend they don’t exist.

The drive from Conor’s apartment is quieter than I expected. Both of us lost in our own thoughts. Victoria and I don’t say much as the Town Car makes its way through the traffic of the busy city streets. The two of us sitting in some in-between moment where everything is suspended between what is and what might be. I can’t shake being concerned about the transition that I sense is coming.

I steal a quick glance at Victoria, finding her shoulders slightly hunched as if she is carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken thoughts. She has been uncharacteristically solemn since weleft Conor’s place, and I know she’s wrestling with the idea. A burden she shouldn’t carry alone.

“Hey,” I whisper, breaking the silence as I place my hand on her thigh. My voice soft and tentative. “You okay?”

She turns to meet my gaze, looking exhausted, this morning clearly taking an emotional toll on her. “I’m fine,” she responds, her tone not carrying the same conviction as her words. “Just tired.”

“Yeah. Me too,” I lie with a slow nod. But I’m not tired. If anything, I’m restless. I have thought about it plenty, but what happened this morning makes the idea ofus—thethreeof us—feel real.Too real.

The car pulls to the curb in front of our building, and we make our way upstairs. Stepping inside, I immediately kick off my shoes and head to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Following me, Victoria leans against the counter and crosses her arms as though bracing herself for something.

“I’ve been thinking,” I mutter, unable to lift my eyes to meet her gaze as my heart pounds in my chest. “About Conor. About this… situation. Before he said anything. And I can’t deny that I am curious.”

A slight scowl pulls at the corner of Victoria’s mouth, but she doesn’t say anything, and I take her silence as a sign to continue.

“I mean…” I pause, unsure how to put my jumbled thoughts into words. “I know we just met him. And I know this is fast and crazy, but I’m interested in exploring what he’s asking for. There’s something there, Vic. I can feel it. For all of us.” I didn’t mean to speak for her, but it’s the truth. I saw the way she looked at him—the same way she looks at me.

Victoria exhales a long, slow breath and looks at me like she is preparing for a storm. She’s trying to process everything I just shared; the hesitation and pain in her eyes breaks my heart. “It’s not a relationship,” she gruffly dismisses me, uncrossing her arms and letting them hang loosely at her sides. “At least, not for me.”

Her response doesn’t surprise me, but it still stings a little. She is always cautious—calculated. She never does anything without thoroughly thinking it through and being certain she knows exactly how things will play out. It’s something I love and respect about her. But this… this is different. Feelings don’t play by the same rules as business transactions. Feelings are messy… Unpredictable.And that scares the fucking hell out of her.

Turning to face her fully, I take a step closer and slip my hands into hers. “You can try to ignore this all you want, but I know you, Victoria. As well as you know me. I can see it in your eyes. I can see it every time he looks at you. And every time you look at him. Hell, even when you watch him look at me. You feel something for him as clearly as you feel something for me.”

Her lips press into a thin line, and her jaw clenches. She isn’t angry—not really—but she’s defensive. “It’s not that simple, sweet girl. It never is. You know that.”

I find myself at a loss for words, unsure how to respond. I’ve known her long enough to know when she’s holding back. And right now, she is doing everything she can to shield herself from something she isn’t quite ready to face. It is clear—to me if not for her—there is a part of her struggling with this new reality. A part of her feels something for Conor that she is too afraid to admit to herself.

“Maybe not.” I take a deep breath and squeeze her hands reassuringly. “But that doesn’t change the fact that there’s something between the three of us. Something we’re all cognizant of… Even you.”

She shifts uncomfortably, her gaze breaking from mine and falling to the floor. Wrapping my hands around her waist, she pulls me into her and embraces me—tightly. “I don’t want to complicate things,” she whispers so softly I almost think it’s to herself. “You and me… We have something great, Elena. And I don’t want to risk losing that.”

Sliding my hands up her back, I return the tightness of her embrace. It’s a simple gesture, but it provides her with a relief I know she so desperately needs. “I get that. I really do. But this… It doesn’t have to ruin what we have.”

She presses her lips to my forehead, and they tremble against my skin. “I can’t lose you,” she mutters.

Her vulnerability tugs at my heart. There’s so much she isn’t saying. So many things she’s afraid of if we allow ourselves to explore this with Conor. “You willneverlose me.Ever.” My voice shakes with the weight of the uncertainty we’re both feeling. “But I think we owe it to ourselves to see where this goes. To see where it leads.”

I’m not stupid. This won’t be easy. I know that. We will all have fears and hesitations that we need to work through. It could be messy. It would change us. But maybe, just maybe, this could be the most amazing thing ever to happen to us. And as terrifying as this is, I’m willing to take that risk.I need to.

She pulls back from our embrace and dusts the back of her hand along my jaw. With a soft but resolute tone, she promises, “I’ll think about it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

VICTORIA

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