Page 52 of Me Three
“Well, in that case, so am I,” I tell him.
Carter fixes his gaze on me for a moment.
“You do? What do you play?”
“All kinds of adventure and RPG,” I say. “I’ve been doing quests on DAoW with my friends since it was released last month.”
“Me, too. I love it so much. It’s like, next level MORPG,” he says.
“Oh God, what have I got in the middle of?” Ev groans.
“Some serious nerd talk,” Carter says dismissively before turning back to me. “Have you played the new Death Knight?”
“Considering it’s my favorite comic book, yeah, definitely,” I say.
“You’re a comic book nerd, too? Lord have mercy,” Ev mutters and looks like he’s praying to someone above him.
“Do you go to Nerd Planet? I’m surprised I haven’t seen you there,” Carter says.
“I used to. But now I read everything on my tablet. Saves paper,” I say. “And I know what you’re going to say. Am I a real fan if I don’t read on paper? Let me tell you, I don’t care.”
“Fuck that. I read digital as well. But I go every once in a while to buy Merch or print volumes of my favorites,” he says.
“Okay, nerds, dinner is ready,” Ev says, and Carter slaps his hand.
“Hey, that was supposed to be my line. Sit down,” he orders him, and Ev mocks him but follows his instructions and sits down next to me.
Carter serves a wooden platter of barbecue ribs and a bowl of fries, as well as a bowl of green salad, and gets a soda for me. The two of them have beer as usual.
The ribs are a bit chewy, but I keep that to myself after all the effort Carter went through. A courtesy Ev doesn’t give him. The banter starts between them, and it’s amusing to watch them bicker like an old couple.
Well, I guess the fact they’ve been best friends for so many years means they know each other pretty well, and the fact they’re in love with each other makes their bickering cute.
What right do I have to be there? I don’t want to feel like a guest, but that’s exactly how I feel. A guest at their house. A feeling which goes down only when we get to the dirty business.
I don’t mind being the little side toy they have fun with. I just wish I could be more.
Seventeen
Everett
“You know, you really don’t have to do this,” Tru says when they come into the apartment carrying a large carrier bag that is almost as tall as them.
“But I want to,” I tell them and grab the back of their neck to give them a kiss.
Tru takes pause and lets go under my touch. They feel light against me. Almost ethereal. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out they were. I don’t know how any real human being can give someone so much without effort, barely even trying.
And boy, have they given me a lot. Thanks to them, I have what I’ve always wanted. Carter’s love. They made that possible.
And they’re showing me how much we, humans, have got to give others. Before Tru, I never thought it was possible to be in love with more than one person at the same time. Or if it was, it was impossible to be with both the subjects of your affection. Yet that’s another thing they’ve given me.
“What was that for?” Tru asks when our kiss comes to an end and I take half a step back, only to have Tru leaning against me trying to find their balance.
“For being you,” I say, the smile uncontrollable on my face.
Tru stares at me, deep down into my soul, and reciprocates the affectionate smile before pushing back and standing on their own two feet again.
“Right. Let’s do this,” they say and arch their back, straighten their shoulders, and take a big breath.
