Page 17 of Holding On to a Hero
Will was gorgeous when he was laughing. Jason and I made eye contact, and I got the message.
Here it was. Time to jump in. Feet first. Now or never. Go big or go home. No guts no glory. Faint heart never won fair maiden. Er, man.
“Will, what are you doing the rest of the day today?”
“Oh, uh, I have to pick my niece up from school at three o’clock. She’s eight. Then I usually help her with her homework and we play video games or whatever until my sister gets home from work.”
“Do you live with them?”Crap, Jason! Don’t distract us from the main topic!
“Yeah. The accident really screwed up my back, as you saw yesterday, and I couldn’t live on my own for a while after. I’ve stayed with them since then. Lately I’ve been considering getting my own place, but being there is really convenient so I can help out with my niece.”
“I’m sure your sister loves having you there.”
Will grimaced. “Most days. We get on each other’s nerves just like any siblings. But Abigail, my niece, is wonderful.”
Jason smiled. “Well, after your sister gets home tonight, would you like to come back over for dinner?”Yes! I’m off the hook!
Will blinked. “Uh, sure. That sounds nice.”
Shit. “Nice,” I repeated. “I think Jason’s invitation was unclear. This would be, um, a date.”
Will looked even more unsure. “Uh, like a setup with somebody?”
This conversation was a disaster. “No, no, not a setup! Um, with us, I mean. The date. Shit. Um.” I looked at Jason in my panic.
Jason, my rock, took over. He reached out and put one hand on mine and his other hand on Will’s. “Will, what Cole is trying to say—”
“Badly.”
“Badly. Is that we’d like to have you over for a date. With the two of us.”
Will looked between us, his eyes wide. “Um, you mean for sex? Because I’m not—”
“No!” Could this be going any worse? I put my hand over Will’s free one. Trying to stop him from jumping up and running away, mostly. Crap, he’d tried to run after I put my foot in it yesterday, too. “We’re interested in a relationship with you. Or, I mean, at least to date you to see if we all want a relationship. Just like regular dating.”Oh, my God, Jason, please stop me from talking any more.“But with the three of us.”
Will’s eyes widened even more. His mouth opened. No sound came out.Shit.
Chapter Eleven
Jason
This conversation could not be going worse. I was a decent negotiator, and I could talk business with anyone. And I thought I was reasonably good at talking about feelings. But not this. Not now. Now, both Cole and I sucked at it.
I met Cole’s panicked eyes across the table. We both looked at Will. He was super tense. He’d stopped looking at Cole and was now staring down at the countertop. Was he about to hyperventilate? I freed my hand from Cole’s and put both of mine on Will’s arm and back. God, he was even more tense than I expected.
“Will, it’s okay. There’s no pressure. You don’t have to make a decision right now. Or today. Or even this month. We just want to spend time with you and see if there’s something there.” Will finally met my eyes. He didn’t look panicked anymore at least. He looked…mad?
“Why me?” he asked quietly.
“What do you mean, why you? We’re both very attracted to you.” I squeezed his shoulder again, then mentally cringed. Too much?
“I mean, what makes me so special? Is it just because I’m convenient? I’m the guy who comes around every few days, and I happen to be gay and I know the two of you are together?” Now he looked angry for sure.
“No! I promise you that’s not why!” I sent Cole a pleading look. He leaned toward Will.
“Will, we like you. Your being around has just allowed us to get to know you better. Trust me, we’ve been looking around for a third in our relationship for some time. You’re the first person we’ve ever asked.”
I finally manned up. “And Will, you’re the whole package. You fit in with us, personality-wise.” I dared to move my hand from his shoulder to his cheek. “And again, no pressure, but I’m not imagining the chemistry between you and Cole and me. If that spark wasn’t there we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We can’t wait to kiss you, to make love to you.” I cringed. Definitely too much.
