Page 65 of Gemini
Unlatching the bottle from my lips, I exhaled. Dom had an odd look on his face as he studied me.
I needed to tell him. He had a right to know. We needed to clear the air or it was only going to get more complicated.
“We need to talk. In private. Just us three.”
The twins glanced at each other. Dom started moving toward the exit and I followed with Leslie close behind me.
The garage was empty except for a couple of vehicles no one was working on. One side was left open, the rain creating a small waterfall at the top. Dom set his beer down on a tool cart and lit up a joint. He took a hit then offered to Leslie who took a drag next before offering to me. I shook my head.
“What’s on your mind?” Leslie asked.
I set my drink on a table full of screws and manuals, wiping the condensation off on my shirt. I stared at the liquid, considering my words. “I think we need to be clear…on what’s going on between the three of us.”
They were silent for a moment as Leslie took a drink and Dom took another hit from his joint. I watched them both, trying to read them but finding that impossible. “Do you understand what I’m talking about?” I asked.
Dom looked at Leslie. His brother glanced back at him but didn’t look guilty. He actually smirked at him. Dom signedsomething to him and Leslie nodded. Dom let out a sigh of relief and signed again. This time I caught what he signed.
Finally.
I glared. “Finally what?” I said, a little too loudly.
They wouldn’t look at me.
“Nothing,” Leslie said. “We get what you’re talking about.”
My eyes flicked between them, my hands clenched into fists. Suddenly, I understood. “You both have been keeping tabs on what you’ve done to me, haven’t you?”
“Done to you?”
“Do I really need to spell it out?” My throat felt tight, a dull pain sinking into my stomach. “Dom fingering me the first night I stayed. Are you honestly going to tell me you didn’t know?”
Leslie’s expression darkened. “Yeah, I knew.”
“And let me guess,” I said, looking at Dom. “Leslie told you he hopped into bed with me that night I thought it was you, didn’t he?”
Dom shifted on his feet. “He told me.”
I rubbed a hand against my mouth, feeling humiliated. “Leslie just fucked me in the back of his van. And all you can say isfinally?” I whispered.
He stepped toward me, and I shot back. “I didn’t want to come between you two. I was going to apologize for—for letting this happen with you both. But fuck me, I guess, because you were both playing me, huh? Thought it was a fun little game? See how much you can fuck Lena while you have her, when she’s vulnerable and begging for it.”
“That’s not it—” Leslie started.
“Then what?” I practically shouted. “What is this?” When they didn’t say anything, I shook my head, turning on Leslie. “You said you loved me in the van. I heard you. You said that and then you acted like nothing happened. We got here and it wasjust all back to normal like those words just slipped out of your mouth accidently and now we just pretend like you didn’t say it.”
“I’m not pretending,” he said in a low, dangerous voice. “I would never say that unless I meant it.” He set his drink down next to Dom’s. “And Dom knows everything because he’s my brother. I don’t keep things from him. And vice versa. We knew what was going on.”
I stared at them, biting my lip to stop it from trembling. “But you couldn’t tell me. You couldn’t talk to me before—”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Like you said, you were vulnerable. You needed someone to be there for you, take care of you. You didn’t want it to be me at first, don’t deny it, so it was up to Dom. You wanted comfort and if I couldn’t give it to you, then Dom would. It wasn’t going to be anyone else. If Dom told you I knew what was going on, we didn’t know how you’d take it. We needed you to trust one of us at least.”
I looked at Dom and his expression was dark like his brother’s. “Is that true? Is that what you decided?” I asked him.
Dom nodded. He signed at Leslie, asking him to translate.
