Page 81 of Forbidden

Aldo drops his head back against the sofa and stares up at the ceiling fan. “I’m sorry. I can’t think clearly around that man. He just . . . gets under my skin.”

I can’t hold back the snort as I agree. “Yeah, he does.”

“I wasn’t fishing for an apology,” Joy continues, focusing all her attention on her sleeve. “It’s just, you said you only ended things with him because you were worried about his job. Is that still the case? Or do you want to try and make things work with him?”

Aldo stares at her, the turmoil of his thoughts clear on his face. When he looks over her shoulder at me, I try to keep my expression neutral. I don’t want to influence his answer. If he wants to be with Doug, fine. I’m not going to pretend I won’t be disappointed, though.

“Be honest,” Joy says, her voice so full of hope, I can’t help but squeeze her middle.

“I want this,” Aldo says quietly, and it rings with the truth. “I want you. I want Lane.”

His eyes meet mine and I smile, even though I’m nervous as hell about what he’s not saying. Joy hears it, too.

“But?” Her arms tighten around mine.

A groan escapes Aldo’s throat as the truth tumbles from his lips. “I want Doug, too.”

The apartment falls silent except for the muted sound of machine gun fire coming from the television. I’d forgotten it was even on.

Even though we agreed on the concept of ‘us’ last weekend, there are still things we haven’t talked about. Doug is the wildcard that could topple this house of cards. What if Joy says it’s us or Doug? If Aldo chooses Doug, does that mean it’s me and Joy? What if she doesn’t want me without Aldo?

“What if it’s the three of us,” Joy says slowly. “But Doug is like a hall pass.”

I bark a laugh. That was not what I was expecting, and I lean around to look at her. “Does that extend to all of us?”

“What?” She turns and stares at me, her eyes wide. “You want a hall pass?”

“Not in general, no.” I squeeze her and press a kiss to her shoulder. “I’m assuming you mean Doug is a hall pass for all of us.”

Joy’s face is comical. “You think things could happen between you two again? Do youwantthem to?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug, trying not to think about dicking Doug down on the floor of his office, while Joy’s on my lap. “Do you think things could happen between you and him again?”

She opens her mouth, then sighs. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

Aldo takes a deep breath, pulling a hand over his face. “Can I just say, this is the most bizarre conversation I’ve ever had; and I once had to convince my eldest sister that the pizza oven wasn’t trying to eat her while she was high.”

“Okay,” I say. “The suggestion is, it’s the three of us, but no fucking around with anyone outside of this room, with the exception of Doug?”

Joy tugs her lip with her teeth then nods. “Yeah. I guess that’s what I mean.”

“Sounds a lot like a relationship,” Aldo says quietly. “I thought you didn’t want one of those, Joy.”

She tenses in my arms, but he’s got a point. “Why was that exactly?”

“I didn’t want to be tied down,” she explains. “To have to try and fit in spending time with someone when I have so much other stuff going on. I didn’t want the pressure of having to think about what might happen after graduation.”

Aldo rubs his hand along her thigh. “How would this be different, then?”

“Because there’s less pressure,” I say, hoping Joy can’t hear the desperation in my tone. “With more of us involved, it makes it easier. If Joy’s too busy, you and I can hang out. Or vice versa. I mean, I can’t be publicly involved in this, but if we continue like this week, seeing each other when it suits, it could work. Right?”

“And a potential expiry date after graduation?” Aldo adds carefully.

Joy leans back into me, poking her toes into Aldo’s ribs. “The point is, I don’t want to think about it.”

“Okay,” I say, pressing a kiss to her neck. “The world doesn’t exist after graduation.”

“Do you think we should consult Doug about this?” Aldo asks.

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