Page 58 of Fighting the Darkness

He glances at me, shaking his head. “Freya, it’s Griffin. I just wanted to make sure you made it home okay. Thatyou’reokay. I’m sorry—not for what happened between us, but for what came after. Give me a call when you can, please.”

“She’s either still driving, or she’s avoiding my call.” He tosses his phone on his desk, agitation rolling off him as he runs a hand through his hair.

“I’m sure she’s just driving,” I assure him. “She’ll call you when she makes it home.”

Griffin growls as he drops into the chair that Freya had occupied just moments before. “She better or I’m going to tan her hide the next time I see her.”

“Be careful. She might like that.” I don’t know why I just said that. Why am I so nervous? Oh, right. Griffin wants to have “the talk” and I’m so not ready for it.

“Come sit down, Sor. I’m not going to bite.”

“Unless I want you to?” I croon. “Sorry, I just can’t seem to help myself.”

“Sit,” Griffin practically growls, and my legs are moving before I even realize it.

I force a smile as I sit in the chair beside him, turning it so I can see him. As much as I’d love to have this conversation without having to look at him, I know I can’t.

“It’s just me,” Griffin says quietly. “There’s no reason to be this nervous. We’re just having a conversation.”

I laugh. “It’s not just any conversation though, is it? This is an important one, and I’m not sure I’m ready for it.”

He shrugs. “It’s happening whether either of us is ready for it or not. After that reaction, wehaveto have this conversation. That can’t happen again.”

“I know.” I snap my mouth shut before I can make any more excuses. “Can we start with the fact that I thought you were gay?”

Griffin chuckles, amused by my words. “You never asked, did you? No, Soren, I’m not gay. I’m not big on labels, but I think what I am falls closest to pansexual? I like men, women, non-binary. Gender doesn’t matter. What matters is the person they are—that’s what I’m attracted to.”

“Huh.” I shake my head, my mind a little bit blown. How have I known him for over ten years and never seen him with a woman?

“I don’t want to talk around this all day. I know you likely don’t feel the same, but I’ve been in love with you for years, Soren. I know it was always meant to be just sex between us, and I don’t even know when it changed for me. But it did. I was just going to let things carry on as they were because I wasn’t interested in anyone else—I was willing to take whatever you were willing to give me.” He scoffs. “Kind of pathetic for a man over forty, but here we are. Except, now, I am interested in someone else. I don’t know what that with Freya meant, but I like her. It’s more than just sex. Or at least I’d like it to be.”

I gape at him, unsure I’ve heard him right. Did he just say he was in love with me?

“You l-love m-me?” I stutter, needing him to confirm that I’ve heard him correctly.

He nods. “That’s what I said.”

“Are we just a pair of fucking idiots?” I run my hand over my face, looking up to find Griffin staring back at me, confusion written all over his face. “I’m in love with you, too. It’s also been years for me, but I never thought you could...”

“We are idiots.” Griffin reaches over to take my hand in his. “We’ve wasted a lot of years, and I’d rather not waste more, but this doesn’t change how I feel about Freya.”

I laugh. “Just like it doesn’t change how I feel about both her and Wilder. So where does that leave us?”

“About that,” Griffin says slowly. “I should probably admit that I’m kind of, maybe, a little bit into Wilder too.”

I throw my head back, laughter spilling from me. “Of course you are because you’re a glutton for punishment, just like me. But once more, where does that leave us?”

“I’d like it if you and I were together, but maybe... we could be open to something with the other two if it happens—either together or separate.” I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen Griffin this unsure of anything in all the years I’ve known him.

I frown, trying to figure out what he’s getting at. I don’t want to say no, but I don’t think I understand. “Like an open relationship?”

“Fuck, no.” Griffin shakes his head. “Not that. I was thinking more like polyamory?”

I try to remember what I know about polyamory. I know the term, but I’m not sure that I know exactly what it means. “How does that work? I’m sorry. I know the term, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it is.”

Griffin smiles, scooting his chair closer as he takes my other hand in his free one. “There’s no reason to be sorry. Polyamory is having more than one serious relationship. I don’t know all the details, but a buddy of mine has a girlfriend along with his twin brother and his boyfriend. She’s with all three of them, and he’s also with his boyfriend. They’re a polycule.”

“So, you and I would be together. If Freya is interested, she could be with me or you—or both of us?”

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