Page 16 of One is Never Enough

“I don’t know. You’re never around anymore.”

“Do you have a relationship with them?”

“Sort of? I’m not sure what you call it, but we were only with each other until Oliver.”

“So, you work for a kinky website now? Nice.”

I laugh. “That’s not all I do. I still have the real estate business and do that in my free time.”

“I know we don’t talk as much as we used to, but I am proud of you, Aiden. All things involving Oli aside. You broke free of your dad’s bullshit and built your own empire.”

“Thank you, Payton.”

“Don’t thank me. I expect to be paid handsomely for this pity phone call. You’re loaded.”

“I hate you,” I laugh.

“I hate you more. I’m going to jump off here and head to work. Make this shit right with Oliver, Jace, and Toby.”

The call disconnects before I can reply, and I shake my head. I lean back in the chair, thinking how different things could have been if I had just admitted to Oli how I felt.

I knew I was gay at a very young age, but I always hid it from my dad. My mom took off when I was young, and he’s been bitter ever since. Not that he was any better before that, but her leaving made him worse. Payton was the first person I ever opened up to because Oliver was gay, and I knew she’d understand. She helped me through a lot of hard times. As we got older, I started looking at Oliver as more than my best friend’s little brother. I watched him grow from this awkward, skinny kid to this gorgeous teenager. Then my dad found my porn, and my life almost exploded. He called me every derogatory name in the book, even going as far as trying to kick me out at sixteen. That’s when Payton stepped in, saying we should pretend to be a couple. It’s not like it would be any different; we were always together anyway, but it made me stuff my feelings for Oliver even deeper. There’s only a two year difference between us, but I always felt the age gap was much more significant. I know that was fucking stupid now.

Had I admitted to Oli that I wanted him, would I have ever met Jace and Toby? I can’t imagine my life without them now. They’ve been there for me since college. It would also mean that Oliver wouldn’t have met them either. I know I messed up. I’ve never argued that, and I deserved to be frozen out. Jace was the only one who would talk to me, and while he was always cold, at least he heard me out.. I haven’t talked to Toby since that fateful night at Jace’s.

I was on my way over there because I hadn’t heard from them and could hear the moaning from the living room. I figured it was just Toby and Jace fucking, so imagine my surprise when I walked in, and Toby had Oliver bent in half like a fucking pretzel. I watched as Toby finished inside him and listened as Oliver promised he was theirs. Then everything went to shit when my jealousy came out, and I accused them of fucking him behind my back.

My phone rings again, and my stomach flips when I see Toby’s name. I slide to answer. “Hello?”

“I have a lot of shit to say.”

“Okay.”

“You’re a fucking coward.” I close my eyes and let my head drop back on the chair. “You have no idea what you could have had with Oliver if you’d just told him about your stupid crush.” I don’t miss the emphasis on the fact that he said I could have had. “But, I’m glad you didn’t because I wouldn’t have gotten to be with him. Do I hate how it all started? Yes and no. I hate that he was hurt, but I won’t take that night back when we all shared him. With that being said, he wants to talk to you.”

“What about you?”

“I called, didn’t I, dickhead?”

“Yeah, but does that mean we’re okay?”

“That depends on how your conversation with Oliver goes. Come to dinner at Jace’s tonight at seven. Don’t be late.”

He hangs up, and it doesn’t escape me that he’s the second person to hang up on me today.

Fun times.

The day dragged by while I waited to go to Jace’s. I’m a mixture of nerves, excitement, and fear as I walk onto Jace’s front porch. Having no clue what to do, I ring the doorbell. It’s opened seconds later by Jace.

“You ring doorbells now?” he asks.

“I didn’t know if I could just walk in.”

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be stupid and get your ass in here.” He steps to the side so I can walk in. He shuts the door behind him and gives me the signature Jace hard look. “I reserve the right to stop this conversation at any time. Oliver has the right to stop this conversation at any time. You’ll sit with your mouth shut and listen to what he has to say. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“Good.” He spins on his heel, and my eyes land on his neck.

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