Page 22 of The Rule of 3

Her body went rigid with emotion, and she clenched her fists, shrieking, “What the hell is going on?”

Jumping up like the fire alarm had just gone off in their station, both men jerked to their feet and looked at each other and then at Zoë. In the early morning light, she may as well have had steam pouring off of her for the rage she projected.

“Oh fuck,” mumbled Eli, bringing his hand to his face and covering his eyes.

“I’m sorry!” cried Tanner, looking back and forth between Eli and Zoë, so it wasn’t even evident whom he was addressing.

Zoë sunk down in an armchair across from them and looked like the wind had all just escaped from her sails. In a sad, choking whisper, she asked Tanner, “Am I just yourbeard? Or was itthatimportant to you to have a wife for your stupid campaign that you had to trick me?”

“God, Zoë, no!” he cried. “Neither of those things.”

Eli gave Tanner a look and asked, “Really?”

“Well, it was your idea, Eli. You’ve been saying for years I needed to marry Zoë and have some kids so I’d look stable and… white bread enough for the voters.”

Zoë gasped and stood with a sob. She started to make her way back to the bedroom as she announced, “I’m packing my bags and going back to my own house. Eli, I need one of those keys—now.”

Tanner zoomed around and stood in front of Zoë so she couldn’t retreat any further down the hall. He reached for her, but she scooted back, colliding with Eli’s naked chest, feeling his arms go around her as if by instinct. She gasped and turned in his arms, not knowing whether to be turned on by him in his semi-naked deliciousness or hate his miserable guts for ruining her life. She shook loose of him and stood panting in the hallway between the two men with tears running down her face.

“Why did you lie to me, Tanner?” She was near hysterics at this point. “Why did youmake me love youand keep it from me that you were secretly gay all this time?” She roughly wiped her tears off with the back of her hand and whirled toward Eli. “And why doyoukeep looking at me like you want to eat me for lunch, Eli, if you’re really in love with my husband? This is so fucked up!”

At the same time Eli backed up with a shocked expression, Tanner declared, “I nevermadeyou love me, Zoë. You’ve always loved me the same way I’ve always loved you—ever since we were kids, I’ve known we belonged together. And you knew it too. It just took us a long time to get here. That, and I majorly fucked up with you when I left for college.” He gently stepped forward and led her back to the couch where he sat down with her, much the same way he’d done with Eli earlier. Eli sat on her other side several inches away.

Tanner crooned softly to her, “I love you, Zoë. So much. And I was going to tell you everything about Eli eventually, but since things are over between us, there was no rush.”

Zoë interrupted, “Over? Things didn’t look sooverto me when I saw you kiss him and then found you both asleep together like… lovers!”

Grimacing, Tanner explained, “Yeah, I guess we were both pretty exhausted and just kind of fell asleep. That wasn’t supposed to happen. But I have to be honest…”

“About time, don’t you think?” she snapped at him.

“You’re right. So, here goes.” Tanner tried to take Zoë’s hand but she crossed her arms and her legs like she wanted to be as small as possible. “I have never for one minute stopped loving you, Zoë. You have to believe that.” She snorted, but he forged ahead. “And then I got to Princeton and met Eli.” He looked beyond Zoë to his best friend who was looking at Zoë rather than at him. “I love Eli too. Like… the way I love you. I know it’s confusing. I’m bisexual—but I’ve never even been attracted toanyoneother than the two of you. Ever!”

Turning furious eyes on Tanner, Zoë hissed, “So you were… what? Going to keep poor Eli as your dirty little secret to screw on the side? You’re even worse than Brandon!” She broke down into sobs so awful, Eli scooted over to her and wrapped his arm around her. For some reason she couldn’t explain to herself, she let him.

“No, Zoë. It’s not like that at all,” Eli said in a voice that cracked with sorrow. “Believe him. Tanner promised years ago that we’d be finished if you’d ever take him back. He said he could never cheat on you. We haven’t been together as lovers since you and he started your relationship again.” Zoë wiped her nose on her sleeve and looked at him as he continued, “I still love him as much as I ever did, but we’ve been clear that marrying you was important. I encouraged him to marry you—that’s true. He needs a wife if he’s to be governor, but if I’m blunt… this decision is killing me.”

Zoë looked confusedly at Tanner. “Bisexual?”

Tanner nodded. “I didn’t even know it until I met Eli. I’d never felt that way when you and I were together… before college.”

Zoë looked at Eli. “What about you?”

“Same… well, not really. I’ve actually known I was bi since I was about thirteen. It’s not easy being in the middle ground because someone usually thinks you’re faking or lying about your sexuality. I’ve had lovers of both sexes, but once I met Tanner that stopped, and it’s only been Tanner since we were freshmen.”

Zoë gasped. “It’s been years, Eli!” He nodded and looked down. She squinted at him and asked, “Why do you keep looking at me like a starving man confronted with a cherry pie?”

Tanner sucked in a breath. “He does?”

Eli asked, “I do?”

“Oh come on, Eli. I’ve seen your expressions, and I’m not dumb,” she stated firmly. “Are you attracted to me too? Is there another level of fucked-uppedness going on here?”

“Um,” Eli hedged and then blurted out, “yes.” He looked quickly to Tanner, saying, “As soon as I laid eyes on her, Tan, I realized just what you saw in Zoë. She’s one in a million—no, a billion. I’m sorry to admit, even though I love you with all my heart, I saw her and suddenly had this overwhelming urge to… I don’t know… throw her over my shoulder and run away with her or something.”

Zoë put her head down into her hands, covering her face. “Oh, God,” she muttered. “Thanks for the compliment, at least.”

In a defeated voice, Eli continued, “I don’t even know who to be more jealous of, frankly. So,” he sighed, “I think I ought to just go back to New York and leave you both in peace. I promise I’ll find you a good campaign manager to take my place, Tan.” A tear leaked from the corner of his eye that he whisked away quickly.

---