Page 32 of The Grumpy Vet
The three of us burst out laughing at the same time.
Cluck Norris has unintentionally popped the tension that had been brewing like humidity before a summer storm, and it feels good to laugh.
We laugh so hard I double over and tears stream down Dario’s and Ryde's faces. At one point, I forget what set us off in the first place, which only makes me laugh even more.
"You guys wanna stay for dinner?" I ask once we've recovered.
Ryde nods, leading Dario to answer with, "Sure. We'd love to."
Dario
I for sure felt like it was my cue to leave.
I've successfully fulfilled my wingman obligations and then some. Not only have I gotten Ryde and Linus to make out and suck each other's cocks, a possibly even more significant accomplishment was getting them to finally reveal their feelings for each other, get everything out in the open.
And they have. Linus likes Ryde. It's confirmed.
And they've also both acknowledged they face certain hurdles.
That's a good first step.
They're both smart guys. They'll talk some more. Figure out a plan of attack to tackle each obstacle that stands in their way. Then they'll execute the plan, successfully resolving each issue one by one. All will be well. They'll fall in love and live happily ever after. The end.
I'm not needed or involved in that scenario…well, except for possible best man duties at the wedding, and I could possibly vie for a godfather role should they decide to have kids. But that's it. I'm a supporting character in their lives.
Except…they didn't want me to leave.
Ryde, I kind of expected since he's still operating under the delusion he'll act weird and mess things up if left alone with Linus. I think he'll be totally fine solo, but since he doesn't agree and wants me to stay, I'm staying.
But Linus wanting me here threw me for a loop.
It's a tricky one because if this were a different situation, I could see myself being totally into him. Yes, he's older and kind of a closed-off grump, but honestly, the age thing doesn't bother me at all. And even though he's got grouchy edges, I think Ryde's overplayed that side of him. He's not the most expressive person I've met, but he's definitely become a lot looser and more chilled the longer we’ve been hanging out with him.
And there's definitely a physical attraction between him and me. One I'm trying to downplay out of loyalty to Ryde. I never want to overstep and do anything that might hurt him, but it's hard to ignore my feelings for Linus when he's blowing us—and doing an exceptional job of it—while I sit next to my best friend who I'm secretly in love with and who has major feelings for the guy treating us to a double BJ. Like, I'm pretty sure if you looked it up in the dictionary, that's the very definition of a clusterfuck right there.
"So, you mentioned something about a bad breakup?" Linus asks over the beef and veggie stir fry he whipped up for us. "Sorry. I don't mean to pry. Forget it."
I smile as I let my fork dangle in the air. "You're not prying."
"Exactly." Ryde grins. "It's called having a conversation."
"Ah, that's why I'm so shit at it," Linus jokes.
"It's what you do with people you like," Ryde adds, his grin growing into a smile.
"And people you blow," I say. The guys chuckle. "But to answer your question, yeah, the last guy I dated, Quade, did me dirty."
A long pause follows.
Ryde winks at me and clears his throat. "This is the part where you ask, 'How did he do you dirty?'"
Linus's eyes widen. "Now that would be prying."
Ryde shakes his head. "Nope. You've had our dicks in your mouth, we've had yours in ours, so it's allowed. I've checked in the rulebook."
Linus chuckles, his hazel eyes coming to life. "Okay, then. How did he do you dirty?"
"I'm so glad you asked. Firstly, he cheated on me, which I only found out when I got syphilis."
