Page 57 of For Your Heart
“Have we?” I ask, looking at my brother.
Simon nods. “You’ve always been freakishly close. I should know. I’ve had it pointed out to me enough times to think it’s a universal opinion.”
I snort, and Declan rolls his eyes.
Simon grins. “But now you’re like… attached. It’s—”
“Adorable?” we say together, cutting him off.
He laughs. “It is.” His easy mood is what makes the next few seconds happen. He comes back into the seating area and sets his bottle of water on the table, then stands before us. Declan and I reach for him, bringing him onto our laps. Together. His legs spread wide to accommodate us both.
“This okay?” I ask.
Simon rolls his eyes. “When hasn’t it been?”
When you didn’t have a boyfriend.
His expression softens. “Nothing has to change. Nothing.”
“That means you’re still going to sleep with us naked like we always do?” Declan asks.
“We’re not naked, but yeah. Quin doesn’t care about that. And he also knows about us showering together. I’ve told him all about our relationship.”
My heart stutters when he uses ‘relationship’ instead of ‘friendship.’ It feels like he acknowledges that this is something more than just friendship. There’s nothingjustabout this. It’s more. It’s always been more.
But it never got to the ‘more’ we wanted. The ache in my chest says it never will, either.
“Why doesn’t he care?” Declan asks.
“Because he trusts me. Because he believes me when I tell him that what we have between us isn’t the same as what I have with him.”
There’s a whole lot more we want to bring up for this specific line of conversation, but I think it’s far too raw. Even as mine and Declan’s questions bounce around inside us like a hundred bouncy balls going wild in a small, enclosed space.
Instead, we nod and move the conversation to something safer. Work. He tells us all about his job and we let that carry us through until we’re ready for bed. We shower together and wash him as we always have. When we climb into bed later, there’s a breathless, desperate need when we pull him tightly between us.
Once again, we sleep peacefully. This time when we dream about past moments with Simon, we don’t wake up choking on the pain of losing him. It’s pleasant and happy. Almost like nothing ever disrupted our lives together.
* * *
I stareat myself in the mirror and determine that this is stupid. Not for the first time do I think this. My thoughts are echoed by Declan’s as he comes up behind me. His hands land on my waist, pushing me to the side a little so he can stand in the mirror too.
It’s prom. We weren’t planning on going, but our parents practically begged us to, claiming we’d regret it later if we didn’t. Simon didn’t care. When it became apparent that he was going along with it to humor my mother and didn’t put any effort into procuring a date, we decided Simon would be our date.
We even asked him, making a big show of it and everything. He just laughed at us, but when we pressed for an answer, he shrugged and said, “Who else was I going to go with?”
I don’t think it occurred to him to even ask someone else. He gets enough attention that he could probably have had any girl he asked. Hell, he could probably have half the guys, too. Simon is just one of those people that others like. He’s happy, he’s attractive, he’s easy-going. He’s smart, thoughtful and sweet. It’s all rather natural for him, too. There’s no real effort put into it.
He’s even effortlessly flirty. Hell, I’ve seen girls drool over him as he walks away after unintentionally flirting with them. He has no idea. It’s really fucking adorable.
Simon’s had a couple girlfriends, but it always ends the same—with them jealous of our friendship with him. They don’t like how close we are. And they don’t even know how close we really are.
High school has been relatively uneventful since the few times in junior high when older kids thought they could bully the queer kids and Simon for being our friend. As it turns out, it’s hard to keep track of two pissed off identical kids that move in unison. We kicked enough ass before reaching high school that our reputation preceded us, and we’ve been left alone since.
Fortunate because we enjoy staying fit. Strong. We’re not gym rats or anything, but we love to swim and we enjoy running. It makes us fast, strong, and agile. Add that to our ‘freaky twin thing’ and we’re not easily bested.
“This is dumb,” Declan says, frowning at the way his tie sits. “I hate everything about this. Far too many layers.”
I laugh, but he’s not wrong. Turning him to face me, I fix his tie. Then brush his hair from his face and stare at him. I don’t have to be looking in the mirror at our reflections to know that his wan smile matches mine exactly.
