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“What’s her name?”
Oh, boy. Time to cowboy the fuck up.
“Her name is Natalie.” I swallow and send up a prayer to whomever might be listening. “And his name is Nic.”
Clattering from the kitchen, other customers chatting, oldies radio playing over the speakers; I hear diner sounds but not a word from anybody in my family.
“Is that supposed to be a joke?” says Callie faintly.
“What? No.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Finn?” asks Sully.
Eyes on my coffee mug, I wrap my hands around it tightly, holding on despite the intense heat against my palms.
“I met a girl. And a guy. We’re dating. All three of us. I hear you’re familiar with that kind of arrangement.” I sound like a defensive teenager, even to my own ears.
“Since when do you date men?” asks Sully.
“Much less as part of a triad,” says Callie flatly.
“It just happened. And yes, I’m aware of how stupid that sounds.” I flex my hands, exasperated. “She was at his apartment a few weeks ago when I met her. Natalie works for Nic, who happens to be my next-door neighbor.”
Callie’s eyes go wide. Sully huffs a laugh and says, “No way for that to go wrong.”
Tell me something I don’t know.
“We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.”
“So you’re saying you’re bisexual.”
The way she says it chafes. “Yeah. I guess I am.”
Silence again.
“Well, thanks for telling us, I guess.” Now Callie’s the one looking at the table. Sully’s staring out the window.
Our food is delivered, giving all of us a minute to digest this. So to speak.
“Hang on,” I say. “You can’t actually be upset about this. You’re living with your two lovers.”
“It’s not that. I’m the last person who’d judge you for an unconventional relationship,” says Callie, moving her food around with her fork but not actually taking any bites.
“Then what is it?”
She looks at Sully like she’s asking him for help.
“I think what Callie is getting at is, maybe you haven’t thought this through.”
“Excuse me?” I turn to look at my cousin, the closest thing I have to an actual brother and the only other family I’ve got left.
“You don’t really do serious, Finn,” says Callie, concern and something like sympathy written all over her face.
I get a hold of my temper with both hands so as not to lose it in the diner.
“Maybe I never had a reason to get serious before,” I say. “You ever think of that?”
“What happens to these two when you’re off on your next job? Or decide maybe a three-way relationship is a bit too crowded? That happens all the time, you know,” says Sully, all matter-of-fact, like he somehow knows the fuck what he’s talking about.
