Page 61 of Love Unlimited

Marco squeezed the teabag in his tea, carefully wrapping the string around the spoon and then setting it aside. It was clear he was thinking so Ash didn’t interrupt him. They had plenty of practice with that from Zhong.

He took a sip of the tea, stirred in a bit of sugar, and finally replied. I definitely see that everything sounds complicated. But I think you’ll need to tell me more about where the problem is.

Ash blinked. I don’t think I know. No wait, I do. They’d just needed Marco to ask to have it become clear. I feel like I messed things up because I was the one who was advocating for not pushing any other relationships forward, and then I was the one who started something with Landon.

Marco took another sip of tea. It sounds like it came up pretty organically to me. Maybe it was actually time.

I still don’t want to leave Daddy out. Ash frowned.

You didn’t though, right? He was fully involved? I didn’t quite follow everything, but the age play dynamic is something you can all do together, correct?

Yeah. I guess I’m just worried about diving into a poly relationship. I’m the only one who’s really been intentionally poly before, so I’ve become, like, the poly guru that everyone checks in with. And my past experience says that starting multiple relationships too fast leaves people feeling left out. I can already tell where the weaker links are.

And where are the weak links?

Well, Daddy’s worries about sex. And building up individual relationships between me and Dustin and between Daddy and Landon.

So let me ask one important question: Are you trying to decide if you want a four-way poly relationship, or when you want a four-way poly relationship?

That was it. That was exactly the question.

Was Ash trying to guide everyone away from something that could be really good just to protect their Daddy? Or were they temporarily putting on the brakes to give all of the relationships time to grow?

That was when a third option occurred: Were they trying to put a halt to something that was already proceeding exactly like it was supposed to?

Ash took another bite of pie, savoring the flavors because they were almost too full to eat another bite and they still had half of it left. If Marco didn’t want it, they’d have to throw it out. Hopefully that wasn’t a metaphor for anything.

Or maybe it was. Living in a world of such abundant affection that they could have as much as they wanted and never need to worry about running out. Knowing, in fact, that there would be more treats tomorrow and every day thereafter.

Marco finished up his bagel and set his plate aside. It looks like you just figured something out.

Yeah, I think I did. They took a final sip of the sweet, creamy coffee. Or at least the beginning of something. I think that, well, no matter what happens, I want to strengthen all the links. That didn’t change since I said it, I’m just thinking about it differently.

Feel better? Marco asked.

Yeah. A lot I think. Ash pushed their plate back. Hey, I just realized that you’re a graphic designer, right? That’s related to why you wanted to talk to Zhong, isn’t it?

Yeah. Marco smiled. You remembered that?

Ash laughed. Not that many kinky, queer, trans, Deaf folks… Anyway, I’m not as active in the art scene as I used to be, and it was a different area, but I still might be able to hook you up. Want to tell me a bit about what you do?

Marco leaned forward. I was getting into cover design for books, but the rates are lower than I thought per cover, and I don’t have a lot of connections yet to sell them. Honestly, if I can do some more creative art as well as the stuff that pays the bills, I’d love that.

Yeah, wouldn’t we all. Are you thinking about gallery shows? Etsy? What media? Have you considered teaching?

That was all it took to have the two of them chatting for another hour. It turned out they had more in common than Ash realized. Ash poured over Marco’s impressive portfolio and immediately asked if they could send a picture of one of his older paintings to a gallery owner. Marco had a very different style from Ash’s, and a ton of skill. As they talked, Ash felt good about connecting him with a few more friends who could hopefully support his talents in different ways.

Making a living as an artist was never easy, but it looked like Marco was set up to balance the constrained creativity that brought in an income and hopefully get to spend some time fueling his passion as well. Ash chatted about how much happier they’d been after deciding not to pursue art as a career. Nursing was fulfilling in a very different way, and it meant all of their artistic endeavors could be purely their own.

By the time the cafe started to fill up with the lunch crowd, Ash felt like Marco was starting to become more of a friend than an acquaintance, and they made plans to meet up again. Ash considered inviting Marco and Greg to a game night, but that felt like sacred time that they didn’t want to disturb. Dinner, though, was a real possibility. Especially since he lived so close.

Marco finally needed to get back to work, so they said their goodbyes.

Just as Ash was leaving, they got an idea. They couldn’t cook anything impressive, but they could definitely order it here. It was fun ordering four sandwiches, almost like a quiz of everyone’s favorites. They ordered Dustin something described as “tangy” with mayonnaise and mustard, and Landon would want the vegetable extravaganza with turkey added when he got home. Daddy would like the mild sweet and spiciness of the chutney chicken sandwich. For themself, Ash got something with bleu cheese and pears because it looked so quirky and interesting. They added a brownie for Dustin and walked out feeling quite accomplished.

On the way back to the house, they started musing about a four-way poly relationship. Whether if should be when, and maybe if when should be whenever it happened. They didn’t have to start big. This part was about strengthening bonds. That gave them a good plan for the afternoon.

They texted Daddy to let them in and exchanged the first sandwich for a kiss before he went back to work. They could have followed him up to his sunny office, but there was somewhere else they wanted to be right now.