It was traumatic for all of us.
“You want a beer while I’m out there?” Pete asks as he heads for the door.
With another nod, I start strumming the strings and watch him disappear into the hall then scrub a hand over my face once he’s gone.
This is so much harder than I thought it would be.
I’m happy for him, for Lucky and Leo, too, but I keep getting these weird little jolts of jealousy or something like it when I’m around them, and I fucking hate that.
I think it took all of a week knowing her for all four of us to fall in love with Leonor. She was just so goddamn talented, sogorgeous, and the way she lit up any space she inhabited, it was hard not to.
But none of us ever said anything.
Like, ever, not even to each other. It was just some unspoken thing that hung in the air and that was all it would ever be.
Or so we thought.
It makes sense Lucky was the first to put it out there, that’s how he is—his emotions are loud. Which also makes sense considering how it was for him growing up in the De la Grange house, but Pete was a bit of a surprise. Kind of anyway, only because of how he is overall. That being the exactoppositeof Luck.
They’re together though, and if either of them was going to tell Leo how they feel and decide to be with her, it meant the two of them were on the same page about what that entailed. So, the three of them was a no brainer.
It still stings, though.
Because I’ve always wanted what they now have with her, and I just don’t see it ever happening. I never did, which is why I’ve always kept my mouth shut.
That’s why I’m just grateful we have her back, and I can have a relationship like I did before with Leo, and eventually the other stuff will fade.
Hopefully.
It probably doesn’t help my case any that I started finding myself drawn to the guys, either.
I don’t know if I always was and ignored it, or if it’s something new, but I didn’t really notice until maybe the last year or so, and I’ve continued to try to ignore it for just as long. The amount of complicationsthatcould cause, it’s not worth it. Especially now.
I just want my best friends back, I want all of us together, and I want to make music and live the way we used to. So I’m notgoing to entertain one teeny little fleeting thought of anything different with Leo, or attempt to fully understand the rest of it, and that’s final.
With a firm nod, I go back to tuning the strings that are now in place, running through a few basic scales and humming the notes to match.
“Didn’t find the peg winder.”
“I told you, it was in my room in the…” Every ounce of color drains from my face and my jaw goes slack as I look up to see Pete standing in the doorway of the spare room, smiling like he just won the lottery, holding my dildo and a bottle of lube.
Oh dear god.
“Yeah, in the drawer, right?” He turns the embarrassingly large, green and blue tie dye, silicone dick over in his hand. Most likely checking out all the ridges, the balls, and the suction cup bottom. “Or did you say the closet?”
As calmly as possible, I set the guitar on the floor and get to my feet then slowly cross the room, my heart racing the entire time. I stop about two feet away, extend my hand, and take a deep breath. “May I have that please?”
“Only if you answer meonequestion first.”
“Fine,” I grunt through clenched teeth, my face and neck growing hot as my blush starts to creep in.
Pete arches a brow, and looking me dead in the eye, he asks exactly what I knew he would. “Are you using this on someone else, or yourself?”
And because I’ve never lied to him or any of my best friends, I go seventy shades of a darker red as I all but whisper, “Myself.”
Then I snatch the dick out of his hand and head out the door, down the hall, and put it back in my nightstand without saying another word.
“Norm?” Pete asks from behind me but I don’t answer.
