Third One

by Roe Horvat

  When Liam quieted, Luke looked at him expectantly. “I’m listening.”

  “We can’t just date. I fear that seeing each other from time to time while I live here with Marcus would only mess us up.”

  Luke looked down at Marcus’s sleeping form, and then he lifted his worried eyes back to Liam’s. He didn’t say anything, but Liam could see his thoughts swirl. Liam’s mind was very clear, though.

  He was certain.

  “I’m in love with you, Luke,” he said. “And I want you to live here with us.”

  “Just like that,” Luke whispered. His lower lip trembled.

  Liam reached out to caress it. “No, not just like that. It’s a big change. You’ll think about it, and you’ll tell me your answer when you’re ready.”

  “A grand change,” Luke murmured, smiling gently.

  Liam’s chest ached with the surge of emotion. Luke was… oh god. Liam breathed through the rush of adrenalin in his veins. He never spoke without premeditation. Never. But now… “I’m so in love with you,” he repeated unnecessarily, his voice sounding alien in his own ears.

  Luke blinked slowly. “When I left… I thought about you,” he said. “I imagined being with Marcus, without you.”

  Liam gritted his teeth to stop himself from speaking. Luke continued softly. “From the very first moment I met you, I fought the power you had over me. I think on some level I’ve always known that once I let my guard down, once I let you close, you’d obliterate me. And that’s exactly what happened. The moment I let you close enough to touch me, I was…flattened. Never stood a chance.”

  “Luke…”

  “Except I thought you’d destroy me. Instead, I’ve never felt happier than I do right now.”

  Speechless, Liam cupped Luke’s cheek. He wanted to pull Luke into his arms, but Marcus lay curled up between them, unaware and trusting like a kitten. Luke turned his head to kiss Liam’s palm. He didn’t say he’d live with them. And he didn’t say he loved Liam too. Liam traced Luke’s lips with his thumb and fought the need to repeat his declarations ad infinitum.

  It was Thursday in the evening. Luke came home to them after a short visit to the university library—something to do with card renewals and old assignments. Tomorrow, Luke and Marcus would pack while Liam would rush through his day at work so they could leave for the northern archipelago on Saturday. A proper vacation. Finally.

  After dinner, Luke was putting the plates in the dishwasher, and Marcus made a cheese plate for dessert. They wanted to sit outside for a while before they went to bed. Liam was forced to pull out his laptop for a few minutes. He sipped the wine and scrolled through his emails and calendar. Nothing that couldn’t wait until tomorrow except for one message from Elisabeth asking about a meeting he should attend the next day. He began typing a swift reply when Marcus spoke up.

  “Kevin is coming back to Gothenburg in August. He’ll be joining the troupe for the winter season again,” he said.

  Liam hit Send on the short email and lifted his gaze. For some reason, Luke was grinning wide, his cheeks flushed.

  “I messaged him. He can stay in my place,” he said, closing the dishwasher, and then he turned to Marcus. He tapped his fingers on the counter.

  “Yeah, he told me,” Marcus said, grinning back at Luke.

  “Kevin who?” Liam asked, confused by the whole exchange.

  Luke leaned against the counter and folded his arms. “Kevin Rosengren. He’s been away in Finland for a year. He’s coming back to join the troupe again.” Luke paused and bit his lip. “He’s the guy who’s taking over my apartment when I move,” he said, searching Liam’s gaze.

  Liam hit the laptop shut. He stood, and in two strides, he was in Luke’s space, pressing him to the counter.

  “When?” he murmured. Luke’s breath fanned his face. Piercing blue eyes blinking, Luke parted his lips in a faint surprise.

  “Liam…”

  “You’re staying with us,” Liam said. He didn’t want the sentence sound like a question, but it did, a little.

  Instead of answering, Luke kissed him, and Liam crushed him to his chest.

  The past few days had been surreal. Liam felt like their home became even more of a bubble since Luke was there. A place outside of time and space. As if his perception of reality had shifted a little, the time he spent with his men weighted more than the rest of his waking hours. Everything that happened outside of their home was suddenly less significant for Liam’s well-being.

  Maybe it was all the sex that made him sometimes pause with surprise at how little stress he felt about things that seemed daunting just a few months ago.

  All the sex…

  They were sore and exhausted, so fucked out it was laughable. For the past few days, they skipped anal because Marcus needed a chance to get his metabolism back to normal. All the same, Liam had licked his hole in the shower last night while Luke sucked him lightly, teasing for long minutes until Marcus mewled and shook. Relationships based on sex never lasted? What nonsense. That wasn’t how Liam loved or how he was loved. Sex wasn’t a basis for their relationship but an outlet for the excess of feeling. The way they made love was an extension of their conversations, just as substantial. They communicated in sex, through sex, and the connection felt impeccable. Luke let them inside his head just like he let them inside his body, generous and beautiful. And Marcus… Liam had never seen Marcus so happy. Liam could just sit and watch his men cuddle on the sofa, and he’d be satisfied with the state of the world.

  “I’m staying,” Luke whispered against Liam’s breastbone. He reached out and tugged Marcus closer until they were intertwined with each other, arms woven around their bodies, fingers interlaced. Marcus’s mess of curls tickled Liam’s chin, and Luke’s breath warmed his neck.

  Liam hummed, content. His home was complete.

  Epilogue

  Luke

  Five months later

  The rain intensified, and Luke swore. The water blinded him, and he had to slow down, or he’d crash into a streetlamp somewhere. He was almost at home, though. Marcus was waiting for him with a chicken fajitas soup in the slow cooker, crème fraîche, and cilantro from their garden. Luke couldn’t wait. He swung off the bike road and onto the street, turning left. His jacket held well in the rain, and so did the waterproof trousers he’d bought when they were cruising for running gear with Liam, but his shoes were soaked. Only a few more minutes and he’d be home.

  Liam was coming home tonight. Luke had missed him terribly during the past week. Marcus and Luke had made love yesterday, Luke’s phone perched on the nightstand so Liam could watch as Marcus came on Luke’s cock, his hands bound with Liam’s tie. It had been exhilarating and amazing, but they both lay there afterward, staring at the phone wistfully, watching Liam come for them and craving his touch.

  Luke loved waking up squished between his men in the middle of the night, feeling them both in his space, Marcus needy and cuddly and Liam hovering, possessive. At the thought of being together again, all three of them, Luke’s heart swelled with love and happiness.

  He was tired from a long week at the university, annoyed with dragging group assignments, and the November weather wasn’t helping with his lack of energy. His muscles were used to six hours of training a day, and now after he had been sitting at the library for six hours instead, he ached all over. He would go running with Liam again. He’d gone by himself two days ago, but it wasn’t the same.

  After leaving the wet bike in the garage, Luke hopped up the stairs and tried the handle. It was open.

  “It’s me!” he called.

  “Thank heaven! The weather is awful,” Marcus called from the kitchen.

  Luke hung his dripping jacket and trousers in the hall.

  “Tell me about it. I should have taken the rubber boots. My feet swam in my sneakers.”

  He entered the kitchen and hugged Marcus, kissing his cheek.

  “You left them in the hall? I’ll put them on the shoe dr
yer later.”

  “Thank you. The soup smells fantastic.”

  “Come on, sit down. Liam is on his way as well.”

  “Already? Fantastic.” Luke checked their group chat on his phone, and true, Liam wrote he’d be home in thirty minutes. The train from Stockholm was miraculously on time. Thank god for small wonders.

  “I just need to change. My socks are wet.”

  “Go. I’ll set the table.”

  Luke hurried to change into dry clothes and jogged downstairs, joining Marcus in the kitchen again. He was giddy with anticipation. Liam would be home soon. He kissed the back of Marcus’s head, nuzzling his hair and massaging his shoulders.

  “How’s the group thing going?”

  “Awful, don’t talk about it.” Luke ended up in a team of five, he and four twenty-year-old sophomores, and three of them were useless, irresponsible potheads. It was him and Mahdi who wrote the whole report by themselves in the end. Thank goodness the course was nearing the end. They would survive the presentation on Tuesday and be done. He couldn’t wait to get more individual assignments next semester. And work. He would have a ten-week internship at the hospital in the spring, and the prospect made him giddy.

  Luke’s phone beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out and showed the message to Marcus.

  Taking taxi from the train station. Home in fifteen.

  “Let’s wait for him.”

  “But you must be starving.”

  Luke reached above Marcus’s head and pulled a slice of knäckebrot out of the cupboard.

  “No problem,” he mumbled around the first bite, crumbs flying.

  Marcus laughed.

  “Okay, then.”

  As usual, Liam was exact in his time estimate. Fourteen minutes later, the door clicked, and Luke darted to the hall. He threw himself into Liam’s arms, breathing in gulps of Liam’s scent. Cologne, the suit, home… Marcus wrapped his arms around them both and kissed Liam while Luke tucked his face into the crook between Liam’s neck and shoulder.

  “I’m such a lucky bastard, aren’t I?” Liam said, laughter in his voice.

  “You’ve been gone too long. Luke’s been pining. He’s not used to it yet.”

  “I don’t want to get used to it,” Luke grumbled.

  Liam kissed him too, tasting of chewing gum and Marcus, and Luke closed his eyes.

  “You two never open the mailbox when I’m away, do you?” Liam teased as he handed a pack of envelopes to Marcus.

  Luke hung Liam’s jacket on the peg, and they all walked to the kitchen together. Marcus browsed through the envelopes, throwing some obvious marketing onto the counter. Then he paused.

  “This one is addressed to all three of us,” Marcus said.

  “Open it,” Liam said, loosening his tie.

  Luke leaned closer, intrigued by the letter. That had never happened before. Only their friends knew they lived together, and Luke was still building up his courage to tell his parents he was in a polyamorous relationship. He doubted they knew what the word meant, but they’d always been supportive of him. It would be awkward telling them, but not bad in the end…

  “That’s fancy,” Marcus said as he pulled a silver–lined, handmade paper sheet from the plain white envelope. Suddenly, he laughed out loud.

  “What?” Liam asked.

  “Look!” Marcus said and turned the piece of thick paper to them, grinning wide. “Tyler is getting married!”

  Luke squinted to read the shimmering inscription on the card.

  Joel Sandstrom & Tyler Jonsson

  From February 2nd, 2020, until forever

  Come and join us at the Nääs Castle at 2 pm.

  We don’t care what you wear. Bring your loved ones.

  Luke’s grin grew to mirror Marcus’s.

  “We need matching suits,” he said.

  “God, no!” Liam protested in mock horror. “We’d look like a Swedish boy band from the seventies.”

  “Can we buy them a box of oversized sex toys as a wedding gift?”

  “Yes!” Luke exclaimed, laughing.

  “How about matching bowties?” Liam asked.

  “For Ty and Joel?” Marcus apparently wasn’t following.

  Luke snorted. “No, they’re getting matching dildos. We’ll be wearing the bow ties to the wedding.”

  “Deal.” Marcus nodded in all seriousness. “We’ll go shopping next week.”

  Liam pressed a kiss on Luke’s temple, then on Marcus’s.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  Luke blinked slowly. Sometimes it still hit him—the improbability of his situation. The incredible, magnificent new life of his. Like at this moment. Liam back home with them, Marcus as excited as he could be with the news of their friends’ upcoming wedding, their jokes and gentle touches, the promise of lovemaking later that night… Luke realized he was grateful for every small imperfection, which made this believable.

  He shook his head at himself.

  “I love you both, but for the sake of my sanity, sit down now and let’s eat. I’m going mad with hunger,” he said.

  “Right.” Marcus nodded.

  Liam sat down swiftly. He lifted the lid on the large ceramic pot in the center of the table and sniffed. “Fajitas soup. Perfect.” He hummed. “Do we have cilantro?”

  “Of course! How dare you doubt me?” Marcus exclaimed in mock outrage and pointed to the small potted herb, hidden behind the wine bottle.

  “Forgive me, love,” Liam said.

  Luke handed him the ladle and opened the container of crème fraîche. Marcus poured them all red wine, chattering about materials and color palettes of bow ties.

  It is real, Luke thought. His love, his home. It was all perfectly real.

  Bonus chapter

  Marcus has fantasized about it for a long time. He’s even dreamt of it—vivid, physical dreams that left him bothered and unsatisfied. Now he’s on vacation with his partners, at a remote cabin on the coast for a week. Luke and Liam can fulfill every sexual fantasy Marcus has ever had…

  Gain free access to the sensual short story Vacation

  and more bonus material:

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  About the Author

  Queer fiction author Roe Horvat was born in the post-communist wasteland of former Czechoslovakia. Equipped with a dark sense of sarcasm, Roe traveled Europe and finally settled in Sweden. He came out as transgender in 2017 and has been fabulous since. He loves Jane Austen, Douglas Adams, bad action movies, stand-up comedy, pale ale, and daiquiri. When not hiding in the studio doing graphics, he can be found trolling cafés in Gothenburg, writing, and people-watching.

  Website: roehorvat.com

  By the Author

  The Layover

  Dirty Mind

  A Love Song for the Sad Man in the White Coat

  Vanilla Clouds

  Those Other Books

  The Other Book

  Adam Only

  One in Between

  Third One

  Beautiful Beast (spring 2020)

  Short stories

  Swiss Experiment (The Layover)

  Something More (Those Other Books)

  Vacation (Those Other Books)