by T. T. Kove
‘I’ve never been to London.’ Andreas was staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling.
‘I’ll take lots of pictures if we go anywhere touristy. Not that I really care about seeing all those places. I don’t really get anything out of seeing Buckingham Palace or Big Ben or any of that. I’d much rather just spend my time with Glenn, his friend, and seeing the different parts of London. I hear both Soho, where we’re staying, and Camden are great places.’
‘Wouldn’t know. Never been there. But I’ve heard of them. Soho is the gay neighbourhood, isn’t it?’
‘I think so, yeah. Maybe not all gay, but I think it’s where the gay clubs and such are located.’ I’d done a little bit of research so I knew what I was in for.
‘Gay clubs in London much be so much better than clubs here. Oslo has one gay club and it’s not even that big.’
I looked at him in surprise. ‘You want to go to gay clubs? You’re not even that gay.’
‘Hey. I’m plenty gay.’ He put his hand on my arse. ‘I’m fucking you every chance I get, aren’t I?’
‘Didn’t we establish that was a case of gay-for-you?’ I teased.
‘And bisexuality is a myth.’ He full-out laughed now.
‘Yeah, you can’t have both.’ I tickled his side, but he wasn’t ticklish, so that didn’t amount to anything. I put my chin on his chest instead and looked up at his face.
‘Says the guy with two boyfriends,’ he threw back. ‘What if I say you can’t have both?’
‘You would never!’ I mock-gasped again.
He rolled us over now so he could drape over me, his weight familiar and welcome on top of me. ‘No, I would never.’ He kissed me deeply.
‘Hey!’ A fist banged on the door.
We didn’t stop kissing. It was only Ben.
‘Don’t start fucking,’ he said as he opened the door. ‘We’re going out to dinner, remember? Like, right now.’
Andreas finally pulled away and I tilted my neck back to look at Ben. He was leaning in the doorway, arms across his chest as he scowled at us.
‘If I have to put off shagging to go out to a stupid dinner, you two have to as well.’
‘It’s not stupid. It’s nice.’ I turned over when Andreas moved off me and pushed myself up so I was sitting on the bed. ‘Everyone out to eat.’
Ben rolled his eyes but I saw straight through him.
‘We’re leaving as soon as Thomas and Leo get back with the dogs.’ His eyes narrowed at us again. ‘And I’m staying here to make sure you two don’t get busy again before we leave.’
‘Why are you in such a sour mood?’ Andreas threw a pillow at him that hit him straight in the chest. ‘Where’s your boyfriend?’
‘Up talking to Maria and Roar. I volunteered to go down and get the two of you since you didn’t hear me call down the stairs.’
‘Your boyfriend is becoming part of the family too.’ Andreas rose just as Ben flung the pillow back, catching it easily and dropping it on the bed. ‘I still remember a time when you could hardly admit to so much as shagging him.’
‘Oh, please.’ Ben blew out a breath. ‘Those days are over. We’re moving in together now.’
Andreas frowned at that. ‘Aren’t you already living together?’
‘Not properly.’ Ben said it like Andreas should understand how his twisted mind worked.
I’d been too busy shagging Andreas since he came home to tell him anything about Ben and his stupid argument with Tarjei about a mere change of address.
‘We’re looking for a flat together. And when we find it, we’re actually moving in together.’
Andreas watched him with a narrowed look. ‘You’re still already living together.’
Ben rolled his eyes and made a motion with his hand. ‘Get moving, would you? Thomas said to be ready to go when they got back. He’s made a reservation and everything.’
I got off the bed as well, remembering to grab my phone before it disappeared in the tangle of sheets. I had one new message from Glenn.
Glenn: Love you too.
I never got tired of hearing those words. Not from either of them.
Ben left the doorway, heading back upstairs as I fell into step besides Andreas. ‘He and Tarjei had an argument about that,’ I filled him in in a low voice. ‘Ben refused to change his address to Tarjei’s flat and Tarjei didn’t get why since they were already living together. Ben said he didn’t want to live in Tarjei’s flat or something like that, but if they got a flat together he’d change his address.’
Andreas stared down at me. ‘That’s so fucking typical of Ben. Always being difficult.’
Now that was true. I was glad neither of my boyfriends was difficult. If anything, I was the difficult one. Or the one struggling the most, more like it. I didn’t think I was particularly difficult other than that.
‘Come on.’ He took my hand, tangling our fingers together. ‘Time to go out for a fancy dinner. Haven’t been to one of those in a while. It’s fucking expensive eating out.’
That was also very true. But it was nice once in a while, especially with his family. I loved them a hell of a lot more than my own blood-related family. That didn’t take much though, considering my parents were selfish, abusive arseholes.
I smiled up at him, then walked in front of him as we descended the stairs, still holding hands.
To think that a couple of months ago, I didn’t think I’d ever feel happy again. With time, treatment, and medication, I was happy again.
I would probably fall back into that bleak, dark hole again, I wasn’t dumb enough to think that wouldn’t happen, but I had to remember that it wasn’t the end. That life would get better again.
It always did eventually.
I thought I’d learnt that back when I first met Andreas... but clearly not. Not when I was in a deep depression. But hopefully, my new meds would keep me more stable so I wouldn’t fall so far often. I had to hope they’d work, that they’d keep me on a baseline.
But I could never know for certain and that was gnawing at me. I liked knowing things for certain, but this... this wasn’t one of those things anyone could know.
And I had to be okay with that. What else could I do, right?
Yes, I would most likely become depressed again. But I had two boyfriends, a chosen family and several friends who cared about me. That would have to be enough. It was enough. Even if it didn’t feel like it when I was right smack in the middle of depression. But when I came out on the other side... they would all still be there.
I had to trust that.
And right now I did.
Epilogue
Oslo Airport was buzzing with activity. Probably a lot of people returning from winter holidays, like we were. Or Andreas was, anyway, considering every day was a holiday for me right now.
He was wheeling my big suitcase, filled with stuff I’d need in Oslo but not in London, as well as his stuff. And I was carrying the bag he’d brought home for the week, with toiletries and a few changes of clothes I’d need for a week away.
We walked out into the front of the airport, where Glenn was waiting for us. He had my ticket as well, after all, so it wasn’t like he could pass through security without me.
‘There he is.’ I spotted him sitting on a bench, bent over slightly and typing on his phone.
Andreas saw him now too and we walked over together.
‘Hey.’ I grinned as Glenn lifted his head, his lips splitting in a smile as he saw us.
‘Hey, man.’ Andreas reached out and they knocked their fists together.
Glenn stood, putting his phone away in his jacket pocket. His jacket was open and he wore a form-fitting woollen jumper underneath that was halfway zipped up his neck. His brown hair was tousled like he’d run his hands through it, and he looked so damn good.
I wanted to kiss him, but Andreas was right there. He might not want to see that. But I also wanted to kiss Andreas goodbye, but then Glenn was right there, and just… what did I
do? Didn’t I kiss either of them?
‘Ready for London?’ Glenn grinned at me. ‘We’ve got about an hour until our plane leaves, so we can hang out here a bit if you don’t have to leave straight away?’ That question was directed to Andreas, who glanced down at his own phone.
‘I think I’ll leave you to it.’ He looked at me. ‘There’s nothing at all to do here, and Alex is hungry, so you should head through security to get a bite to eat.’
I was hungry. I’d told him on the plane. But I also didn’t want him to leave straight away.
He grinned at me and stepped closer, letting go of the suitcase to wrap his arms around me. ‘I’ll see you in a week, babe. That’s nothing to the months we’ve just spent apart.’
No, it wasn’t. Still, I didn’t quite like it. But I knew I was too co-dependent on him. Therapy didn’t have to tell me that, so I knew I had to let him go. It wasn’t like I’d be alone either, I still had Glenn. And I loved spending time with Glenn.
‘No more months apart,’ I said in a low voice, leaning in. ‘And in a week, I’m finally coming home.’ Home was where he was. I didn’t particularly care for our flat, but as long as it had Andreas in it, it was home.
He bent his head down to kiss me. We were kissing in the middle of the airport. Right in front of Glenn. The other random people I didn’t know made me more anxious than the fact Glenn saw this. He’d seen it before, after all. I didn’t think he’d mind.
‘See you, Alex. Have a good time. Try not to think so much.’ He stroked my cheek and stepped back, grabbing the handle of the suitcase again. ‘Keep him busy,’ he told Glenn, grinning wryly. ‘Stop that brain of his from overthinking so much.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Glenn’s eyes turned heated as he turned his focus from Andreas to me.
‘I wasn’t just thinking that way,’ Andreas laughed, ‘but it works better than anything, I’ve got to admit.’
I flushed pink at them alluding to sex working so well on me in an airport full of people milling about.
‘You make me sound like an addict,’ I murmured.
Andreas wrapped an arm around my neck and kissed my temple. ‘You’re close, but you’re not quite addicted. Even if you were, I like you just the way you are.’
I shoved him away teasingly, then grabbed his hand and squeezed. ‘We’ll text while I’m gone, right? Don’t go back to hating texting just because I’m feeling better and am about to come home.’
He laughed again. ‘I’ll hold off on quitting texting until you’re actually home,’ he promised, eyes gleaming. ‘See you both in a week. Have a fabulous time in England.’
‘We will.’ Glenn and Andreas did some complicated shake hands, fist-bump thing and then Andreas walked off towards the exit. I could see the buses lined up out there, but I had no idea which one he’d take into town.
‘Hey, you.’
I turned to Glenn, a smile slowly spreading on my lips. He drew me in close now, hands on my waist, and I lent in and up for a kiss. Kissing Glenn right after Andreas might feel weird, but it really didn’t. I was allowed to kiss both of them and they kissed quite differently from each other. Andreas’s earlier kiss had been slow but soft like he wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye and was hoping for more time. Glenn’s now was eager and welcoming, likely due to the fact we hadn’t seen each other in so long and now we had an entire week alone.
‘Ready for this?’ he asked when he drew back, fingers hooking with mine. ‘Just the two of us for an entire week? We get to sleep together for six nights in a row.’
My stomach did somersaults at that.
‘I’m so ready for it. I can’t wait. It’s been too long since we’ve slept together.’ And I actually meant sleep too. It’d been just as long since we’d had sex, but we hadn’t slept in the same bed since January before he left to go back to work. Sex was always good, but sex and sleeping in the same bed… nothing beat that.
Glenn draped an arm across my shoulder as we walked towards check-in, hugging me close.
I glanced around, a little self-consciously, but no one seemed to give us a second glance. I’d never been big on public displays of affection, and after Glenn’s brother bashed me in the head because I’d kissed Andreas in public, I’d been even more leery of it.
But I’d come a long way since then. I could kiss my boyfriend in public now—my boyfriends, in the plural, that was. Most people didn’t care. And even those who did, what were the chance I’d get another iron bar to the head? Especially as we were in a crowded airport where people were busier with themselves and where to go than to give us the time of day.
The truth was that most people didn’t care. My therapist had told me that over and over when I hadn’t been able to let it go. People were busy with themselves and their own lives. And those who had bigger issues, who walked around with iron bars and bashed a guy’s head in, they were extremely rare. But that didn’t mean there weren’t more of them. I’d be careful from now on, to not walk around in isolated, dark areas and kiss my same-sex boyfriend… but in the middle of the day, in a busy airport? Here we were pretty safe. And Glenn’s arm draped across my shoulder felt really good. Good, safe, grounding.
I’d used to only feel like that with Andreas, but I did with him as well. Back in 2011 when we first met, I’d never thought we’d end up here. He hadn’t liked me. I’d go so far as to say he’d loathed me. And now we were together. He’d kept secrets that had nearly killed him for so long, but he’d worked on it, he’d been medicated for it, and he was doing well. That meant there was definitely hope for me too. And I was doing much better already, there was no doubt about that.
‘I love you, Glenn,’ I told him in a low voice as we stopped in front of a self check-in machine.
He smiled widely at me before taking his arm off my shoulder. I felt the loss, but he did need his hand for the machine, so I couldn’t feel too bad about it.
‘I love you too, Alex. Who would’ve thought just a couple of years ago, huh?’
It was like he’d read my mind.
Who would’ve thought so, indeed.
Afterword
This is the last book in the Unexpected duet — and for now, it’s the last book in this series. I’m not saying I’ll never write these characters again (because let’s face it, I likely will), but for now, this is it.
The book was a nightmare to write. It was originally part of the first book, but it got too long, so it was split in two. I struggled with it, but here it finally is. I hope you enjoy it! And I hope you weren’t too put off by the direction this duet took not just one relationship, but two.
I want to write more polyam stories in the future, so if you like that, look out!
If you enjoyed Not as Expected, I would be ever so grateful if you could leave a review on the site you purchased the book from. Even if you’re short on time, a couple sentences is enough. Reviews help visibility—they’re so important to authors, especially indie authors like myself.
Are you curious about the other couples in the overarching series?
More than Words is the start of Alex’s first duet.
More than Anything is the start of Jørgen and Geir’s story.
More than Enough follows Leo, Alex’s brother.
More than This follows Maria, Andreas’s little sister.
More than Life follows Glenn and how he met Nik.
More than Friends is the start of Ben’s duet.
Also by TT Kove
Souls of London
Scarred Souls
Inked Souls
Broken Souls
… and more!
Under an Arctic Sky
Arctic Heat
Arctic Adventures
Arctic Dreams
… and more!
Check out all books on my website!
About the Author
Tina T. Kove likes to write about characters as queer as she is. Her books are mostly of the contemporary and new adult slice-of-life variety. She
likes to write about troubled and flawed characters with difficult pasts, as well as the love they end up finding—even if they aren’t looking. Difficult subjects such as mental illnesses, past trauma, and self-injury frequently finds their way into her books.
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