by Harper West
“It’s that university boy, isn’t it?” he asked. “Tyler?”
“I just... I need to talk with him,” I said. “I need to make sure that’s not what I want.”
“Talk to him?” John asked. “Like talk to us?”
“I... I don’t know,” I admitted. I couldn’t look at either of them at the moment. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Well,” Reed said, with a struggle in his voice. I could tell that he was fighting hard to understand, even though it was difficult. “I guess you have to do what you have to do.”
“Please don’t judge me for it,” I begged, and he shook his head.
“No judgment,” he said. “I guess we’ll be here when you come back.”
“Yep,” I replied. “I should uh... I should go pack my things.”
“Why don’t you leave them here?” John asked. “In case you decide to come back?”
“I don’t know what I’m going to decide,” I pointed out to him and his face fell. I couldn't believe that I had both of them wrapped around my finger like this. A year ago, I would never have thought that the sexiest professor in the school and the hottest CEO in town would both be after me and be willing to share me. Yet, here they were, giving me puppy dog eyes.
I went to my room to shower and I packed up all my stuff. I needed to make sure I didn't leave a single thing here, because I didn’t want to feel tied down. When Ricky woke up, I would probably have to find him a new place to stay, if he didn’t want to stay here anymore. If I wasn’t with Reed, I would understand why that would be awkward.
Maybe he could stay with Caitlin. The possibility actually entertained me a lot. They would make a beautiful couple and I hoped that they had a chance to explore that.
Once I was packed, I called an Uber and headed out the door. I sent Tyler a text, and he responded right away
You keep surprising me, he said.
Thanks, I replied. I aim to please. Can we meet at your place?
Sure? I’m actually home right now? Did you have something in mind?
I just want to talk, I said, even though there was a possibility that I wanted to do more.
Tyler gave me the address to his place, and I changed the Uber from the university to his off-campus apartment. I had no idea what kind of place he lived in, and I didn’t know why I was unimpressed when the Uber pulled up in front of a brown, non-descriptive building. Like, why exactly did I think it would be otherwise? He wasn’t Reed Baron, and he wasn’t John Drought. He was just Tyler, and he had yet to make something of himself.
He buzzed me in and gave me a big hug when he saw me.
“How’s your friend?” he asked me.
“He’s uh... it’s rough right now,” I said.
“Yeah, I bet you had a rough night,” he answered. “I was going to message you, but I thought it was best if I just gave you some space.”
“Yeah it was a ... uh... rough night,” I said. “But I really wanted to talk to you this morning.”
“Sure,” he said, and reached for my hand. “How can I help you?”
I stared into his eyes for a long time. They really were beautiful, brown and full of emotion. His hair cut flopped in his face and he had a wide smile that reminded me of an excited puppy. He really was adorable, with his jeans and his hoodie, and I knew that he had ambition and drive. He was smart, and he was persistent, and he was going to make something of himself one day. If I was patient, he would probably become something amazing.
Except, I wasn’t patient, I realized I wasn’t willing to wait, and I didn’t want to grow up with him. I wanted to be grown up already. Yes, it was just a difference of a few years, and one degree, but I felt light years ahead of him.
I didn’t want a university boy. I wanted a man.
“I just wanted to apologize,” I said. “For all the times I’ve been flaky and stringing you along.”
“It’s no problem,” he said. “Really. I know you have a complicated life.”
“I do,” I said. “And... it’s not fair to keep dragging you into it.”
His face fell when I said that.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I mean, my life is really complicated, and I think it’s going in a different direction than yours.”
He sat in silence with that thought for a moment.
“So, you want to break up with me?” he asked.
“I didn’t think we were together,” I replied. “And break up with you sounds... harsh. It’s just... I don’t think we’ll be compatible much longer.”
“Is there someone else?” he asked me.
I took a deep breath.
“Yes,” I said.
“What does he have that I don’t?”
“Tyler, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I said. “I was really torn for a long time. But the... someone else is more what I’m looking for these days. I’m sure you’ll be amazing for someone. It’s just not me.”
For a moment, I thought he was going to cry, or fly into a fit of rage. Instead, he looked out the window.
“I knew you were too hot for me,” he said, and I squeezed his hand.
“No,” I said. “You’re just far too cute for me. But I’m sure we’ll see each other around, OK?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Sure.”
“I’m really sorry, Tyler,” I said, as I stood up.
“No, it’s fine,” he said. “I had a feeling that you weren’t really into me, and I didn’t want to keep bothering you. I’m sorry that it didn’t work out... but I’ll be OK.”
“You’ll find someone amazing,” I said and then gave him one last hug.
When I walked out his building, I realized that I had been basically holding my breath the entire time. I was free of Tyler now, and I had to choose whether or not that meant staying with Reed or John or continuing to explore.
Just as I was deep in thought, my phone rang. I saw it was Caitlin on the caller ID and I picked it up right away
“Hello?” I said, in a panic. “Caitlin? Is everything OK?”
“Everything’s OK,” she said. “He’s awake!”
“Ricky’s awake?” I asked. “Oh my Goodness. Oh my God!”
“Can you come?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll come right away.”
I hung up the phone and gave a whoop of joy. People on the sidewalk were staring at me, but I didn’t care. I had never been so happy in my whole life.
I realized that I didn’t want to go through this without the two men that had become so important to me. I out my phone back to my hear after dialing Reed’s number and waited with shaky hands for it to ring.
“Hello?” he said when he answered.
“Reed?” I asked. “Is John still with you?”
“Yes,” he said. “What’s up?”
“I need you to come to the hospital, right away,” I said.
“Why?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong,” I said with a grin. “Everything is right. Can you come?”
“Yes,” he said, after a momentary discussion with John. “Are we going to talk then? Have you made your decision?”
“I think I have,” I said. “I’ll see you there.”
With that, I hung up the phone and took a deep breath. I actually hadn’t quite made my choice yet, but the hospital was my deadline. By the time my Uber pulled up in front of the general entrance, I knew exactly what I was going to do.
Chapter 19
Reed
I wasn’t under any illusions when I finally pulled up to the hospital with John. We had been caught in traffic for nearly an hour, and I knew that we were late to whatever party was going to happen. The fact that Ricky was awake was a miracle and I really did want to celebrate. However, I was apprehensive about the rest of it.
“What do you think she’ll choose?” I asked him, and he shook his head.
“I don’t know,” John said. “She seemed pretty torn this morning.”
“Maybe?” he asked. “Some chicks are like that.”
“Some chicks are like that,” I said. “But not her. She’s different.”
“I know that’s she’s different,” he said. “But are you prepared for the fact that she might say no?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I mean... really, I thought that…. I would be OK, but then I started thinking about her not being in my life. And it makes me want to panic.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I think I’ve fallen pretty hard for her, too.”
“Do you think that she will... choose Tyler then?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “A girl like that wants a man, not a boy.”
“Then why did she go and see him?” I asked. “She wouldn’t go and see him if she wasn’t seriously considering being with him.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t answer that. Women are complicated.”
“I know,” I said. “I don’t know why I thought it was going to be easy.”
“Yeah,” he said. “You just hoped it was going to be easy. But, you know, whenever things are not easy, you make sure to meet them head on and you always rise to the challenge."
“That’s nice of you to say,” I said with a smile. “But I don’t feel like this is a case of rising to the challenge. I feel like this is a case of totally falling for her and being hopeless. I don’t want that to be…. my whole life.”
“You think your life is hopeless?” John asked, confused.
“Well... I mean, what am I doing?” I asked. “All I’m doing is reading books and teaching.”
“What’s wrong with that?” John asked.
“Well, so far, it hasn’t led me anywhere,” I said. “I mean, all I do is live off family money.”
“You don’t,” he protested. “You live off your salary and that’s all.”
“Yeah but living off my salary would mean living in a crappy apartment,” I said. “And not driving a car. I should be doing that if I want to act like I’m truly a professor. I’m a fraud.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” John got in front of me. “What is really going on?”
“I just... I’ve never been so nervous in my whole life,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “You think that I’m not nervous too?”
“You?” I gave him a weird long. “John, you’ve never been nervous a day in your life.”
“That is flattering,” he said. “But the truth is, I’m shaking like a leaf inside. I think... I think she could actually be my soulmate.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve been thinking that for awhile. And I’ve thought about the fact that seemed crazy. I mean, we really just met her. We’re both sharing her. We’re…”
“Hey,” John said. “Your life is no one else's business. If we feel like it’s back, then it’s back.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Exactly,” he said. “So, let’s go inside and figure out what she wants. Or convince her to choose us.”
“Yeah,” I said, even though I was a lot more nervous than I thought.
When we made it inside, we were escorted up to Reed’s room. Apparently, it was just family that was let it there, but Natalie and Caitlin had put us on a list, and we were taken up and swiped in.
He was sitting up in the bed and he looked better than he had before he left the house. He was still hooked up to a lot of wires and tubing, but he looked a lot better. He smiled when he saw me walk in.
“Reed,” he said. “My hero.”
“Oh no,” I said. “All I did was call 9-1-1. You kind of did the rest.”
“Well, whoever the hero is here, we’re all grateful,” Caitlin said, as she sat beside him on the bed. “So, thank you.”
“Thank you?” John said. “I thought you’d want to throw something at me after I accidentally revealed your secret."
Caitlin wiggled her eyebrows at John.
“Aye, I wanted to,” she said. “But then I realized… why hide?”
“Besides,” Ricky said, and took her hand. “It’s not like we’re ashamed of each other. I mean, Caitlin can be loud, and I can cause a scene when staying at friend’s houses, but…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence because the rest of us were roaring with laughter at that. Ricky was quite funny, and I realized that we could be quite good friends. We were going to have to be friends, if Natalie had chosen our team.
Natalie was standing in ta corner, and she hadn’t come over to John and me yet. We were all watching each other nervously; knowing that the moment of truth was coming.
Eventually, I couldn’t take the tension anymore. I had to ask her, before my heart exploded
“So, Natalie,” I said. “Can we uh... talk?”
“Yeah,” she said and looked between John and me. “I think we better.”
Caitlin and Ricky clearly knew what was going on, because they engaged themselves in conversation. The three of us stepped out into the hallway, and we waited for her to make the first move.
“So, I went to see Tyler,” she said. “Because you both know that I have been going out with him. He does interest me, and I know that someday, he’s going to make something of himself.”
“Yes,” I said. “I understand that. And I understand why that type of thing can be attractive. But…”
“Don’t say but, Reed,” Natalie said. “I was never a girl who was lured by the money or the flash or swag of men.”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” I said and looked to John for help.
“What Reed means is that we can give you so much more,” John said. “We can help you with anything you want to do.”
“But I can do things myself?” she replied. “And I can pay my own bills and build my own world if I wanted?”
“You’re right,” John said. “You absolutely can. You are the smartest, funniest, and sexiest woman I have ever met. I have met a lot of people, Natalie, but there’s something different about you. You have a gleam in your eye that is never going to fade. You are going to be absolutely amazing someday.”
“Forget someday,” I said. “You already are.”
“I appreciate the compliments,” she said. “I need you both to understand though, that I am an independent woman, and I will probably always be one. I won’t answer to anyone and I won’t be controlled by anyone.”
“No, no,” I said quickly. “That’s not what we want either. We don’t…”
“I know, Reed,” she said. “I know that you aren’t trying to do any of those things.”
“Do you think I am?” John said in shock.
“No, it’s not that either,” she replied. “It’s just.... I want to lay all my cards on the table. I want to be clear that I think this is a very complicated situation and we aren’t going to just waltz out of it easily.”
“I didn’t think we were,” I said. “But are you willing to try?”
Natalie took a deep breath and looked between us. For the longest moment, I was certain that she was going to say no. I was certain that she was going to tell us that it was just too complicated, and she wasn’t interested.
But then, her face broke out in a small smile.
“Yes,” she said, softly. “Yes, I would like to try.”
Both of us choked in surprise.
‘Really?” I asked. “You’d really like to try?”
“With both of us?” John repeated, just to make sure that we all understood each other.
“Yes,” she said. “With both of you.”
I couldn’t help it. I knew we were in a hospital and we were supposed to be quiet, but I literally whooped out loud. John turned to me in shock, and then laughed.
“The quiet professor,” he said. “Making a scene in hospital hallways.”
“I’m sorry!” I cried, and then Natalie reached forward to give me a hu
g. She planted a kiss on my lips, and then wrapped her arms around John as well. People were staring, but none of us cared.
“Mm,” she said as she snuggled into John and then pulled me into a hug.
Caitlin came out into the hallway then, with a smile.
“Why are you yelling?” she asked. Natalie grinned at her.
“Guess what I just decided?”
“You dark horse,” Caitlin said, with a grin. “You dark, dark horse.”
“Shut up, you’re proud of me,” Natalie said, and Caitlin grinned at her.
“I am indeed,” she said. “Come inside and tell Ricky.”
Natalie came into the room and John and I remained in the hallway for a moment.
“Well,” I said. “They say that we are best friends and we share everything. This is sort of taking things to a new level.”
“Indeed,” he said. “But I think that it’s a level that we are ready for.”
“Oh, without a doubt,” I answered. “Without a doubt.”
We gave each other a high five and then headed into the room.
“Hey,” Ricky said, when we got in there. “Congratulations. Good luck keeping up with Natalie.”
‘That’s why there is two of us,” I said with a grin, “Because one of us keeping up with her just wasn’t enough.”
“Don’t I know it,” Ricky said. “Caitlin and I used to try and hang out with her at different times, just because she’s exhausting.”
“You guys,” Natalie said with a grin. “I’m right here, you know.”
“I know,” Ricky said. “I’m telling you to your face in the hopes that you actually hear me. You’re exhausting.”
“Do you mean awesome?” she asked. “Or fantastic? I think you mean fantastic.”
“None of those things,” Ricky laughed and leaned against Caitlin. I snuck behind Natalie and wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Hey,” I said to her. “I love you.”
She looked surprised but leaned into me.
“I love you too,” she replied. “It’s going to be hard, but I think we are going to be alright.”
“Are you messing with my girl, Reed?” John asked and kissed her on the cheek.
“Totally,” I grinned. “What are you going to do about it?”
