AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nico
That night, dinner was a quiet affair. We were all lost in our own thoughts, even Dakota, though I'd caught him sneaking curious glances at us every once in a while.
Star, Ryk, and I had decided to ask Dakota out after dinner, and for the first time since moving to the human realm, I didn't have an appetite. My stomach was a bundle of nerves, and I couldn't taste the food I'd cooked at all.
I wondered if it was just me or if the others were nervous too. Ryk was quieter than usual, so maybe it wasn't just me after all. I met his gaze and gave him a smile I hoped was reassuring. He dipped his head in return before turning his focus back on his food.
After the longest dinner ever, Star and Ryk declared they'd wash up, sending Dakota and me into the living room. I had a feeling they'd volunteered because they wouldn't be able to sit still and wait, so I didn't protest. Since I cooked, I wasn't allowed to do the dishes anyway.
Dakota and I started watching an older episode of a show we were all currently watching, and Ryk and Star joined us twenty or so minutes later, making me wonder if they'd used magic to speed things up.
Ryk glanced from me to Star, urging one of us to speak. While I'd been ready to talk to Dakota, even eager to do so, I realized I didn't know how to ask him out, especially when it was on behalf of all three of us.
Wait, did humans even date more than one person at a time now? Did Dakota? Maybe we should've taken some time to research and think this through.
"Is something wrong?" Dakota asked, pulling me out of my quickly spiraling thoughts.
"Hmm? No, not at all. Why do you ask?" I asked, giving Dakota my complete attention. His hair had started escaping his bun, and strands of golden-brown hair framed his face. It made me want to lean forward and tuck the strands behind his ears, and not just because I'd read a lot of romance books with scenes like that.
"You all seem a little on edge today. It just made me worried," Dakota said with a shrug, and I glanced over at the others.
"Dakota," Ryk said, sitting forward on the couch he was sharing with Star. "We wanted to ask you something."
"Oh? What is it?" Dakota asked curiously, glancing from Ryk to me.
"We were wondering if you'd go out with us," Star said when Ryk couldn't find his words.
"On a date," Ryk clarified, as if it wasn't clear enough.
Dakota's brows shot up, his face a picture of surprise, and his eyes flicked from me to Star to Ryk. "By 'we,' you mean..."
"All three of us," I confirmed, and Dakota blinked, looking stumped.
"Okay..." he said hesitantly, and I shared a glance with the others before speaking.
"You don't have to answer right away. You can take your time to think it over. If you're not interested, we'll understand," I said, trying to keep my voice as reassuring as possible.
"It's not that," Dakota said, shaking his head. "I just...this doesn't feel real."
Ryk got off the couch and walked around the coffee table until he was in front of Dakota before sitting on the edge of the table and taking Dakota's hands in his. "Trust me. It's real," he promised as Dakota gazed up at him, and warmth filled my chest. I'd wondered how this would work with four of us. Would I get jealous whenever one of them kissed the other? Would we make up rules about not doing something unless we were all present?
But watching Dakota and Ryk share that tiny moment, all I could feel was warmth. I was happy to see them together, happy that two people I cared so much about also cared about each other. I didn't think we would have any problem 'sharing.'
"Wow. Do you really mean it? You all want to go out with me?" he asked, though his eyes slid to Star, probably since he hadn't said anything.
As if realizing that, he met Dakota's eyes and nodded firmly. "Yeah, we do."
"Okay," Dakota said as he started to nod slowly, then stopped. "Wait. Will you also be dating each other, or is this going to be a harem?"
Star chuckled as I shook my head, and Ryk was the one who answered. "It won't be a harem. We all want to date each other too."
"Haven't you been together all this time?" Dakota asked, and I wondered if that was what it looked like. Had the three of us already been dating without realizing it, at least in some aspects of our lives?
"No, not really. But we do want to start now. We realized it about the same time we realized we wanted to date you," I said, and Ryk and Star nodded in agreement.
"Okay," Dakota said, and when he didn't say anything else, I tilted my head at him.
"Okay?" Ryk asked, and Dakota met his eyes.
