It’s obvious someone is trying to hurt us or, more specifically, Noah or Mackie.
It’s tense as Mackie reaches for the photos, flipping through them. There are a few of him and Noah here in the office, obviously takenthrough the window. Mackie is facing away, but it’s clear who they are. Then there are some of him and me from the other night on my balcony as he rode me. Across the back of one, it reads, “I’ll tell everyone.”
“I look pretty good here,” Mackie comments as he picks up a picture and shows us. “We should frame it.”
Noah barks out a laugh, and despite my anger, I smile. “The composition is shit. I can take a better one.” Reaching for him, I touch his arm. “Are you okay?”
“I mean, I’m annoyed because they got my bad side in some, but I’m not going to break down if that’s what you mean. We all know who did this and why. She wants me to break, for you to leave me, and Noah to panic about his reputation and walk away. She won’t get any of it. So what, she has pictures of us fucking? If she releases them, we’ll sue her for revenge porn. We’ll make it public too. She’s just threatening us. We can’t give her a reaction, or at least not the one she wants.”
Noah and I share a worried look. “You’re handling this very well,” Noah comments.
Rolling his eyes, he drops the photo and looks between us. “I’m not a child. I can deal with this. You two look angrier than I do.”
“Of course I’m fucking angry. Someone took a private moment and ruined it.”
“They didn’t ruin it.” He shrugs and points at Noah. “And no freaking out and pushing me away again.”
“Never going to happen,” he vows as he sighs, looking at the photos. “You do look good here.”
Mackie grins, and I can’t help but look, noticing what Noah does. Honestly, it’s fucked up. I try to push back my desire, but Mackie does look good.
“Alright, here is what we are going to do.” Mackie claps, making us both jump. “Pack them up. We’ll take them with us so no one finds them, and then we’ll go about our night. We are going out, all of us, on a big date. We’ll forget, and we won’t let her ruin one more thing.” He looks between us. “Problem?”
“Nope.” I shake my head, and he softens.
“Is it okay if Noah comes? I know it was just supposed to be us.”
“It’s fine,” I assure him as I kiss his head. “Let me change the reservation.”
“No, you guys go and have your date?—”
“You’re coming,” I state, putting my foot down. “Smile, Noah. Let’s have some fun.”
We go out to eat, and it’s surprisingly nice. Noah and I get along well, and seeing them content together only makes my happiness grow. I know he feels the same when Mackie smiles at me or reaches for me. It’s natural for him now. He includes both of us, and it’s impossible not to enjoy the night.
Afterwards, we decide to return to Noah’s place because Mackie wants to swim. It’s impossible to say no to him, so I end up in borrowed swim shorts, watching Mackie dive and do headstands in Noah’s pool. I hold a glass of wine, while Noah nurses a water, also watching Mackie.
“He looks so happy,” I muse.
“He is. Don’t worry, this won’t break him. You saw him at the qualifier. It’s only made him more determined.”
I nod, but I still worry. When he climbs from the pool and drops into the seat opposite me, it’s impossible to hold on to those turbulent feelings. Everything but him disappears, and the box in my pocket burns until I reach for it, wanting this happiness to last forever.
I was going to save it, but honestly, what’s a more perfect time than when we are all together? Pulling the box out, I slide it over to Mackie. He’s dripping wet, sitting on the lounge in Noah’s backyard.
“What is it?” he asks curiously as he grabs the box and opens it, his mouth dropping open.
“Noah helped me design it,” I say as we both sit nervously. “We felt it was important for you to have a piece of all of us.”
Lifting the custom piece, Mackie looks at us and then his new ring.Three different metals entwine—black for Noah, rose gold for Mackie, and silver for me.
“It represents the three of us. We are a unit.”
“Thank you both,” he whispers as he strokes the ring, and when he lifts his eyes, they are glassy with unshed tears. “I’m so happy.”
Thank fuck. I thought I’d made him cry. Never mind Noah, I would have kicked my own ass.
“No tears,” Noah grumbles. “Come on, I’ll swim with you.”
