Page 93 of XOXO

24. Levi

The moment of truth.

It was still dark when I woke up in between two bodies. The events of last night came back to me, dinner, the club and then the best part of the evening. Violeta moaning in bed with us, fucking her into two orgasms. It was so surreal; I was sharing a woman with my best friends.

I thought I would hate it, but it was quite the opposite. The moment I knew we had all slept with her, I wondered if it was possible to all be with the same girl. Matteo or Ru hadn’t said it, but their time with her had left a lasting impression on them.

Vi was a beautiful woman, curves for days, and she was more than just a tourist. She was funny, sweet, sassy and she had brought Matteo and I closer together. If she hadn’t helped us, I don't know if we would've moved on at all. We hadn’t talked about what we had done together or what it had meant. I didn’t have the guts to pop our blissful bubble, too afraid that things would change for the worse. Not talking about it was only making this more disastrous when we actually came around to having the dreaded conversation.

I needed to get some fresh air, and to stop thinking about the worst possible scenario. Anxiety clawed its way up my chest, sitting heavily. If I didn’t snap out of it, I would begin to spiral. Violeta sighed, her hand over my heart attempting to grab onto me. I kissed her hand, jumping over Matteo to get out. Looking back, they all looked so peaceful in bed together.

Oh my god, we were perfect together.

After using the bathroom, I headed out to the main deck. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as I sat down on the sectional outside. It was a bit chilly, but I wanted to see the sunrise. They were always the most beautiful on the boat with an endless sea surrounding us. I regretted not bringing my phone to add to the hundreds of photos I already had of sunrises and sunsets.

“You're going to catch a cold,” Matteo said, throwing a blanket at me.

“I was going to go inside as soon as the sun rose,” I grumbled, grateful for the blanket.

Matteo rounded the section in sweats and a t-shirt. He still looked sleepy, his hair sticking up everywhere and had a peaceful demeanor I never thought I’d see emanating from him.

“You and your sunrise,” he said, sitting next to me and putting the blanket over us.

“They are gorgeous,” I said, as he laid his head on my shoulder.

“With you they are,” he said softly.

I took a deep breath, knowing the conversation was coming.

“We need to talk,” he said, taking my hand.

“I know,” I said, threading my hands through his.

“What is this going to be?” he whispered, as if he were afraid to ask. “What are we doing?”

I didn’t know what to say, torn between telling him my truth and too afraid to do it because I would die a little if it ruined us.

“Lee,” he said, sitting up to look at me. “You can tell me anything. I think it's been a long time coming, we need to be very honest with each other.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“I’ve loved you for years,” I said, looking away from him, too afraid to see a reaction on his face that would break my heart. “It was killing me that you didn’t know and yes, I know it was my own fault. I even know that rule number one of being queer is don’t fall for the straight guy.”

“Lee,” he said, his voice gruff.

“At first, I thought I would get over it but each year, I loved you more and more,” I said, taking a deep breath to continue. “This last year I knew I had to stop, get over you and move on. I was only hurting myself. There was no way you could have⁠—”

Matteo cupped my face, turned me around and captured me in a kiss. It wasn’t a kiss we had had before and it was our first kiss alone. It was soft, languid and it made my heart beat faster.

“I’m an such idiot that I never realized it,” he said against my lips. “I didn’t even realize how much I needed you until you started looking for a life on your own. It pissed me off you were not always home or that your attention wasn’t solely on me. I might not have realized it sooner, but my love isn’t just friendly or even platonic.”

I gasped, looking into his eyes searching for the truth. Was he really saying what I thought he was saying?

“Matteo… Don’t play with me.” I sat up, my heart pounding fast.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, cupping my face. “We’ve wasted all these years.”

“Because you have always been my straight best friend, who had a different woman in his bed every night,” I scoffed. “I thought if I told you, it would be⁠—”