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We settle back into the couch, sipping our drinks and watching the fire. Scotty tucks his leg up under him, leaning against my side. Joey sits with his feet on the floor but angled toward us, one arm stretched along the back of the couch behind me.

“Can I ask you guys something?” Scotty says after a while, his voice hesitant.

“Anything,” I assure him.

He’s quiet for a moment, clearly gathering his thoughts. “What made you decide to invite me on this trip? I mean, really. Was it just that you felt bad for me or... nostalgia? Just wanting to hook up again?”

Joey and I exchange a look over my shoulder. We talked in the hot tub last night about our concern we might scare him off if we brought up our new intentions too soon, and we still have a few days left in the cabin together. But maybe he needs some hints.

“It’s definitely more than that,” Joey assures him carefully, no doubt deciding how to proceed without giving away everything. “From the moment we saw you the night of the holiday party, we both felt that same pull and connection we had fifteen years ago. It’s still there. Stronger, even.”

“We didn’t invite you just for sex,” I reinforce to really drive that point in. “We invited you because we wanted to spend time with you.”

“Can I be honest with you?” Joey asks.

“I hope so,” Scotty encourages.

“You’ve always been important to us,” Joey starts.

“Well, I did inspire your vacation rule, so I’m pretty honored,” Scotty teases, but Joey smiles and shakes his head.

“More than that,” he says lightly, smiling adoringly at him. “Your friendship meant a lot to me when we first moved to New York. I was feeling a bit lost. I loved my new position, but working for a company so focused on professional sports, I felt a bit like I was back in the hypermasculine culture I’d grown up in. Don’t get me wrong, I love sports, and I love my job, but when I first started, I had no idea who was a safe space. It was easier to keep my work relationships as professional as I could, so I wasn’t exactly making friends there, like Patrick was in his new union. I had people that we were friendly with, but they were his people, and that was fine. I’d met most of our friends in Boston through him too, but New York was more intimidating than I’d anticipated, and I was struggling a bit with the transition, questioning if we’d made the right decision moving.”

I turn to kiss Joey’s temple and offer an encouraging nod.

“Then one day, there was this hot young guy in our building openly hitting on me in a way that I’d never experienced,” he continues lightly, and Scotty snorts a laugh but doesn’t interrupt. “It started out with flirty comments as we passed each other going in and out of the main entrance, complimenting my suit, my hair, my smile. He’d flash a huge smile and then say things like ‘Wow, you look especially sexy today,’ or ‘God, the things I’d let you do to me with that tie,’ at like eight o’clock in the morning, leaving me completely stunned and unable to respond as he walked away like nothing had happened.”

Scotty’s cheeks heat at the memory, and he smirks. “He sounds fun.”

“He was,” Joey quickly agrees. “Maybe it would’ve made some people uncomfortable, but I couldn’t shake the idea that I thought you’d get along well with Patrick and me. I also couldn’t deny the way your attention made me feel a little better about our move, like maybe I wasn’t actually as out of place in New York as I felt. If someone like you thought I was special enough to stand out there, maybe I did belong.”

Scotty gulps, and I set down my hot chocolate to take both of their hands. This feels like a big moment for us to all share, for Joey to admit how he’s felt and the impact Scotty has had on his life.

“I still clearly remember the day you finally saw us together and gasped.”

“What’d he say again?” I think for a moment. “Wasn’t it something like, ‘Of course you two are together. I’ve been daydreaming about my hot neighbors for weeks. I guess now I’ll have to adjust my fantasy to being between you two. Let me know if you’re ever looking for a third.’”

“I really had no filter in my twenties, huh?” Scotty laughs with flushed cheeks.

“You not having a filter was a great thing. You literally changed the trajectory of our lives, sweetheart,” I remind him.

“And then, Scotty, when we talked again, and you jumped on the idea of us being friends, this might be a bit silly to admit, but you were the first person in the city, and probably even since I’d met Patrick, that felt like my friend. Not someone I hung out with because I was Patrick’s partner, but someone who genuinely seemed interested in my company and friendship for me,” Joey explains.

“I had no idea,” Scotty whispers.

“What I’m trying to say is you’ve been important to me, to us, since before we ever went on that first vacation,” Joey assures him. “When you started dating Harry after, we tried to respect your new relationship, be supportive, and when you moved, we assumed that you were happy. I hate that we drifted apart. But we’re thrilled to have you back in our lives.”

I turn to look at Scotty and notice tears welling up in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

He shakes his head and rolls his lips between his teeth like he’s steadying himself. “Nothing. I just… You two are some of the best people I’ve ever known, and to even be on this trip with you feels like something I’m so lucky to experience. I’ve never met anyone else who loves so openly and freely.” As if he just realized the word “love” left his pretty lips, his eyes go wide. “Not that this is love, I just mean, like in general.”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, we know what you’re saying,” I assure him, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “I blame our upbringings. Mine because I have a big, loud family who does love openly, and Joey’s because he never received that type of love growing up, so he gets to make up for it in his adult life.”

They both nod, and all I want is to get back to the rental and wrap my arms around them both somewhere we’re truly alone. To show them just how much I appreciate them.

“How about we finish these hot chocolates and head home?”

“Sounds perfect,” Joey confirms, and Scotty nods in agreement as we sip the rest of our tasty, now-lukewarm beverages.