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STONE
My hand is linked with Charis’s. It’s what I wanted. But not truly, not after Gibson hung up on me last night. I can’t get him out of my mind. I’ve wanted to have Charis to myself, since starting at the hospital shortly after Katherine’s death. Charis had been going through a horrendous divorce, so I bided my time. Anyway, what I want in a relationship isn’t conventional, and springing it on her after a shitty marriage wasn’t part of the plan.
I’m still laughing at a joke Simon made, walking into the kitchen, but the second I see the same eyes I was lost in just days ago, I forget what the joke had been about.
“Hey, guys. Come on in and help yourselves to some drinks. We have a couple larger tents set up outside and various places to sit.” Bridget’s words don’t faze me much and certainly don’t faze Teach.
After the way he ended things last night, I didn’t think he’d give me a chance to fully explain, not that in the middle of a barbeque with the girl I’ve wanted on my arm for a while is the place.
“Oh, shoot, where are my manners? Charis, you met Gibson earlier, yet I guess you first really met at your house.” Now, I’m paying attention to Bridget. They met, already, at her house? “Oh, and, Stone, this is one of my closest and dearest friends in this world, Gibson Smith.”
I reach my hand to his. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Smith,” I say, as composure washes through me, and without a verbal question, Bridget is curious how we know one another. “Mr. Smith is Jett’s kindergarten teacher. And because Jett is one hundred percent my son, I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting him in the headmaster’s office just the other day.”
“Ah, that makes sense. Come with me, guys. I’ll show you the backyard. Simon and I have been working our tails off in it,” Bridget insists.
Charis pulls my hand, and I pull her back. “Do you mind, love, I need to find the loo. I’ll meet you outside.”
“Sure, no problem.” She passes by Gibson, giving him a large grin as her cheeks pinken. I’ll need to find out more about how these two met, but for now, I have to get Gibson to myself to explain better, well, as best as I can in this situation.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you wanted to see other people.” I don’t miss the sarcasm in his tone.
“You’re their house mate, right?”
Gibson gives me a nod.
“Is there a place we can go and talk?”
The man crosses his arms, ready to fight me on my request. “Please, Teach, just give me five minutes.”
He points to a door behind me. I wait for him to lead the way.
“Close the door behind you, will you?” he asks, but as we ascend the stairs, I can’t miss his fine arse in front of me.
At the top of the steps, we enter a very plain room with a double bed and a television mounted on the wall. A love seat sits opposite the telly, and there are several books on his side table. A door is open past the room, to the loo. It’s tidy and neat and boring as fuck.
“Okay, Stone, you have five minutes.”
I shove my hands into my trousers because I’m not rightfully ready for this conversation.
“I don’t know how much to share with you.” I stand just an arm’s reach from him.
“Well, you were honest enough last night to tell me you wanted to see other people. Not just other people, but the same girl I met earlier in the week.”
“Oh, yeah, about that, how did you meet?” He narrows his eyes on me, and I know I won’t get an answer. “Okay, right. As I told you, I’m bisexual. I’ve known that my whole life. Mum never would accept any of my boyfriends, and so I brought a proper girl home to meet her. I married Katherine not long after we started dating. I loved her fiercely. But I missed the touch of a man. But when I was with a man, I missed the touch of a woman. I knew I needed a polyamorous relationship, but one with commitment on both ends. I’m not out to just sleep with a man, or woman, but connect with them on a very deep level. I’ve known some friends who have this. The men are bisexual, and well, the woman has the attention of both men, who love her and each other very much.”
Bloody hell, I just let it all out. And I can’t say I’m surprised by his puzzled look from the white wash that takes over the coloring of his skin, to the beads of sweat pebbling up on his forehead.
“Yeah, mate, I know it’s a lot to take in. And I have a deep connection with you. It’s what I want, but I won’t lie and tell you I don’t need a woman to come home to at night, also. I want both. And I know it sounds insane…”
“I’m a teacher. My world will come under scrutiny in a way your life won’t. Being in a relationship with a guy is one thing. Ten years ago, I couldn’t have done that, but a relationship with two other people, it’s suicide for my career.”
I could easily financially take care of a triad on my own, but to strip a man of his passion is a whole other thing.
“I get it. You love teaching. But would you give me a chance? Just ponder on it for a couple days. I mean, I want the perfect connection. And I really like Charis. I’ve wanted to ask her out for some time but…” I won’t give personal information about Charis to him. It’s her story, not mine to tell.
“But her ex-husband is a fucking tool.” He finishes the sentence for me. I agree with a bob of my head, but he continues. “It’s how we met. I was renting a house next to her. Her ex came over and scared the hell out of both Charis and her daughter. I chased him away.”
What the fuck? Now all I want to do is hunt down this fucker I only know as Jimmy.
