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“They? Both? You mean, Ian and Brendan?”
Diana’s eyes darted to Sonia’s. “Yes.”
“You mean, you saw him sleeping when you were kids? Did Ian tell you Brendan was a heavy sleeper too? Or did Brendan say something…?”
Diana took a quick breath, looking around wildly, then leaning forward. “You do know, don't you?”
A stunned feeling sliced through Sonia’s stomach. She felt the truth before she understood it. It was like seeing an object fall, still perfect and whole, yet you knew it would shatter once it hit the ground.
“Know what? What do I know?”
“Come on.” Diana squeezed her hands together, glancing through the glass doors at Brendan on the bed. “You have to know. You've sensed it all this time, I'm sure of it. You picked up on the vibe as soon as you walked into our dorm room on the first day of college.”
“The vibe,” Sonia repeated, the words coming slow and thick. “What vibe, exactly?”
“The three of us.” Diana’s cheeks flushed. “That look you gave us when you saw us together. You said you didn’t want to know what was going on…”
“‘The three of us?’ You, Ian, and— Brendan?”
“Sonia, you have to know. Please tell me you already know. You notice everything.”
The truth hit the ground and shattered.
“You’ve fucked them both.” Sonia’s fingers tightened on the arms of her chair.
“I — yes.” Diana’s head bobbed. “Yes, I have.”
The ground was spinning below Sonia, the patio of the hotel and the parking lot and the buildings of the town. “How? When? Together? Did you just fall into bed with both of them one day?”
“Kind of, yeah.” A flush rose on Diana’s cheeks. “Their treehouse, actually.”
“And this was a one-time thing?” Sonia asked, hoping against hope.
Diana shook her head, the words pouring out in a torrent as if she couldn’t keep them back any longer. “It was a many-times thing. I was about to graduate high school, and Ian had wanted me for years but I was too shy to even look at him. There was so much that I wanted, but I was all locked up inside myself. I was scared, Sonia. Of boys, of the world. You know that; I’ve told you that. You have to understand, Brendan was like…I don’t know, the catalyst. He made me feel comfortable. He gave me my first kiss, and then he, well, he thought it would be a good idea for him and Ian to teach me about sex—”
“What?”
Diana’s cheeks looked redder. “Look, it’s not what it — okay, it is what it sounds like. Both of them, together. But Brendan was hoping to get me and Ian to be a couple in the process.”
“By screwing you in front of his brother?” Sonias eyes were stretched open so wide, it hurt. Her hands curled around the arms of the chair, her body going stiff, all her fear and mistrust snapping back into place like a rubber band that had been pulled too far. “Right. Because that makes total sense. And no, I didn’t know. He never told me. Jesus fuck, I was right about him! That manipulative slut—”
“Sonia, no. That’s not who Brendan is.”
“That’s exactly who Brendan is!” Sonia’s vision swam. “I trusted him completely and he lied to me. There were so many times he could have told me the truth, but he kept misleading me. That’s what he’s best at, isn’t it? The perfect politician. God, what was I thinking?”
“Sonia, please.” Diana’s eyes cut to the glass doors, where Brendan was stirring in bed. As Sonia made a move to stand, Diana quickly blocked the door. “Give Brendan a chance.”
“He’s a bastard,” Sonia gritted. “He’s a fucking bastard.”
“Sonia, this all started five years ago. He’s changed since then, I promise.”
“Do you realize how well he’s hidden this from me? He plays people to get exactly what he wants without ever risking his own ass. How many times did you hook up? When did it end?”
“You’re asking for numbers?” Diana stared at her.
“Yes, I am.”
“…Ten, maybe?” Diana pressed her lips together. “Sonia, it — never officially ended. We didn’t really coordinate; it just happened when the mood was right. We might have continued after the wedding. But once we found out about you, it was obvious that we’d stop—”
