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“We didn’t mean to trick you either,” Victor says. “I guess we just couldn’t resist.”
“Couldn’t resist what? It’s not like you’ve never seen me in a dress before. Do you all have a thing for witches?”
Heavy silence hangs in the room until Jack cuts through it. “We all have a thing foryou.That’s the problem.” He runs a hand through his hair, his voice edged with frustration.
More words that need time to sink in. “What?” I ask, finally, my eyes wide, blinking, as I look at each of them, wanting to see if there’s evidence of this on their faces. To my continued surprise, the truth is obvious.
CHAPTERELEVEN
“We all like you, Sab. We always have,” Xander says.
I’m frozen, afraid that if I move, none of this will be real. Of course they like me, as friends and as housemates, but it’s clear from his tone that’s not the kind of “like” he’s talking about.
“We’ve all been in love with you ever since we first met you,” Victor says. “Tonight was a chance to pretend it could be real.”
In love with me?I can’t believe it, but I know they wouldn’t tease me about something like this.
I don’t know whether to be elated or angry. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask finally.
“Because we knew it wouldn’t work.” Damien sounds angry, too.
“Early on, we realized we all liked you,” Jack explains, “and we decided that none of us should try to date you, because we couldn’t decide who among us should have that chance.”
“But you never told me. Shouldn’t you have givenmethat choice?” I ask, irritated that they kept this from me for all these years, even though I’ve hidden my feelings, too.
“Who would you have picked?” It’s Damien putting me on the spot, direct as always.
Anger fizzles out of me, like a bucket of water dumped on a fire. I could never have picked one of them, and I wouldn’t have wanted to have hurt their friendship by getting tangled up in some kind of competition or jealousy.
“As time went on,” Xander says, “we noticed you looked at us like brothers, and we realized that’s what was for the best.”
My throat goes tight, and my body suddenly feels very heavy. Tonight’s fun was a one-time thing. Obviously, it can never be anything more.
I don’t realize tears have started to fall again until Xander blots them with his fingers. “What’s the matter, Sabby?”
I never dreamed I would tell them this, but they’ve put it all out there, so I may as well do the same. “I’ve always been in love withyou.Withallof you. And you’ve always treatedmelike a sister.”
“You don’t know how hard it’s been,” Jack mutters.
Victor parts his lab coat and strokes a hand across the fly of his pants. “Tonight I showed her how hard it’s been.”
That makes me laugh through my tears. What a ridiculous and hopeless situation. The thought that they were excited for me, that all of them wanted me just as much as I’ve wanted them—it should make me happy beyond belief, but it leaves us right where we started. “I could never choose,” I say quietly, head bowed.
“What if you didn’t have to?” Damien asks.
My head whips up, eyes wide again. The three other men look surprised too, but in a curious way.
“Didn’t have to…?”
I can’t finish my question. I don’t dare think he means what I hope he means. Instead, I laugh bitterly. “That’s what fantasies are for.”
Xander’s eyes go wide. “You’ve fantasized about us?”
Suddenly, I wish I had a mask on, because I feel my cheeks go red. “Yes, but you weren’t wearing so much makeup in my fantasies.”
They laugh, and Victor throws an arm around me, squeezing me to his side. It’s just like the hugs he’s given me regularly, the kind that always felt like something a sibling would do, but tonight it hits differently, and my body stiffens.
“Damien, what did you mean?”
