Rule #3 - 1. Rule #3

Marc was sure he was in hell; a special form of bartending hell that he would never be able to escape. He hated working large parties in general, because it took him away from the swanky upstairs bar with his regular customers, but this corporate party was taking the cake. Not only were they understaffed, but the guests had started out rude and snotty and had progressed to drunk and obnoxious as the night continued. The same guy had tried to get behind the bar multiple times to mix his own drinks, and Marc found himself subject to more and more verbal abuse as the night and booze progressed.

Marc was also heartily sick of the group of ladies that insisted on hanging out near the bar. The ringleader, an attractive, full-figured blonde with plenty of cleavage spilling from her gown, had flirted heavily with him, obviously hoping for free drinks for her and her friends after the time limit for the open bar had ended. When that didn't work, she and her friends started snapping their fingers and yelling some form of homophobic slur to get his attention.

Right now, however, was the calm in the eye of the storm, a sweet oasis in the midst of a hellish bartending experience, heading towards Marc. He was wearing a suit and tie, like most of the other male patrons, but didn't seem to be attached to one of the glittery she-demons in attendance, nor did he talk to him condescendingly when ordering a drink and even tipped him. Marc found himself smiling as he approached. It didn't hurt that the other man was attractive as hell either; a handsome older brunette with warm amber eyes that crinkled when he smiled.

"What'll it be?" Marc asked.

"Manhattan, please," the man said.

"Hey Limpy!"

Marc steeled himself, plastered a smile even he could tell was fake on his face, and approached the trio of hellions. The ringleader, who he internally dubbed Queen Bitch, smirked. "I want three double vodkas with Coke. Snap to it, fag."

"No," Marc said, turning back to fix the Manhattan.

"Excuuuuse me!" Queen Bitch shouted. "Fix our fucking drinks, already."

"You've had enough. And that one there--" Marc pointed to one of her companions, a tiny Asian woman who was visibly tottering on her high heels and leaning heavily against the ringleader "--can barely stand up." He stepped away from the Manhattan long enough to fill a glass of water, and handed it to the Asian woman. She took the glass, tried to drink and missed twice, then promptly vomited all over the bar.

Marc shuddered a little, but focused on finishing the drink, straining it into a cocktail glass and handing it over to Mr. Handsome. Mr. Handsome tipped him again, and Marc pocketed it before turning back to deal with Queen Bitch, who was still tapping her long lacquered nails on the bar and yelling about her drinks.

"--and I'll get Hoa home fine, but I still want my long fucking iced tea, you fucking--"

"No, I'm not giving you or your friends any more alcohol. You can have some water or soda."

"I'm over 21, you can't deny--"

"Hey, c'mon, c'mon," her other friend said. "Hoa's wasted, let's just go."

"I'm not going anywhere until I get my goddamn drink!" Queen Bitch shrieked. Her friend left to help the Asian woman to the bathroom.

"You've had enough. I am under no obligation to serve you when you are obviously intoxicated." In reality, Queen Bitch appeared most sober amongst her trio of tormenters, but he had taken note of how many cocktails she had been drinking and knew she was way over the legal limit. And she struck him as the kind of person who would drive under the influence as well.

He turned his back on her, and he heard a shriek of utter rage behind him and the next thing he knew, he felt her fingers gripping the back of his collar and pulling him back towards the bar roughly. He spun around to face her and saw her bring her hand back. He wasn't sure what she was planning, either punching him or raking her nails across his face if he had to guess, but her forward movement was abruptly halted by Mr. Handsome closing his hand around her wrist. The action caused her to stumble and she almost fell, grabbing the bar to steady herself at the last minute.

"What the hell?" she shrieked, her volume rising with each word. Several people nearby had already turned to watch the confrontation.

"That's enough Claudia," Mr. Handsome said. His voice, in comparison, was quiet, but he was speaking slowly and deliberately, like he was trying to control some strong emotion. "You heard what he said. Don't make me report you to HR."

"I just want another drink."

"No. I've seen you over here harassing this man all night, and you just attempted assault. You're done. Now, go get Hoa and Meredith and call a cab. If I see you over here again, I will get security to kick you out and we will be having a meeting with your superior."

Claudia glared as she snatched her wrist away, but she turned and stalked towards where Meredith was helping a still shaky Hoa towards the exit.

The handsome man turned back to Marc. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," Marc said. "Unless she is your wife or something."

"Dear God, no." The man laughed and waved a hand. "No, I'm just an unfortunate coworker. Not a lot of people are willing to cross Claudia when she is in a mood like this, but I've gone to HR and her boss about her behavior before, and she knows I'll do it again."

"She's a piece of work," Marc mumbled.

"That she is. She's been horrible to the wait staff too." The man pulled out several bills. "Here's all the tips that she stiffed you on tonight."

Marc shook his head and pushed them back across the counter. "No, thanks."

"Please," the man said. "Your service was exemplary, even when she was treating you horribly."

"Really, it's fine. Getting her out of my hair was quite enough for me, thank you."

The other man looked like he was gearing up to argue again, when another man, one that Marc didn't recognize, approached. He was younger, taller with a thick mop of blond hair and was wearing glasses. He sidled up next to Mr. Handsome, slid an arm around his waist and gave him a peck on the cheek. Mr. Handsome smiled and turned to look at him, giving him a decidedly more than friendly kiss on the mouth.

Marc looked away. He felt a little stab of disappointment, even though he knew it was silly. The man was being friendly, not flirty, like he had been that entire evening.

"Do you want a drink?" Mr. Handsome asked. Marc looked up, moving closer.

"Jack and Coke, please?" the newcomer requested, giving him a smile. Marc smiled back automatically. Not only was the newcomer cute, but he was polite as well and wasn't yelling at him.

Even though he knew that he probably wouldn't have been allowed down here if he was underage, he did look young, and Marc asked to see his ID anyway. The newcomer's name was Ryland and he was indeed over 21, but not by much. Marc fixed the drink, which was simple enough, and passed it over.

"I've been trying to get him to accept something for having to deal with Claudia all night."

The newcomer pulled a face. "That skanky whore who can't open her mouth without something horrible coming out of it?"

Marc laughed. Mr. Handsome grinned. "That's the one."

The newcomer pointed at Marc. "I feel for you, man. How about once you get off, we take you out for a drink or five?"

Mr. Handsome glanced up and nodded. "Yeah. However many it takes for you to forget about this horrible night."

"Okay, okay," Marc said, holding his hands up in surrender. "One drink. But I have to finish up here."

Unfortunately, once Claudia and her trio of hellions had left, there were still plenty of people who were rude, aggressive and too drunk. Upon being informed that one of the bathroom stalls was covered from ceiling to floor in vomit, Marc started to refuse drinks to anyone who was slurring their words or couldn't walk in a straight line. During the few times he was able to look up, he saw the newcomer dancing. It wasn't the jumping and grinding that most of the other patrons were doing; the newcomer actually knew how to dance and coaxed Mr. Handsome onto the floor during slow songs. Watching the two of them dancing with the newcomer craning his neck to rest his head on Mr. Handsome's shoulder was one of the cutest things that Marc had seen that evening.

Finally, finally, it was last call and he made Ryland another Jack and Coke and another Manhattan for Mr. Handsome on the house. He cleaned up as much of the vomit as he could stand, until he thought it was enough to not make the cleaning crew hate them in the morning, then scrubbed his hands and his arms before rolling his sleeves down and leaving the restaurant for the closing staff.

He had half-expected to find the two of them gone by the time he exited, but was pleasantly surprised to see Ryland standing outside, leaning against a black SUV and tapping on his phone. When he saw Marc standing there uncertainly, he smiled, pocketed his phone and opened the passenger door, motioning Marc inside.

Marc settled in and buckled his seat belt, then craned his neck around, looking for Mr. Handsome, but he wasn't there.

"Where is-" Marc started, then realized that he still didn't know the other man's name.

"I dropped Gabe off at the bar, then came back to pick you up," Ryland said.

"Gabe," Marc repeated.

"Gabriel. The cutie that you were flirting with at the bar before I showed up."

Marc didn't respond. How do you respond to something like that?

Ryland chuckled a little, misinterpreting his silence for discomfort. "He told me about it. I think it's cute." Ryland reached over, found Marc's hand and gave it gentle squeeze. Marc glanced over and saw the gleam of Ryland's teeth as the other man smiled at him. Marc smiled back and gave Ryland's hand a squeeze in return before the other man returned it to the steering wheel. Marc wasn't sure what was going on, but he liked it.

 

Ryland parked the car and led Marc to another bar, a classy one with muted lights, soft music and shiny mahogany. Gabriel was sitting there waiting for them, with his suit jacket off and his tie loosened around his neck and the top button of his shirt undone. He looked up as they entered and smiled, his entire face lighting up. He gave Marc a strong hug, and Ryland got a kiss. Once they were settled at the bar, Gabriel waved the bartender over.

"Order anything you want, I've already started a tab."

"Oh, no, I couldn't-"

"Yes, you can," Gabriel countered. "As a thank you for the amazing way you shut Claudia down earlier."

Marc gave in and ordered a Sazerac, which delighted their bartender. When the drink was plucked down in front of them, Ryland looked curious. Marc offered to let him try, but the drink barely touched his lips before he was handing it back, making a face. Marc laughed.

"It's not for everybody."

Ryland, who was drinking very little, ordered interesting appetizers that Marc had never tried before, like grilled peach slices wrapped in bacon, and buffalo meatballs that were stuffed with blue cheese. Gabriel was growing steadily more friendly and outgoing as the night progressed.

Marc was more than happy to relax a little bit after such a hellish shift, and Gabriel was so easy to talk to, with a self-deprecating sense of humor and was full of entertaining stories himself. He was smiling and the casual, friendly touches on his shoulder and back of the arm were comforting. Ryland was on his other side, more reserved but more open with his touching, often letting his hand brush across Marc's lower back, fingertips trailing over the ridge of his ribs and later resting on Marc's leg, tracing the muscles of his thigh. Those were wonderfully distracting, sending tiny shivers through him. He certainly didn't make them stop. The alcohol warmed him, wrapped his world into a hazy happy glow.

"--and then I said, 'you can go ahead and delete my number because there will be no second date. And by the way, potjevleesch is supposed to be served cold, you idiot.' I stormed off-"

"Dramatically," Ryland interrupted.

"--and I came back to apologize the next day and gave him a tip, because I'm sure that other guy hadn't bothered. And then, I told our server how cute he was, and asked if I could take him out sometime."

"And I said yes," Ryland smoothly interjected from his other side. Marc smiled into his cocktail glass, and before he could react, Ryland was leaning up into him and Gabriel was moving forward and the two of them were kissing, with Marc trapped in-between them. It was a brief kiss, and Marc was a little embarrassed, but he mostly enjoyed it, the sensation of two warm bodies pressing in from each side. Then Ryland broke free of the kiss and as he was drawing back, he shifted until he was kissing Marc instead.

Well, this was unexpected, Marc thought. He almost drew away, but he was warm and relaxed and more than a little bit tipsy, and Ryland was a really good kisser that still tasted faintly of alcohol. And Ryland's date was sitting right there, not doing anything, so he obviously didn't mind. So Marc kissed him back. Ryland pressed his advantage, and Marc felt the warm request of his tongue sliding along his lip and opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. Ryland had a hand on his shoulder, the other behind his head, and it felt good, being held that way. When the kiss ended and Ryland pulled back, giving him a wink, Marc missed the warmth of his hands.

Marc ordered another drink to sooth his nerves. Ryland gave his drink another curious look, but when Marc offered to let him try it, Ryland shook his head.

"I'll kiss it off you later," he said, with a grin. Marc felt his face grow hot. He still wasn't sure what was going on.

The bartender announced last call and Marc glanced at his watch, noticing how late it was. He remembered Gabriel's arm around his waist when Marc swayed slightly after first standing up, and Ryland's insistence on driving, since he was sober. Gabriel invited Marc over to his place and, of course, Marc agreed, because he couldn't very well drive himself home and it was past time when the buses or trains would be running.

Gabriel’s loft apartment looked classy and expensive, with hardwood floors, deep, comfortable looking sofas, and a well-stocked liquor cabinet, but it was hard to take it all in, because Gabriel started kissing him the minute Marc had shed his shoes and jacket and it was wonderfully distracting. And the astonishing thing was that Ryland didn't seem to mind, sliding up behind Marc, and kissing the back of his neck, above the collar, while his hands slid around and started unbuttoning his shirt. There were several warm hands on his back and his chest and he gasped a little as Gabriel’s lips slid down to his neck, and started kissing and licking there, because there were now two mouths on his neck, and he felt himself going weak in the knees. He grabbed at Gabriel, who pulled him close, pressing a hard thigh between Marc's legs and kissing him again.

Marc rutted against him, a little drunk and completely turned on, completely confused and too horny to care.

Marc felt hands on his belt, but before Gabriel unbuckled it, the other man disengaged, and stepped back. Marc stared, so hard it was almost an ache, nearly trembling with desire.

"Are you okay with this?" Gabriel asked, his voice husky.

Marc blinked. "What?"

"Are you okay with this? Having sex."

"With us," Ryland helpfully clarified, coming around to look at Marc, resting his chin on Gabriel's shoulder.

"I was kind of hoping that was where we were heading," Marc replied.

"Oh good." Ryland leaned forward and kissed him again. "I call dibs."

Gabriel wrapped a possessive arm around Marc's waist. "No way. I found him first."

Ryland laughed. "Oh please. I am totally up for several rounds, and we both know that you can barely last past one, old man."

"Oh, that is it, you little--"

Gabriel lunged for the younger man who took off into the other room, laughing. Marc, feeling a little out of his element, but still hopeful, followed. The two were on a bed, engaged in some combination of wrestling and making out, but Gabriel eventually pinned his lover down and bent to kiss him. Ryland caught sight of Marc out of the corner of his eye and extended a hand. Marc approached and Ryland pulled him into the melee, tugging him down on top of him and kissing him.

Eventually the weight on the bed shifted, and Marc realized that Gabriel had gotten up, but as Ryland was sucking on his lower lip with his hands down the back of his jeans, he didn't pay much attention.

"I want you to fuck me," Ryland gasped, pulling Marc's hips down against his and rolling up so that Marc could feel his erection. "Is that cool?"

"Yeah," Marc replied, surprised at how husky his voice was. He pushed some of the other man's fair hair back, watching his face and bent to kiss him again, tasting his mouth, his jaw, the smooth line of his neck. His shirt was gone, revealing a toned chest that was flushed from their recent activities, and Marc unzipped his jeans, pulling them down his legs. Ryland's erection was clearly visible, straining against the dark material of his briefs, and Marc took a moment to press his face against it, breathing in the sweet scent of musk, precum and arousal, then turned his head to suck a hickey into Ryland's inner thigh. He glanced up and saw Gabriel kissing Ryland, the other boy wrapping his arms around his neck as Marc fixed another hickey on the other thigh.

Marc kissed the smooth skin of Ryland's stomach, feeling hard muscles flexing underneath, then slowly drew the briefs down his legs. He slid a tongue up Ryland's thigh, let it skate along the ridge of his hipbones, while he stroked Ryland's erection, feeling the hot pulse of him against his palm and smearing the precum around the head of his cock with his thumb.

Gabriel, who was already half-way undressed, passed him a tube of lube. "You can prep him if you want, or I can do it," he offered. Marc took the proffered tube and slicked his fingers up. Gabriel pressed a kiss on Ryland’s chest, then returned to his mouth.

Marc focused on prepping his soon-to-be lover. He was slow and careful, but Ryland loosened up quickly and was soon squirming impatiently, pressing down on the fingers sliding inside him.

"I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm rea-" his babbling was cut short by another firm kiss from Gabriel. "Patience, baby," he said. Gabriel sat up and leaned over to kiss Marc. Marc could taste and smell Ryland on him, and it was intoxicating. He felt giddy and excited, but also so aroused and hard that it was a little painful, a sharp edge to his anticipation.

Gabriel drew back, slightly. "Do you have a preference?" he asked. "Condoms? Are you okay with latex?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Don’t use the glow in the dark ones," Ryland interjected from where he was sprawled on his back. Legs splayed, eyes half-closed, erection hard and leaking, kiss marks all over his body, he looked like a wet dream come to life. "I don't want to feel like I'm about to get fucked by a lightsaber."

Marc laughed and leaned over him to kiss him. "You're cute. Goddamn, you're cute."

Ryland winked at him, then stroked himself slowly, watching as Gabriel finished undressing Marc and slid a condom down Marc's erection, kissing him deeply the entire time. Marc slid his fingers back into Ryland, adding more lube and making sure he was still stretched out, before slicking himself up. Gabriel kissed Ryland’s ear. "He's going to fuck you, and I'm going to watch," he heard Gabriel tell Ryland. "Goddamn, you look so fucking hot right now."

Ryland moaned, as Marc lifted one knee and lined himself up.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, yes, please, yes," Ryland gasped out. "I want it."

Marc pressed forward, moving achingly slow, sinking in inch by inch. "Okay baby?" he asked, realizing the endearment a second too late to stop it. He rubbed a soothing hand over Ryland's hip.

"Yeah," Ryland gasped. "Yeah, just..." He reached out, gripping Marc around the hips and pulling him in deeper, all the way, then let out a low satisfied groan that made Marc's cock twitch inside the tight, hot clasp of his body.

Then Gabriel was climbing on the bed behind him. Marc had almost forgotten about him, with all his attention focused on Ryland, but now the other man was behind him, kissing him behind the ear and down the back of his neck and, oh, that was nice.

"Don't be afraid to let him have it," Gabriel purred. "He likes it nice and deep, don't you, baby?"

"Uh-huh," Ryland moaned out. He was clutching the pillow with one hand, the other working his cock.

Marc began to fuck him carefully, short shallow thrusts while watching the way Ryland's hand moved over his cock before he slid a hand underneath Ryland's knee and lifted his leg up, sinking in deep. Ryland groaned and arched up underneath him.

"Damn," Marc gasped, thrusting in again. Gabriel was still behind him, pressing hotly against his lower back, painting his neck and shoulder with small, biting kisses. He was already achingly hard inside of Ryland's body, and Ryland used his free hand to pull up his other leg and the next thrust buried him to the hilt.

"Jesus," Marc gasped, pausing for a moment as he felt his cock spasm.

Gabriel chuckled against the back of his neck. "Let me," he whispered and Marc felt Gabriel's hand sliding up underneath his to hoist Ryland's legs up. "You okay down there, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh," Ryland panted. He reached up for Marc, who carefully lowered himself down onto his forearms, leaning down to kiss him. Ryland kissed him back strongly, hungrily wrapping his arms around Marc as the older man pressed deep into him again.

"Fuck," Ryland whispered when he finally released Marc, who moved his questing lips to his neck instead. "You feel so good. Just like that--yes, yes, yes."

Marc was panting, thrusting steadily now. He knew that Gabriel was still behind him, he felt the warm press of his cock against his ass each time he pulled back, but the other man didn't try to penetrate him at all, just seemed content to rub against him while whispering sexy encouragement to the both of them.

It didn’t take long for Ryland to come, throwing his head back and gritting his teeth as his cock exploded all over his hand and stomach. The resulting spams sent sweet fire through Marc's cock, and he came soon afterwards.

It was around then that his suddenly weak arms failed him, and Marc collapsed on top of Ryland. The younger man petted him a little bit, stroking his head and rubbing his back, pressing a kiss against his sweaty brow, like a lover would. Other sensations started to filter in once the orgasmic bliss started fading, the burn of the scratches that Ryland had left all over his arms, the warm weight of Gabriel on top of him. Marc turned his head in time to see Gabriel giving Ryland a very involved kiss. He smiled at little. Considering how horrible work had been, he had fully expected to end his night drinking until he was exhausted, then passing out until late the next morning. This was a much nicer alternative.

"As much as I am enjoying having two very sexy men all over me," Ryland murmured, "you guys together are pretty fucking heavy."

Gabriel laughed and got up. Marc instantly missed the heat of him, and he also reluctantly got up to throw away the condom and lingered uncertainly, wondering if he should stay or go. Ryland looked at him, and gestured him back to the bed. "Post sex cuddles are mandatory."

Marc climbed back in the bed, the sheets warm against his suddenly chilled skin and smelling sweetly of sex. Gabriel came back with a damp towel and wiped down both of them with a good deal of kissing and good-natured tickling. Marc snuggled in close to Ryland's side, who had an arm around him. He listened to Gabriel and Ryland teasing each other, Ryland complaining about having his legs shoved up to his ears and Gabriel responding that he was young enough to take it.

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew, he woke up abruptly from foggy darkness, fully hard and aroused. He could feel a hot mouth around his cock and thrust up into it before he opened his eyes and saw Ryland on his knees and elbows, sucking his cock. Gabriel was behind him, his hips pistoning in a way that made it obvious that Ryland was getting fucked. Ryland gasped and moaned around Marc's cock in a way that was driving him crazy. Still half asleep, he lifted his hips deeper into that wet suction. Ryland gripped his hips, fingers digging into his flesh, and it felt good, grounding. Marc dug his fingers into the sheets underneath him, and grabbed at Ryland's shoulder with his other hand.

"Jesus," he whispered as Gabriel gave a particularly enthusiastic thrust and sent Ryland deeper onto his cock. The entire experience, the novelty of new lovers, the hot suction of Ryland's mouth, and the sight of him being fucked by Gabriel, who had an amazing body, was too much for him. He rolled his hips up, deeper into Ryland's talented mouth, and felt him moaning and panting around his cock as Gabriel sped up his thrusts, and then Marc came, hard, into Ryland's mouth. Marc felt Ryland swallowing around him and shuddered with another burst of pleasure.

Ryland drew off his cock and rested his head on Marc's stomach, making soft gasps and grunts of pleasure. Marc ran a hand through the younger man's hair, then carefully slid down until he was able to kiss Ryland, tasting his own release on the other man's tongue. Ryland gasped and shuddered above him, tensing and trembling, then Marc felt a warm spill of fluid as Ryland orgasmed. Gabriel followed suit a few seconds later. Ryland had collapsed on top of Marc, and Gabriel carefully maneuvered to lie next to them. Ryland lifted his head, kissed Gabriel and then moved to kiss Marc again. Marc liked it. He was warm and sleepy and sated, and Ryland's body on top of him and Gabriel's warmth next to him was...nice. It has been a long time since he had shared a bed with someone. He fell back asleep almost instantly.

    

The minute consciousness came back to Marc, it was obvious that he had a hangover. The pounding in his head was a dead giveaway. Nothing else but an unhealthy amount of booze gave him headaches like this one, and his stomach was swimming. He kept his eyes closed, tried to pretend that someone wasn't performing heavy-duty carpentry inside his skull, and tried to piece together the previous night. He could remember going home with Gabriel and Ryland, the kissing, and the ache in other parts of his body reminded him of other things he had done the previous night as well.

He eventually rolled over and sat up, his bleary eyes spotting a bottled water and aspirin on the bedside table. He reached for it gratefully, downing three pills and sipping cautiously at the water. He was aware of more things now, the steady hiss of water from the bathroom, indicating that someone was in the shower, and the warm aroma of coffee. The latter was too tempting to resist, and he found his clothes on the floor, then followed the smell, through the living room, which was too full of early morning sunlight that made him squint, and into the kitchen, where Ryland was cooking something that smelled almost as good as the coffee.

"Hey," Ryland said, smiling. He looked much better than how Marc felt he was faring at the moment. "Coffee?"

"Please," Marc responded and Ryland chuckled.

"Cream, sugar?"

Marc shook his head. "No, I like it black."

Ryland raised an eyebrow, filled a mug and passed it over. Marc sipped it carefully, enjoying the heat and the flavor. He wasn't as educated about coffee as he was about alcohol and food, but he could guess that this was as high quality as the luxurious apartment and marble counter he was currently sitting at. Marc continued to sip, aware that he was verging on the edge of overstaying his welcome, but enjoying the coffee and the quiet. He was in dire need of a shower and some food, but those could wait.

Ryland was sipping a Sprite and cooking something at the stove. Within a few minutes, he slid over a plate with scrambled eggs and avocado on toast. Marc felt his ears grow warm.

"You don't have to feed me."

"Eat up, " Ryland said in return. "You worked hard last night." He followed that with a wink, and Marc felt his cheeks grow warm as well. "I have to take Gabriel to the airport after breakfast. I can drop you back off at your car on the way if you feel okay to drive back to your place."

That sounded much better than having to pay for a cab or Uber, so even though he felt smelly and grubby from the previous night and wanted nothing more than to bathe and then crawl back into bed, he cautiously tried some of the food, which was good enough and finished the coffee. He was mildly mollified by the fact that when Gabriel came out, even though he was freshly showered and nicely dressed in a suit and tie, he too looked haggard and exhausted. He smiled when he saw Marc sitting at the counter though, and pressed a light affectionate kiss against his temple. Marc smiled, but wasn't feeling bold enough to return the gesture.

"Where are you heading?" Marc asked, remembering that Ryland had mentioned taking Gabriel to the airport.

"Tokyo, I think?" Ryland answered, looking at Gabriel and raising his eyebrows in question.

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah. We have a meeting in Tokyo, then I have to go by the factory in Kyoto."

"What kind of work do you do?" Marc asked, curious. He had never even been out of the country, much less a place as exotic as Japan.

"I do work for Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric."

"And he has to travel a lot," Ryland said with a pout.

"Well, now you have a new friend to keep you company while I'm gone," Gabriel said, giving Marc a wink.

Marc felt himself grow warm and focused on devouring the eggs and toast, which were doing wonders for his uneasy stomach.

 

Ryland dropped him off at his car with a firm kiss and a cheerful "Call me, okay?"

Marc waved as they drove away and then got in his own car to head home. As much as he enjoyed the night, he knew he would probably not be calling the two men that he spent the night with. It was fun, and would leave him with a wealth of jacking off memories, but he didn't want to do anything to mess up the relationship between the two of them. There was genuine love in the way Ryland and Gabriel looked at each other, and he wasn’t going to interfere with that.

He drove home smiling.

 

A week passed, and Marc found himself so busy with work and taking care of his personal life that he didn't think of the night too much. He did sometimes, early in the morning when he got off his shift, waiting for sleep. He would remember the press of bodies on either side as they kissed at the bar, would remember the slick heat of Ryland's body as he slid inside him, or the wet suction of Ryland's mouth around his cock.

He tried to keep daylight hours when possible on his days off, sleeping late but getting up before noon. This particular day he was at the farmer's market, browsing the different booths set up. He knew most of the farmers and artisans that sold their products there and could usually get a discount or a deal if they liked him. He could remember a few of the appetizers that Ryland had ordered from the bar they went to and wanted to see if he could recreate them at home, and also wanted some appetizers for the Italian supper he was planning on making for Coralie when she came home from class and before she left for work.

He had just paid for some basil and cherry tomatoes and was about to head for the dairy booth, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and Ryland was standing there, looking puzzled.

"It is you!" he exclaimed.

"Ryland?" He was prepared for casual rejection, embarrassment, perhaps awkward conversation. He wasn’t prepared for Ryland to smile, step forward, grip his collar and press his lips against his.

Marc kissed back for a moment, relishing in the semi-familiar feeling and taste of Ryland's mouth against his, before he noticed something pressing uncomfortably against his chest. He shifted slightly, moving back and to the side. Ryland took that as a sign to stop and pulled back, smiling still.

"I thought maybe you had forgotten about me!" he said.

Marc studied him. The object that had pressed against his chest was a camera that was hanging around Ryland's neck, and he was carrying a camera case and backpack.

"No, I haven't forgotten," Marc said carefully. "I've just been busy with work and stuff." He was gripping the straps of his bag too tightly and tried to loosen his grip. "What are you doing here?"

Ryland held up his camera in one hand, as if that explained everything. "College project. I'm doing a 'local colors of the community' type thing and wanted to get some pictures of the farmers at the market. You seem like you've done this type of thing before."

"Yeah, I like shopping here more than the grocery store when I'm able."

"Can I tag along?" Ryland asked. Marc thought about refusing, except he couldn't really figure out a reason why he shouldn't, and Ryland was looking at him hopefully, and he didn't know if he could stand watching that look melt into disappointment.

"Sure," he finally said. To his surprise, Ryland didn’t get in the way, hung back while Marc looked at the items and spoke to the vendors, occasionally taking a photo.

"Do you cook a lot?" Ryland asked him as he was wrapping up. The camera, Marc saw, had been returned to its case, and Ryland was tucking it securely into his backpack.

"I do."

"Are you as good at cooking as you are at bartending?"

Marc shrugged. "Probably not, but it's something fun to do. Do you like to cook?"

Ryland laughed. "Oh, definitely not. Those scrambled eggs were about the height of my culinary prowess." Ryland grinned at him again. "Maybe you could teach me."

 

And that was how Marc found himself back in his apartment with Ryland, showing him how to layer cherry tomatoes, basil and mozzarella to make caprese skewers. Marc heated up a balsamic reduction to drizzle on the top, and started on the main dish. Ryland kept up a constant stream of discussion, from which Marc discovered that he was in college, lived in an on campus bungalow with a bunch of roommates, and liked photography and alcohol, but not beer.

"Really?" Marc asked, looking up from the pesto he was making. "I thought beer was like the lifeblood of college students."

Ryland shrugged. "I don't like the taste. Most of my friends don't seem to either, but they just down it as quickly as possible to get a buzz."

"Beer is usually something you acquire a taste for and most of your friends, if they just want a buzz, are probably drinking cheap beer. Some of the dark beers might be more to your taste; they are sweeter, richer and more malty. I can recommend some if you want."

"My very own personal bartender, huh?" Ryland asked with a smile.

Marc returned the smile, then checked his watch as he heard a key slide home and unlock the door. Coralie.

"We're having company for lunch, hope you don't mind," Marc said.

"Who is it?"

"I'm home!" A familiar soprano trilled out and a moment later, Coralie stepped into the room. Shedding her coat, she smiled up at Marc. "Something smells good."

"You're in time for lunch," Marc told her, giving her a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek. "Cora, this is Ryland."

Ryland, at the counter, smiled and gave her a little wave. Coralie smiled back.

"Hi!"

"Hey," Ryland said.

"He's joining us for lunch; go wash up."

"Kay," Coralie chirped and trotted off toward the bathroom. Ryland watched her go with a smile.

"She's cute. Your girlfriend?"

"No. Sister. And she's fifteen, so hands off."

Ryland held his hands up in defense. "Wouldn't touch her. My preference is strictly males. Can I photograph her though?"

Marc frowned. "Why?"

In answer, Ryland held up his camera. "She's very photogenic. I'll give them back to you once they are developed, and I won't keep any for my portfolio, promise."

Marc shrugged. "You can ask her."

Ryland did when Coralie came back in and she instantly agreed and started preening as Ryland dug his camera out. Marc watched warily as Ryland snapped a few photos. He supposed that Ryland was right; Coralie was very pretty, sharing his dark hair and eyes.

"Here, Ryland made these caprese skewers," Marc said, sliding the platter in her direction.

"Oh, my favorite!" she said, picking one up and smiling at Ryland, who rewarded her with the shutter of his camera clicking.

"How was school?" Marc asked.

"Fine," Coralie answered, leaning on the counter and pulling a cherry tomato off a skewer and popping it into her mouth. "Mrs. Ruiz hinted that we might have a pop quiz tomorrow, so I'm probably going to study at the store some before I come home tonight."

"Okay. You're coming back here tonight?"

Coralie looked up at him, and the vulnerable ache in her eyes resonated in his chest. "If that's alright?"

"Of course. You're always welcome here." He turned away to press a kiss against the crown of her dark hair. "This is your home too."

"Okay," Coralie said, turning over the skewer to pluck off a basil leaf and a piece of mozzarella. "So are you one of Marc's friends?" she asked, turning to Ryland.

"I am," Ryland told her, taking one more picture, then putting his camera down. "I go to school at the college downtown."

"Cool," Coralie said, sitting down on a stool next to him. Marc spooned some pasta and beans from the pot into a bowl and ladled some pesto on top and passed it to her, then made another helping for himself and Ryland.

"What is this?" Coralie asked, scooping up a spoonful.

"It's that Pasta e Fagoili with the butternut squash that you like," Marc told her.

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed, taking another bite. "It's good."

"This is awesome," Ryland concurred, downing his quickly. "I might just have to ask you to marry me."

Marc blushed and Coralie laughed.

After she ate, Coralie changed and went to catch the bus to work. Ryland was in the kitchen, washing up the dishes, while Marc packed up leftovers in Tupperware containers. Once Ryland was done, wiping his hands on a towel, he turned to Marc. "I like her."

"I'm glad," Marc said.

Ryland approached, invading Marc's space until he had the other man pressed up against the refrigerator. "I like you, too."

Then he was kissing Marc again, like the night at the bar, slow and deep. Marc felt torn. On one hand, he wanted this, wanted to do nothing but kiss him back, and sink into the sensation of him and maybe take him to his bedroom and see if he could coax those sweet sounds from him again. On the other hand, he knew that Ryland was with Gabriel, who Marc also kind of liked. Unless they had broken up.

Reluctantly, Marc pulled away. Ryland gazed up at him.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"I-I like this-" Marc said, gently squeezing Ryland's arm for emphasis. "And I like what we did that first night. But--this--whatever this is--well, it's new territory for me."

"What, dating?"

"No, not dating, but dating you. I mean, you and Gabriel are still together right?"

"Yes. And this was actually his idea. Me having another boyfriend."

"Okay. Well, how does that work?"

"It works like this: Gabriel is away a lot for work. I would love to travel with him, but I have school here and I am even toying with the idea of grad school maybe, so that's not an option. And I really like him, hell, I love him, but it's hard. He's gone so often, and I have a really high libido. Jacking off doesn't help that much, and it was frustrating. So we talked about it and decided that I could look for another boyfriend. A local one, for when Gabriel is away, doing his thing. There are rules though. He had to meet you and agree first. Second, we have to use condoms for penetration. We are both clean; I have the records if you want to see them. So, that first night, that was sort of like a test drive, to see if we were compatible, and so Gabriel would see whether or not it would bother him to see me with another man."

"And did it?" Marc asked.

Ryland shrugged. "Not really, based on what he told me. He said it was a little weird, watching me with someone else, but also that it was really hot, watching someone else take me apart like that." Ryland colored a little at the last part and grinned. Marc couldn't help but smile himself, it was very cute. "And of course you have to be okay with it too."

"Okay with being your sidepiece?"

Marc instantly regretted his words as Ryland's grin vanished, leaving him looking baffled and hurt.

"No, not a sidepiece. A boyfriend. Or friends with benefits, if you prefer that. I want sex, of course, but I also want someone to hang out with, go on dates with. That sort of stuff. And you are not a sidepiece, my other boyfriend already knows about you. But all that doesn't matter if it's not something you want."

Marc thought about that. He did like Ryland. And Marc was single, and he did get lonely sometimes. And if Ryland and Gabriel were really okay with it, what was the harm? It was just sex and a little romance.

"Okay, I'm game, but I have some rules too."

Ryland nodded. "Excellent, let's have it then."

"Well, at some point, I want confirmation from Gabriel that he is aware of what is going on and that he is really okay with this."

"Sure, sure. I'll call him before I leave and let you talk to him."

"Okay, the second rule is the condom rule that you brought up. I'm in full agreement with that one. Do you have a preference aside from not wanting the glow in the dark ones?"

Ryland reddened and shook his head. It was unbearably cute, and so Marc took a chance and moved in to kiss him. It was a short kiss and chaste by Marc's standards, but Ryland responded, moving in close and wrapping his arms around Marc's waist, pulling them closer. And when Marc moved back, breaking the kiss, Ryland let him.

"Has anyone told you that you are a really good kisser?" Ryland asked, smiling at him.

"Not recently," Marc answered. A more accurate answer would be not ever, but it was pretty early in their fledgling relationship to talk about his scant sexual history.

"Any more rules?" Ryland asked.

"Just one more. Rule number three. If Gabriel or yourself find out that this isn't what you wanted, or isn't working out, you have to let me know. I'm not cool with being responsible for a break-up."

Ryland nodded. "Sounds reasonable." Then he moved in for another kiss. Marc confined their activities for that afternoon to kissing only, even after Ryland called Gabriel in Japan, who had just returned from a morning run, and let them talk. Gabriel reassured him that yes, it was his idea for Ryland to have another lover when he was out of town and that he approved of Ryland's choice. He also reiterated their own rules. Ryland spoke to Gabriel for a while after that, before disconnecting the call and turning to Marc with a smile.

"Alright then?"

Marc answered by pulling him in for another kiss.

Surprisingly, Ryland didn't even ask for sex, just seemed content to kiss and cuddle. Eventually they ended up on Marc's couch, with Ryland lying with his head on Marc's chest, watching the television channel flip by as Marc clicked on the remote. Marc didn't watch much television, mostly ESPN and cooking shows, and Coralie used Netflix. But it was warm and comfortable, with Ryland lying on top of him, and Marc used his free hand to stroke up and down his back. It was interesting, having someone else there with him, just relaxing and chilling out. As he listened to Ryland's breathing even out and deepen, he decided to enjoy the situation, as weird as it was, for as long as it lasted. But not to get attached. His first priority was Coralie, everything else came after that.

He was still on the couch with Ryland when he heard the click of Coralie's key opening the lock on the front door. He listened to her pass through the kitchen and into the living room, where she saw them lying on the couch. He could see her face by the light of the television and lamp and wondered fleetingly about her reaction, seeing him obviously cuddling with another guy. He had boyfriends before, but usually wouldn't bring them home. He saw her take the scene in, then smile and cross the room. Marc raised a single finger to his lips, indicating that she should speak quietly. She knelt down next to the couch.

"Hey."

"Hey. How was work?" he asked.

"Good," she whispered back. "I put my paycheck on the counter."

"Okay, I'll take it to the bank tomorrow and put it in your account."

She glanced at Ryland. "This is new."

Marc nodded. "You met Ryland earlier."

"Yeah. He took my picture."

"Right. He may be staying here from time to time. Are you okay with that?"

"Is he your boyfriend?" Coralie asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'm okay with him staying over, as long as you are with him."

"That's fair," Marc agreed. "Did you get your homework done and something to eat?"

Coralie nodded.

"Good girl. I'll see you tomorrow after school, okay?"

"Okay." She usually hugged him goodnight, but this time she just leaned forward and gave him a kiss on his cheek before getting back to her feet."

"Love you," he called out softly.

"Love you too," she called back before the soft tread of her footsteps disappeared into her bedroom.

"I still like her," Ryland announced.

Marc glanced down in surprise. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was. I'm a light sleeper."

Ryland pushed himself up and gave Marc a long, lingering kiss, then laid back on his chest. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"Can't promise an answer, but you can ask," Marc responded.

"Why does your sister live with you? Are you orphans?"

"No. My dad is out of the picture, and my mom has some problems. So my sister mainly stays here since I moved out. She works part-time and I put the money in a savings account for her and give her an allowance for snacks and shopping and things like that." Marc shifted underneath him, and Ryland took the hint and sat up, moving off of him, and Marc found himself instantly missing the warmth and weight of him.

Marc moved forward to kiss him, moving his hands to hold Ryland's head, tilting it slightly to deepen the kiss. Ryland was wonderfully responsive, opening his mouth for Marc's questing tongue and let himself be cradled by Marc's hands.

"Are your roommates expecting you back tonight?" Marc asked after the kiss ended.

"No," Ryland whispered hoarsely. "The only person I would check in with is Gabriel, and he already knows where I am."

Marc moved in behind Ryland, kissing him behind his ear and running his hands up the other boy's thighs, stroking them before moving his hands in, finding a growing bulge behind the denim.

"What is this?" he asked, feigning surprise.

"The side effect of making out with a hot guy on his couch," Ryland responded. Marc chuckled.

"Well, well, we can't have you walking around with that on display."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

Marc could hear the flirtatious smile in Ryland’s voice. Marc got up from the couch and pulled Ryland up by the loops of his jeans, then tugged him up against him so that the other boy could feel his answering erection.

"Well, first of all, I'm going to suck your cock until you come in my mouth," Marc told him, and drug his teeth down his neck. "Then, to show your gratitude, you are going to let me fuck that sweet little ass of yours. How does that sound?"

"Just delightful," Ryland gasped out.

"But, you have to be very quiet," Marc cautioned. "If you get too noisy, I'll have to put something in your mouth to keep you quiet. And that would be a shame, because I have plans for your mouth."

"I'll be quiet," Ryland promised in a whisper.

Marc led Ryland to his bedroom and backed him up against the door as soon as it was closed, kissing him again. Ryland was wonderfully responsive, opening his mouth and arching into Marc's hands when he ran them over his chest. Marc broke off long enough to pull Ryland's shirt off, leaving hot kisses along his neck and chest before dropping to his knees and unzipping Ryland's jeans, pulling them and his underwear down in one movement. Ryland was already rock hard and Marc stroked his erection a few times, before licking it from base to tip and taking it in his mouth. He heard Ryland's muffled gasp above him.

Marc loved sucking cock, the sexy taste of it, the feel of a cock stretching his mouth wide, the weight of it against his tongue. He worked slowly, taking more until he was grabbing Ryland’s thighs and pulling him closer, taking it all the way back into his throat. He could hear Ryland groaning a little above him. He felt Ryland's hands fluttering uncertainly near his shoulders and gripped them, pulled them down into his hair. There was another low groan and the thump of Ryland’s head against the door. Marc gave his thigh a small pinch, as a reminder.

Marc was tempted to go ahead and finish him off, but he was having fun teasing him a little bit, drawing back to suck and lick at the head, scraping his nails up the back of his thighs. Ryland was letting out the sweetest little whimpers and the hands on his hair tightened, then gave a little experimental pull. Marc let himself be drawn forward, sliding his mouth down Ryland's cock. He was content to let Ryland take the lead, to pull him in so he was taking him deeper and deeper.

When Ryland finally came with a small, muffled cry, Marc swallowed around him, sucking the last drops off of his member before drawing back and kissing Ryland's stomach and getting to his feet. Ryland was trembling slightly, and he slumped forward against Marc's body when he embraced him.

"Okay?" Marc asked, more amused than worried.

"Yeah," Ryland said, then moved his head into Marc's neck, kissing the skin there. "Just...wow. That was amazing."

"And you are loud," Marc teased back, helping Ryland out of his clothes and leading him back to the bed.

"I guess you'll have to find a way to keep me quiet," Ryland challenged, lying back on the mattress and watching as Marc slipped the remainder of his clothes off. "Any ideas?"

"I have a few in mind," Marc said, before covering Ryland's mouth with his own.

 

Life settled into a surprisingly easy pattern with Ryland. He would often come to the bar late into Marc's shift, sitting at a quiet corner, reading or working on an assignment until the bar closed and going home with Marc. They had sex nearly every night, before falling asleep in an exhausted heap in Marc's bed. Ryland would usually be gone to class by the time Marc finally roused himself around early afternoon to make sure that Coralie had lunch before heading to work or a friend's house or the library to study. But he usually left a cute, flirty message in the bed or on his phone for when Marc woke up. Marc's favorite days were Wednesdays and Thursdays, because he had those off of work and it allowed him to spend extra time with Ryland and Coralie. Ryland delighted in taking him to dive restaurants with amazing food and awful beer, helping Marc cook lunch for Coralie and then making love when she left.

Gabriel's schedule had him gone for longer periods of time, but he usually made it home for the weekends, which meant Ryland wasn't around much Friday through Sunday. That suited Marc, who was the busiest on Friday and Saturday nights, working slightly longer hours and would have been too busy to talk to Ryland, had he been there.

Ryland also made an effort to include Coralie in their plans, bringing over board games and movies (PG for Coralie and R rated for once she went to bed) to Marc's apartment.

Although their encounters were almost entirely sexual for the most part, tiny instances of intimacy would creep in. One night, Marc took off of work and texted Ryland to tell him that his sister was having some of her friends over for a birthday slumber party and Ryland showed up anyway, with a birthday hat on, carrying a gift and small cake for Coralie. Most of the girls regarded Marc the same way Coralie did, as a big brother figure, but Ryland was new, attractive, and young enough to draw interest from teenage girls.

Coralie was delighted by the cake and the gift, which was a hat with two pom poms on top, fashioned to look like cat ears, and a pair of dangly sapphire earrings. She rewarded him with a hug and a shy kiss on the cheek, which drew shrieks from her overexcited friends. Ryland beamed happily, and Marc watched the interaction with interest. Ryland looked so happy he was nearly glowing with it, and Coralie looked excited and delighted, and Marc felt something tighten in his chest for a moment, then blossom out, filling his entire body with warmth.

It startled him enough that he almost lost his grip on the tray of mini pizzas he was holding and quickly transferred it to the stovetop.

Ryland stayed for a few hours, mostly helping Marc out, while various girls would find excuses to wander into the room, or peek at them around the corners before exploding into a fit of giggles. Coralie finally started to pointedly call Ryland "Marc's boyfriend" in an attempt to rein her friends in. Ryland thought it was hilarious.

Marc wasn't willing to chance sex in a small apartment that was full of teenage girls, but he did press Ryland against the wall as soon as he "walked him out" and kissed him fiercely. Ryland responded in kind, gripping Marc's hair and whispering "God, I'm going to miss you tonight."

"Me too," Marc murmured against his jaw. "Thank you so much for tonight. You made Coralie's birthday so much sweeter."

"Glad to do it," Ryland murmured against Marc’s lips, before they were kissing again.

Once Ryland left for the night and the girls had more or less settled themselves in sleeping bags in Coralie's room, Marc got a steady stream of teasing, sex-laden texts from Ryland that left him horny and frustrated through the night. He made a point of taking that out on Ryland's body the next time they had an evening together.

It was these small gestures that eventually prompted Marc to make one of his own. Coralie was staying with a friend and Ryland was coming over when he was done with classes.

Marc set up the card table that they used for game nights and draped it with a tablecloth he bought earlier that day. He set out his best dinnerware and cutlery, and set to cooking a red wine beef stew that he knew Ryland liked.

The look on Ryland's face when he walked in and saw candles lit and heard soft jazz playing on the stereo, was priceless.

"What is this?" he exclaimed, sounding equal parts delighted and confused. In answer, Marc pressed him up against the wall and kissed him until they were both breathless.

The truth was, Ryland had made Coralie's birthday extra special and made Marc’s days better just by being there, with his smile and laugh and those sinfully clever hands. Marc wanted to give him something special in return.

Marc wasn't sure if it was okay to tell Ryland that, however, and instead gave him the excuse of their three-month anniversary.

They ate, drank, had sex, and drank some more, then had sex in the shower. Ryland, clad only in his jeans, was in the kitchen opening a third bottle of wine and was considering if another drink would help or hinder his plan to get Marc to go for a third round, when there was a knock on the door. Ryland glanced over warily. Marc was still finishing up in the shower, and it was late. The knock sounded again, more insistent and Ryland checked the peephole and quickly opened the door.

Coralie was on the other side. She was crying and shaking and Ryland quickly ushered her in. "Jesus, girl, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Marc must have heard her, because he burst in a few moments later. "Cora? Cora, are you okay?"

She gripped Ryland, trying to stop herself from crying.

"I--I--" She gasped and heaved a moment, then forced the words out like they hurt her. "I went to see Mom."

Marc cursed explosively before he could stop himself and Coralie cringed away from him, pressing back into Ryland.

"Sorry, baby girl," Marc immediately apologized, contrite. "I'm not mad at you, I promise. It wasn't your fault."

Ryland shuffled the both of them over to the couch so she could sit down. Marc sat down on the other side of her. "I'm not mad at you, I promise. You didn't do anything wrong. But you need to tell me what happened, okay? Did she hurt you?"

Coralie shook her head. "No. She came to get me from Lilah's house. She said she needed money. I told her I didn't have any. She didn't believe me, started screaming at me, telling me that I'm an ungrateful bitch and that I owed her." She let out another shuddering sigh. "I just hate her so much. Why does she do this?"

"She's sick, baby, you know that," Marc told her, pulling her close and rubbing a hand up and down her back. "She's sick and she won't get the help she needs and then she hurts people. It's not your fault."

Marc saw Ryland get up and go into the kitchen to fix hot chocolate. Marc appreciated the gesture. It was a tactful way of giving Coralie time to calm down and collect herself as well as give them a few minutes of privacy.

When Ryland returned with several mugs, Coralie took one with a watery smile and took a few sips before sitting it down on the coffee table.

"Sorry," she said, wiping her hands over her face. She looked much younger than her sixteen years. "I'm an idiot. And I ruined your date."

"No, you didn't," Ryland countered.

"He's right," Marc concurred, giving Ryland a grateful smile for understanding. "You know I don't want you in the house when Mom is having one of her rages. You did exactly the right thing. Finish your drink, okay?"

Ryland turned on the television and the three of them cuddled on the couch, drinking hot cocoa and watching "I Love Lucy" reruns on the television. When Coralie started nodding off during commercial breaks, Marc made her get up and go to bed.

Ryland waited for him in the bedroom. He could hear Marc talking to Coralie in the other room, the low murmur of his voice through the walls, but couldn't make out the words.

"How is she?" Ryland asked when Marc entered.

Marc sighed, taking off his shirt and sweats before crawling into bed. "Okay, I think. I gave her something to help her sleep." He sighed. "I hate it when this happens. I hate that my bitch of a mother keeps reeling her back in, and I hate whenever she unloads all this shit on her. Cora's a fucking kid, she shouldn't have to deal with Mom's BS."

"Is this the reason you left? Because of your mom?"

"Yeah. Soon as I turned seventeen, I bailed. Once I got my feet under me, and got a shitty apartment, I would start trying to let Cora stay with me afterschool. It wasn't hard; I was twelve when she was born so I practically raised her. My Mom...she has issues. My Dad bailed. So it was just me and Cora and...her."

Ryland slid behind him, wrapped his arms around him, and just held him. It was nice. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Marc didn't, and was prepared to say so, but when he opened his mouth, the words started coming and he couldn't stop them.

"She wasn't too bad, most of the time. Or so I thought. I mean, we usually had food to eat, and had clean clothes and a roof over our heads. I mean, I knew people had it a lot worse than we did. You know. But she's just...I don't know, mean, I guess."

"Like how?"

"Well, tonight, she bleached all of Coralie's clothes and shattered her makeup palettes because she wouldn't give mom rent money."

Marc could feel the way that Ryland tried to relax the sudden tension in the arms holding him and when he finally spoke, his voice was carefully measured. "That's fucked up."

"That's how she is. We never got presents growing up, not for Christmas, or birthdays or anything like that. She said we didn't need them. If we did get something, like from a friend or relative, she would take it and return it to the store, and use the money to buy wine and clothes for herself. I learned really quick that if I did get something I liked, I had to act like I didn't like it and not use it very often, or it would get returned, or just thrown away.

"I left when I was seventeen. I would have left earlier if it hadn't been for Coralie. The last straw was when Coralie got a puppy that our aunt gave her for her birthday. My Mom let her keep it for two months, then gave it away one day while we were at school. Cora was devastated. My Mom and I fought. It was the first time things got physical between the two of us, and she ended up kicking me out. So I left."

"And what did you do?" Ryland asked. He moved so he was lying next to him with his head propped up on his hand.

Marc shrugged, turned onto his back, and tucked one hand behind his head. He couldn’t remember the last time he had told this to anyone. Couldn’t remember the last time someone cared. "Couch-surfed for a while. Dropped out of school, started working. I had a little money saved up but not a lot. I thought about trying to find my dad, but, you know, he left me with a woman who was obviously unstable, so I was like screw him. I was working several jobs, and I eventually worked my way up in a restaurant from a server to a bar-back and then into bartending once I was old enough. I would have moved except for Cora. Mom kept her on a tight leash for a while, especially when I left, but once she was old enough to start riding the city bus, she would just come over to see me after school and lie to mom about where she was."

"Does she still do that?"

"Lie? Yeah. She spends enough time with her friends that Mom doesn't know the difference. And she doesn't want Mom to know where I live."

"Why?"

"Well, one, because I asked Cora not to tell her. And, two, because if that bitch showed up here, I would be hard pressed not to kill her."

Ryland raised his eyebrows. "Seriously."

"Seriously."

Ryland laid down on Marc's chest, taking his hand and holding it in his own. "You're amazing."

Marc glanced down in surprise. "What?"

"You are," Ryland repeated. "Most people would grow up resentful or bitter."

"I am resentful and bitter."

"Only towards your mother, which I can't blame you for. But you're not, like, angry at the world. You love your little sister and take care of her, because you know your mother wouldn't. You could have just left her and taken off to rebuild your life somewhere far away, but you didn't. You put the people you love first. And you're smart and sexy and loving and generous and incredible." Ryland moved in to kiss him softly. "You're amazing."

Marc didn't feel amazing. He felt like the same helpless teenager that had just been kicked out of his home, with little money, no place to go, and no way to protect Coralie from his mother. But Ryland was putting up a very persuasive argument, sliding over him and pressing his tongue into his mouth, which made it hard to brood over his past. He kissed him back, wrapping his arms around his waist, feeling Ryland's warm weight pressing against him.

Ryland drew back, looking at his face, and gave him another kiss, soft and gentle. "What do you want?"

Marc rolled his hips up to meet his in answer. "Distract me."

   

 

Marc knew something was wrong. It started a few nights after their anniversary dinner. Ryland was still visiting him at work, going shopping with Coralie, making love with him at night, but there was something there, a distance that Ryland had created and Marc wasn't sure how to breach. He had gently asked Ryland if there was anything wrong, but Ryland brushed off his concerns, stating that he was just stressed from school or projects and distracted him with kisses and caresses.

Marc was worried, but didn't want to push things, figuring that Ryland would talk about whatever was bothering him when he was ready. But he knew enough to know that when a partner started getting distant and cold, that it didn't bode well.

And despite every precaution, and no matter how much Marc refused to get his hopes up, the breakup still hurt.

Marc had come home from his shift at work to find Ryland sitting right outside his apartment door, knees drawn up to his chest.

"Hey there," Marc said. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting," Ryland replied. He smiled up at him, but it didn't reach his eyes. Marc unlocked the door and held out a hand to help Ryland to his feet. He wanted to kiss him, but Ryland's body language warned against it.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked.

Ryland shook his head, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He looked unbearably sad.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Marc asked, approaching him and hugging him. Ryland returned it, gripping his back hard with his fingers.

"We need to talk," Ryland finally said, the words muffled by the material of his shirt.

"Yeah," Marc said, steering him back to the couch. "Talk to me."

Ryland sat down next to him, staring at his hands, which were balled in his lap.

"Do you remember when we started going out, we both had rules?"

"I remember."

Ryland took a deep breath. "Your rule. Rule number 3."

If Gabriel or yourself find out that this isn't what you wanted, or isn't working out, you have to let me know.

"Oh."

Ryland sighed. "Yeah." He dropped his head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize, baby. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I just feel like it's such a shit reason to break up with someone. It's just...I liked it at first. But it doesn't feel right anymore, what we are doing."

"You can break up with someone for whatever reason you want," Marc reassured him. "Hell, you could break up with someone because you didn't like the color of the sky today if you wanted. And there is nothing wrong with breaking up with someone because your feelings change. It happens all the time."

"I'm sorry," Ryland said, wiping angrily at the tears that were creeping down his face. "This sucks so much."

"I know, baby, I know," Marc said. He thought it was odd, for a moment, that he was comforting the person that was breaking up with him, but Ryland looked so miserable and heart-broken, that Marc couldn't help it. "I hate this too. I understand."

Ryland looked up at him, then hugged him. "I'll never be sorry."

Marc hugged him back. "Me neither."

It hurt, feeling Ryland draw away, but then Ryland was on top of him, nearly in his lap, and kissing him. It wasn't the best kiss, salty and full of sadness, but Marc treasured every second of it, let it fill up his mind and soul, sear itself into his memory, because he knew it was the last one that he and Ryland would ever share.

Then Ryland gave him one last hug and was gone, leaving the apartment to fill up with the emptiness of his silence, the absence of his laughter and voice. Nothing left but loneliness and heartache.

 

A week passed. Then two.

Marc tried to keep busy, working, keeping tabs on Coralie, cooking and working out. It almost worked. It kept him busy, which was important, kept him from dwelling on memories of cuddles in front of the television, cooking together, clandestine kissing and quiet lovemaking in his apartment. But everything felt hollow and distant, somehow diminished without the buoyancy of Ryland's smile, weakened by the absence of his laughter. It didn't tear at him, he could have fought the pain of heartbreak; he was used to it. But instead it was a slow drain, a pining that his heart had no resistance against.

He tried his best to keep up a strong front for Coralie, but she must have sensed the change or at least was observant enough to know that Ryland didn't come around anymore. She came up behind him one day in the kitchen and hugged him. Surprised, he gripped one of her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"He must have been a jerk, huh?"

Marc smiled. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, it can’t possibly be your fault," Coralie reassured him. "Because you are the best big brother ever, and a good person. So it had to be his fault."

Marc turned so he could hug her back. "He wasn't a jerk and neither was I. It just didn't work out and that happens sometimes. And it’s hard and it's not fair, but we did the right thing and we're both better for it. It hurts for a while, but it gets better. Sometimes, it just takes a while, that's all."

Coralie pulled back. "I don't like the way that sounds. Can't I just pretend that he was a jerk instead?"

Marc laughed and patted her shoulder. "Go on and eat so you won't be late."

 

Marc had lied to Coralie, but he still waited for the ache to go away. Then, one night after work, he found a text from an unfamiliar number.

Hey, it’s Gabe.

Marc responded with a Hey, then hesitated for a moment after he hit send. Then he added, Is Ryland okay? because he couldn’t think of any other reason for Gabriel to be texting him.

He didn’t expect the other man to still be awake at that hour, but he got a reply almost instantly.

Ryland isn’t doing too well, actually. Followed almost instantly by: We need to talk.

Marc felt a knot of dread form in his stomach. What had Ryland told Gabriel?

I’m off tomorrow evening.

I’ll pick you up at six.

 

The next evening Marc found himself ensconced in the booth of a restaurant far outside his price range. But Gabriel seemed right at home, ordering a fine wine and expensive food. Marc much preferred the dingy hole-in-the-wall restaurants that he and Ryland had favored. But thinking of that hurt and Marc tucked those memories away for a later time. He didn’t need the memory of leaning across a plastic table to kiss his ex-boyfriend with a greasy pizza between them while talking with his ex-boyfriend’s current boyfriend.

“So…” Marc eventually ventured, suddenly wanting to get this over with so he could go home and drink some cheap booze that didn’t taste as good as the wine, but would certainly do the job faster. “Ryland?”

Gabriel sighed and steepled his fingers together. “Ryland, yes. Can you tell me why you broke up?”

Marc pressed all his emotions down into his stomach and tried to speak as brusquely as possible. “He said that his feelings had changed. And I-“ The rules that he and Ryland had set out seemed stupid and embarrassing now. “We had set down some rules. And one of mine was that he had to tell me if the relationship wasn’t working out for him anymore. For him and for you.”

Gabriel nodded and gestured for him to continue.

“Well, that's basically all of it. He said he felt bad for breaking up with me, and I told him that he shouldn’t. That sometimes feelings change and that’s okay. Then he started to cry and I hugged him, he kissed me, and then he left.” Marc felt himself beginning to get defensive. What had Ryland told his boyfriend that prompted this interrogation?

“Did Ryland specifically tell you that his feelings had changed?” Gabriel asked. Marc thought back over the night in question. It was the first time he had let himself intentionally reflect on that night, and the wound was still too raw and new for him to be able to examine it without the lingering pain of heartache.

“No, I’m not sure that he did. He just told me that it was Rule #3.”

“Rule #3?” Gabriel asked.

“I had told him, back when this started, that if it turned out that what we had wasn't something that he wanted, or if it wasn't working out, that he had to tell me. That was Rule #3. I’m the one who told him it was okay for his feelings to change. I thought that this-” Marc gestured to himself and then Gabriel, “wasn’t something he wanted anymore. That he changed his mind after trying it. Or that—that maybe he wasn’t attracted to me anymore.” Marc felt his throat snap shut at the last sentence, and he hurriedly took a sip of wine that soured in his mouth and looked away for a few seconds so he could compose himself.

“I see, “ Gabriel finally said “I have a slightly different story that I think might clear some things up. Ryland broke up because he was falling in love with you.”

Marc blinked. Of all the things he expected to hear, this wasn’t it.

“He was waiting for me when I got back from my last trip. I came home to a very distraught boyfriend. He told me that he had broken things off with you and when I asked him about it, he admitted that he was falling in love with you and that it scared him. He knew that we had an agreement that he could date and have sex with other people while I am gone, and that I was okay with him seeing you. The more time he spent with you, the more he started falling for you, and he didn’t know what to do about it. So, his feelings for you did change, but not the way you are thinking. Ryland told me he was afraid of starting an emotional affair and wasn’t comfortable straying into that territory.”

“Sounds like Ryland told you a hell of a lot more than he told me,” Marc said, unable to stem the surge of bitter jealousy he felt rising up inside of him.

“Well, in all honesty, he probably thought that he would never see you again,” Gabe replied.

“He hasn’t.”

“You miss him.” It was phrased as a fact rather than a question, but Marc still nodded. “Yes.”

“I love Ryland, but I think him breaking up with you was rash and ill-advised. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Well, what you told me is nice to hear, but I don’t see how it changes anything," Marc said. "He's already broken up with me. He chose you."

"On the contrary, I think it changes everything. Falling in love wasn't a dynamic that Ryland and I had agreed on, but it's one I'm willing to consider."

Marc looked up. "I'm not sure I follow."

Gabriel's sharp eyes were following him closely. "You said that Ryland chose me. I'm of the opinion that Ryland doesn't have to choose. I'm willing to open up our relationship, if he and you are okay with it."

"Open your relationship? Like letting both of you date other people?"

Gabriel chuckled. "Well, not myself. I love Ryland and I'm just too busy to take on another boyfriend. But Ryland is different. He thrives when being around other people, and he has boundless love. I told him I was okay with him having sex with other people. We didn't discuss it, but I've been thinking about it and while I'm not sure how I feel about him falling in love with someone else, I don't think it is his fault, or yours. It was just something that happened. Does that sound right?"

Marc nodded mutely.

"Ryland thought that he was doing the right thing by breaking things off with you. But he is miserable right now, and so are you."

"Doing the right thing usually isn't easy," Marc replied.

"Agreed," Gabriel responded. "However, it was the right thing to do according to the initial rules we set out. But we can also renegotiate. Set new rules, new boundaries. I don't want Ryland going out and dating and falling in love with just anyone. But I am okay with him falling in love with you."

"But why?" Marc asked. "I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time sitting here and believing that you are perfectly content with having your boyfriend fall in love with another person. I would feel--"

"Threatened?" Gabriel asked, then paused as their waiter glided up discretely to take their plates away. "Our relationship has been rather unconventional from the start. I'm sure you've noticed that Ryland is much younger than me. I knew from the beginning that I wouldn't be able to give him as much attention or time as I would like to, and I don't want him to be unhappy. Which he is right now. Being with me makes him happy, being with you makes him happy. Having to end things with you made him unhappy, and I want to fix that. I might feel threatened, but when the chips were down, he still chose to stay in the relationship with me. That helped. And I don't know you very well Marc, and would like to know you better. I know you haven’t given me any reason to dislike you, and I know that Ryland loves you and that you make him happy. And what makes Ryland happy makes me happy as well."

"I--I don't know," Marc said. "I--how would this work?"

"I would continue to see Ryland when I am in town. You would continue to see Ryland when I am gone. If we are both in town, we can do group dates. Like I said, I would like to get to know you better, see what it is that Ryland fell in love with."

"Have you talked to Ryland about this?" Marc asked.

"Nope."

"What if--" Marc swallowed hard. "What if he doesn't want this?"

"Why wouldn’t he?" Gabriel asked. "He's already said that he harbors feelings for you. He thinks you are cute, funny and caring. And the two of you are obviously sexually compatible."

"Maybe he values his feelings for you over his feelings for me. Maybe he doesn't want a second boyfriend for anything but sex."

"Perhaps, but we'll never know until we ask him."

Marc thought while Gabriel paid the check.

"What do you say?" Gabriel finally asked.

"I'm willing if he is," Marc said. "But we need to sit down and talk about this. All of us."

"Agreed. We can do it right now if you want."

No time like the present, Marc decided, taking Gabriel's hand when the older man extended it to him. Gabriel pulled him to his feet, then tugged him close to give him a quick, friendly kiss on the mouth. "Let's go then."

 

Marc sat uneasily in Gabriel's expensive apartment, waiting on Ryland. Gabriel had offered some more wine, and Marc accepted in an attempt to calm his nerves. He took the opportunity to look around the apartment some more, since the last time he was here he had been too interested in sex, then too hung over to really take it in. A large window overlooking the city dominated most of the main room, and there were several framed photographs framing the walls.

"Are these Ry's?" Marc asked.

"Yeah," Gabriel responded, looking at his phone. "He's on his way."

"Did you tell him I was here?"

"Yes, I told you I would."

Marc wandered over to the bookshelf. There was a framed picture lying facedown on one of the shelves, and Marc picked it up and turned it over. It was picture of him and Coralie. He recognized it from the first time he had brought Ryland home. Coralie was holding one of the caprese skewers in her hand and had a cherry tomato in her fingers. She was talking to Marc who was watching and smiling at her. He ran a finger down the side of the frame.

He was still standing there when Ryland opened the door and stepped inside. He glanced over and seeing Ryland, standing there, with his messenger bag slung across his chest like it usually was when he came into the bar, brought back another slew of memories. It was a sharp contrast to the expression Ryland wore, something that was cautious and guarded and looking terribly alien and out of place on his usually friendly face. Marc quickly put the picture back in place, but Ryland approached and carefully set it back upright.

"I'm sorry, I know I promised to give them all back to you," Ryland said. He looked sheepish, but his voice was carefully controlled and measured in a way that made Marc’s heart break. He gave Gabriel an unhappy and worried look. Maybe they were wrong, maybe this wasn't what Ryland wanted at all.

"What is going on here guys?" Ryland asked, glancing from Marc to Gabriel.

"Come sit down, we want to talk to you," Gabriel said, gesturing to the couch.

"About what?" Ryland asked, but pulled his messenger bag off and settled down on the couch. He looked extraordinarily uncomfortable and took the wine when Gabriel offered it and drained half the glass. Marc hung back, unsure of what to do, until Gabriel motioned to the spot next to him. Marc sat down and tried to not look like he was about to be sick.

Gabriel took one of the Ryland's hands and gave it a squeeze. "Baby, I want you to know that I love you."

"I love you too," Ryland responded, gripping Gabriel's thigh. "I love you more than anything. Please, baby--" His voice cracked and he swallowed. "Please don't do this."

"Don't do what?" Gabriel asked. He reached out and swiped a thumb over Ryland's cheek and Marc realized that the other man was in tears.

"Don't break up with me, please, I promise, I love you, I want you, I don't--please--I can't--"

"Oh baby, no," Gabriel said, enfolding him in a hug. "No, baby, I'm not breaking up with you, I promise." Gabriel drew him back and kissed him softly. "Now, listen to us, okay? This is important."

Ryland sniffed and wiped his sleeve across his face.

"No-one is breaking up with you. We--Marc and myself--are here because we both love you. I know you love me. I know you love Marc. And that's okay. We both love you and want you to be happy."

"I don't--I don't understand."

Marc got up and moved to Ryland's other side, taking his hand. Ryland looked at him.

"I talked to Gabriel tonight. He--He told me what you told him about the--the reason about why you broke up with me."

"Did he?" Ryland said, shooting a glare in Gabriel's direction. Gabriel ducked his head, smiling sheepishly. "You can yell at me later baby," he said, giving Ryland and apologetic kiss on the temple.

"He told me that the reason you broke up with me is because you were falling in love with me," Marc continued and Ryland turned his attention back to him.

"Fallen," Ryland said.

"I'm sorry?"

"I wasn't falling in love. I was already there."

Marc smiled before he could help it. He had believed Gabriel, but hearing it straight from Ryland was something else entirely.

"I had fallen in love with you. And what's why I ended things. I couldn’t---with Gabriel. I'm so sorry. I hated hurting you, but--"

"I know," Marc said, squeezing Ryland's hand. From his vantage point he could see Gabriel rubbing his hand up and down Ryland's back. "And you did the right thing."

"I know how much breaking things off with Marc hurt you," Gabriel said. "And it breaks my heart to see you so unhappy."

"I'm not!" Ryland insisted.

"Give me a minute baby," Gabriel continued. "So I talked to Marc, and he has agreed to an idea I had."

"What idea?" Ryland asked, his voice trembling.

"That you have two boyfriends. Me and him," Gabriel explained. "I know that previously we had agreed that it was only sex allowed, but feelings change and that's not anyone's fault. It's not yours and it's not Marc's. I know you love me and him, and you are welcome to date...and love...both of us."

"If you want," Marc quickly added.

"I--I don't--what?" Ryland said, sounding puzzled. Marc chuckled.

"It means that we both love you and want to spend time with you," Gabriel said. "We haven't hammered out the specifics yet, but we both love you and we want to share our lives with you."

"Oh my God," Ryland said. "Oh my God." He pulled his hands free so he could rest his head in them. "I thought you were breaking up with me. I thought I was going to lose both of you."

"Nah," Marc said, smiling and giving him a playful nudge. "We decided to give you a two-for-one deal instead."

"Oh my God," Ryland said, turning into him and resting his head on his shoulder. "You are such a dork."

Gabriel laughed. Ryland wrapped his arm around Marc and pressed his head against his chest. "Forgive me, baby?"

"Nothing to forgive," Marc said, returning the embrace. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Gabriel chose that moment to wrap both of them in a hug at which they promptly overbalanced, tumbled off the couch and ended up in a painful heap on the floor.

 

***

 

Marc, Ryland and Gabriel took things a little bit at a time, "sexy baby steps", as Ryland called them. There were a few casual dates with all three of them, having coffee or eating lunch and setting out new rules for their new relationship.

The last hurdle was Coralie. Ryland wanted her to meet Gabriel, and Marc, somewhat reluctantly, agreed that she should probably at least know who he was and the part he played in their weird, three-way relationship.

Ryland accompanied Marc home one night when he knew Coralie would be coming over. When she came inside and saw Ryland sitting at the counter with Marc, similar to the day they first met, she scowled and let her backpack fall to the floor.

"What are you doing here, asshole?" she snapped.

"Cora!" Marc warned.

Coralie ignored him, and crossed her arms. "Well?"

"I guess I owe you an apology too," Ryland said.

"Yeah, how 'bout you apologize for breaking my big brother's heart!" Coralie retorted, stalking towards him, the heels of her boots making a menacing click as she crossed the floor.

Marc grabbed her around the waist to stop her forward movement.

"Let's talk like grown-ups, okay?" he said. "I appreciate that you are defending my...feelings and everything, but relationships are tricky business and we need to talk to you about what is going on. So please sit down and stop trying to attack Ryland. Please."

Coralie's scowl deepened, but when Marc cautiously released her, all she did was sit down at one of the barstools at the counter with a melodramatic huff.

"Okay," Marc wiped his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans and wished that he had something to occupy them, a bottle of alcohol or a vegetable to chop. He was at a bit of a loss as to how to explain this to Coralie, who was a little naive but far from stupid or inexperienced.

“Well, what happened between Ryland and me was no one’s fault. I want to make that clear from the start. He didn’t do anything wrong, and I didn’t do anything wrong. It's a complicated situation, but the short version is that Ryland has another boyfriend. And I knew that from the start. He wasn’t cheating; his boyfriend said it was okay to date me a bit. So that’s what we did. But then Ryland started feeling bad about dating another person, and was worried about it causing trouble with his boyfriend, Gabriel. So he told me about that, which is something that I wanted him to do, and we decided that breaking up was probably the best thing.

Only thing is, no one was very happy about it. So we all got together and talked it over and decided that having Ryland dating me was okay with Gabriel and that having Ryland dating Gabriel was okay with me."

"So everyone is okay with me having two boyfriends," Ryland clarified.

Coralie was frowning, but looked more confused than angry. "That makes no sense. So you were dating my brother and this other guy, and then you broke up with my brother because you thought your other boyfriend wouldn't like it and now you are dating my brother and this other guy again?"

"It's more complicated than that," Ryland said. "When we first started dating, your brother and me, our relationship was casual. And my boyfriend, Gabriel, was okay with that. But it changed. I fell in love with your brother. Hard. And so now I want to have a serious relationship with your brother, but I didn't know if that was going to be okay with Gabriel. I thought it was better to break things off before it got too deep, before feelings would be too hurt. I still hurt your brother and I know that, and I'm very sorry, but I thought I was doing what was best at the time. But Marc and Gabriel talked to each other and to me, and we're going to try to make this work. With three of us." Ryland glanced at Marc and smiled at him. Marc felt that warm feeling blossoming up inside his chest this time, and now he was able to welcome it. Ryland glanced back at Coralie, who was sitting with her arms crossed. "I know I probably hurt you too, and would like a chance to make it up to you."

"So you get two boyfriends?" Coralie asked.

Ryland nodded.

"And I can't even find one. Talk about unfair."

Ryland chuckled.

"There's another thing," Marc said. "Gabriel wants to meet you."

"Why?" Coralie asked. She still didn't look happy, but her arms weren't crossed anymore.

"Well, he's important to me. And your brother is important to me," Ryland told her. "And you are important to your brother, which means you are important to me, and that means that you are important to Gabriel too."

Coralie shook her head. "I can't even right now." She stood up.

"Just think about it okay?" Marc said. "We would like the two of you to meet, but if you don't feel comfortable, you don't have to."

 

Coralie caved in, as Marc knew she would. She was too curious to refuse to meet someone new in Marc's life. Overall, she was taking the news as well as Marc expected her to. She still harbored some resentment over their break-up, but she and Ryland had always gotten along well and it was hard for her to stay angry for long. She also seemed okay with the idea that Ryland had two boyfriends.

"If I could date Logan Lerman and Josh Hutcherson both at the same time, I totally would," she told him while helping him fix lunch one day after class. "So I can see where Ryland is coming from. I wonder what his other boyfriend is like."

"He's older, " Marc told her. "Mid-thirties. Handsome, sophisticated, smart. Great sense of humor. I think you would like him."

Coralie thought it over, then finally nodded. "Okay. But I want to meet him here, and with you and Ryland."

"Of course we'll be here," Marc promised. "We'll have a trivia night, okay?"

"Okay."

 

Marc was a little nervous about having Ryland and Gabriel over to his place. Ryland had been there plenty of times, but Gabriel hadn't and Marc knew that his little apartment was far from a dump but nowhere near the level of expensive luxury that Gabriel was used to. He was amused to see Coralie dress up and take the role of hostess, inviting Ryland and Gabriel in for trivia night, showing them where to sit and serving up appetizers while Marc made drinks for the three of them, and poured a Sprite into glass for Coralie. Gabriel kissed the back of Coralie's hand when introduced, which made her smile and preen a little bit. Gabriel was overly polite and formal at first, obviously having spent little time around teenagers. Later, when they were playing trivia, Coralie discovered that she and Gabriel shared the same interest in obscure rock bands and '80s music. She and Gabriel paired up for trivia and won two games against Marc and Ryland. By the end of the night, Gabriel had taught Coralie several random Japanese words and was trading science puns.

Marc was watching them from the kitchen while he made himself and Gabriel another drink. Ryland saw him and approached, sliding up next to him and slipping an arm around his waist.

"You know, I don't want to come across as a bitch or anything," Ryland started. "But your sister is stealing all of my boyfriend's attention."

Marc smiled as he strained a Manhattan into a cocktail glass for Gabriel. "Good thing you have two of them, huh?"

Ryland glanced up and Marc gave him a kiss. There was an audible "Awww" from the direction of the living room and Gabriel's laughter.

"Watch out," Ryland warned in a low voice. "They are trying to plan an '80s karaoke night already."

"Hmm. I might need to develop laryngitis suddenly."

"Don’t you dare, that is my cover story," Ryland said, reaching for the Manhattan. Marc swatted his hand away. "You're driving. This is for your boyfriend."

Ryland pouted. "Meanie."

"I'll make it up to you later," Marc promised, giving his bottom a pat underneath the cover of the kitchen counter. Ryland grinned and got a Sprite instead.

"I like this," he said. "I missed Cora. Missed you too. I'm glad everything worked out the way it did."

"Me too," Marc said. He knew that Ryland was in love with him, and while he wasn't ready to offer it back yet, he knew it was there. It blossomed inside of him, again and again with every smile, every kiss, every touch.

"And, no more Rule #3," Ryland declared, taking a drink. Marc turned to kiss him again, tasting the sugar on his lips.

"Definitely."

 

~END~