Threes Company (12 page)

props like earphones and a book spoke for themselves.

Apparently not. "Um, sure," I mumbled.

He sat down and started to talk. I tried to listen as he introduced himself—I'm sure his name started with a K—he was twenty-one and here from California on vacation.

By himself.

"Are you here with someone?" he asked bluntly.

"Uh…"

"I haven't seen you with anyone all day," he said with no shame in admitting to watching me earlier. "The guy behind the bar said he thought you were here with someone," he said, looking back toward where Adam stood, trying not to listen to our conversation.

I looked over at Adam. "Is that what he said?" I asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of my tone. Then still looking toward Adam, I spoke loud enough for him to hear. "As a matter of fact, I am here alone. Very much so, apparently."

Adam frowned and grimaced, but said nothing.

The guy beside me smiled. "So, did you want to maybe go out? There's a bar called the 'Green
something
', I think."

122

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

And it suddenly seemed like a great idea. Not so much to go out with what's-his-name, but to show Adam and Simon that I could. After wallowing in self-pity for two days, it seemed like a fantastic idea. I nodded at the-guy-whose-name-started-with-K. "Sure. Give me a minute to get changed?" I said and walked toward my room.

"Sure," he called out after me. "I'll call us a cab."

I threw on my jeans and a white button-down shirt and shoes. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and hell, I even styled my hair. If I was going to show Adam and Simon that I could have a good time without them, I might as well look good doing it.

With a quick glance at my reflection before I

walked out the door, even I thought I didn't look half-bad.

What's-his-name must have thought so too. He was waiting at the bar for me, which was the perfect spot for Adam to see me, and he grinned. "Wow, I thought you looked good half-naked and wet from the pool, but you look pretty good dressed up, too."

I huffed out a laugh at his compliment, but I was glad he said it in front of Adam all the same.

I could feel Adam's eyes on me, but I looked at the K-named-guy. "You ready to go?"

"Wil?"

I turned at the sound of Adam's voice. He still

123

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

looked tired, but now he looked worried, or bothered, and as though he was trying to think of the right thing to say.

"Are you… sure you want to go out?"

"What should I do?" I asked a little too sharply. "Sit here alone all night?"

His face fell and he shook his head. "Wil, don't…"

I couldn't deny seeing him like that, and hearing the hurt and concern in his voice, tightened my chest. My heart hurt. What I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and tell him going out with someone else was the
last
thing I wanted to do. But instead I smiled, took what's-his-name's hand, and led him out through the foyer.

When I got the door, I held it open for my new date to walk through, and looked back toward the bar just in time to see Adam throw his dishcloth at the sink with a rather loud "Fuck!"

Then I saw Simon. He was standing near the door to the restaurant, no doubt seeing me leave with another guy and hearing Adam's reaction. I left Adam and Simon staring at each other. The door closed behind me, and I headed toward the waiting cab.

The club itself was just as I remembered it from the week before. It wasn't as busy, but still had a half-decent crowd, thumping music, and a swaying dance floor.

I bought us drinks and was lucky enough to hear my

124

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

date introduce himself to some other guys as Kyle. I thought it started with a K. I handed Kyle his drink and sipped on mine as I looked around the club.

Kyle stepped in close so I could hear him over the music. "You've been here before?"

I nodded. "Last week."

Kyle nodded and moved even closer, this time

putting his free hand on my hip. "Thanks for the drink."

I guessed it was supposed to be seductive, the way his lips brushed my ear, and the way his hand held my hips in place. I could certainly feel him against me. I could even smell his cologne.

But it did nothing for me.

It was just… wrong.

I smiled politely at him and put a little distance between us. "No problem," I said quickly. "Want another one?"

I didn't really give him time to answer. I just went back to the bar. I figured I'd need a few drinks to loosen up and possibly even warm up to Kyle.

After the next drink, he wanted to dance and I obliged. It was okay. Our bodies touched and his hands were on me as we moved to the music, but it wasn't the same.

He pulled us off the dance floor and leaned in to

125

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

speak in my ear. "You don't really want to be here tonight, do you?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Not really, no."

He smiled kindly at me. "You don't have to stay."

So I didn't stay. I wrote down the hotel address, just in case he didn't know it, and gave him a twenty for the cab fare. Considering he'd asked me out and I was bailing, it was the least I could do. And I left.

The hotel was dark by the time I got back, and thankfully I didn't see Adam or Simon. I crawled into the cold bed, and stared at the wall til morning.

* * * *

Just before sunrise, I was dressed and out running.

The sky was a pretty palate of pinks, purples, and oranges before it smeared into an early morning blue. I was tired and probably not fit for running, but I pushed through it and ran anyway.

I forced myself to eat some fruit for breakfast. Well, Sydney forced me. But it came with coffee so I didn't object too much.

I skipped lunch and, too tired to walk the beach, I only came out of my room after the lunch crowd had gone.

Armed with my book and iPod, I found my table and sat in

126

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

sun, settling in for what I hoped would be a few hours of uninterrupted peace.

But without a word and without an invitation, Adam sat down in the chair next to me. When I looked at him, my stomach dropped. He looked… sick.

I frowned at him. "Adam, when was the last time you ate? Or slept?"

He ignored my question. "Sy won't tell me what's wrong," he whispered. "He's really stressed out. There's a meeting with the owners here tomorrow and he's got
that
to deal with… but he's miserable. He keeps saying it's nothing. He tries to smile. He tries to act like he's okay…"

"And what about you?"

Adam shrugged. "I thought what we had was it, ya know?"

My heart ached for him. "I'm sure once this meeting with the owners is done, he'll be back to normal," I told him, trying to comfort him.

Adam stared at me for a long moment then he shook his head. His voice was just a whisper. "I wasn't talking about just me and him."

Oh.

He meant the three of us. He thought the three of us had something special.

I smiled sadly. "I did too," I admitted quietly. "I

127

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

know it was just a week, but it was… intense."

Adam looked at me and nodded quickly. "I know.

That's what I thought. I
thought
that's what Simon thought."

"I'm sorry, Adam. I really am. If I had known it was going to cause problems between you, I wouldn't have agreed…"

"No, Wil," he said, shaking his head. His eyes were a wide and honest blue. "I don't regret it. In fact, I… I wouldn't change it."

I huffed out a sigh, resigned. "Neither would I."

Adam's face twisted. It wasn't right to see him hurting like this. I wanted to make it better for him. "Adam, you and Simon were the best things to ever happen to me. I don't regret it, not a second of it. But it would have been nice to leave here on a high."

"I know," he whispered.

Then a silence fell between us. I guessed at this point there wasn't much left to say. It wasn't me or Adam who needed to do the talking.

"Do you want me to try and talk to Simon?"

Adam shook his head, and his voice was barely a whisper. "He's got a lot on his mind right now, with the owners and everything…"

And that answer just pissed me off. Simon was the one who put us in this mess and he got out of it scot-free.

128

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

Adam looked out toward the water and changed the subject. "That Kyle kid told me you left him at the club.

Said your heart wasn't in it."

I pushed down the twisted lump of sudden anger in my gut, but my tone still had bite. "No, you wanna know why? Because he smelled wrong. He felt wrong. Because there wasn't two of him. Even if there was, it wouldn't be the right two."

I stood up, and bit down my anger. It wasn't Adam I was angry at. I sighed, tired and frustrated. I leaned over and touched his arm.

"Fuck, Adam, I'm sorry. You don't need this from me."

He looked at me with his sad blue eyes, and it squeezed my heart.

"You have no idea just how sorry I am."

I stood up and walked away, but I'd swear I heard him say, "But I do."

129

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

After my run, I showered and didn't bother with breakfast. It was Wednesday so I knew Adam wasn't working and I didn't really feel up to seeing him. On my second to last full day there, I wanted to get out and do something.

So I took in some more sights, mostly walking the sidewalks, window shopping, taking in the sounds and smells of downtown Key West. I bought a few souvenirs and a few trinkets for Callie, but by lunchtime, I found myself at Dee's café.

She grinned when I walked in, but when she

realized Simon and Adam weren't with me, her smile slowly died.

She served me a coffee I didn't ask for but gladly accepted. "Tell me what happened," she said sternly.

I tried to smile for her, but couldn't get it right, so I gave up. I shrugged instead. "I'm not sure, to be honest."

She frowned before she pouted her thick lips. "And you haven't been eating," she stated simply. Then she mumbled something about silly boys with a shake of her head as she scribbled something down on her order pad, ripped off a page, and handed it to the cook through the

130

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

service window.

When she looked at me she sighed. "So you don't know what happened? Or you just don't want to tell me?"

I did smile this time. Dee was abrupt and bossy, blunt and loud. I liked her.

"Things were going great," I finally admitted. "Too great, probably. It was kinda perfect. But then two days ago, something changed for Simon, and he…" I wasn't sure exactly how much I should be telling her, so I trailed off and sipped my coffee instead. "Well, it's not perfect anymore."

Dee nodded. "Perfect, you say? Let me tell you something about Simon," she said. "I've known him most of his life, and he's a good man. It wasn't easy for him when he first realized he was gay, and he tried the straight thing for a little while, and well, that was… disastrous." She smiled to herself.

Then she was serious again. "But he's lucky. He comes from a good family who love him, unlike Adam's family." She shook her head. "And yes, he could have easily gone to work with his father and cruised through life, but he's stood on his own two feet. That takes guts. He's a good businessman, he's smart, and he's funny as hell when he lets his guard down."

I looked at her, wondering how telling me all his

131

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

good traits—some I knew, some I didn't—was supposed to help.

"But Wil," she said seriously. "Simon is a
lot
of things. But he's not perfect. I saw how you were looking at him last week, all dreamy-eyed like the man could do no wrong. Well, sugar, he's just a man. And Lord knows how the three of you can keep each other in line. I have enough trouble with one!"

I snorted, and Dee laughed. She walked away but came back with a plate of food and put it in front of me.

I raised both eyebrows and look up at her. We both knew I never ordered the meal. She smiled. "It's a house specialty."

"It's the biggest burger I've ever seen!"

Dee laughed. "It will do you good. Don't argue with me."

I chuckled despite myself. "Um, thanks?"

Dee said, "I'll ask you one thing, Wil. Don't answer me until after you've eaten, but tell me this… Now what Simon and Adam have is the real deal. You and I both know that. And that's what you want. Honey, we all do. But my question is this. Do you want what they have with someone else? Can you picture yourself with another man?

With another two men?"

She turned to some other customers and left me

132

Three's

Company N.R.

Walker

alone with the world's biggest burger and an awful lot to think about.

And Dee was right. The burger was good. Not that I could finish it. Not even close. But it was the right mix of textures, spicy and savory.

"Enjoy it?" Dee asked when I finally pushed the plate away.

I groaned and rubbed my stomach. Maybe after not eating a great deal in two days having such a huge meal wasn't a very good idea. "Oh, my God," I groaned again.

"So good."

Dee laughed. "Soul food, my friend. Have you thought about what I said?"

I took a sip of water and nodded. "I have. But first, Dee, tell me about Adam."