Chapter 40: Jake

It’s almost ten when I conclude that I’ve finally had all of the Criminal Justice and Terrorism information I could take for the night, and I slam my book shut with a groan, leaning back in my chair to stretch the kinks and soreness out of my back. Downstairs, the front door opens. It must be Matt. I close my laptop and head downstairs to greet him, ready for a few beers. Aaron is still sitting on the couch with a sketch pad in his lap and the TV going in the background when I get downstairs. I go to the kitchen for three beers and bring them back to my friends, taking a seat in one of the empty recliners. Matt kicks off his work boots and joins us.

“You look weird,” Aaron said to Matt, temporarily abandoning his sketch to look our friend up and down. “You look … happy.”

“Fuck you,” said Matt, taking a swig of his beer. But I could see what Aaron meant. The dude is practically glowing. It looks weird on him.

“It was Renee, wasn’t it?” I asked, already knowing the answer. I pop the cap off my own beer and take a long drink. “Did you see her today?”

“Yeah,” Matt said. “I did.”

Aaron and I exchange glances, but no one knows what to say. We knew this was coming, all three of us, and we’re no closer to a solution than we had been the entire semester.

“I think we need to talk,” Matt said as he set his beer down on the coffee table and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in exhaustion. He looks less cocky now, more like a human being with actual emotions, and it’s unnerving. “All three of us.”

“What is there to say?” Aaron doesn’t look up from the wrapper he’s peeling from the bottle. I can’t blame him. This is a conversation none of us want to be having.

“We have to figure this out,” Matt insists. “This Renee situation.”

Silence settles over us. No one said anything for a long time. Finally, I can’t stand the silence anymore.

“Who gets Renee then?”

“Don’t be a douche,” Aaron scoffs, rolling his eyes at me. “No one gets Renee. She’s not an expensive toy.”

I look at Matt for backup, but he shrugs. “Aaron is right,” he tells me. “I think we all deserve a chance. And she made it pretty clear that she couldn't choose between the three of us.”

“So, where does that leave us? Do we just wait around until she makes up her mind?” I finish the rest of my beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table.

“No,” Matt hesitated, unsure if he wanted to say whatever was next. “Maybe … maybe we should be with her. All of us, I mean.”

“All of us, like …?” I trail off, frowning. “Like, all of us date her? At the same time?”

Matt shrugs, and I know that’s my answer. I looked at Aaron, who was looking at Matt. He was frowning, too, but he didn’t seem as rattled as I felt.

“Like a harem,” Aaron nods his head slowly. “Or, more accurately, a reverse harem.”

“Okay.” I stand up, putting my hands in the air in defeat. “I don’t know what kind of mumbo jumbo you two are talking about, but I want no part of it.” I start to walk back upstairs, but Matt stops me.

“Fine,” he shrugged. “Aaron and I can be with her.”

I stopped where I was, one foot on the bottom of the stairwell suspended in midair. I close my eyes and turn around to meet Matt’s eyes. He’s not fucking around. They’re serious.

With a sigh, I walk back to the couch and sit down, looking between Aaron and Matt for validation or new information.

“A harem,” I repeated. “Multiple guys and one girl?”

“Or multiple girls and one guy,” Aaron shrugged. “It could go either way.”

“That one sounds better,” I grinned. “Could we do that instead?” It was a stupid joke, sure, but no one laughed. Matt even rolled his eyes before looking at me. He took a big breath.

“I love Renee,” he said firmly, and Aaron and I stared at him. “I love her more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person.” He paused, swallowed, and spoke again. “How about you two?”

I look at Aaron. A muscle in his jaw is twitching. He nods.“I love her too. I’m in love with her. And the thought of losing her breaks me.”

Matt nodded as if he understood that, and both looked at me. There was no denying it, not now, even when I wanted to.

“If being with her means sharing her, I’ll do it,” I tell them. “Because I love her too. I love Renee and don’t want to let her go.”

“Then it’s settled.” Matt sat back on the couch, nodding his head. “That’s what we’ll do.”

“Hold up,” Aaron quips. “Has anyone asked Renee what she thinks about all this? She could turn us down flat, and we’d all lose her.”

“We have to talk to her then.” I reached for the cell phone in my pocket and brought up Renee’s text thread. “This has to be face-to-face. Should we go over there?”

“Yeah,” Matt said. “See if she’s home. I need to get changed.”