Aaron

I found Renee sitting on the edge of her bed, hands in her lap as she stared at the wall in front of her, silent and unmoving, but I could feel the tension rolling off her as I shut the door behind me. She didn't look over as I approached, but as I sat down next to her, drawing her into me with one arm, she rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. We sat in silence for a moment, but after a minute, Renee spoke.

"Is it me?" she asked quietly, taking my hand as she tangled her fingers in mine. "Am I the reason for this?"

I closed my eyes and breathed, trying not to lose my shit. Then I shook my head. "Matt is a fucking idiot," I said honestly. "He did this, Ren, and it had nothing to do with you."

She didn't reply, just tightened her grip on my fingers. Her eyes fluttered closed again, and she sighed heavily, her whole body shifting slightly. "I'm sorry you didn't get to tell everyone your good news about Denver," she said. "You deserve happiness, and yet again, it was bowled over by your friends."

I scoffed and shook my head, raising one of her hands to my lips so I could kiss the back of it. "I don't think now is the time to focus on that," I murmured. "There's too much going on right now. Besides, they wouldn't agree, anyway."

Renee pulled her lip between her teeth to chew on it, then blew out a short breath. "Maybe—maybe we should go," she said quietly. My body tensed, not expecting the words that had just left her mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe you and I should move to Denver," she said. "And if Jake—and Matt—want to come, they can. If not, well—" she trailed off, but I could hear the hurt in her voice when she said Matt's name. I couldn't blame her, but it rattled me. Would she forgive him, or was she ready to be done?

"Could you do it?" I wondered. "Could you leave them behind if they didn't want to come with us?"

Renee swallowed. She didn't nod, but she didn't shake her head no, either. "I want them to be happy," she said finally, shrugging one shoulder. "And I want you to be happy, too. If that means moving to Colorado, then maybe you should. And if that means that Matt ends up with Tameka, maybe that's okay too."

Her tone was light, but the words were forced. I knew her better than that. She was hurt. Angry. Betrayed. But she didn't want the relationship to shatter. None of us did.

"I don't think you mean that." I got to my feet, releasing Renee's hand, and paced the floor. This wasn't going the way I'd hoped. Why was she so ready to throw in the towel?

"Face it, Aaron," she said, folding her arms stubbornly across her chest. "This dynamic of ours won't work forever. You'll get restless. All of you will. I'm not surprised that Matt broke first, to be honest."

"That's not fair. He loves you."

"I know he does," she said quietly. "But he also wants—needs—more than I can give him. Do you understand?"

"What is there to understand, Ren? We all love you. Matt made a mistake, but that's all it was. He's as devoted to you as Jake and I are. I hate him for what he did, but—"

"For now," she said, cutting me off. "For now you're devoted, Aaron, but what happens when a small kiss turns into something more? The temptation will always be there, for all of you. But I get it, and that's the truth. This relationship, this dynamic—is it even fair?" She sighed and shook her head, running a hand through her long red hair in frustration. "I have it all," she admitted, meeting my eyes. "I'm the lucky one, you know? Because I get all three of you. But what about you? And Matt and Jake? Why should I expect you three to be okay with this? I wouldn't want to share any of you with another woman, so how can you do it? How can you tolerate this?"

"Because we love you."

"The worst part is," she continued, as if she didn't hear me. "The worst part is that I'm not surprised Matt strayed. And even worse than that? I don't really blame him. Because I've been selfish, wanting all three of you to myself." She rose from the bed and crossed the floor to the window. It was dark outside, and all we could see through the glass was the dimly lit front yard, but she stared out there as if mesmerized by something I couldn't see.

"So, what are you saying?" I demanded. When I reached for her, I was surprised when Renee pulled away, as if I'd shocked her.

"I'm saying maybe—," she trailed off, then cleared her throat. "I'm saying maybe we need to take a break. All three of us."

"Ren—"

"I'm serious," she insisted, wheeling on me. "I don't know if I can do this anymore, Aaron. Not because I'm not happy, because I am, but because I know the three of you aren't."

"Don't talk like that." She didn't move away when I reached for her again, but she didn't come closer, either.

"There's only one common denominator here," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And that's me."

Before I could respond to this, there was a light rap on the door. Before Renee could speak, the door opened and Matt came in, followed by Jake. They both stopped when they spotted us standing by the window. Matt had his hands in his pockets, looking sheepish. I couldn't read the expression on Jake's face.

"Renee," Matt said. "Can I talk to you?" He looked pointedly at me. "In private?"

Renee sighed, looking like she was about to submit, but then she shook her head. "I just—I need some time, okay? I need some time away."

"What do you mean?" Jake crossed the floor to take her in his arms, but she resisted, wrapping her arms around herself and taking a step back.

"I just need some time to think," she continued. "I think I'm going to rent a room for the night. Away from the house."

"But, Ren—"

"Please." She rested a hand on my arm, then glanced between us. "Just let me go. Just for tonight. I have some things I need to figure out on my own."