Limitless Love: A Polyamorous Charity Anthology

3. Weston

Something was off with Sage, but Weston had learned over the years that the easiest way to get Sage to open up was by ignoring the problem. Sage would mope around in Weston’s proximity until he got over his mental block, and then he’d talk. Weston would listen until Sage eventually worked everything out regardless of any input from Weston.

Weston appreciated the efficiency. He could still get work done while Sage moped, even if Sage hanging out in the server room meant this must be a bigger mope than usual. He’d already tossed Sage his fleece, fine with ignoring the cold as long as Sage wasn’t shivering in his spot on the floor.

He looked up from the crash cart, hands paused over the keyboard, when Lieutenant Maxwell popped into the room. “Hey, have you seen your twin?” she called over the loud drone of the HVAC fans.

The LT didn’t spot Sage from the door, and Weston didn’t let his gaze drift in that direction. “You need him for something?”

“Just to see if he wants to grab lunch with us,” she said. “You’re welcome to join, too.”

They’d brought food from home, and he already knew Sage was in no mood for other company. “Haven’t seen him, and I’m good, thanks.”

She vanished as quickly as she’d appeared, the heavy server room door thudding shut behind her. Sage chuckled, and Weston raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, did you want to go with them?”

“Nah. Just think it’s funny that the twin thing has stuck here. One of the new airmen was confused the other day.”

“Why?” Weston rolled aside the crash cart and dropped onto the floor next to Sage. “It’s pretty clear we’re not actually twins.” They’d picked up the nickname during their ammo days, for their tendency to be attached at the hip both at work and off base. But they had different last names, and they shared little physical resemblance.

Points of color rose on Sage’s cheeks, easy to spot under the bright fluorescent lights. “He thought it was a weird nickname for two married guys.” He tensed at the admission.

They were at work, but away from direct eyes, so Weston slung an arm over Sage’s shoulder and tugged him close. Sage immediately burrowed into Weston’s warmth. “Good thing he figured it out now. Be even more awkward if he still thought we were married next time you’re bitching about a bad date.”

Sage heaved a sigh. A few months ago, Weston might have commiserated, but as far as he was concerned, life was pretty much perfect. Who knew all it took was one night of going down a Reddit rabbit hole? The second night of getting drunk enough to admit to Sage that he was aromantic had been trickier, but the result had been better than he could have imagined. He got to abandon all the horrific attempts at dating that always ended with potential partners bitching about his lack of emotional investment, and he had his sexy-as-fuck best friend whenever he wanted to scratch a physical itch.

Turned out perfection could be improved upon. Val moved in this weekend.

Sage rested his head on Weston’s shoulder. “I’m freaking out about Val moving in.”

Huh. That had not featured on Weston’s list of possible causes for this mope. “Yeah, you’re gonna have to explain that one to me.” Because them all being in the same place again thrilled Weston, especially in their comfortable house instead of cramped into a one-bedroom apartment. They’d get to live the original dream, at least until the stupid Space Force transferred Val again.

With another sigh, Sage said, “I’m not sure how comfortable I am about Val knowing we hook up sometimes.”

Another record scratch. Weston scrunched his nose. “He’s not homophobic. Why would it bother him?”

Sage eased away from Weston until their eyes met. “You don’t think it would be weird?”

“You know I don’t think anything about sex is weird.” Weston smirked when Sage rolled his eyes. After all, Sage and Val had insisted on labeling Weston as bisexual or pansexual in high school. Weston had been happy to self-identify as a slut.

“Guess I’m worried it will shift the dynamic of our friendship, especially if we’re all living together again. It already won’t be like before, but this is an even bigger change.”

Okay, Weston understood that. However, the crinkle still showed between Sage’s eyebrows, so clearly the admission had not resolved the mope. Hell, he and Sage were fucking lucky their friendship was old and stable enough to withstand adding sex to the mix, even if they’d never gotten physical together in their horny teenage years. As they sped toward thirty years old, nothing would be as simple as when they were fresh out of school.

None of them were the same teenage idiots, but the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Back in high school, they’d always been three. Sage had admitted a crush on Val to Weston during a rare private moment. At the time, Weston assumed Sage simply shared his physical attraction to their token straight friend. But recent personal revelations shifted how Weston viewed certain past events. Though nothing ever came of it, Sage had obviously meant a romantic interest in Val. That thing Weston now knew existed as a perpetual blind spot to him.

“Hey, you had a crush on Val when we were kids,” Weston said. “Are you still into him?”

Sage huffed as he stood. “For someone so smart, you’re an idiot, Sergeant Kelley.” He stripped off his borrowed fleece and dropped it over Weston’s head. “I should get some work done today.”

He didn’t take offense, even though Sage left the server room by the time he escaped the fabric. Sage calling him an idiot had been how Sage expressed his love since day one. Weston got back to work, too, turning to the next item on his task log. Sage would return soon enough to drag him from his cave for a lunch break in the summer sun.

He wasn’t actually an idiot, though. Sage never confirmed Weston’s suspicions about any lingering feelings for Val. But he hadn’t denied them, either.