Limitless Love: A Polyamorous Charity Anthology

6. Weston

Val didn’t come home anytime soon after he fled the house, which, okay, Weston kind of expected. He assumed it wasn’t even the gay sex thing, since Val had never been anything other than supportive of Weston and Sage. However, catching your buddies having sex, much less with each other, might give anyone pause.

But Val didn’t come home that night. Or the next day. They couldn’t even worry he lay dead in a ditch somewhere because Dima swung by the house to deliver a plate of babka and collect a uniform. Weston wasn’t panicking, because Dima didn’t take Morka, and Weston was more than happy to care for the cat as long as necessary while Val stress-baked at his brother’s place.

But Val also returned none of Sage’s calls or texts. Over the next few days, Sage swung from embarrassed to morose, and then to bitchy as fuck. All of which Weston had plenty of experience in, except Sage also wouldn’t touch him. Not even in the privacy of Sage’s room, behind a locked door.

That meant Weston had to fix this. Even if it meant entering enemy territory.

One morning every other week, he visited Andrews Air Force Base to handle network maintenance for the secure connections on their tiny Air National Guard base. Today, instead of driving straight back, he swung by Fort Meade first. He already knew the address of the building where Val worked. Easy enough to pick out Val’s black Tesla in the lot. He parked nearby and leaned against his truck.

Lots of Teslas in this parking lot, actually, the same as at his base. Solid proof of the nerd activity inside.

He didn’t have to wait long for a familiar blond head to exit the building and stride in his direction. Val’s steps hitched when he caught sight of Weston, but he pursed his lips and gestured for Weston to join him.

When both men were seated in Val’s car, Weston turned pleading eyes on Val. “I’m hungry.”

“You usually are.” But even while Val offered the retort, he pulled out of the lot and in the direction of the familiar commissary where the household did its grocery shopping. Weston didn’t love the nearby fast-food options but cornering Val meant not disrupting his schedule. He even bought Val’s lunch and showed off his latest pictures of Morka being adorable while they awaited their order.

Their much-needed conversation wasn’t appropriate for the busy food court. Perhaps sensing Weston’s unexpected visit encompassed more than a social call, Val drove them back to his building where they claimed a picnic table in the shade outside. Since he did have to return to work eventually, Weston didn’t beat around the bush as they dug their food from the to-go bags. “I get why you’re freaked out,” he said, unwrapping his cheesesteak sandwich.

Val twisted the cap off his water bottle, not meeting his eyes. “Do you?”

“Yeah, because of the fucking. I wanted to set the record straight.” Or not so straight. He chuckled into the delicious cheesy goodness.

Even Val cracked a grin at that. “Well, it’s pretty clear you’re fucking. Not sure what else you need to add.”

“Oh, we’re definitely fucking,” Weston said. “But we’re not dating. I’ve kind of figured out dating isn’t a thing that works for me.” The brief humor vanished from Val’s face. Stupid Space Force, dragging Val away from them. None of this would be an issue if Val still lived at home during Weston’s big aromantic awakening, so he spelled it out further. “I’m aromantic. We’re not dating because dating me isn’t going to make Sage happy.”

Points of color bloomed on Val’s cheeks, and he tried to hide behind his sandwich. “He looked pretty happy to me.”

Weston had to snort. “I may be shit at dating, but I’m an excellent fuck.” He pointed a fry at Val. “Sage needs more than fucking to be happy the way he deserves.”

Val put his sandwich down and sighed. “That’s the problem. I don’t think I could make Sage happy either…even if I dated him.”

That was bullshit, based on Sage’s crankiness since Val pulled his disappearing act. And now Val really wouldn’t meet Weston’s eyes. Oh. Val had just come out to Weston, probably because Weston had sort of just come out to Val, and he might be worried about Weston’s reaction. Val was an idiot if he thought Weston gave a shit. “You’re his best friend. You’ve already been making him happy for over half his life. Pretty sure he’d be ecstatic if you wanted to date him.”

“Not the dating that’s the problem.” Val’s lips curled into a wry grin. “It’s the fucking.”

“Well, shit.” Weston sucked on his soda. Was Val asexual? Weston had hit the term often enough in his research about being aromantic. He knew Val had done his share of hooking up back in the day, but his buddy might be a fellow late bloomer. “Aren’t we a pair.”

They finished their meal in silence, but at least a comfortable one. Weston even got a hug from Val before he returned to work, though Val gave no definitive answer about when he’d be home.

As Weston exited Fort Meade and hit the highway toward work, their conversation tumbled around in his skull. The friendship between the three of them had always interlocked like a puzzle, but their pieces altering and shifting as they aged wasn’t out of the question. Maybe the time had come for them to create a new picture.

Weston just needed a plan to make it happen. After all, the puzzle wasn’t complete until Val came home. And Sage smiled again.