CHAPTER 11
Katrina
Katrina closed the bedroom door behind them. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Marina turned away first. "I'm sorry."
Katrina frowned. "For what?"
"You know what."
"For kissing Ryan?"
Marina nodded.
Katrina rolled her eyes. "You've got nothing to be sorry about. I wanted you to."
"You shouldn't."
Katrina folded her arms. "And why not?"
"Because you like him."
"So do you."
Marina sighed. "That's different."
"No," Katrina said. "It isn't."
"It is."
Marina sat down on the edge of the bed. "I've already taken enough from you."
Katrina looked genuinely confused.
"Dad?"
Marina nodded.
Katrina shook her head. "You didn't take him from me. Maybe he paid more attention to you when you were surfing together, but Mom was usually out there with me. I never felt like I got less."
Marina smiled faintly. "You know what I mean."
Katrina crossed the room and sat beside her.
"I do."
Silence settled between them.
Finally Katrina asked, "When Ryan kissed you..."
Marina closed her eyes. "Stop."
Katrina ignored her request. "Did you like it?"
Marina hesitated only a moment. "I did." She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry."
Katrina nodded slowly. "I thought so."
Marina looked back at her. "What about you?"
Katrina let out a quiet breath. "I like him too. But I think it's mostly a crush." She smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, I was probably attracted to him physically first. He's hot, okay? When he was changing into that wetsuit..." She laughed. "I remember thinking, wow."
Marina couldn't help smiling. She knew what Katrina meant.
Katrina continued, "But you... I think you fell for who he is. You spent a lot more time talking to him than I did."
Marina was quiet for a moment. "Well," she said at last, "he is good-looking. But I don't believe you're attracted to his looks alone. That's not you. You've met plenty of good-looking guys before."
Katrina groaned. "Why do you always have to be right?"
Marina laughed. "I don't."
Katrina smiled despite herself. "So what do we do?"
"I don't know."
Silence settled over the room again. Marina stared at the floor for a long moment before speaking almost to herself.
"I wish..."
She stopped.
Katrina tilted her head. "What?"
Marina let out a small, embarrassed laugh. "I wish we could both have him."
"Me too," Katrina admitted.
For a moment they simply looked at each other. Then, almost at the same time, they burst into laughter.
"That's insane," Marina said, shaking her head.
"It really is," Katrina agreed. The laughter gradually faded, leaving the room quiet once more. She studied her sister for a moment before asking, "Do you think it's completely impossible?"
Marina looked up. "What is?"
"That Ryan likes us both."
Marina smiled. "I think he might. In fact, I’m positive about it."
"What makes you say that?" Katrina asked.
Marina rolled her eyes. "You think you're the only one with eyes? Truth be told, I've seen the way he looks at you, too."
Katrina smiled. "You might be right. He hasn't exactly ignored me."
“I’m always right, Kat, you said that yourself just a minute ago.”
“See who’s getting a big head,” Katrina said, "But what if you’re wrong this time?”
“It’s totally possible,” Marina said, laughing. “Let’s find out.”
Katrina frowned. “How? Do we just ask him?”
“No!” Marina said, looking horrified. “We can’t just go and ask ‘Hey Ryan, do you like to have both of us?’ That’ll sound so pathetic, and it’ll totally scare him off.”
“Exactly. It won’t work,” Katrina said, laughing at her own silliness. “We’ll have to think of a better way. What if…what if we let him choose?"
Marina's smile faded. "No."
"Why not?" Katrina asked.
“It’s just weird.” Marina looked away, her thoughts swirling. "What if... he doesn't choose either of us? I'd never recover from that."
Katrina wasn’t worried about that. She was convinced that if Ryan had to choose one of them, he'd choose Marina.
“Then it would be his loss.” Katrina said with a shrug. “But I doubt he would do that. A better question is…what if he chooses you?"
Marina paused. “He wouldn’t do that,” she whispered.
Katrina smiled gently. "He totally would,” she said, squeezing her sister’s hand. “If he does, promise me you'll accept it."
"Kat..."
"I'm serious."
Marina locked eyes with her sister. “What if he chooses you?”
Katrina nodded. "Then I'll accept it."
Marina searched her face for sincerity. "You mean that?"
Katrina grinned. "Yes. Even though I'm about ninety-nine percent sure he'll choose you."
Marina rolled her eyes. "Don’t be so sure. There’s a chance he’ll choose both of us.”
“Then he’ll be the smartest guy on earth,” Katrina said.
“And the luckiest,” Marina added.
Katrina laughed, stood up, and held out her hand. "Come on. Let's find out."
Marina looked at her for another second before taking it.
"It'll be okay, Rina," Katrina said quietly as she gave her sister's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Marina smiled helplessly. "You're impossible."
"That's why you love me.”
Katrina took a deep breath as she stepped back into the living room beside Marina. Ryan had already closed his laptop and was sitting forward on the couch, as though he'd been waiting for them.
"So," he asked with an uncertain smile, "have you reached an agreement?"
Katrina glanced at her sister, and Marina gave the slightest nod before they both answered, "Yes."
"We'll let you choose," Marina added.
Ryan's smile faded. He looked from Marina to Katrina and back again, clearly trying to understand what they meant. The silence stretched long enough that Katrina began to wonder if they had made a terrible mistake.
"I'm sorry," Ryan said at last. "I can't."
Her stomach tightened. That wasn't the answer she'd been expecting. Marina’s face visibly paled, and Katrina recalled her words. I would never recover from that. No, she couldn’t let it happen.
"Why not?" she asked.
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck and let out an awkward laugh. "Jesus... this is weird."
"Why is it weird?" Marina asked.
Ryan drew a slow breath before meeting their eyes. "Because I like you both. That's why I can't choose."
For a moment Katrina simply stared at him. Beside her, Marina looked just as stunned.
Then a slow smile spread across Marina's face.
"See?" she said, turning to Katrina. "I told you."
Katrina let out a breath of relief and nodded with a smile. Thank God Rina was right again.
Ryan however, frowned. "What are you doing? Is this a joke?"
"No," they said together.
"We just wanted to make sure you liked both of us," Marina explained, "before we told you our plan."
"What plan?" Ryan asked.
"We'd like to share you," Katrina said, "if you're willing."
Ryan blinked. "Can you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right?"
Katrina looked at Marina, and they both laughed. Hearing it out loud, it sounded every bit as unbelievable as it had upstairs.
"We both like you," Marina explained. "And since you also like both of us, we want to share you."
Ryan opened his mouth, closed it again, then laughed quietly to himself. Katrina watched him carefully. He wasn't laughing at them. He was simply trying to process what he'd just heard.
Finally he looked back at them.
"Of course I'm okay with it," he said. "But... how is that going to work? Have either of you ever done something like this before?"
Katrina shook her head. "No. It'll be our first time."
She looked at Marina, who smiled back at her.
"But we'll figure it out," Katrina said. "Together."
Ryan looked from one sister to the other. A smile slowly spread across his face.
"Together," he agreed.
Katrina felt the tension leave her shoulders. An hour ago she had been trying to convince herself to let Ryan go. Somehow, against all odds, none of them had to.