Chapter 6
Chapter Six
C asey picked up a rag to wipe off his hands and walked to the front door to see who was knocking. It was nearly midnight—his witching hour. He’d been working on his new sculpture for nearly twelve hours straight, letting the clay take shape and form while relieving his stress.
He opened the door. “Gabe. What are you doing here?”
“You got a minute?”
Casey stepped aside and pointed toward the living room, gesturing for his friend to enter. “It’s kind of late, isn’t it?”
Gabriel took in the destroyed state of Casey’s living room and shrugged. “I know you. Figured you’d be up working.”
There were drop cloths over most of the furniture, and a fine film of white dust covered the TV screen. In a fit of playfulness, Casey had drawn two stick figures in an obscene position. Cartoon porn. Gabriel chuckled when he saw it.
“I got bored,” Casey said nonchalantly.
Gabriel had given him shit for years about the impracticality of using his living room as a studio, but whenever the artistic urge struck, Casey followed, not caring where he was.
He walked over and pulled the cloth off the couch. “Want a beer?”
Gabriel nodded as he sat down. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
Casey grabbed two Coronas from the kitchen, and then plopped down next to Gabriel. He handed him the beer, tapped the necks together in an unspoken cheers and took a swig.
Finally, he turned to Gabriel. “Let’s have it.”
Gabriel gave him a rueful grin. “You’re gonna make me say it? I feel like it’s pretty obvious we’re both gunning for the same girl.”
Casey had spent most of the day trying to lose himself in his art in an attempt to forget that fact. “Yeah. I guess we are. Listen. Don’t worry about it. I’ll back off, man.”
Gabriel frowned. “Why?”
“Because I knew when I met Jordan she was special to you.”
“So I had first dibs? Not sure it works that way, mate.”
Casey leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You want me to spell it out for you? I’m not fucking Bruce. I’m not going to steal your girl.”
“Jesus. I’ve been a pretty shitty friend lately, haven’t I?”
Casey shook his head. “No. I think I’ve been the asshole. I knew you were hurting after Paula, but I didn’t say anything. Just sort of let you go into this self-destruct mode.”
Gabriel took another swig of beer. “Self-destruct, huh? Damn. Apparently I’m more screwed up than I realized.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do. And you did everything right, Casey. You didn’t nag me like my mom, giving me shit about my dating habits. You didn’t take my dad’s route and offer the endless platitudes about getting back on the horse and there are a lot of fish in the sea. You didn’t write me off as a friend like a few other guys. You just let me work through it.”
“Two years is a damn long time to work through getting dumped. Took everything in me not to tell you to grow the fuck up and get over it.”
Gabriel chuckled. “I stopped sulking over Paula about a year ago.”
“So what’s this last year been about?”
“Fuck if I know. At some point, I turned into this new Gabe and I couldn’t figure out how to turn him off again. Didn’t have a reason to.”
Casey picked at the etching on his beer bottle. “And now you do?”
Gabriel didn’t respond. Instead, he put his beer on the coffee table and stood. He walked over to the sculpture Casey had been working on with a frenzy that bordered on manic. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been gripped so tightly by his muse.
Gabriel studied the form, and Casey prayed it was too rough to be recognizable. He’d been an idiot not to cover the thing before opening the door.
“It’s not finished,” Casey said lamely. “In fact, it’s nowhere close to looking like it will when?—”
“Three lovers?”
Fuck.
Casey laughed uneasily. “Crap. Is that what it looks like? I must be losing my touch.”
Gabriel didn’t look away from the sculpture. In fact, he committed a major faux pas in Casey’s book—a mistake he’d never made in the past. He reached up and touched the damp clay. “Jordan’s hair is a bit shorter now with her new hairdo. That part needs work. And while I appreciate the compliment, I’m not sure my arms are quite that muscular.”
“Gabe.” Casey’s words failed him.
Gabriel turned to face him. “Is this your answer? We share her?”
Casey shook his head, uncertain what he’d been thinking when he started the damn piece, and then he shrugged. When he began, he’d just started cutting figures without any plan of who he was creating.
Jordan had been first to emerge from the clay, which is why she was so recognizable. Then Casey began to create the man—his features fluctuating between Gabriel’s and his own. In the back of his mind, Casey thought the piece would make an awesome wedding gift.
When the man looked like Gabriel, it was a gift from the best man to his friend. When the man looked like Casey, it became a gift for his bride.
Finally, he gave up on the man in front of the woman and began adding the man behind. Once his internal battle ended, the art flowed faster, easier.
“I’m not sure that’s an option. Seems a bit out there, wouldn’t you say?”
Gabriel glanced at the sculpture again. “I would have said so…but this doesn’t look so out there. In fact, it’s really beautiful.”
Casey wasn’t sure if Gabriel was referring to the idea or the sculpture.
“Have you ever…” Gabriel pointed to the sculpture.
“God no. Jesus, don’t you think you would know if I had?”
Gabriel chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that is something you’d brag to your best friend about. It’s not like we have many secrets from each other. I recall one night back in college, sleeping on the top bunk and listening to you with your girlfriend in the bottom bed for hours.”
Casey closed his eyes, shaking his head in half-hearted regret. “Yeah, well, I was a lot younger, a lot stupider and three sheets to the wind. That’s also a lot different then what we’re talking about now.”
Gabriel nodded. “You’re right. This is different. Have you ever fantasized about a threesome?”
Casey shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Sure. But it’s always been me and two hot chicks.”
Gabriel made a pained face. “Christ. It’s a nice fantasy, but can you imagine the reality of trying to get two women off?”
Casey rolled his eyes. “In my dream, the women are helping each other along too. It’s not just me doing all the work.”
Gabriel looked at the sculpture once more. “That’s not exactly the dynamic you’ve set up here though.”
“No. It’s not.”
Finally, Gabriel faced him once more. “I know you’re not Bruce. And Jordan is light years away from Paula. I’ve been acting like a selfish, spoiled asshole these past couple of years.”
“You were hurt. You?—”
Gabriel lifted his hand. “My life’s been one long predestined event. Every decision I’ve ever made was because I thought it was what was expected of me—my major in college, moving home, taking over the business, Paula. I convinced myself I was in love with her because that’s what I was supposed to feel.”
Casey stood. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think you did love her.”
Gabriel nodded. “I loved her. I wasn’t in love with her. And when the master plan failed, I struck out. Decided to buck the system by dating women my parents couldn’t stand, refusing to settle down. All of that was easier than facing the fact that for once in my life I was going to have to make my own decision. Risk making a mistake. Face being genuinely hurt. Paula didn’t break my heart, but she did shatter my oversized ego.”
Casey chuckled. “Pride I can understand.”
“You’ve stuck by me through everything, Case. You’ve never let me down, never failed to be there for me. And I know you’ve been trying to provoke me to jealousy, thinking it would get me off my ass in regards to Jordan.”
“Did it work?”
“Sort of.”
Casey frowned. “What’s that mean?”
“When I walked by and saw you and Jordan holding hands at the mall, I wanted to punch the fucking shit out of you.”
“So you were jealous?”
Gabriel blew out a long breath. “I also wanted to stand there and watch you kiss her. You two looked pretty hot together.”
“Jesus,” Casey muttered.
“I know, right? Yesterday sort of kicked me in the gut all the way around.”
“How so?”
“After you left, I was sitting with Jordan and something occurred to me.”
“What?” Casey asked.
“I thought Paula had beaten the ability to feel love out of me. She didn’t.”
It was a breakthrough. Casey wondered if it would screw things up if he shouted, “High five!” Instead, he asked, “How do you know?”
“Because I’m definitely falling in love with Jordan.”
Casey’s elation wavered. “Cool.” His tone was quieter, not completely convincing.
Gabriel turned back to the statue. “You are too.”
His friend spoke so softly Casey wasn’t sure he’d heard him correctly. Regardless, he was too afraid to ask him to repeat himself.
Gabriel walked toward him. “Keep going on the statue. It’s really good. I told Jordan I’d pick her up at six thirty for the party. I’ll have the limo swing by here at six. You’ll ride with us.”
Casey shook his head. “No. It’s your date.”
Gabriel put his hand on Casey’s shoulder. “No way. I’m not doing this taking turns routine with her. You’ve thrown out an option. We should test the waters.”
“The sculpture is a fantasy. What you’re suggesting is way more intense than that. You really want to have a threesome? You, me and Jordan?”
Gabriel shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. And if we do end up in bed together, just don’t fucking look at me, man, or I might lose it.”
Casey burst into laughter. “God damn, Gabe. You’re insane.”
“If I am, it’s your damn fault. You planted the seed with your art. I think we should go out with her together and see how it feels.”
Casey went numb. Gabriel wasn’t going to let this go. “How it feels?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re suggesting we play this by ear. Go with our gut instincts. That’s your big plan? Really?”
“I suspect by the end of the night we’ll know whether or not it would work.”
Casey crossed his arms. “Is there going to be some sort of signal?”
Gabriel grinned. “Nope. I like the element of suspense.”
“Of course you do.”
“So it won’t be my date or yours. It’ll be ours. See you Friday.”
Gabriel let himself out while Casey reeled over his friend’s unexpected comment.
Ours?
Casey glanced at the statue, at the three lovers. He hadn’t said anything to Gabriel, but he knew how it was going to feel.
Incredible.
Gabriel was right. The sculpture was beautiful. He let the image soak into his skin.
Ours.