35 Jamie
“What?” Ryan asks, his brow furrowing as he looks between us. “What do you mean together?”
I glance at Christian, and when he doesn’t look away, I shrug, forcing myself to just say it. “Together. As in… not just friends. Together together.” The phrase sounds ridiculous coming out of my mouth and the words just hang there.
Ryan stares at us like he’s waiting for one of us to laugh or take it back. When neither of us does, he shakes his head slightly, trying to catch up. “Okay, but that doesn’t- ” He gestures vaguely between us. “You two aren’t- I mean, I think I would’ve noticed if either of you were into guys.”
I huff out a breath and, before I can overthink it, reach over and take Christian’s hand.
It shouldn’t feel this natural, but it does.
“I’m not,” I say, then pause, grimacing slightly.
“Or- okay, maybe technically I am. But it’s not like that.
It’s not… everyone.” I glance at Christian for half a second before looking back at Ryan. “It’s just him.”
Ryan just stares, completely thrown. “This isn’t a joke?”
“No,” Christian says simply.
Ryan exhales hard, dragging a hand through his hair as he paces once, like he needs to burn off the confusion. “Okay. Okay, I’m trying to catch up here, because it’s just not making sense.”
No one answers right away, and the silence stretches just long enough to make it really fucking awkward.
When I glance toward Frankie, she’s not looking at Ryan at all. She’s watching us, Christian and me, and something in her expression shifts from confusion into something softer, more thoughtful.
“No. It does,” she says quietly, almost to herself, before lifting her gaze fully. “It… makes sense.” She hesitates, searching for the right words. “You two are sort of… balanced. Like you fit.”
Heat creeps up the back of my neck before I can stop it, and I shift my weight, suddenly aware of everything. I think I’m fucking blushing.
Christian’s hand tightens around mine for a brief second before he lets go, stepping toward her.
“Francesca Malone,” he says quietly, lifting a hand and pausing just long enough to make sure she doesn’t pull away before gently cupping her face.
“You continue to be the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.
” He leans in and presses a soft kiss to her forehead, then steps back, giving her space.
She flushes instantly, her gaze dropping to her hands, and for a second no one says anything.
“So… you two are in a relationship? Like, he’s your boyfriend? ” Ryan asks again, still trying to make sense of it.
I glance at Christian before answering, keeping my tone casual even though nothing about this feels casual. “Yeah. I mean, labels are kind of bullshit, but… yeah.”
“That’s great,” Frankie says quickly, a little too quickly, her voice tightening just slightly. “I’m really happy for you guys.”
Ryan nods slowly, still frowning. “Yeah. I mean… I can adjust to that. I just thought we all-”
He trails off, clearly struggling to put into words the thing we’ve all danced around forever. “I just- I thought we all wanted- ”
“We do,” Christian says, cutting him off.
Ryan looks at him questioningly. “Then how does this fit in?”
“It doesn’t have to change anything,” Christian says. “Well- some things have changed,” he adds, shooting me a crooked look. “But most of it stays the same.”
Ryan nods slowly beside me. I realize, distantly, that this is the most we’ve ever actually said about any of this out loud- and we’re still barely saying it.
Frankie looks between us all, blinking. “Okay… why do I feel like I’m missing something?”
“Because you kind of are,” I mutter under my breath.
She throws her hands up. “Great. Awesome. Anyone want to actually explain it?”
“Francesca,” Christian says.
It’s not harsh, but it’s firm, and it’s enough to pull her focus. Her shoulders loosen a little as she looks at him.
“Yeah?”
He hesitates, just for a second, his gaze flicking to Ryan, then to me.
I go still without meaning to.
“We didn’t stop,” he says finally, voice low and steady. “When you left, we didn’t stop.”
Her brow furrows.
“Stop what?”
“Loving you. Wanting you.” His jaw tightens slightly. “Time, distance, years of bullshit... none of that changed it.”
He exhales slowly.
“When you thought about your future before you left... did you ever picture yourself with one of us?”
Color rushes into her face. She looks down, biting her lip.
“Or all of us?” he asks quietly.
Her head snaps up as she sucks in a breath.
I don't think I've ever been more grateful for Christian in my life. There is no way I could actually figure out how to have this conversation.
“You said you couldn't see a version of this where you didn't lose two of us. But what if there is one?”
She slowly shakes her head. “Christian...”
“What if you didn't have to lose any of us?”
She shakes her head slowly, like she doesn't trust what she's hearing.
“How? Why?”
“Because none of us can walk away from you,” he says simply. “None of us ever were going to. We’ve been yours, all of us, completely yours, forever,” he says simply.
The room falls completely silent and her eyes immediately fill with tears as she glances around the room at the three of us.
“You came back because you thought there wasn't a way to have all of us,” Christian says. “I'm telling you there is.”