Chapter Twenty-Four
Eventually, Seth showed up to take Justin back to his aunt’s so I could head home too. I had to suppress so many yawns on my way back that I was a little worried I was going to drive into a ditch. It was well past dinner time, but I couldn’t work up any appetite.
Mental exhaustion pulled at me as I parked in front of Seth’s house. Kept its hold on me while I let Bebe out of his crate to go to the bathroom. Tugged at me as I curled on Seth’s couch with the TV on, the sound off.
With the room dark, the bright lights from the TV bounced around.
My phone light caught my attention.
A message from my dad. Feeling a bit sick to my stomach, I slowly checked his message, expecting the worst. He hadn’t seemed very interested in my Thanksgiving idea. And the way he had practically run out of the cafe, I had felt a little crushed.
Dad: I’d love to join you at Micah’s for Thanksgiving.
I gasped as pure relief flooded through me. He wasn’t going to leave me for Thanksgiving. He wasn’t going to demand that it was Vegas or nothing at all.
The front door opened and Seth came in. He took everything in before blinding me with the light.
“Ow,” I said.
“Not sorry. Why are you sitting in the dark?”
“I’m thinking.”
“That can be dangerous.”
“Maybe. How’s Justin?”
“He’ll be fine. Thank you for helping him. He knows now what he doesn’t need to do, and I think that has taken a huge load off of him. They’ve been asking him questions like that since his dad was released. I wish I’d known sooner that they shouldn’t have done that.”
“I barely even remembered. It was something to be considered when I became Lindie’s proxy, but we hit a loophole. Since I was emancipated and seen as an adult, they let me decide. And since the doctors and others were in agreement with what I wanted to do, it was even easier.”
“That was pretty dangerous of them,” Seth said.
“I truly want what’s best for her.”
Seth contemplated something as he stared down at me. Eventually he nodded. “You’re a strong person, Cadence. I’ll be right back. Find something that isn’t in black and white. I’ll make us a snack.”
“Black and white?” I glanced at the TV and realized a super old show was playing. I wasn’t even sure how it got on to that. I flipped through the movies until I settled on a newly released one about a bunch of people forced onto an island, having to learn to survive. It looked interesting enough.
The room filled with the enticing aroma of popcorn, and I grinned at his choice of snack. Of course, what other option was there?
“Oh, not a bad pick,” Seth said in a slightly playful tone as he came in and passed me the super large bowl. He settled in beside me, looking content. I smiled softly, feeling a sense of comfort and familiarity with him by my side like this.
“Now come here.”
“Come where?” I asked, meeting his gaze curiously.
Seth smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Let me cuddle with my girlfriend while we watch TV. We don’t have to think or do anything. Let’s just become couch potatoes for a little bit.”
The invitation hung in the air as I eyed the space next to him. Deciding to just go with the moment, I scooched over to him, feeling a mixture of anticipation and warmth. As I got settled, Seth wrapped his strong arm around me, pulling me into a more comfortable position tucked into his side.
I curled against his chest, the rhythmic beating of his heart providing a soothing tune. The soft hum of the TV and the crackling of the popcorn filled the room as Seth ate a handful. Seth’s warmth became my own, and the tension of the day slowly melted away.
“My dad is going to join me for Thanksgiving with Micah,” I said during a quiet part of the movie, when nothing was really happening.
“Really? That’s great news.”
“It is.”
“You don’t sound too happy?”
“I’m just not sure. About him being around again. I don’t know what to do with him.”
“Well, you don’t have to make a decision right now, do you?” Seth asked.
I thought about that.
“If he demanded an answer right away, then I think we have an answer too, right? But he isn’t. He’s trying too. I think if you both keep trying, you’ll eventually find that balance you need. I’m really glad he’s said yes to Thanksgiving.”
“Me too.” I curled more into Seth’s side and picked at the popcorn as the movie ramped up in action.
The movie was nice. Distracting with all the action and drama. There were even some really cool moments as the main female character grew confident and began taking on a leadership role, making the hard choices those around her couldn’t make.
She was strong in a way I wish I could be. She was decisive, and yet compassionate. She knew what she wanted and she grabbed it.
“Do you think it’ll work?” I asked without even realizing I wanted to ask it.
“What? That weird contraption they’re making? I think it’ll sink in the water. It isn’t buoyant enough.”
I laughed and nudged into him. “No. I mean us. All of us.”
“Oh. That makes more sense.”
“So?” I asked when he didn’t say anything else.
“It’s hard to say. Five boyfriends. One girlfriend. It’s definitely a bigger group, but if we all just keep talking things out and drawing clear lines, then I really do think it’ll work.”
“Clear lines? Like what?”
“Hm, things like what you do with the others. Do we want to know, or not know? Or maybe how to mesh together into something balanced. Some of us need a lot of time and attention, others are more hands off. And making that work with you. What you need from us and when you need it. We need to make sure we don’t overwhelm you.”
“That makes sense.”
“The key here is that you need to let us know when you need space. My aunt talked about it, how sometimes she tells her husbands to go away and she just enjoys time to herself. If we’re all dating you, you need to be able to tell us to fuck off when you need alone time.”
Fuck off, huh? That made me smile as I tried to imagine saying that to them. “I’m going to admit, I don’t think I like alone time. I start thinking too much.”
He squeezed me and kissed the side of my head. “You have a lot to think about, and none of it is fun. I don’t blame you. You’ll learn, just like how we’ll learn.”
“Aren’t you nervous?” I asked. “I’m scared.”
“I am too.” He sighed. “I know it won’t be easy and I know some of the others are worried too. Or maybe confused. I don’t want anyone to feel pressured to try this if they aren’t interested. I’m scared about what will happen if this doesn’t work. What will happen to us if this falls apart before we give it a real try. I’m scared you’ll be scared away because some of us don’t know how to take things slow.”
“I don’t want to break anything,” I said.
“Broken things can be fixed. We have to be willing to fix it. To fight for it.”
“It’s a bit surreal.”
“I think so too. I’ll admit, I never thought I’d be in this kind of relationship. I’ve seen it with my aunt, I’ve even met some of her friends who are in poly relationships. I just never saw it for myself. Not until I met you and I realized how right it felt. Meeting you and getting to know you. Seeing how you are with the others. You quickly became an important person to all of us. I can see it, a future with all of us together. Building a family together. I think it’ll be fun.”
“It just needs to stop being scary first,” I said.
Seth chuckled. “Yeah. Have you talked to Toby and Bryan yet?”
“No. Haven’t really had a chance.”
“And you want to date them too, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“What if I said no?” I asked.
“Then we have more work ahead of us to figure shit out. But I’m sure there would be an answer. I don’t want you to feel like it’s all or nothing with us. That isn’t fair to anyone.”
“And I don’t want anyone to feel like they need to date me too if they don’t want to.”
Seth chuckled. “I truly don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. So as soon as you feel you can, ask the other two. Then we can start really wooing you and learning about what works for us.”
I snorted. “No pressure, right?”
Seth smirked. “None at all.”
I picked at my pants. I wanted to know their answers. Toby wasn’t as scary to ask, but I felt a bit intimidated having to ask Bryan. We had such a rough start, and we still butted heads sometimes. I wasn’t even sure what it was about me that he’d even like. If I had to admit anything, it’d be that asking him worried me the most. I loved how protective he was of everyone, how he was the one willing to step forward and call people out on their bullshit if it meant keeping his friends safe.
“Cadence, no matter what happens, I’m in. I already told you that. I’m here and we’ll figure shit out as it happens.”
I grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thank you. I really appreciate you.”
“Only appreciate?” he asked.
It was my turn to smirk at him. “For now.”
“Why you!” He began tickling me. I let out a laugh, trying to pull away from him, but he wasn’t letting me get away as he tortured me with tickles. We only stopped when both of us nearly fell off his couch.
“Okay, okay.” He was still laughing. “I’ll let you go for now before one of us gets hurt.”
I let out a little snort. “Always the gentleman.”
“My momma raised me right.” He passed me a cup of water. “Here.”
I drank it, nearly downing half of it. Seth positioned me comfortably by his side as we both calmed down. It took a moment to focus back on the movie, and we did just as he suggested. We turned into couch potatoes as we watched the movie and I dozed, curled against Seth.
It was a nice ending to a rather stressful day.