Chapter 8
Ivy invited me and Dos out to dinner. She told me she was finally ready to tell Dos everything and what she wanted from him. We met at The Oak Room. I arrived first. The hostess seated me in a private corner of the restaurant. There was a partition that separated the table from the rest of the patrons. I assumed that Ivy asked for this space just in case my brother acted a fool when she made her proposition. You could never tell how Dos would respond, especially at hearing this news.
Dos was the next to arrive. When he saw my face, he was less than excited.
“What up, Dos.”
“What up, Uno. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Yeah. Something tells me there’s a lot you don’t expect,” I mumbled.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
I chuckled. “Look Dos. No matter what we still brothers first and that is all that matters.”
“Damn right. And sometimes the best brother wins.” He grinned.
I just shook my head. This nigga was in for a surprise. Ivy better hurry up and get here before I burst his little bubble. The waiter finally made her way over to us.
“Gentlemen, can I get you something to drink?”
“Yes, I’ll have a cranberry juice,” I replied.
“Give me a double shot of whiskey.”
“Will that be all?”
“On second thought, Make those two whiskeys.”
“Will do. I’ll be right back.”
The waiter left to retrieve the drink order. There was an awkward silence that fell between us. In the ten years since Ivy disappeared, six of those years Dos and I didn’t speak to each other. Nana had to make us come together. We never spoke about the wedge between us. There was nothing to discuss. We knew it was about Ivy. It had always been about her. Rather than bring up old hurt and dirt, it seemed easier to just move on. When I told him what I was thinking about doing with part of my inheritance, it was the first time Dos, and I found a common point of interest. We both put in equal amounts, hired a contractor, and went to work on building Mystic. It had been four years of getting along. That’s not a long time when you consider we hadn’t unpacked the bullshit that got us here. Ivy was just a piece of the issue. And now that she was back, the competitive nature between us resurfaced. It was ten years ago all over again. I just hoped Dos was mature enough to handle what Ivy had to say. It wasn’t about the competition; it’s about coming to grips with the fact that we both loved the same woman and if we wanted her in our lives we needed to work together as hard as that might be.
Ivy finally arrived. She wore a pink plaid and tan blazer, with a tan tank top, denim shorts that showcased her legs and ass and a nude pair of pumps. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun allowing us to see her hoop earrings.
We both stood to greet her.
“You look beautiful,” I said as we greeted in an intimate embrace.
“You smell good,” she whispered.
“Damn, can a nigga get some respect,” Dos let out an annoyed sigh.
“Hey Dos,” she responded, leaning into him as he kissed her cheek.
We all sat down as the waiter brought our drinks over. Ivy must have ordered as she came in because there was a glass of white wine that accompanied the drink order.
Ivy attempted to start the conversation off with some pleasantries, but she must have been taking too long for Dos. His uncomfortable demeanor had him on edge.
“No disrespect Ivy, but why the fuck you got us here? I thought you and I were meeting up. I show up and Uno here. What’s up?
Ivy looked at me and then at Dos. I nodded my head to encourage her to continue. I could tell she was having some reservations about the conversation that was about to take place.
She sighed and continued, “Dos, there’s no easy way for me to say this. But here it goes. You know I love you, right?”
“Damn right.” Dos looked at me and smiled.
“Well, I also love your brother too.”
The look on his face went from victory to pure disgust. “What the fuck you mean, Ivy?”
“I love you both. And… well I want both of you in my life. I want us to be a couple.”
“A couple is two people, How the fuck we gonna be a couple when you talking about me and my brother?”
“I want to have a relationship with both of you. I want us to be exclusively together.”
“So, You wanna fuck both of us?”
“I wanna love both of you.”
“Bitch, are you out of your mind!”
“Dos, hear her out.”
“I’m hearing her ok. She talking nonsense. How the fuck she expect you and me to share her ass?”
“Dos, the alternative is that neither of us can have her.”
“So, you just ok with this shit?”
“I responded just like you did when she brought this to my attention.”
“Oh, so you two already talked this shit through. That’s fucked up!”
“That’s not what happened,” Ivy interjected.
“Naw, that’s exactly what the fuck happened. Y’all two been fuckin already.”
Me and Ivy just looked at each other. “Transparency Ivy. It’s the only way this will work.” I reminded her.
She took another deep breath. “Yes, Uno and I have been intimate.”
“Awe Hell Naw.” Dos stood up pushing his chair to the floor. The commotion caused the waiter to rush into the private area.
“Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, We’re good.” I put up my hand and nodded to assure her that we would keep things down. When she left the area, I spoke, “Sit the fuck down and let’s talk about this like adults.” My stern voice made Dos calm down. He picked up the fallen chair and sat his ass down. He drank the whiskey in one gulp.
“Look Dos, I ran away ten years ago because I knew what I did was wrong. I was in a relationship with Uno and sneaking around with you. I thought I could only love one of you at a time. But the truth was I had always loved both of you since I was a little girl. I don’t know how to love only one of you. I can’t do it. I thought if I left, my feelings would go away, but they didn’t. I can’t choose just one of you. I don’t want to hurt either of you.”
“So, what, I’m just supposed to be ok with you fucking my brother?”
“Yes. I can love both of you. No secrets, no lies.
“How Ivy?”
“You can share me. We can set up a schedule. Three days with each of you and a day to ourselves or as a group. We can alternate the days on a monthly basis, so no one feels like they’re missing out on doing certain activities. Ideally, what I would like is for us to eventually be able to coexist together under one roof and do things together.
“And you good with this shit, Uno?”
I turned to look at Uno, “Yeah. I love Ivy and I know you do too. If this is the only way we can have her, then I’m willing to try.”
“I don’t know about this shit. Plus, y’all already been fucking behind my back.”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. She came to me to discuss this shit. It just happened. But I told her until she spoke to you, I wouldn’t see her in that compacity. If we were going to do this you needed to be onboard with this situation.” I paused to look at him and Ivy. I couldn’t believe that I actually heard myself agree to this. But I was all in. I just needed Dos to agree. “So, you in or what?”
Dos just stared at Ivy. I knew a piece of his heart melted away and the other piece shattered at the thought of sharing her and having to do it with me. The competition was over, it was a draw; a tie, and the trophy was her. The only way to claim her was to share the reward. It was hard to accept victory when you felt like your heart was coming in second place. “Dos?”
He hesitated, looked at me and then again at Ivy, “Fuck it, I guess we are officially a throuple.”
Ivy smiled. She got up and came over and gave Dos a tight hug and kiss. She then walked over to me and did the same. “Thank you, Uno. You won’t regret this. I love…” she whispered in my ear.
“Enough of this shit already. We fucking or naw,” Dos said as he looked at me and Ivy.