Triple the Love

Awkward??!!

Jack

“Are you ok?” I asked Corey as he drove us to Hank’s house. I could literally feel the tension radiating off him, and he was gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. Not only that, but every now and then, Corey would shoot me a nervous look. Almost as if he was barely holding it together. I couldn’t blame him though. I was nervous too, but I also knew I had to be the calm one. If I let my nerves show, Corey would completely freak out.

“No,” Corey whispered, his voice was shaky as he stared ahead. “I feel like I’m going to throw up,” I nodded at that because I felt pretty nauseous as well. Hank had – out of the blue – invited us over to his place to talk. “What if Hank has lost it? What if he never wants to see either of us again and this…this…and he is going to tell us that today?”

“Then we will figure it out,” I said as I reached over and placed my hand on his knee to reassure him. “Let’s just hear what he has to say. Surely, he wouldn’t have invited us over if he didn’t want to try and work this out,” Corey nodded, but he still looked like he was on the verge of a meltdown. I squeezed his knee gently and tried to offer him a comforting smile. Of course, on the inside, I was just as anxious as he was. Hank had promised he would think about the idea the last time we had talked. So, who knew what he had to say and why he had truly invited us over. Corey pulled up to Hank’s house and the tension felt even heavier than before. Corey hesitated, and I could see the panic in his eyes. I removed my hand from his knee and got out of the car. Thankfully, Corey followed me. Hand in hand, we walked up to the door, but before we could even knock, Hank pulled open the door. His expression was hard. His jaw was clenched, and I could tell right away that he was angry. I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.

“Come in,” Hank snapped as he stepped aside to let us in. Corey dropped my hand, and we walked inside. The atmosphere inside was just as tense as it had been in the car. Hank then led us into the living room and, for a moment, no one knew where to sit. Hank took the armchair, and I was relieved when Corey sat down next to me on the two-seater couch. The silence was thick, and I could feel the weight of Hank’s anger hanging in the air. “So…you two went ahead and told everyone about this poly relationship, huh?” Hank said, and his voice was low, controlled, and angry.

“I’m sorry, Hank,” Corey hurriedly said before I could even process what Hank had just said. “I told my friends and family and me and Jack…and that we were hoping you would join us…that we would become a poly couple…” Hank’s expression hardened even more and for a moment it looked as if he was about to blow. His fists were clenched, and I could see the muscles in his jaw flexing as he tried to keep his cool. My heart sank. This wasn’t going well. I glanced over at Corey, who looked upset.

“Hank, we just wanted to tell them that we are dating…we also wanted to mention the possibility of a poly relationship,” I further explained. “We didn’t mean to put you in an awkward position, we just-”

“You didn’t mean to put me in an awkward position?” Hank repeated as he interrupted me. “I walked into work this morning and my bosses were congratulating me on being a part of some poly relationship that I hadn't even agreed to! Awkward doesn’t even come close to how I felt,” it was more than clear that Hank was angry. His voice was hard and annoyed. But I still winced as I imagined his bosses congratulating him on something he hadn't agreed to. Alastair, Atticus, and Damon had shown their support on Sunday, and hearing how they had shown their support was impressive, but it must have been horrible for Hank.

“And we get that,” I said as I tried to keep my voice calm. “And you are right. It wasn’t fair to you, and we should have told you we were going to tell them,” Hank looked as if he was going to keep arguing, but then I saw something in him that seemed to deflate, and he let out a long sigh as he leaned back in his seat. The anger in his eyes dimmed and was replaced with something more like frustration and, dare I say, confusion.

“I just…I just don’t get it,” Hank whispered as he shook his head. “How is this supposed to work? Who is dating who? And…and what about…you know…the physical stuff?” I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Hank wasn’t yelling anymore. He was asking questions. That was definitely a good sign. Maybe there was still a chance for us, after all. I looked over at Corey, who was still staring at the ground. I knew it would be up to me.

“Honestly, Hank, we are still trying to figure all of that out,” I said softly as I tried to help keep the calm that had settled over the room. “The general idea is that we would all be dating each other. There wouldn’t be a leader or whatever…it would just be an open, honest relationship between the three of us,” Hank frowned, and it was clear to me that he was trying to wrap his head around it.

“So, I would be dating both of you? And you would be dating each other?”

“Exactly,” I confirmed with a nod. “It’s all about us being in an equal relationship. We make sure that everyone’s needs are met, but obviously, we would take things slow. No one is expecting everything to fall into place overnight,” Hank was quiet, his eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about what I had just said. However, Hank then looked over at Corey, who was now gazing at Hank with hope in his eyes.

“And what about the physical stuff? How does that work…because I am not comfortable with the idea of…well, you know…” Corey flushed a bright shade of red, clearly embarrassed by the question. But I quickly jumped in to save him.

“We would work that out as we go,” I said. “Nothing would happen without everyone’s consent and if anyone is uncomfortable with something, we would simply talk about it. The most important thing is communication,” Hank nodded as he stared at us, his expression was unreadable, but at least he wasn’t demanding that we leave his house. This was progress. Hank let out another long sigh before he spoke.

“Look, I don’t know if I can do this,” he admitted. “It feels…weird…but I am so tired of being angry…I don’t want to keep holding onto that,” I exchanged a quick look with Corey, who looked as if he was about to cry.

“Hank,” I said gently as I turned my attention back to him. “I asked you that day to think about it, and I’m going to ask you again…just think about it,”