Triple the Love

Hank - Part Two

Corey

I had finally crossed the line with Hank and his response had been everything I could have hoped for. Hank was happy, overjoyed, and delighted. However, as we sat on the couch and devoured slice after slice of the incredible pizza he had made, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. It was gnawing at me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling. Hank was talking about his latest construction job. A huge movie theater project on the outskirts of town. While I did my best to pay attention to his work, I was struggling. His hands moved animatedly as he described the sheer size of the place. Usually, I would be hanging onto his every word, because Hank was passionate about his job and this one was no different.

“Hmm,” I hummed as I grabbed another slice. Hank went on while I continued to fight this battle inside of me. It had been too easy, and I couldn’t help but compare it to the conversation with Jack last night. Hank had no questions. No hesitation. He had just accepted it. And I realized that, right there, was the problem. It wasn’t as if I expected him to grill me or push me, but I had anticipated something. Curiosity, maybe. Questions, surely. Anything that would show me something. Anything. I glanced over at Hank, who was now describing the parking lot, and I sighed. This wasn’t going to work. “Don’t you have any questions?” I blurted out, as I interrupted him mid-sentence. Hank blinked, clearly caught off guard.

“Huh?”

“Don’t you want to know about Jack?” I questioned. “Aren’t you at least a bit curious about why I want to take things slow? Or why do I want to keep things private? I mean…don’t you even want to know about Daniel?” Hank set down his half-eaten pizza and beer on the coffee table. His brows knitted together in confusion. The air between us had grown tense and the heaviness of my questions hung in the air. Hank didn’t speak as I waited for him to at least answer my questions. “Come on, Hank, talk to me,” I softly urged. Hank continued to stare at me for what felt like the longest time. The excitement over his work project had faded, and his expression was now serious. He turned to face me and sighed softly.

“Is there something I should know about Jack?” Hank asked carefully. His voice was steady, but I could see the gears turning in his mind. “Is that why you brought him up?” I wasn’t sure how to answer that without digging myself into a deeper hole. So, I remained silent as I bit my bottom lip. Hank shifted in his seat as his eyes searched mine. “Look…little bunny…the reason I accepted the fact that you want to take things slow is because I know how much Daniel hurt you,” he explained, and his voice was gentle. “Surely you haven’t forgotten the number of times we’ve talked about him?”

“No,” I whispered.

“I know that it took a lot for you to come here and tell me that you want something more…that you are ready…I get that you are ready, but that you want to take things slow. I respect that. I respect you…and that should answer your question about Daniel…I wouldn’t have thought to ask about him because I know how upset you get when you even mention his name…and as for you wanting to keep things private…” his voice trailed off as he leaned back in his seat. “I get it. Your family…your friends…you don’t want them to interfere or to overwhelm you…I get it, Corey, and…I trust you,” his words were like a soothing balm over my nerves, but they also made me feel incredibly guilty. Hank hadn’t questioned me because he trusted me to know myself and what I wanted. He believed in me, and I had just about ruined it.

“I’m sorry,” I said, but Hank shook his head.

“Corey…my little bunny…I have wanted you from the moment we met and even though we became friends, that has never changed for me. I am so happy that you are ready, but I know that this isn’t going to be easy. I didn’t want to…I don’t want you to think that I don’t care, because I do. The only reason I didn’t question you or whatever is because I know how big this is for you and I didn’t want to make it even bigger,” he continued to explain, and I felt even worse. Suddenly I felt even more guilty than before. Here I was, trying to navigate not one but two new relationships. It was unfair to both of them, but I still wasn’t prepared to lose either of them. Hank stared at me with those trusting eyes of his as he waited patiently for me to respond. He wasn’t judging me or questioning my motives. He had accepted everything I had said and been super understanding. Without giving it another thought, I threw myself at him. I straddled his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck as I pressed my forehead against him. Hank’s eyes went wide, but he settled his hands on my hips. I tried not to think about how close we were.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, and my voice was shaky as I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry for throwing that at you…I just…I am still trying to figure things out, and I don’t want to mess this up,”

“You aren’t messing up anything, Corey. It’s you and me now, and we’ll figure things out together,” he whispered, and I smiled before I leaned in and kissed him. Hank responded immediately as he gripped me tighter. His lips were firm, demanding, and hot against mine and I could taste the bitterness of the beer and the saltiness of the cheese on his lips. I didn’t want to compare his kiss with Jack’s, so I pushed Jack to the back of my mind. The second I let go, I felt like everything else faded away. Gone was the guilt. The worry and the tangled mess of emotions. It was just me and Hank. When I pulled back, we were both breathless and Hank smiled up at him. “I have wanted that for a long time,” he admitted, and I blushed.

“Me too,” I said, and that wasn’t a lie. If anything, I had begun to realize that I was more than ready to explore this with Hank. And Jack.