Triple the Love

Poly Relationship

Jack

Corey was going to be here in any minute and I paced my living room as I waited. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I was a mix of nerves and excitement. I had spent the last few days thinking about what I wanted to say, and what I wanted to do. The amount of research I had done about poly relationships – trying to understand how it works and how it could work for us. The whole concept had been brewing in my mind ever since Tori had suggested it.

“Ugh,” I groaned as I continued to pace the living room. At first, the idea had seemed wild and impossible. Me, Corey, and Hank, all in a relationship with each other. But the more I had thought about it, the more research I had done, the more it all started to make sense. Corey had been torn between us, unable to choose because he cared about both of us. And I could no longer deny that I had feelings not only for Corey but for Hank as well. It was unconventional, of course, it was, but who said relationships had to follow a specific formula? So long as we were honest with each other, and we communicated openly, this could work. The sudden knock on my front door pulled me from my thoughts. “Here we go,” I whispered before I took a deep breath, in hopes of calming myself down. As I headed to the front door, I knew I couldn’t hesitate with this. Corey needed to know what I was thinking and that meant I couldn’t hold back. I opened the door to find Corey standing there, and it was clear that he was nervous. His eyes searched mine, almost as if he was still unsure of where things stood between us, and it made my heart ache to see the uncertainty in his expression.

“Hey, Jack…I came as quickly as I could,” Corey said softly as he offered me a small, tentative smile.

“Hey, boy,” I replied, deliberately using the affectionate name I had for him. I wanted to calm him down as much as I could. “Come on in, we need to talk,” I said as I stepped aside. Corey nodded as he entered my home, and I quickly shut the door behind him. We stood there for a moment; the air was heavy with everything unsaid. I didn’t want to waste any time I needed to get this out before my nerves got the best of me. “Listen, boy…I have been thinking a lot since…well, since everything happened…and I’ve done a lot of thinking and I have done some research on…poly relationships,” Corey blinked before his eyes went wide in surprise.

“Poly...relationships?”

“Yeah,” I said, and I was surprised at how steady my voice was despite the nerves twisting in my gut. “I have been thinking about everything…you know, between you, me, and Hank, and I know it sounds crazy…but what if…I mean, what if we tried being in a poly relationship? The three of us?” Corey stared at me, his mouth was hanging open, and it was almost as if he hadn't heard me. Or he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. I hurriedly pushed forward since I was determined to explain everything. “I know it’s unconventional, but it’s clear that you care about both of us, and I’ve always liked Hank too…even if I didn’t want to admit it…so instead of trying to force you to choose, what if we didn’t have to? What if we could just…try this out? We can be honest with each other….we could make it work…no more secrets. No more lies,” Corey remained silent, and his expression was a mix of shock and disbelief. I could see the gears working in his head, but I wasn’t done yet. There was more I wanted to say.

“Ah…” Corey muttered, but I pushed ahead.

“I have put a lot of thought into how it could work,” I continued. “We would all have to communicate, and I mean, really communicate. It isn’t going to be easy, but if we can be upfront about our feelings…if we set some boundaries, and respect each other's needs…this could work. But…ok, I know Hank. He is stubborn and yes, I am worried that he won’t even listen to the idea,” Corey still hadn't said anything, and it was then that my nerves started to spike. I had just laid everything out in front of him, and he was still just staring at me, stunned. The silence was actually deafening. “Corey…please say something, I need to know what you are thinking…about all of this,” still, Corey seemed almost frozen as he stood there staring at me with wide eyes. However, suddenly, his face crumpled, and he burst into tears. My heart lurched in my chest as I watched him break down. I reached out to him and pulled him into my arms. “Hey…boy…what’s going on? Are you ok?”

“I can’t…I can’t…believe…you aren’t…angry with me,” Corey managed to choke out. I frowned, confused, as I leaned back a bit so that I could look into his eyes.

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“I thought you would hate me. I thought you would never want to see me again…after everything I did…but here you are…you still want me….and you even…you even,” he took a deep breath as he wiped at his eyes and stepped out of my embrace. “You came up with a possible solution. You are suggesting something I hadn't even thought was possible,” I felt my chest tighten as I realized just how much Corey had been carrying. He had been expecting me to walk away. To end things between us, and here I was, offering him a solution he hadn't considered.

“Listen, boy…” I said softly. “I care about you. I always have and yes…you hurt me, but…I also understand why you did what you did. You were torn between two people you cared about, and you didn’t know how to choose. But I’m not angry, and I’m definitely not going anywhere…I just want to find a way forward. A way for us to try and be together,”

“Do you really mean it?” he asked softly, and I nodded. “I don’t know what to say…I didn’t even think about that being an option,”

“Well, it is,” I replied gently. “But, of course, we have to talk to Hank about it,” Corey nodded, and it was clear that he was calming down a bit.