Triple the Love

Even More Advice

Corey

My parents were packing up to leave. Meanwhile, I stood in the kitchen with a familiar heaviness in my chest. On the one hand, I was relieved that their visit was over and that they were leaving. But on the other hand, I just wasn’t ready to face the reality of my life. My father found me in the kitchen, and I glanced over at him.

“Hey, Dad,” I said rather awkwardly.

“Corey…I don’t need to lecture you, but I hope you know that you need to make a decision about your love life,” he said. Once again, he didn’t sugarcoat anything as he bluntly told me that it was time to man up and do what was right. “You cannot keep stringing these men along,” he added, his voice was gruff and firm. “You need to either figure out what you want or let them both go…you don’t need to hurt anyone any more than you already have,” his words stung, like a slap in the face, but, of course, he wasn’t wrong. Just then my mother walked in, and she smiled softly at me as she joined me by my side.

“Remember to follow your heart, Corey,” she said gently, and I sighed. “But we have faith in you that you will do the right thing,” my mother added.

“Yes,” I whispered. My father nodded and we headed out. I helped my father load up the car and when it was time for them to leave, I felt like I wanted to hold onto them for just a few more days. Anything to avoid my life for a little while longer.

“Take care of yourself, son,” my father said as he pulled me into a hug. “Just remember that no decision is still a decision,” he added as he pulled back and looked at me. “Love you, son,”

“Love you too, Dad,” I said as I swallowed the lump in my throat. My father clapped my shoulder one last time before he got into the car. My mother stepped forward and I quickly hugged her. “Love you, Mom,”

“I love you too, sweetie,” she said before she released me and climbed into the car. I watched as they backed out of the driveway and into the road. I waved goodbye as they drove off. I sighed as I went back inside. The weight of my reality threatened to pull me under and, despite all of the advice and support, I still had no idea what to do. The sudden silence of the house pressed down on me, and it only added to the crushing weight of my life. I collapsed on the couch and closed my eyes as I tried to sort through my thoughts and feelings. However, before I could truly admit my truth, there was a knock at the door.

“Who?” I sighed as I got up and went to answer the door. For some reason, I wasn’t even surprised to see that it was Naomi.

“Hey, stranger,” she said as she stepped past me. “Miss me?”

“Ah…what are you doing here?” I asked as I shut the door and followed her into the living room.

“I came to say goodbye to your parents…but of course, I missed them,” she explained, and I smiled. Naomi may not have realized it, but her timing was pretty perfect.

“Yeah, they just left,” I said as I sat down beside her. “You missed them by like three minutes,”

“Of course I did,” she said with a sigh, but then Naomi turned her sharp gaze on me. “But since I am here…start talking,” it was a relief, and I did want to talk to her. I wanted to tell her everything. Even though my parents had given me advice, Naomi knew Jack and Hank almost as well as I did. If there was anyone that could tell me what to do, it was Naomi.

“About what?” I asked, innocently.

“You are a terrible liar, Corey…so try not to lie and just tell me what the hell is going on with you…because, honestly, you look like death,” she said and the concern in her voice was obvious. I took a deep breath, and then I told her everything. I told her about dating both Hank and Jack. Secretly. I told her about Alastair and Jacob. I told her about my parent's advice. I told her about my crazy feelings and how I was struggling to make a choice. I unloaded the mountain of emotions I hadn't even realized I had been carrying. Naomi listened quietly. Her expressions were the only giveaway. Surprise. Sympathy. Horror. Uncertainty and then when I finally stopped talking, she leaned back in her seat, crossed her arms, and studied me.

“Say something,” I eventually begged.

“Damn,” she said after a moment. “That’s... a lot,” I wanted to laugh, but I ducked my head and sighed.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “It is,”

“Corey…I know you don’t want to hurt Jack or Hank…but you definitely can’t keep going on like this. I agree with your mother. You need to sit them both down and be honest. You have to tell them the truth, and it’s time you did it with them,” I nodded even though my heart sank. I didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that it was about to all blow up in my face.

“I just…I don’t know where to start,”

“Start by talking to them, Corey. Once you have told them the truth, then you will know where you stand. That’s when you can move forward,” she said, and I knew she was right. I just had a feeling that I would lose them both. “You have to trust them, Corey,” Naomi added as she stood up. “I mean, I get it. I really do. Hank and Jack are both great guys, and you would be lucky to have either of them…so I get it…but it isn’t fair to keep on lying. You have to give them a chance to make their own decisions. And…and you should give them a bit more credit, Corey,”

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

“They waited this long for you, Corey…who knows what is going to happen,” she said as she left the living room. I hurried after her as my mind felt like it was going crazy with possibilities. Naomi didn’t say anything else as she left and as I shut the door behind her, I knew that my time was up. I knew what I had to do and instead of feeling overwhelmed, I felt clear. I felt lighter. And it was such a relief. I knew I still had a hard road ahead of me, but for the first time since all of this started, a plan was formulated in my mind. It was time to put that plan into motion.