Triple the Love

Happy Corey!

Jack

“Jack! Jack!” Corey called out as he barged into my office late Friday night. I was buried in paperwork and the whole week had been non-stop with events at the restaurant and a few last-minute wine orders that needed to be finalized before the weekend. I was exhausted as I looked up at him. Corey looked as if he had just run a marathon. His eyes were wide with excitement, and I frowned.

“Corey? What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Jack, Jack…holy s**t! Jack, he is in! Hank – he is in – I just – I can't believe it – Jack!” Corey’s words all seemed to jumble as he frantically tried to tell me what was going on. His voice was high-pitched with adrenaline. His hands were flying through the air as he spoke, his excitement palpable but entirely overwhelming.

“Woah, Corey, slow down,” I said as I held up a hand to stop him. Although, I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “I can't understand a word you are saying,” Corey stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.

“Hank is in,” he blurted out. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at him.

“Wait, what? What do you mean Hank is in?”

“I mean, Hank agreed! He is going to give this poly relationship a try! He is in, Jack!” he exclaimed, and I continued to stare at him. I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. Hank had been so resistant, so unsure about the whole thing, and now he was willing to try? I felt a surge of relief, excitement, and – honestly – pure joy was over me. It had been such a long, emotional rollercoaster of hoping and waiting, and now, finally, Hank was ready to give this a shot.

“Are you serious?” I asked curiously. I just wanted him to say it again so that I had could be sure I had heard him right. Corey nodded so vigorously that I thought his head might just pop off.

“I just came from his place…I was going crazy, and I just had to talk to him…so I went over to his place, and we talked…I mean, he is nervous, but he said he would give this a try. We are doing this, Jack, all three of us!” I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. Hank was in. Hank was willing to give this a shot. It felt like everything we had been waiting for was finally starting to come together. I knew there would still be challenges ahead, but now that Hank was in, it felt like it was a real possibility. However, before I could say anything else, Corey’s expression shifted, and he bit his lip. “I’m sorry I saw him without you,” he said softly, and his eyes were suddenly filled with worry. “I didn’t mean to go behind your back, I just…I couldn’t wait anymore, and I wanted to get some clarity,”

“Corey, it’s fine,” I said as I shook my head. “I don’t care that you saw him without me, I’m just so glad to hear that he is willing to try. That is all that matters,” Corey visibly relaxed, and his grin returned in full force.

“And I’m sorry for just barging in, I just…I couldn’t wait to tell you. I had to come straight here,” I nodded and was just about to ask more about his conversation with Hank, but Corey was already bouncing on his feet again. “Ok, ok, so I am going to head home, and I’m going to start working on a schedule for our dates! I want to make sure we are all on the same page about how we are going to do this. I’ll text you later,” he rattled off at full speed. I blinked as I tried to keep up with the whirlwind that was Corey.

"A schedule?” I repeated.

“Yes! This is a big deal, and we have to stay organized!” he exclaimed before he came over to my side of the desk and gave me a quick, but enthusiastic kiss. I was still dazed when I realized that he was already gone. I leaned back in my chair, staring at the now-closed door, and smiled. My heart was still pounding with excitement from the news. Hank was in. Corey was ecstatic and here I was, sitting in my office, feeling like I was on top of the world. But I was also terrified. The elation I felt was undeniable. I was genuinely excited that Hank had finally agreed. But there was still some uncertainty and doubt that lingered. Corey’s excitement was infectious, but there was still a lot we needed to figure out.

“f**k,” I murmured as I started to think. What if this didn’t work? What if Hank decided it wasn’t for him after all? What if Corey and Hank ended up connecting in ways that I couldn’t? What if I wasn’t enough for both of them? I recognized that the fears were natural. This was new territory for all of us and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But it was something real, and that meant it was worth fighting for. And if Hank was willing to try, then so was I. I took a deep breath as I tried to steady myself. This was happening. It was finally happening. We were really going to do this and no matter what came next, I knew one thing for sure. I was all in. I looked down at the stack of paperwork in front of me and I knew that I still had a lot to do before the night was over. However, I decided to take a small break and think about the possibility of what our future could look like for the three of us. We had a long road ahead, but for the first time in a long time, I felt like we were headed in the right direction. With that thought in mind, I took a deep breath and turned my attention back to the paperwork in front of me.