Jesus,this kid is sharp.
Avery chokes on his water, and slaps his chest as he sputters.
Celeste grins. “Yeah, Pres. Were you in love with these two back in college?”
Presley looks mortified, so I jump in before Stephen says something he shouldn’t in front of the kids. “Hey, Celeste. I’m new here. I don’t know the story about how you, Kourtney, and Jason got together.”
Alyssa nods fervently. “See, Aunt Presley? You can be married to two people at the same time, just like them.”
“Drop it, ‘Lyss,” Avery chimes in.
Her bottom lip juts out. “What? I’m just saying, it’s possible. And I like Stephen and Chance. They help when they’re around, and Aunt Presley smiles a lot more.”
Presley rubs her temples. “Let’s save this conversation for another time, okay? We can have a girl talk before bed.”
Alyssa beams. “Promise?”
“Promise, promise.”
Celeste finally takes control of the conversation. “Kourtney, Jason, and I were best friends in high school. Kourtney was dating Jay at the time, but then they broke up after we went away to college.”
“She broke up with me,” Jason interrupts. “I did not want to break up, for the record.”
Kourtney leans in and presses a kiss to his cheek. “But we found our way back to each other, and that’s all that matters.”
“Kourtney and I, uh, got together in college.” Celeste glances at the kids, no doubt tiptoeing around the inappropriate parts. “Then I got hired to do PR for Trenton in Seattle, so I left and Kourtney stayed behind.”
Presley winces. “That must’ve been hard being so far away from each other.”
Celeste nods. “But then Trenton got himself into a bit of drama, and got traded to the Goldfinches, so I came back here and got reunited with Kourtney and Jason.”
“You’re welcome,” Trenton says, raising his beer.
“And that’s when he met me!” Cassidy beams at Trenton’s side.
“Wow.” Presley looks around the table at everyone. “You’re all interwoven into each other’s lives. It’s like everything was meant to be just to bring you all together.”
“Much like you three.” Alexander gestures to us. “Seems like you were brought back into each other’s lives for a reason.”
“That’s exactly what I said.” Stephen clinks his beer bottle against Alexander’s, and swings his gaze to me. “Can’t fight fate, no matter how hard one might try.”
I’ve fought to keep my feelings for Stephen hidden for years, and hidden my sexual orientation for even longer.
But sitting around this table with such open-minded, accepting people—especially with a healthy, loving polyamorous trio like Celeste, Kourtney, and Jason—I’m starting to wonder if it’s time I come out of hiding.
What kind of hypocrite does it make me if I can’t heed the advice I’m giving Avery? If he can learn to believe in himself, and stand up to his bullies, then I should be able to learn to embrace the man I truly am.
For Avery.
For Presley.
For Stephen.
And for myself.
Sophomore Year of College
Fuck,yes.