Silence met his words.
Leah looked like she was going insane. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at each of them. “Did I beg you?” she asked.
Chase glanced at Mitch before nodding his head. He was going to be truthful.
“I begged you to fuck me?” she asked.
“Actually, you begged us to make love to you.”
“And you did?” she asked, slowly.
They both nodded their heads again. Chase saw the despair in her eyes.
“I need to get out of here,” she said, standing up.
“You don’t have to leave, Leah. Nothing has changed,” Mitch said, getting up.
“Nothing has changed? I begged my two best friends to have sex with me. How can that not change anything? I need to go and do the laundry. I’ll be back later.”
Chase watched as she grabbed the sacks that had been left by the door. Her body shook with the movement as she slammed out of their apartment.
“We fucked up last night,” Mitch said.
Not wanting to hear any more, Chase grabbed his coat and left the apartment. He needed to clear his head. Last night had been the best night ever. It was the night all of them should have been enjoying for years.
He walked along the deserted street wishing Leah had woken up remembering. She’d told them both how much she loved them and that she’d never be able to pick between the two of them. How could someone not remember those words?
Chase walked through the city park as people were just getting started with their day. He nodded to people he passed not seeing or hearing any response. His life felt like it was over before it had even begun.
****
Mitch moved over to the sink to clean the mess Chase had left behind. Leah loved a clean kitchen, and coming home to the mess from breakfast wouldn’t leave her in the best mood. He rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning away the mess.
Tears filled his eyes as memories of the previous night came to him.
“Don’t think about them,” he said to himself.
He washed each dish and saucepan clean before drying them.
Once he was done, Mitch moved straight toward his bedroom. He’d not slept in his bed all night. Leah had been in his arms. He’d felt her soft curves against him and had thought he’d never have to be alone at night.
The way she reacted this morning, he knew that was never going to happen.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling for several hours. The desire to move wasn’t with him. He needed to clear his head, leaving the apartment wasn’t an option. If Leah came home before Chase got a chance to turn up, he wanted someone to be there for her.
Reaching over the bed, he grabbed his phone. The only other person he knew to talk to was his father. In all the years his father had known about his and Chase’s feelings for Leah, he’d understood.
Mitch dialled the number, waiting for his father to answer. It was early on a Saturday morning, and his mother usually went to yoga class, leaving his dad home on his own.
“Hello,” his father answered.
“Hi, Dad, it’s me.”
“Mitch, it’s so good to hear from you. What’s up?”
“What do you mean what’s up?” Mitch asked, feeling defensive.
“Son, it’s a Saturday morning. You, Chase, and Leah are usually doing something, why are you calling me? Is everything all right?”
As his father continued to ask him questions, Mitch stared at the photo he kept of their graduation. It had been a day filled with a lot of laughs and celebrations. They were all going to the same college with their futures ahead of them.
“I’ve done something awful, Dad,” he said.
Silence came over the line.
“Do you want to talk about it?” his father asked.
Mitch stared at the photo then allowed the night’s memories to come back to him in a flood. “I need to talk to someone.”
“I’m listening.”