“Hey,” Leandro called to me from the dining room. “Can you bring in the salt and pepper? I used it for the chicken.”
“Yeah, of course,” I answered. It was a change to have Leandro around so much, and to have him make dinner most nights. But it was a wonderful and welcomed change that both Matt and I adored.
I went into the dining room with Parvati close behind. “And this is Leandro.” I stepped back as they shook hands for a moment.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Parvati told Leandro. She neared him to speak modestly. “And I have to thank you for everything you’ve done. Not just for Jourdanne, but also for me. Restoring the café and getting it open again was no easy task, I’m sure!”
“No, but when the community loves a place enough to help, who can say no?”
“Did you say you brought wine?” Matt called from the kitchen. Not that we hadn’t already had a glass, but he was being a polite host. Parvati smiled at Leandro and me and then went back into the kitchen to help Matt open the wine. I could hear them speaking about the house as I took Leandro the salt and pepper.
“Tonight is so wonderful. Thanks for everything,” I told him.
Leandro smiled at me, and then he leaned down and kissed my lips. “I’m excited to be a part of your life, Jourdanne. I can’t wait to meet everyone important to you.”
“Well, that’d be you and Matt, and my dad and Parvati. So, you have one more person to meet.”
Leandro laughed. “A small circle is always a good thing.”
We sat down at six to eat dinner. The guys were across from one another, and Parvati and I sat adjacent. Leandro had made lemon and herb chicken with roasted maple carrots and salad. There were dinner rolls and plenty of wine. It was the perfect evening meal to celebrate the new life Leandro, Matt, and I had created. Especially as we welcomed my friend.
“I’m so glad Yale is working out for you, Jourdanne,” Parvati said to me as she passed the butter.
“Yeah, I have classes four days a week, then a lab on Wednesday. Even for business you have to know your science,” I said with a laugh.
Parvati smirked. “I know nothing about science unless it has to do with cooking. Speaking of… this chicken is so good, Leandro. Where did you ever learn to cook?”
“Well, this recipe is from a friend of mine. Her name is Holly. She runs a charity in the Appalachian Mountains.”
“Oh, yeah!” I sat up and waved my hands. “Parvati, I forgot to tell you that I’m starting an internship with Holly. It’s being applied to my degree too.”
“The Mountains?” Parvati eyed Matt and then Leandro. “You’re not taking my friend away from me, are you?”
Leandro rested his arms on the table with a smile. “No way. I don’t want her gone on the trails for too long. She belongs here.”
“With us,” Matt added.
I smiled at them both, then told Parvati, “Besides, most of my work is done on my laptop.”
“Okay.” Parvati leaned back as she slowly began to smile. “You know how important you are to me, right?”
“I know.”
“But really, I am so happy for you all. You’re happy together and in love, and that’s all that matters.” Parvati was so sweet to be open-minded and accepting about me and the guys continuing a polyamorous relationship even after the contract had ended. Honestly, though, everything in my life was because of her pushing me to take a chance.
“We are, and it’s thanks to you,” I told her, and immediately she started blushing. “Seriously.” I reached over the table and touched her hand. “All of this is because you encouraged me to take action and carve out the life I always wanted. And here it is.”
She squeezed my hand a little as she smiled. “You flatter me.”
“It’s true, though. Just like you said, sometimes you have to take risks in life to get where you want to be.”
Parvati smiled.
“I guess sometimes you do.”
- THE END -