Stephan had a girlfriend for a time—Denise. That crashed and burned in a huge way. She had a crush on me. He was understandably jealous. I can see why she would prefer me, but that wasn’t really an option either. It was better that she just disappeared from his life.
In a way, Olivia represents the best possible situation—a woman we could share, who wouldn’t come between us. Someone who inspired teamwork instead of jealousy. Someone who brought us all together.
But that was just one time. It would be like trying to find a unicorn.
“Yeah, so, Olivia,” I start, trying to find a good way to let him down. “That was really something else, huh?”
He brightens, obviously happy to get some positive feedback on this.
“It was amazing! It was like… Christmas. Like everything good. Like the Fourth of July. Times ten.”
Despite myself, I can’t help but be swept up in his enthusiasm.
“Yeah… That was pretty great.”
“So what do we do next? Did you get her number? I mean, obviously we know where she lives. How should we handle this? Do you want to call her? Should we wait for her to call us?”
My stomach tightens. I am gonna have to let the poor kid down. It’s the kind thing to do.
Stephan comes out from the kitchen with a pot of rewarmed chili and places it in the middle of the long wooden table. Heavy stoneware plates slide along the gleaming wooden surface of the table.
“Come on, let’s eat,” I suggest gently.
“What’s going on?” Stephan asks as we sit down, clearly curious. “Something wrong?”
I shoot him a look. Maybe he can explain it to Trigger. I’m sure Denise is still fresh in his mind.
“Well, what do you think we should do?” Trigger asks him as he scoops a giant ladle of chili into a bowl and tops it with grated cheese.
Stephan shakes his head in confusion. “Do about what?”
Trigger looks around like it is obvious. “About Olivia, duh.”
“Oh, that,” Stephan shrugs, looking relieved.
I am grateful to see that he is going to help me out on this and let Trigger down easy.
“Yeah, Trigger wanted to know what we should do next,” I ask, knowing that Stephan will help fill in the details.
Stephan nods, filling his mouth with a spoonful of chili and chewing thoughtfully. He takes a deep breath and swallows.
“Yeah, I was thinking we should just go ahead and go over there,” he announces.
“Oh, yeah!” Trigger agrees happily. “Great idea!”
“Wait, what?” I choke. “Go over there? No… I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
I feel the conversation slipping away. This is not what I thought Stephan was going to say. I assumed he had learned his lesson. But a lump of chili at the back of my throat threatens to get lodged in the wrong place. I have to get this swallowed before I can say anything.
Stephan continues, unaware. He’s got that tone in his voice, that authoritative thing he trots out where he doesn’t think anyone will dare argue with him.
“She sure seemed to like us,” he shrugs. “And I haven’t busted a nut in I can’t even tell you how long.”
“Three weeks,” Trigger adds helpfully. “In the shower.”
Stephan raises his eyebrows at him.
“What?” Trigger rolls his eyes. “Criminy, I wish I didn’t know either. I wish you weren’t so damn loud!”
“You know, maybe we know too much about each other,” I interject finally when I’m able to speak. “Let’s face it… we’re close. Closer than most people are.”
They stare at me blankly.
“A woman can really get in the way,” I continue, hoping to jog Stephan’s memory.
“Not the right woman,” he deflects. “The right woman doesn’t get in the way. The right woman would be in the right place.”
I shake my head. When did he turn into such a dreamer? He, of all people, should be cautious.
But I can see that he isn’t. And to be fair, it really has been a long time. I can see that I am not going to talk them out of this, so I try another angle.
“If you want to go talk to Olivia… I mean, go ahead and take the chance.”
Now they look at each other, connected silently. Slowly, Stephan turns toward me.
“What do you mean?” he asks carefully.
My stomach twists. For some reason, when I am about to say is extremely unpleasant.
“You know, three’s a crowd. Four is… a freaking horde. You guys go over there and see which one she picks.”
Trigger blinks innocently. “Why does she have to pick at all?”
This poor guy. What he does not understand about the world is a lot. Stephan sits back in his chair and rolls his tongue under his teeth, smirking.
“That is exactly what I have been saying,” he begins. “Why does she have to pick? Give me one reason. I bet you can’t.”
“Come on, be serious,” I scoff. “Does she look like that kind of girl to you?”