Chapter 29

Grady

The small Italian restaurant buzzes with the hum of diners, clinking glasses, and the aromatic scents of garlic and fresh basil. It's a charming spot, with its checkered tablecloths and flickering candlelight, making it the perfect place for an intimate dinner. Our table is tucked into a cozy corner, filled with laughter and the clatter of forks meeting our plates. The conversation has flowed easily, but mostly focused on Olivia. She's been the center of attention tonight, and honestly, I can't blame anyone. She's captivating.

Olivia blots her face with a napkin, her eyes sparkling with warmth and amusement. "Well, guys, I need to head out if I'm going to make it to the shoot. I'll talk to you all later, yeah?"

"Yeah, babe, we'll be fine. We'll make sure your boy here gets home okay," Kipp assures her, his grin wide and reassuring.

I look at Van and wink. "I'll be okay, Livvy. You go do what you love. Call me when you're home."

She leans in, kissing each of us on the cheek. "Have a good night, guys," she whispers, her voice soft and sincere. With a final wave, she slips out of the restaurant.

As soon as she's out the door, Van pulls out his wallet, grabbing his card. "I should go too. Thanks for letting me crash. I had fun."

"Hey, do you want to go grab a drink?" I ask, not ready for the night to end and sensing there's more that needs to be said.

Van stops and thinks for a moment before nodding. "Sure, why not."

We head over to a nearby sports bar, with big screens showing various games and a relaxed atmosphere. The neon lights cast a colorful glow over the bar, and the sounds of excited sports fans fill the air. We grab a high top, order some drinks and chips with dip, and settle in. The conversation starts with Ollie, naturally. We share how we each met her, and how incredible she is.

"She's something else, isn't she?" Van muses, his eyes distant as he recalls memories.

"Absolutely," Kipp agrees.

"Did you know she was Barbi's friend?" Van asks.

Kipp shakes his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "No idea. Just found out as she was leaving our house and saw a picture of Barbi on the wall."

"She about fell over, she was so shocked." I smile, recalling the morning not that long ago.

"That's funny, but also ironic." Van takes a drink of his beer. "It's unlike Livvy to take a man home from the bar, let alone two."

"Didn't you just tell us that's how you two met?" Kipp raises a brow.

"Yeah, but she had said many times this was so unlike her and she couldn't believe I was interested in her and not Barbi."

I grunt. "I think Barbi had our girl thinking she's not the most amazing creature that I've ever known."

"Hey!" Kipp kicks me under the table. "Well, besides my husband, of course." I toss him a wink and Van chuckles.

"I agree, though. She is the most stunning woman I've ever seen." Kipp smiles.

Talk shifts to our work, the sports teams we like, and the usual small talk that keeps things comfortable. Kipp talks about his marketing company, the challenges of his latest campaign, and the thrill of seeing his ideas come to life. Van shares stories from his work in architecture, the projects he's passionate about, and the satisfaction of seeing his designs take shape. I add in my experiences from working in tech, the fast-paced nature of the industry, and the innovative projects I've been a part of.

"So, you two work together and live together?" Van asks.

"Yeah, Grady does all the tech stuff for the company. He's our IT man, but he also works on his own freelance projects for others, building websites and such."

"Cool."

"It just kind of happened," I tell him. "I was working from home and then one day Kipp called with an IT issue and I came in and fixed it. Then he suggested I work there as the head of IT, but I didn't want to give up my job. So we compromised. I pretty much run my company from inside his company, but I also fix his shit when his people break it." I laugh.

"That's nice though. One place but different places. If that makes sense. Smart," Van replies.

Despite the easy flow of conversation, there's an underlying tension, a conversation waiting to happen. Finally, I decide to stop ignoring the elephant in the room.

"So, what are we gonna do about Ollie? We're not going anywhere, and she's not gonna give you up again, Van. So where do we stand?"

Van sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, man. I don't know if I can share her. It's always been just me and her, and I think seeing her with someone else, making love in front of me, would make me see red. I've never been in a situation like that. Never even had an interest in threesomes. You guys seem like good dudes, and I appreciate you being there for her when I couldn't, but I'm just supposed to share now. Like that's just our future? Sharing the same girl forever? What if you two want to just be married and dip out, then Livvy adds two more dudes? Like, I just don't know where it stops."

Kipp, who's been sitting next to Van this whole time, turns to look at him before slapping him upside the back of the head. "Nuh-uh. If she says we stay, then we're in it for the long haul. She's the woman we didn't even know we were looking for. "

Van shakes his head again. "I don't know. I just don't know if I can handle it."

I smirk, an idea forming. "I have an idea."

Van looks at me, curiously. "What?"

I rub my hands together like a villain in a movie. "Let's try it. We fuck our girl together, and if you can't handle it, we'll leave. We don't want to push you out because that could worsen this issue you think you have."

Van cocks his head, laughing. "Like a test run orgy?"

"Exactly." I nod. "Just a simple orgy. No pressure, no expectations. Just to see how it feels."

Van stops laughing and looks at us, his expression serious. "You're serious?"

"Deadly."

He chugs his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Fuck it, let's try."

"Okay," I say, taking a deep breath. "But you're sure about this?"

Van's eyes meet mine. "Yeah, I won't know unless we try, right?"

"Right."

I look at my phone, seeing that it's almost midnight. Shit! We need to get home; we didn't plan on staying out so late.

"It's getting pretty late, we should all head home. Are you good to drive?" I ask Van.

"Yeah, man. I'm good." He raises his hand to get the attention of our server and when she comes over, we ask for our tab.

Pulling her tablet from her apron, she pulls up our bill, and Van hands her his card.

"This one's on me, fellas."

"Thanks, man."

The server hands him back his card and grabs our empties. "You guys have a good night and be safe."

"Well, we'll talk more later. But tonight was good. We needed this to break the awkwardness between us," Kipp announces.

I move closer to Van, and slowly, tentatively, I wrap my arms around him. At first, it's stiff, awkward. But then, something shifts. The tension eases, and we relax into the hug, finding a surprising sense of comfort in each other's presence.

It's a small thing, a simple gesture, but it speaks volumes. At this moment, we're not just three guys trying to figure out how to share the same woman. We're a unit, a team, bound by Olivia and our willingness to make it work.

When we finally pull away, there's only relief, a shared understanding that maybe, just maybe, this could work.

"Well, what do you think? You already had your first intimate moment with me," I joke.

"Well," Van says, his voice teasing. "That wasn't so bad."

Kipp grins. "Told you. But seriously, we'll figure this out, man. Together."

I nod, feeling a sense of camaraderie. "Yeah, we've got this. For Ollie."

Van smiles a genuine, hopeful smile. "For Ollie."

As we part ways, there's a feeling of possibility in the air. It won't be easy, but we're willing to try. For her. For us.

And that's all that matters.

The next day comes bright and early. I'm still tired because we stayed out way too late and drank a little too much. But we have plans. Ollie texted when she got home late last night and we asked her to breakfast, to which she agreed.

We meet her at our favorite cafe, the aroma of coffee and freshly baked pastries teasing my nostrils. She looks radiant, her eyes lighting up when she sees us.

"Hey, you two," she greets us, her smile wide and genuine. We take a seat, the warmth of the sun filtering through the large windows, casting a golden glow over everything.

"So, how was the rest of your night?" Olivia asks, her curiosity evident.

"We talked," Kipp says, glancing at me. "Actually, we went to the bar, just the three of us."

Olivia raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

I take a deep breath. "We want to try to make this work, Ollie. All of us. Together."

Her eyes widen slightly, a mixture of surprise and hope. "Really?"

Van appears at the door, his eyes finding us immediately, and heads to the table. "Sorry, I'm late. I had to deal with some things. Tell me what I missed."

"Nothing much. The guys here were just telling me that you all went out together after dinner. Grady said you all want to try to make this work?"

He nods, his expression serious. "Yeah. It's not going to be easy, but I'm willing to give it a shot. For you."

Tears well up in Olivia's eyes, and she reaches across the table, taking his hand in hers. "Thank you. That means the world to me."

We spend the rest of the breakfast talking, laughing, and making plans for the week. We've just finished our meal when Olivia speaks up. "I've been thinking," she says. "We should set some boundaries and rules to make this easier for all of us."

I look at Ollie, my attention solely on her, intrigued by what she's about to say.

She continues, "I know this is new for everyone, and it's important that we all feel comfortable. So, let's talk about what we need from each other."

Kipp nods, leaning forward. "That's a good idea. We need to make sure we're all on the same page."

I agree. "Yeah, we should each have a chance to say what we're okay with and what we're not. It's the only way this will work."

Van looks thoughtful for a second. "Alright. I think we need to make sure that we're always communicating. If someone feels uncomfortable or if something's bothering them, we need to talk about it."

"Agreed," Olivia says, squeezing his hand. "And we need to make time for each other, both as a group and individually. It's important that we all feel valued."

We spend the rest of the morning discussing our boundaries and expectations, finding a balance that works for everyone. It's a productive conversation, filled with understanding and compromise. By the end of it, we all feel a little more secure in our unconventional dynamic.