5. Nash

CHAPTER 5

NASH

Damon had called him, practically giddy after Taylor had agreed to go on a date. It made Nash wonder if he'd ever had this effect on Damon. Not that he was jealous or anything. It was mostly curiosity, and a bit of wonder and appreciation. Part of Damon's draw had always been his gentle nature. On the surface, he was a nice guy, and when you peeled back those layers, underneath he was still a nice guy.

Damon was equal parts joy and guarded hope. It made Nash wonder what a date with the two of them would look like. In Nash's mind, Taylor and Damon were both a couple of golden retriever puppies. All energy and delight. It would be sweet to watch them together.

Deciding he wasn't going to get any more work done, Nash closed his laptop. He knew he was lucky that he was able to do the thing he loved doing and earn a living at it. Well, he mostly earned a living at it. A small inheritance had made a down payment on his condo possible. A debut novel that had hit at the right time and made Nash a decent amount of money had enabled him to pay his condo off.

His family thought he should've done other things with it. Fun things. Trips and vacations and fast cars. Nash didn't know what kind of money they thought he made, but he knew they were hardly the people he'd go to for financial advice.

Nash's phone vibrated on the desk, and Damon's name flashed across the screen.

"Hey, you," Nash answered.

"Did I get you at a bad time? I know you're usually working for a bit longer and I didn't want to bother you, but I had no one else to ask."

"Nah, I just finished. What's up?" Nash got up from his desk and wandered over to the patio doors that led to the third-floor balcony. It wasn't the most inspirational of views, but there was a park nearby and there were lots of trees with changing leaves to look at.

"I want to get Taylor something, but flowers seem… I don't know. He grows avocados and shit from seeds. Is he really going to want cut flowers? They're sort of dead. And then I thought, perfect, I'll get him a live flower, but then I remembered that Jonah said his apartment is a fucking jungle and he literally has no space for another plant."

"Damon, breathe." Nash smiled, even though Damon couldn't see him. "You're overthinking this." He found Damon's affection for Taylor endearing.

"I know I am, but I want it to be perfect. Do you remember our first date?" Damon asked, as if Nash could forget it. They might not have let any of the Bennett clan know they were involved, but that didn't stop them from sneaking off for the odd date together.

And the longer they went on seeing each other, the sillier it seemed to keep it from everyone. But they'd both worried about how their found family would act if things went bad between them. They didn't want anyone to feel like they had to take sides.

Fuck, was it smart of them to get involved with the youngest Bennett brother? Nash reminded himself that they weren't involved with Taylor. Damon was. Well, he would be if he could ever get over his jitters.

"We went to that little diner, the one with the pie and the old guy who seems cranky, but is actually kind of nice."

"Clyde."

"Yeah, that one. And after, you took me out dancing, even though it's one of your least favorite things."

"Not with you," Nash interrupted. "I like dancing with you." Damon made a lot of things bearable. Dancing, for one. Nash never did enjoy it much. Being on a dance floor made him feel stared at. Seen in a not-good way. And awkward. But when Damon was with him, it didn't matter if Nash didn't know what he was doing. Damon did. And Nash could focus all his attention on Damon and forget anyone else existed.

Damon had gone silent.

"Damon?"

"You're so fucking… How do you stand letting me think of dating someone else?"

"I like making you happy. Taylor makes you happy. How did Taylor take it when you told him about us?" Nash had been dying of curiosity. When Damon called the first time to tell Nash about the date, he'd been too excited about Taylor saying yes. The call had been fast and furious and Damon had to go before Nash could ask any questions.

Not everyone was okay with dating someone who was clearly seeing someone else, but Nash and Damon were determined to handle any hiccups as they came along. They both agreed that this was the kind of thing they could handle, so long as they talked about things and made sure the lines of communication were always open.

"He seemed worried at first, but I think he must have believed me when I said it was okay with you."

"It's got to be okay with all of us, Damon. Not just me. Anything he wants to know about us, you can tell him. Okay?"

"Okay. But none of this answers my original question of what to get him."

"I think you probably can't go wrong if you get him something for his plants."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Go to a store with a garden center and see what jumps out at you."

Damon sighed. "You're so good at this, maybe you should be the one dating him."

Nash didn't hate the idea, but it wasn't like Taylor was interested in him. Damon was hotter and way more entertaining than him. Nash's idea of a fun night was a movie marathon and dill pickle flavoring for his popcorn.

"What time are you picking him up?"

"Six." Damon said. "I'm taking him for food he doesn't have to cook and then we're going to the roller rink."

"Can you roller skate?"

Damon laughed. "No, but neither can he. We're going to have the best time making complete asses of ourselves. And once we've sufficiently wounded our pride, and probably our asses, we're going for ice cream."

Nash so desperately wanted to ask if Damon had planned any X-rated activities for him and Taylor, but he didn't want to be snoopy. It wasn't his business unless it happened, and even then, it was only his business to know if they were safe. Before Nash got himself too wound up thinking about Taylor and Damon and anything they might get up to on their own, Nash avoided the subject.

"It sounds like fun," he told Damon.

"We could go together sometime," Damon said sheepishly. "I don't want you to feel left out."

"I don't. I'm happy that Taylor is giving you a shot. I want the two of you to have a great time."

"And you don't feel weird about me going on a date with him?"

"I think the three of us are going to have moments where we all feel weird about it. But so long as we're honest, I don't see it becoming a problem. It's my first time in a relationship like this, but if I minded you going out with Taylor, I wouldn't have told you it was okay. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"I trust you too. And I trust Taylor. I think you'll have fun together, and I hope he's okay with you telling me all about it, because I'd like to hear everything."

"Everything?" Damon's voice took on a low, husky tone.

"Everything," Nash confirmed. God, how was he so hard just from talking about this? "And if he's not comfortable with that, I only need to know that you're being safe with each other."

"Of course. That should be a rule, don't you think? That no matter what, we're always safe. I would never do anything to put you at risk."

"I like that," Nash admitted, his chest warm with affection.

"Do you think we need more rules?" Damon asked.

"I think that we're doing fine feeling things out as we go. Besides, we have two rules already. Communicate, and be safe. What else is there?" Nash could practically hear Damon's eyes roll. "Go shopping. You're running low on time."

"Shit, you're right. Okay, I'll talk to you later and let you know how things went. I can't believe we're actually doing this. And you're sure you're okay with it?"

"I promise I am," Nash reassured him.

After another couple minutes, he was finally able to get Damon at ease enough to get off the phone and go shopping for a gift for Taylor. Nash thought it was sweet the way Damon was so excited about his date.

An introvert by nature, it wasn't unusual for Nash to spend the entire week in his apartment. It was why he went to the gym with Colby and why fire nights at the Bennett's were so important to him. It was also why he didn't do things like get grocery delivery. He realized that while he might do fine on his own, that not leaving his apartment was a very easy habit to get into.

Nash stuffed his feet into his sneakers and grabbed his keys off the counter. He didn't need to shop yet, but he did need something to keep himself occupied so he didn't spend the whole day staring at the clock, waiting to hear from Damon.

Growing up, Nash had spent a lot of time in the kitchen with his mom. She was one of those annoying people who could bake anything and have it look as delicious as the picture in the cookbook. Nash didn't inherit her talent, but he wasn't half bad. He also hadn't baked anything in years.

He hadn't stopped for any particular reason. There was no traumatic story to tell about why he quit. It was just a casualty of life and time and priorities. But Nash suddenly wanted something to give his attention to. Something, unlike his writing, that came with actual instructions. Something more instantly gratifying than penning a 100,000-word novel.

Nash was in the baking aisle of the grocery store when his phone started to blow up. He pulled it out of his pocket, expecting to see Damon's name, but instead it was Taylor's.

Judging from the frantic one- and two-word sentences, Taylor was mid-crisis about going out on a date with Damon. Nash hit the call button and waited for Taylor to pick up.

"Oh, my God, who still calls people?" Taylor answered. "That's what texting is for."

"Taylor, I want to tell you the same thing I told Damon earlier today. Are you listening?"

He heard Taylor take a deep breath. "Okay. I'm listening. Even though this conversation could have been a text."

"I'm fine with you and Damon going out. I'm fine with whatever happens between the two of you so long as it's safe and sane and consensual."

"Oh, God, that sounds so fucking dirty!" Taylor sounded scandalized.

"Damon and I have talked about this long before today. We've always been open to dating other people, but there hasn't been anyone worth it. Until now."

"Oh." Taylor exhaled. "Okay. But…are you sure? I saw you kiss one time, and you were sorta super into it."

"Taylor, it's fine. I'm fine. I want you and Damon to have a great time, okay? Don't worry about me. Okay?"

"Okay."

"But thanks for checking in," Nash went on to say. "I appreciate it."

"Thanks for…letting me date your boyfriend." Taylor laughed. "That sounds so weird. Okay, I need to get ready. Now that I know you're really okay with it."

"I am."

"Nash?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Taylor ended the call and Nash tucked his phone away, only to have it buzz a minute later.

I still say it could've been a text

but thanks for calling

xo

Nash texted back, telling Taylor again to have a great time. Nash paid for his groceries and went home determined to keep his mind off Damon and Taylor and their date. He wasn't successful, but at least his cookies were. And if he spent most of the night watching the clock, at least no one was there to call him on it.