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"We’ll be close to Rhonda I’ve thought that was important for a while noay"

Still, Mateo didn’t respond He didn’t walk away, either He stood next to Josiah, in front of Tristan

And it was Tristan who broke the silence "Do you think ould be here if it weren’t for you? You’re the catalyst that propelled us forward You’re" he shook his head and looked up at the the words to Josiah, without even realizing it They were a truth Josiah had known for the past teeks, yet hadn’t shared

"That night we shared a while agoouldn’t have had that without you, Teo"

"Dios, it was stupid fuckin’ luck that I found her"

"That’s not what I ht When he told us that he wanted us to show hi I told him?" In some ways he hated the fact that it was true, but then, it was part of the reason they all fit, wasn’t it? They each were able to do so for one another that no one else could

"I told Tristan he didn’t have to do it I didn’t want to push him It was you who took control You who told th to let me be with him It wasn’t me I couldn’t have done that If you hadn’t been there, I would have continued to say he didn’t have to, and Tristan would have said it was okay, e both kneas so we both needed You made that happen"

Tristan and Teo both had a different kind of strength than Josiah had--a different kind of brokenness as well He saw that bond of brokenness between the thrive, because he loved them, and he knew they both needed him just as much, only in different ways

"I couldn’t have let hi the way That is a truth we all know And eventually, I would have pushed hih" There was an ache in Tristan’s voice that shook Josiah’s insides

Josiah held his breath when Tristan’s ar onto Josiah, andTeo Josiah stepped closer to hi Mateo’s hand, and prayed he moved with him Teo paused a beat Josiah’s heart did, too, and then Mateo stepped closer Tristan’s fingers dug into his skin, and he knew the ones on his other hand did the sa it half against Teo’s stomach, and the other half on Josiah’s "It won’t affect my job If it doesit won’t I justI need you both Fuck, why is this still so godda toAll of us I’ll pay for both apartments We stay in one Period It’s the only way to make this work, and e have to make this work, because I love you both"

Tristan’s hands dropped away Josiah ached for his beautiful, broken, closed-off man who hid so much of who he was fros I still need to take care of" Tristan grabbed his pants and pulled the out of their bedroout cramped as he sat in his office It had only been about thirty minutes since he walked out on Josiah and Mateo Or maybe ran was a better word Mateo had told Josiah he wouldn’t run anymore They both knew Josiah worried about that Mateo had already disappeared twice from Josiah’s life He’d done it to protect Josiah, but that didn’t change what the end result had been both times Tristan knew Mateo wouldn’t leave But Tristan himself? He still ran Maybe not to the extremes Mateo had in their past, but instead, Tristan shutdown, or locked his

For the past teeks he’d thought about the night Mateo helped hiht he’d taken someone inside him who he actually wanted there And he’d wanted it It had felt good, yet the thought of going there again still net Made his body seize up and his mind shut down

And still those words that pumped blood to his heart stuck in his throat "I love you," Tristan whispered, testing thele for him? Why was he so afraid to really need theet past it, but he needed to, not just for himself, but for the two men in the next room

Despite the late hour, he picked up his phone and dialed The whole time he half cursed hi, while at the sas had to be getting better He had to be getting better if he was doing it