Page 49 of Brad & Finn (Gomillion High Reunion #3)

Chloe’s blush was crimson and splotchy, and she tucked her hair behind her ear before shaking her head and having to tuck it again when it fell loose.

“I just…I love you both so much, and even though I know it’s going to change things for us,” she said, turning to look at Finn, “I want you to be happy more than I want things to stay the same. Because…I know you’ve always wanted—and needed—so much more than you’ve let yourself settle for. I’m so happy for both of you.”

Finn knew he had to say something, and unlike the night before, it had to be now.

He linked his arm with Chloe’s and pulled her towards the players’ bench.

After shifting aside the mostly empty tray of food, they sat down.

Finn eased the phone out of her hand and held it up so that the three of them formed a triangle.

Chloe gave him her “you have one minute before I start to get anxious” look, and Finn struggled to find the right words.

“Chloe…I feel like you’ve been saying a lot about how things are going to change, and Brad told me you said I wasn’t really a part of your QPR.”

Christian inhaled sharply, and Chloe glanced at him, then back at Finn, her eyes wide and a little scared.

“I–I didn’t mean… Of course you are, I just…I wasn’t sure how long you wanted to be in it, or what was going to happen once you found your person. I didn’t want to confuse Brad or make him think you’d have to choose him versus us.”

Finn chewed on his lip. He didn’t want to accuse her, but it seemed like that was how she felt.

That he was going to choose Brad over them.

This would have been so much easier to do at home, where the three of them could curl up together on the couch and Christian would mediate when emotions ran high or help Finn parse through his thoughts when they came at him too hard and too fast. Unfortunately, he didn’t think he could let this sit and fester until they got home.

“Do you remember,” he asked, his mind slowly churning around a random memory, “when we took that improv class together? And by took, I mean you forced me and Christian to go, and then after day one, you realized you hated improv, so then Christian and I took an improv class together.”

Christian shook his head fondly as a small smile formed on Chloe's lips. “You know, that really isn’t ringing any bells for me.”

“The first day of class, they taught us about ‘yes,’ ‘and,’” Finn said, accidentally putting finger quotes over both words. “It was how we were supposed to continue the scene and not cut off our partner’s ideas…or cut off the potential for more.”

Chloe blinked but didn’t say anything.

“Chloe, you and me?” He waved his hand between them and then waved his hand at the triangle.

“The three of us? We’re yes and . Not yes or .

Not yes but . Yes, Chloe, you and Christian are my ride-or-die, my family, my queerplatonic partners for life.

And now I also have a romantic partner for life—or at least, I hope I do. ”

Chloe’s warm brown eyes looked almost golden in the twinkling fairy lights, and they brimmed over with tears as she lunged for him. He wrapped her up in his arms as best he could, while still holding Christian out to the side.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m a few doors, a few hours, or a plane ride away from you two,” Finn said. “Nothing is going to change the love that I have for you, or the piece of my heart that you hold.”

Chloe burrowed her face in his neck, no doubt getting makeup and tears all over him.

“I feel the same about you, Finn,” Christian said, his light, smooth voice carrying perfectly even across the hundreds of miles between them.

Finn had worked for years to get his voice to the pitch he wanted and with enough resonance to sound serious but not overly earnest. Christian had apparently always had a lower register voice, and he actually pitched it slightly up after T thickened his vocal cords.

There was something about the tone that always soothed Finn.

It was soft, especially given Christian’s six-foot stature, and always seemed to convey trust and understanding.

One evening, they’d been discussing voices, with Finn bemoaning losing the entire upper end of his singing register, and they’d landed on the topic of Christian’s voice.

Chloe described it as a phone operator’s voice: clear, easy to understand, and reassuring.

Finn had said it wasn’t breathy enough for that, and Christian had laughed, gently pointing out that Chloe hadn’t meant a phone sex operator, and Finn had nearly died of mortification.

“I feel the same way, too,” Chloe said. “Of course I do. I just didn’t want to assume or put any pressure on you.”

Finn shifted uncomfortably against the cold seat back. Brad and Miles had somehow managed to get into the sports equipment and were throwing around a football, while Mariana and Naomi passed a soccer ball between them.

“I think you should always assume I’m going to think of you and consider your feelings and what you want,” Finn said. “I love you, Chlo. Always have, always will, and nothing is going to change that.”

Finn only had a moment to respond as a football came hurdling towards them. He jerked Chloe to the side, narrowly avoiding the flying object.

“I’m so sorry!” Brad yelled as he ran towards them, his shoulders and thighs pulling at the seams of his dress clothes. Miles looked equally chagrined, as he was clearly the one who was supposed to catch the ball.

“Brad, were you a good quarterback?” Christian asked from Chloe’s phone, and Brad gasped while Chloe burst out laughing.

Finn handed the phone to Brad and wandered over to join Mariana and Naomi. He figured he might be safer with balls that stayed on the ground.

He wasn’t very good at soccer, but he enjoyed jogging up and down the field with Mariana.

She finally got fed up with her dress and tucked one end into the top of her bright red Spanx.

Naomi grumbled that she wished she’d thought to wear shorts, and Mariana cackled maniacally as she sprinted out way ahead of them.

Chloe, it turned out, was actually pretty decent with a football, claiming that she and Christian sometimes threw them around.

Brad somehow ended up benched, holding the phones with both Atlas and Christian, and the three of them watched the group running around like they weren’t going to all feel this in the morning.

When night fell and the bugs came out in force, they packed up all the big pieces in Miles’ truck and wished each other goodnight.

They had plans to gather in the morning for coffee and breakfast before coordinating rides to the airport throughout the day.

Miles had a contracting job on the other side of town, but he promised to swing by and say goodbye before work.

Brad drove himself and Finn back to the hotel, and they ran into Mariana and Naomi in the entryway.

They shared the elevator, which made very concerning noises with all four of them in it, and they nearly tripped over each other rushing out of it.

They said their final goodnights, then turned to walk to their end of the hall.

As they approached their doors, Brad pulled them to a stop a few feet away from Finn’s door. Placing his hand on Finn’s hip, he pulled him in and bent his head, making sure to move slowly enough that Finn could say no or easily stop him.

Of course, he didn’t. He let Brad kiss him, and he kissed him back.

With fumbling fingers, they managed to get Brad’s wallet out and extract his key card.

Finn would probably go back to his room later that night and retrieve all his things so he could spend the rest of the night and a good chunk of the morning in Brad’s room without having to worry about it.

For now, though, he allowed Brad to pull him into the room and shut the door behind them.