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Chapter Twenty-One

Aspen

Did I get Zeland to steal a shirt from Arlo’s house for tonight? Yes I did, and it had to be his Rick and Morty shirt. I made it clear to Zeland this is the last night in our masks before we tell Arlo the truth. Shit is becoming too intertwined. Working together, online gaming, and now this. That isn’t even the worst part. Zeland gets easily attached—I knew it from the start, and Ridge confirmed as much. When Zeland wants something, he doesn’t stop until he gets it. But this is getting a little out of hand. I really like Arlo and I don’t want him to be hurt.

We are already waiting for him at the old library on the edge of town, tucked away on the upper level, hidden behind shelves of ancient books. I stand still enough that I can feel my own heartbeat echoing in my chest, and beside me Zeland is crouching low, his eyes on the double doors below. He is grinning behind his mask; I don’t have to see his lips to know.

The doors creak open and Arlo steps inside hesitantly, like he’s unsure if he is supposed to be here, his fingers tightly gripping the strap of his bag, shoulders drawn up and tense. He pauses near the checkout desk and scans the aisles on the ground floor. He can sense we are here, but he just doesn’t know where. Then he walks forward cautiously, and the second he walks past an old cart, Zeland moves. Arlo flinches, his eyes darting around.

I wait until he moves away far enough, then quietly climb over the railing and drop to the carpeted floor.

Arlo darts into the lower stacks with me hot on his tail, and though I can’t see Zeland, he won’t be far.

I catch sight of Arlo as he ducks between the aisles, but as he rounds a desk, he knocks over a chair. He staggers slightly, then weaves around a pillar.

I creep closely behind him, past a study nook.

A shadow passes by me, and I know it’s Zeland. Ridge is lurking somewhere, watching. I follow Zeland, but he is fast. He doesn’t want to waste any time tonight, not if this is our last encounter.

The sound of a thud followed by a gasp has me slipping between the shelves in that direction, and after one more turn between the old books, I see Zeland has Arlo pressed to a shelf .

He uses one hand to pin Arlo’s hands above his head, while the other grips his jaw. “I love how you run for me, sweetheart.”

Arlo looks toward me, and his eyes widen as he takes in his shirt on my body. He smiles brightly. Fuck, he is hot.

“But tonight I don’t want to chase you,” Zeland continues. “I want to fuck your mouth.”

“You will get on your knees, but not for me,” I croon at Arlo.

Zeland looks toward me and nods in appreciation. Tonight is for him, and I am happy to watch Arlo sink to his knees for my boyfriend.

He slides his bag off as he drops to the floor, his hands shaking as he reaches for Zeland’s pants. I feel Ridge step up behind me, his finger tracing lines on my spine as we watch Arlo wrap his hand around Zeland’s cock, the uncertainty visible as his hands tremble.

Ridge’s hand lifts the hem of the shirt and slides around my front, splayed across my stomach. “Are you wet for them?” he whispers, his voice distorter not turned on.

I nod. How could I not be?

His hand dips beneath my thong, his fingers spreading me apart so he can circle my clit as I watch Zeland twist his fingers through Arlo’s curls, slowly fucking his face, giving him time to learn. Fuck if it doesn’t excite me that he has willingly given all his firsts to strangers, wanting this just as much as we do. My orgasm builds, I can feel it, but I don’t want to come until Zeland. I lean back against Ridge, and he continues to play with my pussy gently.

“Fuck,” I whisper as my knees wobble.

Zeland picks up his pace and I watch as he pulls out of Arlo’s mouth and comes on his lips, then uses his thumb to spread the cum around.

Ridge grunts behind me, and I explode on his fingers.

“Are you ready for this?” Ridge asks me, and I nod, my stomach coiling in knots as the first wave of nausea hits. Anxiety and vomiting go hand in hand when I freak out, and before I know it, I’m ripping my mask off as Ridge holds my hair back.

When the heaving stops, I hear my name whispered, and I look over at Arlo, who has confusion written all over his handsome face.

He shakes his head and gasps as Ridge’s mask drops beside my feet. Arlo whips his head around and looks up at Zeland, who slowly rips his mask away.

“Schwifty!” he yells as tears form in his eyes.

Fuck. What have we done?

Arlo takes off running and Zeland darts behind him.

“We fucked up,” I murmur, and Ridge squeezes my shoulder.

“Let’s make sure Zeland doesn’t do anything stupid.”

I point to the vomit and Ridge just moves me away. “I will get it taken care of.”

Ridge interlocks our hands and walks us back through the maze of shelves and nooks, and then we see Zeland has Arlo pinned to a study table.

“Let me go,” Arlo snaps .

“When you agree to hear us out. It’s not what you think.”

Arlo laughs. “What, my coworker and bosses didn’t trick me into handing over my fucking virginity? I’m not an idiot—this was all some sick and twisted joke on the nerd, wasn’t it? I should have known. I’m a loser and always will be.”

Arlo tries to push Zeland, but it’s no use. Zeland is a lot bigger and slams him back against the table. “You’re not a fucking loser. Did we lie? Yes, but you wanted this! You signed up for it and now we want you. And I will let you in on a secret—I always get what I want.”

“Not this time,” Arlo spits.

Zeland steps back, defeated that he can’t push Arlo any further than he has or it will become a crime.

Arlo looks at me. “I want my shirt back.”

I lift the hem and pull it up and over my head, leaving me in nothing but a thong and my boots. Then I walk toward him and press the shirt to his chest.

“You tricked me,” he says.

“You knew the rules of the game. You can blame them all you like, but you wanted to be chased. You were never forced to be here. You had a safe word, and you signed a consent form.” Ridge’s voice is firm.

“It all makes sense now—the job, the attention. Just leave me alone.” Arlo turns his back to walk away, but he needs to leave knowing the full truth.

“Arlo, wait,” I plead. He stops and turns back to face me. “I need to tell you the whole truth. ”

“You mean there’s more?” He scoffs. “Of course there is.”

“I’m also UrNewStep_Mom. I’m so sorry. Could you just let me explain?”

Arlo stumbles and I step closer, but he puts his hand up. “There is nothing left to explain.”

With that, he walks away, leaving the three of us standing there, stunned. I don’t call out his name again or beg him to stay.

I just stand there watching Arlo’s back retreat down the hallway, every step pulling something vital out of me. My chest aches with the weight of what I didn’t get to say, and when the door clicks shut behind him, a sob tears free before I can stop it. Loud and broken. It’s the kind that shatters your heart.

Then Ridge is there. No words. No questions. Just his arms around me as he scoops me up, holding me like I am something fragile. Something he isn’t willing to let fall apart. I press my face to his chest as he carries me outside, his grip firm, like he is holding me together until I can breathe again.

Zeland walks beside us, his normal cheery self now filled with silence, and I’m too scared to look over at him. If he is pissed at me, I don’t want to see it, and I wouldn’t blame him if he was.

When we reach Ridge’s car, he slides me into the back and buckles me in, and we all ride home locked in our own thoughts. When we arrive, Ridge picks me up again and carries me inside. Zeland storms off, and I go to wriggle out of Ridge’s arms, but he tightens his hold.

“Just let him have a moment,” he says as he walks us through the foyer and up the stairs toward my room.

The rejection stings. Ridge never brings me to my room—it’s always his. I silently cry against his chest until he places me on my bed.

“Do you think he will ask me to leave?”

“What?” Ridge lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Why would he want that?”

“Because I did what I do best and screwed everything up.”

“Let me get one thing straight—you are not going anywhere. Zeland is not angry at you because you did nothing wrong. I will fill in a few blanks in Zeland’s story. Before now, he has never done relationships. Not because he is afraid of them, but because he knows how easily he gets attached. It’s why we always kept us so casual. I’m sure he says it’s because I don’t do love, and it’s partly true, but mostly it’s because he worries that if he loves someone he will scare them away. So tonight, Arlo running would have confirmed his fears.”

“Damn, we are a messed-up bunch. I have a fear of abandonment, so I never let anyone close, but why don’t you do love? What’s your story?”

Ridge sighs. “There’s not really a story—I just don’t believe love exists. The word is too often used as leverage, affection is normally given with strings attached, and loyalty is bought. It’s just a performance people use to get what they want.”

“Do you really believe that? I know you love Zeland—you would give up everything for him. ”

“Would I? Because I have thought about it a lot and I know without a shadow of doubt he would give up everything for me, but I struggle with the conviction that I would do the same.”

“Bullshit,” I snap, and his eyes widen at the force. “I was a fucking stranger and the lengths you went to just to make sure Zeland would be okay around me were borderline creepy. Shit, you employed my online gaming buddy. You’re looking at a hypothetical that will never happen, because Zeland would never ask that of you. If he needed a kidney and you were a match, would you give him one?”

“Of course, but I would do the same for you.”

“Okay, if he murdered me in my sleep, would you call the cops?”

“That’s a question I can’t answer without knowing all the details.”

“Fine,” I huff. “If he walked away and never looked back, would the world feel the same?”

Ridge’s eyes go wide. I doubt he has ever considered Zeland leaving him.

“Maybe now is a good time to talk to him about it, because if he is feeling the way I think he is right now, he needs you.”

Ridge nods. “But he doesn’t just need me, he needs us. You can’t walk away either, stray. I don’t know if I could deal with that.”

I run my fingers through his hair. “I’m not going anywhere—you are both stuck with me as long as you need me around. ”

Ridge leans over and picks me up. “We don’t need you here; we want you here. No matter if we fight, or if something goes wrong, this is your home and we will always talk things out. I told you once before, but I will say it again: don’t run from me, I will find you. And I have no qualms about locking you up for eternity.”

“You wouldn’t,” I say with a smile. “I would annoy you too much with my quick wit.”

Ridge walks us both toward Zeland’s room and puts me down before he knocks. He doesn’t wait for Zeland to reply before he twists the handle and pushes open the door. Zeland is sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands in his hair, staring at the ground. He glances at us forlornly as we walk in. Ridge drops to his knees in front of Zeland and I sit beside him, taking his hand in mine and squeezing gently.

“You’re not allowed to leave me,” Ridge states, and Zeland looks at him blankly and then at me.

I burst out laughing. Of course Ridge, who is normally good with words, cannot express what he means when it comes to his feelings.

“What I mean is, I never believed in love because of the bullshit examples our world has shown me. They’re not love; extortion is a closer word. But I realize I can’t live my life without you, Zee. If you were not here, neither would my heart be.”

Zeland chuckles and grabs Ridge’s face. “I love you too.”

Like an idiot, I clap as their lips press together. “Yay! My work here is done. ”

Ridge growls from deep within his chest and grabs my arm as he pulls back from his kiss with Zeland. “You’re not going anywhere. Neither of you are. Give Arlo some time to process what happened and then do what you like. Right now, we are going to snuggle because I’m all up in my feelings.”

“You broke him,” Zeland jokes.

“I happen to think I fixed him. Look how perfect he is now, all strong and in his feelings. All we need to do is make him cry?—”

I squeal as Ridge grabs my ankle and tries to pull me off the bed. Zeland grins and grabs my arms, and they both pull on me until we all dissolve into laughter. My heart still hurts over Arlo, but Ridge is right—we have to give him time to process this. The ball is in his court and what he does now is up to him.