Rebecca was able to work in law again; things were still tense between her and Nathaniel, and between her and George. George was also unhappy about Nathaniel basically asking Trent to move in with him.

"I'd prefer it if he moved in with me," George said stoutly during their lunch break.

Nathaniel thought for a moment. "Okay," he agreed. "Maybe eventually I can have date nights with the both of you at the same time."

George didn't like that idea. It was bad enough that he had to share Nathaniel with someone so hunky who put on such a good show of innocence. He had the feeling that if the three of them went on a date, he, George, would end up being the third wheel.

Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because Nathaniel took his hand and said, "Hey, I was kidding. But I do think it would be good for you two to get to know each other. You both like me, and I like both of you. You don't have to like each other, but I wish you would at least get along."

George gave a small, sad smile. "I guess I just wish I was enough for you," he said.

Nathaniel sighed. "George…. It's not about being enough. I don't know how to explain it, but he needs someone to be there for him, and we've grown very close in a short amount of time. I feel like he needs me, and I like being there for him."

George let go of Nathaniel's hand and crossed his arms. "He needs someone, sure, but does it have to be you?"

"Who better?"

Rebecca thought this conversation was interesting. So, George was actually jealous of Trent. That explained some of the comments he had made recently when he had seemed to be in a friendlier mood. And it seemed that Nathaniel truly was invested in a relationship with both men.

She knew Trent was emotionally needy and intense. He was her mirror image, and sometimes there was nothing she hated more than looking into a mirror.

The fact that he had sent her away still had her reeling. As George said, he needed someone to take care of him, but it didn't seem like he wanted that to be her anymore. Why? What had changed? She didn't like to admit it, but a part of her had assumed he would be lying in his hospital bed, waiting for her to come to her senses and give him a chance.

He was living with Nathaniel now; George wanted Trent to move in with him; Nathaniel would probably tell Trent tonight. She still had a window of time wherein she could go talk to Trent, maybe see if there was something between them. Had he been right all along?

"I'm going to go run a personal errand," she announced to no one in particular. "I'll be back."

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes at George. "You planned that, didn't you?" he asked. George just shrugged.

xoxo

Trent wasn't expecting Nathaniel to have any company, and he wasn't sure if he should answer the door. But curiosity got the better of him and he opened the door.

"Rebecca. Nathaniel is—"

"At work, I know. I came here to talk to you."

Trent made no move to let her in. "Then talk."

Rebecca sighed. "What I said at the hospital— I got off track. I really did go there to apologize to you. And George has been hinting at me to give you a real chance, I mean, when he speaks to me at all—"

Trent put two and two together. He held his hand up to stop her. "George thinks that if you and I get back together, he can have Nathaniel all to himself." When Rebecca nodded, he added, "George is mistaken. I didn't replace you with Nathaniel, Rebecca. I genuinely like him. And I will tell you right now that if you and I get back together, I am never letting you go. If you're not prepared to be with me for the rest of our lives, then you don't need to be here at all."

Rebecca had almost forgotten just how intense Trent was. "We don't know what's going to happen in the future," she objected. "What if we got together and ten or twenty years down the road, you got sick of me?"

Trent's expression softened into concern. He stood aside and gestured for her to come in. "What makes you think I'd get sick of you?" he asked, but his tone was gentle now.

She entered, but kept her eyes averted. "I don't know," she said as she went to sit down. "I feel like maybe everyone will eventually. I'm not an easy person to love, so when you say you love me, when you barely know me… it makes me scared of what will happen when you do get to know me."

Trent sat near her, close enough to reach out and touch her, but not close enough to make her uncomfortable. "All I've wanted to do since the second I first saw you is get to know you," he said. "You never let me in, but I observed, and I learned a lot about you."

She narrowed her eyes. "By 'observed', do you mean you stalked me relentlessly trying to find information to blackmail me with so you could force me to be your girlfriend?" she asked rhetorically.

"And did anything I learn about you make me feel any differently about you?" he retorted. "I should probably hate you. You chase after unavailable men so that if they reject you or break up with you, you can find some circumstance to blame it on, or use it to fuel your own spiral of self-hate. Meanwhile, when someone shows interest in you without you having to break down their door, you freeze them out or you run scared. You've pushed me away and broken my heart over and over, and now that I'm with someone who loves me— who chose me— you suddenly want to get back together. But despite knowing all that, despite seeing you more clearly than you've probably let anyone see you, including your therapist, I… can't bring myself to turn you down, if being with me is what you really want. I just need you to make sure it is, and that you're not just trying to keep Nathaniel or me from being happy with someone who isn't you."

This was yet another side to Trent that Rebecca wasn't used to. "You and Nathaniel… are happy together?" she repeated.

He smiled sadly. "Nathaniel opened up to me in the hospital. He forgave me. He's never broken my heart. Last night, he told me he loves me." He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying his best to hold back tears. "You have no idea how much I need that. I feel safe with Nathaniel. He's not going to push me away or kick me out."

"Actually, George talked Nathaniel into having you move in with him, instead."

A hollow laugh escaped him. "So, you're jealous of Nathaniel, and George is jealous of me."

Rebecca didn't bother trying to deny it. But she did have a thought. "Look, I'm not ready to jump back into another relationship," she said. "But what if we tried being friends, and see what happens from there?"

Friendship was better than nothing, and he appreciated that she was finally being honest with herself and opening up a little to him. "Friends," he agreed. "Do you want to help me pack, friend?"

xoxo

Moving in with George was awkward, but not as tense as Trent had thought it might be. George lived in a small studio apartment. The fact that there was no privacy wasn't ideal, and Trent wondered if George had thought this through.

"It's better than you living with Nathaniel and him forgetting all about me," George pointed out when Trent asked him.

"Can we at least ask your landlord if there's a one-bedroom available? I'm not picky, I can buy a couch to sleep on, or even sleep on the floor, but living together without either of us having a separate space is a recipe for disaster."

George snorted. "Awfully bold of you to assume I can afford a one-bedroom."

Trent did a double-take. "Aren't I also paying rent?"

George hadn't thought about that, but Trent was right; the least he could do was pay half the rent. "Okay," he relented. "I'll send him an email. What's your budget like?"

"Hahahahaha— oh. You're serious. Let's just see what's available, and whatever you like should be fine."

George was rankled. Had Trent seriously just laughed at him for asking what his budget was? "What the hell does Nathaniel see in you?" he muttered under his breath.

Trent heard that, but chose not to address it. Let George be bitter. At least he'd be getting his own room to storm off to tomorrow.

xoxo

The landlord said there was nothing available, and George didn't want to move to a different complex. Trent thought he was being ridiculous, but he would wait for Nathaniel to say something before speaking up about it.

"At least let me buy a couch," he said

"We don't have room!"

"Do we have room for me to move my cot in from my storage unit?"

George gave him a funny look. "You used to sleep in your storage unit?"

Trent shrugged. "I liked being close. To her."

George definitely didn't want Trent getting it in his head to move in with Rebecca and Heather. Nathaniel visiting Trent at Rebecca's place would not be good for George. "I don't think we have room for more furniture, but I don't mind sharing the bed," he suggested, a little shyly.

Trent didn't mind one way or the other. "If that's the case, we should probably give Nathaniel a heads-up," he pointed out.

xoxo

Nathaniel laughed aloud as he read Trent's text.

Why won't he move to a new apartment complex?

he texted back.

He says he likes living here. It's rent-controlled. And he seemed upset when I told him rent isn't an issue for me.

Nathaniel grimaced. He should definitely give George a raise if George was that touchy about his budget. As for Trent and George sleeping in the same bed, as long as they were both cool with it, Nathaniel didn't mind. Maybe if they hooked up, George would be less possessive of him.

Maybe we can all pitch in and buy a place for the three of us, but until then, as long as you guys are comfortable, I'm fine with whatever happens.

xoxo

"Whatever happens?!" George repeated, snatching the phone out of Trent's hand to read the message for himself. "Nothing's going to happen!"

Trent silently agreed, but he also thought George was getting unnecessarily worked up, reading too much into a simple text.

"It's your turn to go out with him tonight, right?" Trent asked. "I have a few small things to catch up on, anyway. I'll be at the library."

"Library closes at eight," George reminded him.

Trent raised his eyebrows. "Then I'll find somewhere else to go," he said. "Text me when you're ready for me to return."