Chapter Twelve
The next day Roya got up and decided to have breakfast with Tyler and Nikki. She avoided the guys as she didn't know what to say to them after last night. Sure everything was out in the open but now what? How could they move past this without someone being hurt. As confusing as everything was, Roya still thought she was doing the best thing. But it still hurt and she knew she hurt them by admitting she was in love with both of them. The twins felt just as confused as she was as they both got up and didn't speak with each other. Jonathan headed to work out with Joe to blow off some stress. While Joshua decided to have breakfast with Brie. She picked him up at the house and could tell by his expression that things didn't go so well last night.
"Care to talk about it?" Brie asked
Joshua sighed, "...It was one thing dealing with my own feelings for her but now knowing that Jon loves her too and she loves the two of us equally...it's...I don't know. I mean, I can't stop how I feel and I can't be upset about him loving her too. I get why he would love her, I just...It's like I finally get the balls to tell her how I feel and find out that she feels the same way but then plot twist."
"Well I can see why Roya would love you guys and it's not necessarily wrong being attracted to multiple people. Especially in a situation where you guys are twins and you all grew up together. Understanding Roya's upbringing she always did her best to make her mom happy, even if it meant sacrificing her wants and needs. You two are probably the best men for her; you love her, respect her, understand her and treat her like gold." Brie stated
"I know in my heart that I would adore her and treat her right. When I compared myself to Darren, I knew that he was a piece of shit and she deserved better. But when I compare myself to Jon it's different; I know that even though we are two different men, he loves her just as much as I do. And he would treat her right as well." he said
"You do know things are just going to get awkward if you three don't figure this out. You guys are under the same roof right now and I would hate for an awesome friendship to end because of this." she commented
"At the core of it I love Jon and I don't hate him but part of me is like come on man? Why her? It's just so complicated." Joshua said
"Maybe it's not complicated," Brie paused as she prepared herself for his reaction, "...Honestly, I think the three of you should sit down and have a deep discussion about trying a polyamorous relationship."
Joshua looked at her oddly for a moment, "Polyamorous relationship?"
"Look there is no doubt in my mind that you love Roya and Jon loves her too. Clearly she loves both of you and that's why she could never choose between you. And as brothers, you two understand how much you love her and don't really hate each other for it. So why don't you both be with her? As long as all parties are up for it I say give it a go." Brie replied as she stopped at a light
"How did you even come up with this idea?" he asked
"After thinking over your current situation, it is the best answer for you guys in my opinion. Polyamorous relationships are not as uncommon as you think and it's not as bad as people make them out to be. It all depends on the individuals involved and what everyone is okay with." she replied
"You sound like you're familiar with this idea." he stated as he gave her a questioning look
"...Well, honestly I am polyamorous. Bryan and I have an open marriage; we have another woman involved in our relationship...and yes I am bisexual if that was going to be your follow up question." she explained. Joshua had a look of pure shock on his face. In just a few words Brie had exposed so much to him and he was still processing all of it.
"Girl...while all of this... is still settling in my head, I have questions. Like does it work? Are you two honestly happy? How does the other person feel? Does anyone get jealous?" Joshua asked
"It works for us and works for a lot of polyamorous people. There is nothing wrong with loving more than one person; this is not just about sex if that's the idea you have. It's about having a connection with multiple people and wanting to possibly share that connection with someone else that you love. We love our female companion equally and she loves us. She connects with both of us differently but that's what makes it great. This is why I say the three of you together could work. Things would basically be how they are right now but you all would be able to express how you feel openly." she replied as she continued driving
"I don't know Brie..." he sighed. At the core of it, the idea made sense; he loved Roya, Jonathan loved her and she loved both of them.
"I say just think about it and if it's something you want to try then talk with Jon and Roya about it."
"I guess. It's just a really different way of handling this...I mean, Jon and I are brothers and I feel weird even thinking about us dating the same woman." he sighed
"It's definitely not meant for everyone but some people can make it work. It's all about understanding what you want and what the other people want as well. Respect above everything and honesty." Brie said
"I just worry the idea may make the situation worse." he commented
"Do you see it getting any better as it currently is?" she asked
"No, definitely not." Joshua, sat back and really thought about what she was saying. Maybe she was right, currently the way things were going they all would end up being awkward around each other.
"Do some research on it. Really sit down and consider it. If you have questions you know I'm happy to help." Brie said as she pulled into the restaurant parking lot.
"I guess you're right." he replied as they exited the car and went to get some food.
Jonathan was going extra hard in the gym as Joe could only shake his head. Roya texted him what happened and figured Jonathan would need a way to release his frustration.
"Feel like putting down the dumbbell and talking about this?" Joe asked. Jonathan aggressively dropped the dumbbell on the floor and sighed
"I have wanted Roya for more than ten years and I finally bite the bullet and make a move then THIS happens. Josh just had to want her too. All the women around us and he falls for her." Jonathan said
"Are you really surprised?" Joe asked
He sighed, "No I'm not, just feeling shitty that this happened. And he even made his move in on the same night. Now making her all confused and shit."
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but even if he had made his move another night, Roya would still have feelings for him and you. You both do have terrible timing though." Joe stated
"Not helping." Jonathan said
"I get it you're annoyed with the situation but for years I have been telling you to pull her aside and tell her how you feel." Joe said
"...Wait, did you know that Josh wanted her too?" Jonathan asked
"Honestly..." Joe paused, "Yeah, he talk to me about it too."
"Bruh! Why did you never tell us about each other?" he asked
"Wasn't my place to tell you guys each other's business. Plus neither of you listen to me anyway. Which is why you are here." Joe replied as Jonathan sighed again, "Look I believe you guys will figure something out. It's still a fresh situation and you're all still processing this."
"I don't know what we can do if Roya doesn't want to decide between us. As much as I don't want to pressure her, I kind of wish she would have picked one of us. This sucks knowing she wants me just as much as I want her and nothing can come out of it." Jonathan said
"It would have sucked even more if she chose Josh and you had to deal with that heartbreak. Honestly I think Roya did the right thing. She saved both of you from heartache and herself from being the cause of it.' Joe stated
"This is still heartbreak. Ignorance was bliss, at least when I didn't know she loved me, I could try to be content with her just being my best friend. But with this situation even our friendship is up in the air." Jonathan commented as he felt his phone vibrate. It was a text from Roya, she was going to spend the night at Nikki's hotel. She couldn't be around them right now.
"Something wrong?" Joe asked
"Roya's going to stay with Nikki tonight." he replied
"She just needs time to clear her head..." Joe said
Jonathan continued to check his phone as he got a message from Joshua. He wanted to talk about something important later. Hopefully whatever he wanted to talk about was an idea on how to handle this situation. He hated knowing Roya was uncomfortable being in the house with them. He worried this would ultimately ruin their bond.
After a few hours, he and Joe finished their workout, he made his way home. Walking into the house, he found Joshua sitting by the kitchen counter with his laptop.
"Welcome home." Joshua greeted as he glanced at him. He had been doing his own research on polyamorous relationships as Brie suggested. After watching videos and reading stories, it really wasn't a bad idea. Perhaps it was the best thing for them.
"Hey. I guess you got the message that Roya is staying with Nikki tonight." Jonathan said as he sat down across from him
"Yup. She doesn't feel comfortable being in the house like this." Joshua paused, "I really hate how this is; she is avoiding us and I feel like this is starting to hurt her more than it does us."
"I feel you on that. As much as this sucks for me and you, I know that she is doing her best to take our feelings into consideration. And she feels like shit because of wanting both of us. " Jonathan agreed
"Something has to happen and I think I know what would be a solution." Joshua paused as he thought about what would be the right way to present the idea to him, "I know I love her, I know you love her and we both know she loves us. You are my brother and tag team partner, I know you just as well as I know myself. I love and respect you and honestly if I didn't see myself being with Roya, I know that you would make her happy without a doubt. This is why I believe we should all sit down and have a talk about a polyamorous relationship."
"Excuse me... a polyamorous relationship? Like Roya dates both of us?" Jonathan asked
"I had the same reaction to the idea and thought it was a ridiculous. But then I started researching and asking questions about how it worked. We have a great situation here; we are brothers, we love each other, we grew up with Roya and know her better than anyone. She loves us both and we love her. The only thing stopping us from being together is what, the belief that it's wrong? I mean really think about it, we both understand why we love her, normally someone would be jealous or hateful in this type of situation. But we don't hate each other in fact we understand and are accepting to it." Joshua replied
"I don't know about this, I don't want Roya to feel like we are sharing her like some toy." Jonathan commented
"I have no intention of making her feel like a toy, I want her to finally feel truly loved and I think we are what she needs. If we were to do this, what would really change? The only difference is that we would freely show her the love we want. The bond we all share is amazing. Can you honestly say you ever loved someone the way you love her? This is years of love between all of us. Why can't we let that be the focus in this situation. I don't want to force anyone to do anything they don't want to. I just want to be happy, love you like my brother and love Roya like the woman I adore."
His words struck a chord with Jonathan. At first he would have said no to the idea in an instant, but after thinking it over, Joshua made a point. What would really be changing if Roya dated the two of them equally. She wasn't just some girl they met, she was the woman who had their hearts for years and now they just wanted to show her love in a different way. Roya has been through so much, she deserved to be happy and loved beyond her dreams. And they were just the right men for the job. They had already proven their love for her has no bounds, so why not?
"My only concern is can we handle something like that for real? I hate jealousy, I don't want us to ever go down a road where we question anything." Jonathan commented
"Look, I'm not saying this is going to be perfect; we don't have a manual for this, it's basically going to be what we want it to be. It could be great or it could fail. But I love Roya enough to give it a try. Would it be weird seeing you kiss her, yeah. But I know why you are and it's not behind my back." Joshua said
"Agreed. This is definitely going to be challenge but I think it would be worth it." Jonathan stated
"Now the question is how do we bring this up to Roya without sounding insane." Joshua sighed
"Be honest wth her, put it all on the table. Express why we want to try this with her. You're right, it can either be great or fail. But I feel it's worth the risk." Jonathan replied. He was right, Joshua just hoped Roya would hear them out and give it a chance.