Chapter Thirteen
As a new morning came, Roya slowly rose up from the couch in Nikki's hotel room. She had been binge watching some movies on Netflix last night as she tried to keep her mind off of the twins. She couldn't be around them yesterday because just the thought of it gave her mini panic attacks. How was she suppose to interact with them now? In one night everything about their bond had changed and it was a terrible feeling. Her and Nikki talked about it for hours the first night she came over but couldn't come up with a solution. It seemed like there was no way out of this without someone getting hurt. And to make matters worse, Roya missed them dearly. They were still her best friends and she loved them. It sucked not talking to them or seeing them. The morning they all had breakfast together was still in the back of her mind. She wanted that right now.
Just as she was about to get up from the couch, her phone started vibrating. Looking at it, she realized that it was a text from Joshua. He and Jonathan needed to speak with her about something important and they wanted to meet up with her for breakfast. She sighed, this morning Roya was going to have breakfast with Nikki before they went to the performance center to meet up with Brie and practice. Just as she was about to reply to his message, Nikki walked out of her bedroom area and made her way over to the couch.
"Morning hun, did you sleep well?" Nikki asked
"As well as I can under the present situations," Roya replied as Nikki already knew by the tone of her voice that something was wrong, "Josh and Jon want to meet up for breakfast so we can talk about something important."
"Time to have another big discussion, huh?" Nikki sighed
"I don't know if I am ready to have the talk again." Roya said
"Look, I completely understand. I personally wouldn't want to talk about anything again so soon but let's be honest you three have to talk about this. You can't run from this forever and the longer you run, the longer it will take for you all to possibly come to a solution." Nikki commented. Roya knew that she was right. Things were not just going to magically turn out okay. They had to do something so that they could move past this. After a few moments, Roya texted Joshua back that she would meet up with them.
"I told him I would meet with them, hopefully I don't come back crying my eyes out." Roya said
"Good, I have faith that everything will be okay. You guys love either other way too much for it not to. I will be here for a while and if you want we can still meet up with Brie after you're done with the boys." Nikki stated
"Sure," Roya half smiled as she got up from the couch, "Well I should go get ready." she proceeded to the bathroom to shower. Once she was done, she towel dried her hair and took out some clothes. She figured she would get dressed for the gym ahead of time and just threw on some black leggings, sports bra and a red t-shirt. Putting her hair up in a bun, she then put on her sneakers and made her way back to the living room. Nikki was in the middle of ordering breakfast when she saw Roya walk out.
"You look ready to take on the day." Nikki commented
"Or run back curled in a ball and crying my eyes out," Roya said, "But, best foot forward. I shall return in little bit."
"That's the spirit. Good luck." Nikki smiled as she watched her leave the room. She really hoped things worked out. She knew that this situation was hurting all of them and needed to be resolved soon.
Roya made her way down to the lobby and found the twins waiting for her. Jonathan was the first to see her and smiled. He stood up and put his arms out for her. She hesitated for a moment but she missed them.
"Come over here girl." Jonathan commented as he hugged her, "Get these hugs in before we have this discussion."
"Sounds like I should be worried." Roya said as Joshua stood up and hugged her as well.
"Lets get some food first." Joshua commented as they all made their way into the dinging hall. After grabbing a few things, they sat down in an empty area. Joshua and Jonathan sat across from her as she could feel her nerves starting to get to her. Half way through eating she decided to just bite the bullet.
"What exactly did you guys want to talk about?" Roya asked
Joshua braced himself as he figured he would start the conversation since it was his idea to begin with, "Roy, you know we love you a lot. Not just as our best friend but as a woman that we admire. I can't see myself with anyone else, for years now you have been what I need and want in a woman. For the sake of our friendship, I have tried to find it in others but they're not you. I was so caught up in my feelings that I couldn't even notice that every feeling I had for you was shared by Jonathan. That's why I can't be angry at him for loving you too. I genuinely understand. And I know that the love we have for you is not going to disappear. For those few those few precious moments that we submitted to desires with you, we both know there is no way we could just pretend it didn't happen. It did happen and we are glad it did. Because now we know you love and want us just as much we do you. But at the same time, we don't want to lose you as our friend. However if we don't find a solution to this situation eventually it could affect our friendship."
"We also don't want to pressure you into making a choice between us. After putting ourselves in your position we realized that you are not wrong for loving both of us. And we don't want you to feel bad about it." Jonathan added
"And this is why,..." Joshua paused, "I suggested to Jonathan that we all should sit down and talk about having a polyamorous relationship were you can be with the two of us."
Roya's eyes widened as she had to make sure she heard him right,"What? You can't be serious?" she asked
"I did my research and we talked about it as brothers then decided to bring it up to you." Joshua replied
That's...I...you can't be serious. The idea of dating both of you is really out there." Roya commented
"I had the same reaction when Josh brought it up to me but after thinking about it I realized my reaction to it wasn't because I didn't agree with it but because I was under the belief that it is socially wrong. What would people think? How would they react to it... But fuck them. Who cares, there is no rule book for love and I think that's what is ruining love. People are so worried about how it looks that no one is focused on the love. You dated Darren because he "looked" like the right man for you. Clearly he was a piece of shit. We love you and would do anything for you. We accept you for who you are and now we are asking for you to accept us not just as your best friends but as men who love you. I would like to be your boyfriend and I would like for Joshua to be your boyfriend as well. So that we can love you as you deserved to be loved together." Jonathan stated
"Think about it Ro, what would really change? At first I was on the fence about it too. But when you really sit down and think about our friendship, we all have pretty much been "together" for years. We just weren't expressing it the way we really wanted too. We know everything about each other, we genuinely love each other, we respect each other and the bond we have is amazing. I feel like this would only make things better." Joshua added
"I made a promise to myself that I never want to see you hurt like that night with Darren again. I know together we would make you happy and give you the love that you deserve." Jonathan commented
"Agreed. When I was holding you in the back of the car while you cried, I vowed never to let another man hurt you." Joshua stated
Roya thought over everything they were saying, the idea of dating both of them seemed foolish but what if they were right. She honestly could never choose between them and wanted both of them equally. Yet the idea of having two boyfriends just didn't sit right with her.
"...What if it doesn't work and we end up hating each other?" she sighed
"What if it works and ends up being the best thing to happen to either of us. It's a risk worth taking Ro." Jonathan countered
"You don't have to decide right now, I know that this is a lot to consider. But please think about it. There is only one chance at life Ro and I feel like you have been doing everything in your power to make others happy. It's time for you to be happy and we just want to make you happy along the way." Joshua said
"We want to do this but we also want you to be comfortable with this, so please take your time and think this out before you decide." Jonathan added
Roya was going to immediately say no but decided to hear them out and think it over first, "Okay, I will think it over."
"Thank you." Joshua stated as he and Joshua smiled. They didn't expect her to immediately agree to it but at least strongly consider it. They continued to finish their breakfast before Roya grabbed her plate and stood up.
"I need to get ready to head to the performance center with Nikki." she announced
"Right you did mention that," Jonathan said as he stood up and took her plate from her, "I'll get that for you."
"I know it's pushing it but, " Joshua paused as he looked up at her, " Would you consider coming back to the house later? I was going to cook dinner...I might need supervision."
A small smile crossed her lips but quickly faded, "Maybe, I'll see how the day goes."
"Understandable." Joshua said
"Well hopefully we will see you later, Ro."Jonathan half smiled
"See you guys." Roya said as she left the table
"Do you think she will consider it?" Jonathan asked as he watched her walk away
"Honestly, no," Joshua sighed, "But I'm hoping she does."
Once Roya returned to Nikki's room, they made their way to the center. During the ride Roya explained what the twins wanted to talk about. Nikki figured Brie probably suggested the idea to Joshua when they went to lunch a few days ago. As much as Nikki herself wasn't into the whole idea of being polyamorous, she respected others decision and knew for some people it could work.
"Maybe you should consider it," Nikki stated as she parked the car, "I personally know some people that are poly and it works great for them. It's all about the people and how they want the relationship to work."
"People like who?" Roya asked
"I'm not at liberty to talk about someone else's personal life." Nikki replied
"See that's just it; because it's taboo to talk about. If it was just two people in the relationship it would be easy to say such and such are together but when it's more than two it can be messy. How could I tell people, "this is my boyfriend and this is his brother who is also my boyfriend"? it's just weird." Roya commented
"Weird to who? The people who judge it or the people in the actual relationship? Because the people who judge it honestly have no business worrying about what other people do. Let people be happy. Hell if I listened to people and let them decide who I should love, I probably wouldn't be with John right now." Nikki said
"He's John Cena, who in the world would tell you NOT to be with John Cena?" Roya asked confused
"You would be surprised, John and I had a rough start. He had just got out of a serious relationship and it completely changed his personality from what everyone was used to. Before he was the same John in and outside of the ring. But after he broke up with Julia Martin, he became this somewhat cold and very serious person. I saw something in him that others didn't anymore. Even if he can be a pain sometimes, I still love him. Despite people telling me he is too strict and has too many rules, I still see a great man. He inspires me, pushes me and helps me grow." Nikki replied
"I never knew," Roya paused, "Wait, Julia Martin...the Raw backstage personality from like 2005?" Roya asked as she just remembered who Julia Martin was. It was back when Eric Bischoff was running Raw. Julia Martin was a new reporter backstage and it seemed like she and John were in a storyline together. But perhaps it was not just a storyline after all.
"Yup, that's her. They really were dating and the storyline of her being fired by Eric Bischoff was so she could become a WWE diva at the time. But she didn't want to wrestle and refused to just be eye candy in the ring. Because of that they cut the storyline and she left the business. Somewhere along the way it took a told on her relationship with John as he was on the road and she moved back home to New York. Eventually she broke up with him and it destroyed him." Nikki said
"Wow, I had no idea." Roya commented, "Poor John...I'm glad you guys are together, you're a great woman and he definitely needed that to help him heal."
"Just like you need Jon and Josh to heal?" Nikki said, "I'm just being honest hun, those boys would make you so happy. I knew it."
"I just can't." Roya sighed as she exited the car
"You still have time to think it over and I believe you should." Nikki replied as she exited the car as well and got their gym bags.
Roya shook her head as she took her bag from her
"Anyway, enough of that. Now let's see what you got in the ring." Nikki replied
"Don't get your hopes up, I know very basic stuff." Roya commented
"We will see. I have heard the wrestling stories from the guys, Fatu-Mania." Nikki smirked
"Oh god, they told you about that?" Roya laughed as she thought about the wrestling event they made up when they were eleven years old.
"Yup they sure did and even told me about your stable "Jo-Ro-Jo" and that you nearly broke Josh's foot trying to win the hardcore title." Nikki stated
Roya was in pure bliss going down memory lane; so many good memories they had as kids. Nothing was complicated, they just knew they loved being around each other and that's all that mattered. If only things could still be like that. She would give anything to go back to being Jo-Ro-Jo. But they were adults with needs and wants now.
Fucking puberty, Roya thought as things were so simple when they didn't see each other that way.
"You guys were adorable." Nikki commented taking Roya out of her thoughts
"Yeah, we sure were." Roya smiled as they entered the center. Roya paused as there were various wrestlers practicing.
"There's Brie," Nikki pointed to the ring
"Who is that?" Roya asked as she couldn't recognize the woman wrestling with her
"That must be Olivia; she's a new talent signed to NXT. Come on let's go watch." Nikki replied. As they walked closer to the ring, Roya noticed Joe was talking to Seth Rollins. She smiled at him and he motioned for Seth to walk over with him.
"Morning ladies." Joe greeted
"Morning Joe." Roya and Nikki greeted
"Colby this is Roya Rodriguez. Roya this is Colby Lopez better known as Seth Rollins." Joe said
"Pleasure to meet you Roya. The stories don't do you justice." Colby stated as he shook her hand
"Easy tiger." Joe sighed as he already regretted bringing him over. he was such a flirt around women.
"What I can't appreciate a beautiful woman?" Colby teased as he took Roya's hand and kissed it, "If you need any help training today, please don't be afraid to ask."
"And just like that it's time to go brotha." Joe commented as he grabbed his shoulder, "Catch you ladies later."
"Again, pleasure meeting you Roya," Colby smiled before turning his attention to Joe as they walked away, "Such a blocker man."
"What a charmer." Nikki laughed
"I have enough man problems." Roya commented as they turned to watch what was going on in the ring. Brie and Olivia were really going at it, "She's good."
"Oh yeah, she's new but from what Brie says she has been working in wrestling for a while and it definitely shows." Nikki added
They continued to watch them wrestle then after a few moments they stopped and walked over to the ropes.
"Hey guys," Brie greeted as she took a drink of water, "Olivia I know you know my sister but this is Roya Rodriguez, a good friend of ours."
"Sup?" the young woman greeted as she reached a hand out for her. Roya smiled and stretched her hand out as well, "Olivia Granderson, feel free to call me OG if you want."
"Nice to meet you." Roya said as she looked her over; she was very tall maybe 5'11 or 6 foot, long wavy blond hair, deep green eyes, hourglass figure, tattoos all over her arms and various piercings.
"You ladies want to switch places?" Brie asked
"Heck yeah. Time for Roro over here to lay the smackdown." Nikki replied as she went to get some knee and elbow pads for them
"This is going to be so embarrassing." Roya commented as Nikki handed her some gear
"You'll be fine." Nikki said
Brie and Olivia stepped outside the ring as Roya and Nikki entered. They watched as they both took a defensive stance. Despite not practicing for a while, Roya was doing pretty well for herself. She knew a few lockup moves, take downs and even took a suplex to the mat like a champ.
"She's pretty good." Olivia commented
"Yeah but I'm not surprised since she grew up in house Fatu." Brie said
"Rikishi? Usos? Really?" Olivia asked as Brie nodded, "Oh wow."
Nikki and Roya continued to wrestle for a bit more until Nikki put her in an armbar and Roya tapped out.
"Good job hun. You're better at this than I thought." Nikki said as she stood up from the mat and helped Roya up
"Thank you." Roya replied
"I'm serious, have you ever considered learning how to wrestle for real?" Nikki asked
"Just always been happy goofing around with the twins and learning basic moves to defend myself." Roya replied. Nikki wasn't the first person to comment about her being pretty good at learning how to wrestle. When she was a kid she wanted to be a wrestler like the guys, but her mom always advised her against it.
"Never too late to learn. You got a really good head start on it." Nikki said as they walked over to the ropes
"You're pretty good at this short stuff." Olivia commented as Roya laughed
"Thanks," Roya smiled, "Appropriate nickname compared to you I guess."
"You did great Roya." Brie stated as she raised her hand to give her a high five. Roya smiled and slapped her hand
"You ladies up for some lunch?" Nikki asked
"Sounds good to me." Brie replied as Roya and Olivia agreed to it as well. They decided to go to a Thai restaurant not too far away. When they got there and were looking over the menus, they all started chatting and getting to know Olivia. Within a few hours Roya and Olivia clicked really well. Olivia was a free spirit; she said exactly how she felt and didn't hold her tongue on anything. Suddenly Roya's phone started to vibrate. It was a text from Joshua. He asked her if she was coming over for dinner so he knew what to cook. She sighed, she knew if she went to the house, they would expect answer from her.
"You okay?" Nikki asked
"Uh yeah, it's just...Josh wants me to stop by the house for dinner."Roya replied
"It's been so long since you been over there, maybe you should eat with them. I know they miss you." Brie stated
"Sounds like guy problems..." Olivia paused, "Sorry to pry."
"It's cool and you could say that." Roya said. With a heavy sigh she decided to explain what happened that morning and fill them in on what the twins discussed with her.
"Well first I appreciate you being comfortable enough to open up to me and if you don't mind my two cents, I feel you should consider it. Poly life is not as bad as people make it out to be. Secondly, do they have booze here?" Olivia smiled, "I'm sorry I am a bit of a lush and it's happy hour somewhere."
"We are all going to be the best of friends." Nikki smiled
"I know I should consider it, it's just..."Roya paused as she didn't know how to respond anymore. The boys were basically giving her the okay to date them both and she was confused. She expected them to want her to decide between them.
"In my honest opinion, you should do whatever makes you happy. Even if that thing is loving two brothers." Olivia said
"I can't do that." Roya replied
"Why? Because someone said it's wrong? Because people will call you a slut for it?" Olivia asked
"Because it's...just not something I should do." Roya replied
"Should do or can't do? Because if it's something you can't do that's understandable but if you can and want to then why not? Especially if the guys were into it, go for that shit." Olivia stated
"I agree. There is nothing wrong with loving multiple people as long as it is something everyone wants and is respectful to each other." Brie added. She hoped that this was getting through to Roya. Joshua had told her he and Jonathan were going to propose a polyamorous relationship to her tonight. Hopefully she would hear them out and not be closed minded about it.
"Exactly. Especially as a woman, don't let people tell you you're a whore because of their backwards standards. I am openly polyamorous and I respect myself as well as others. Have I gone through slut shame? Hell yes. But I took that shame, made a thong with matching scarf and hat then wore that shit with pride. Express your sexuality and embrace it. Don't live your life for others, you only have one go at this so do what you want." Olivia said. Her words really struck a chord with her. She was right, all these years she had been living her life for everyone but her. And look where it got her; miserable with one bad relationship after the next, an unhappy job and starving herself to have a socially acceptable body.
"You're right. I have been doing everything except for what I want to do." Roya sighed
"And who cares if you love them both, love shouldn't be shunned away because someone sticks their nose up at who you love. Screw them." Olivia stated. They were right, there was nothing wrong with her being in love with the two of them and she shouldn't feel ashamed about it.
They all continued to talk then until they said their goodbyes. Nikki and Brie took Roya back to the hotel to get her car and then she was on her way to the twin's house. She had made her decision and just hoped it was the right one.
When Roya walked into the house, she found Joshua in the kitchen cooking. His back to her, she smiled at how adorable he looked. His hair was up in a bun, dish rag over his shoulder and he was so focused on not burning anything. Jonathan was taking out some plates to set the table. It looked like he just came out of the shower as his hair was in wet curls around his shoulders. The thought of always coming home to this crossed her mind. So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Jonathan was smiling at her now.
"Glad you decided to come for dinner," Jonathan said as he placed the plates down and made his way over to her. He hugged her and was happy she hugged him back tightly.
"Dinner will be ready soon and I haven't burnt anything yet so that's a plus." Joshua commented as Roya walked around and hugged him from behind. The action caught him off guard but he put down the spoon in his hand and placed his hands over hers. Roya didn't know why but she suddenly had a rush of emotions come over her. She loved them so much and being with them would probably be the best decision she ever made. She just wanted to be loved and be appreciated. Jonathan and Joshua had proven time after time that they loved her so much and would do anything for her. They were everything she wanted and needed.
"You okay, Ro?" Joshua asked
"I love you guys; I have for a very long time and I knew in my heart I could never choose between the two of you because I love you both so much. I was afraid considering a polyamorous relationship would be a terrible idea, but seeing you two and always having this feeling in me that this is right, makes me want to try this. I know there is no manual to get this right, but I believe with the amount of love we have for each other, this just might be the greatest thing to happen to us. Especially me, no man has ever come close to loving me the way you two do. I have never once felt disrespected, unappreciated, unloved or belittled by either of you." Roya admitted as Joshua and Jonathan glanced at each other
"Your answer is definitely yes?" Jonathan asked as she nodded
"I want to try and make this work." she replied the twins smiled
"Yes!" Joshua commented
"We have to do this right; Roya Dominique Rodriguez, will you be our girlfriend?" Jonathan smirked, "Will you accept this tag team into your life?"
"Will you give us the honor of having you as our championship?" Joshua added
"You both are so corny." Roya laughed
"I'm serious though, from this point on we will love you like you deserve to be loved." Jonathan said
"Agreed. No more bullshit." Joshua added
"So this is really happening? I am dating both of you." Roya stated as she was still processing what just happened. Joshua turned around and leaned down to her
"You sure are." Joshua smiled as he bent down and gave her small kiss on the lips
"Jo-Ro-Jo is back." Roya laughed
"Oh shit, I forgot about that." Joshua said as he and Jonathan laughed
"Well now that we have solved this problem, will you please stay here tonight?" Jonathan asked
"Of course I will." Roya smiled
"Good." Jonathan said as she walked over and hugged him. He leaned down and gave her a kiss as well, "Now as your boyfriend, I want to say I love you but you stink all types of hell right now."
"Christ yes! All types of ass." Joshua agreed
"Hey! Hey...I had a long day and was wrestling with Nikki earlier," Roya groaned, "Damn assholes."
"We're honest because we love you." Joshua stated
"Oh you thought because we're your boyfriends now we would only say nothing but sweet words to you." Jonathan laughed
"You both suck. And I'm going to take a shower before dinner." she commented as she let go of Jonathan and made her way to the guest room. She took out her night clothes and proceeded to take a shower. After about twenty minutes she came out cleaned and refreshed. Once she dried off, she put on a white v-neck t-shirt and some black yoga pants. Her hair was still wet and curled up. As she was drying it there was a light knock at the door. Turning around she saw Jonathan standing in the doorway.
"Hey, Josh and I wanted to know if you wanted to watch some movies after dinner?" he asked but his eyes were focused on how hot she looked. Licking his lips, he walked over to her, placed a hand on her cheek and bent down to her level. Roya was about to say something when suddenly he kissed her. She kissed him back and soon he his free hand was running through her hair. Roya groaned as he started tracing his tongue around her lips then allowed him to slip his tongue into her mouth. The kiss was not as gentle as the one earlier. He continued for a few more minutes until Roya pulled away to catch her breath.
"Shit..." she breathed
"I tried to control myself but those lips were calling me girl," Jonathan said, "Man it felt better kissing you as my girlfriend."
Roya smiled, "It did."
"Let's go eat dinner before I feel inclined to do it again." Jonathan stated, "Damn heart shaped lips going to get me in all types of trouble."
As they made their way back out into the living room Joshua was putting food on the table. Roya walked over to help him put the bowls down.
"Appreciate the help." Joshua said as he looked at her. Suddenly he bent down and kissed her. It caught her off guard but she smiled, "Those lips are a trap."
"She gon mess around and stay getting kisses for no reason, damn heart shaped lips." Jonathan commented as he brought over the rest of the food to the table.
They all sat down and ate dinner. Joshua did a really great job cooking, even Jonathan had nothing bad to say. When they were done, they cleaned up the table and kitchen, then began to relax and watch some movies.
"Any requests?" Roya asked as she sat down on the couch
"I'm up for anything." Jonathan stated as he and Joshua sat down as well
"Same." Joshua said
Roya sighed, "So damn indecisive, I'm making an executive decision. Open Hulu, I'm sure we can find a show to binge watch."
"Bet." Joshua said as he grabbed the controller and switched over to Hulu. Once they found something to watch, Joshua rested his head on Roya's shoulder. Soon Jonathan stretched out and rested his head on Roya's thighs.
"Best pillow ever." Jonathan smirked
"Like a marshmallow." Joshua said
"You two do realize I can't move right?" she asked
"We don't care." Jonathan teased as she smiled. This was great, it felt amazing being like this with them. It was the same feeling she would get cuddling with them but it felt so much better now.
They stayed up for hours watching television until Jonathan fell asleep on her. Soon she was drifting off as well. Joshua changed his position on the couch so that Roya could sleep on his stomach. Jonathan just curled up on her thighs again and went back to sleep. Roya wrapped her arms around Joshua's waist as he made a great pillow. Joshua massaged her scalp as he ran his fingers through her hair. Leaning his head against the back of the couch, he too started to drift off to sleep.