Chapter 25 It had been three days since the talk. Three days since we let everything crack open and poured out all our emotions and secrets. And somehow, we managed to go on about our days without breaking. Everything still felt relatively normal. After everything Dad and Odin told us, neither asked to explain what exactly happened between us. They didn't push. There wasn't even a hint of pressure. They didn't ask if it went "too far" or if we ever felt weird about it, or if we still did it. They just...let it sit. They gave us space, and maybe that's why everything felt okay. Maybe they figured we weren't ready to talk about that part. Or maybe they weren't ready to hear it. Either way, I appreciated it. We all needed a little room to just exist, without dissecting everything. But even with the silence, I couldn't stop thinking about it. About everything. About what Dad and Odin went through. About the things they did back then. About the way they justified it, and how much sense it actually made once they explained it. And then, about what we did. Me and the boys. How it started. Why it started. Why it felt so good. I kept turning it all over in my head. They had trauma. A reason. Pain that spilled over and made them reach for each other. But us? We didn't have anything like that. We weren't abused. We didn't grow up in chaos. We had a good home, a good life. We had love. And still, one day, we crossed a line. No big lead-up, no traumatic trigger. Just one moment, and then another, and suddenly it wasn't just kisses anymore. It wasn't just touch. It was more, and it kept going. For a while, I told myself maybe we were just bored. Maybe we got too close because we were curious. But that didn't feel like the full truth either. It wasn't about boredom. It was never careless. It meant something. We cared about each other. Maybe too much, maybe in ways we weren't supposed to. But it wasn't casual. Still, I wondered if there was really something wrong with me for wanting it. But the boys didn't seem to dwell on it. Or if they did, they didn't let it show. And that helped. Because if they weren't crumbling over it, maybe I didn't need to either. Tonight, they wanted to do something normal and fun. The carnival was in town. Some traveling circus had set up near the lake by the town center, and even though it wasn't something that happened often around here, the whole place had come alive. It felt nice, honestly. There was a mix of sweet and greasy food coming from food trucks lining the street leading up to the large circus tent. Fried dough, kettle corn, hot dogs, cotton candy...it all blended together in the best way possible. I've always hated crowds, but tonight, with the boys around me, it didn't bother me so much. Their presence helped with my social anxiety. Dash walked right next to me, his arm brushing mine every few steps. He hadn't left my side much since the talk, and I liked that. He didn't say much, but his quiet support made a difference. It kept me from overthinking everything. He caught me watching him and gave me a soft smile. "You see something you want to eat?" he asked, leaning in closer. Odin had given us some money before we left, strictly for food, not for games or souvenirs, and we were all on board with that. Food always came first. I looked around at the stands, squinting against the bright, blinking lights. "I don't know. Everything smells amazing, but I can't decide." Dash nodded. "Maybe we grab a few different things and split it all. That way we don't miss out." I smiled a little. "That sounds perfect." I leaned against him for a second as we kept walking toward the big striped tent in the center of the fairgrounds. The thing was massive. Red and white and a little worn from weather, but still impressive. Tripp slowed his step and moved to my other side. "Remember when we saw a circus show once?" I glanced up at him, confused. "We did?" He nodded. "Yeah. Dad took us when we were kids. You were probably four." That explained why it didn't ring a bell. I didn't remember much from when I was that little. Most of what I remembered from childhood were random, happy moments. No chaos, no big traumas. Just little pieces of joy stitched together by routine. And that was thanks to Dad. Apparently, the circus wasn't a fun and worthy memory. "That's a long time ago," I said, my voice soft. "Do you remember it?" "Yeah. Pretty well." He looked down at me. "You want to go? Watch the show?" I hesitated, then shook my head. "No, thank you. We should save the money for food." He gave a little smile. "Probably a good call. It's all a money grab anyway." That made me smile too. We were on the same page. I reached for his arm and wrapped my hand around it. He didn't flinch. Just let me hold on. I could tell he wanted to distract me from everything. Keep me in the moment, not back in the heaviness of the past few days. And it was working. Still, I knew the guys had some guilt hanging over them. Even if they didn't say it out loud. They thought they had influenced me, pulled me into something I didn't want to be part of. But the truth was, we all made those choices together. We were all in it. It was mutual. Every step we took to get to where we were now was taken purposely and willingly by all of us. I'd already told them not to feel bad, but I knew they still did. "A circus show isn't as fun as it used to be," Dash added, clearly wanting to move the conversation along. We drifted between the food stands, pointing out different snacks and making little decisions here and there until everyone had something. We each got something different so we could try everything: funnel cake, loaded fries, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs. Then we sat down at one of the round tables to eat. Shortly after sitting down, Rhys started talking about the barn. They were almost done remodeling it and were planning to put in a projector and screen instead of buying a TV. It was cheaper, and better for movie nights. Didn't take up too much space either. Everyone was chiming in, adding ideas, talking about how they'd set it up. I loved how excited they were to finally finish it, and I was excited too, to finally hang out in there with them. As they continued to talk, I looked up to watch the people around us. That's when I saw Tia and Tyler. They were walking toward us, hand in hand, both smiling and looking as perfect as ever. Tyler looked relaxed, and Tia smiled brightly at me. "Hey, guys," she greeted as they came to a stop next to our table. "Hi," I said, smiling up at her. "Was wondering if you two would show up around here," Dash said, scooting over to make room at the table without even thinking. He was inviting them to sit with us, and they accepted without hesitation. While Tyler said hello to the others, Tia reached for me and gave me a warm hug. "How have you been, Bliss?" "Good," I said. "Thanks. You?" She nodded. "Me too. I was gonna text you earlier this week to hang out again, but Tyler's parents took us up to this retreat in the mountains. But I've got time tomorrow, if you want to do something." "That sounds great." I smiled. "What do you want to do?" "We could hang by the pool again," she suggested. I nodded. "Sure. Can Dash come too? Will Tyler be there?" Tyler, who'd obviously heard us, jumped in. "You should all come. We can have a barbecue. Have a few drinks and hang out." I looked around the table. Everyone seemed into the idea. "Sounds good to me," Rhys said. "Yeah, I'm in," Ashby added. I turned to Tripp. "Tripp?" He gave me a calm, gentle look. "Of course I'll come." Then he glanced at Tyler. "Thanks, man." "Of course," Tyler said. "You're always welcome." From there, the conversation kept going. Tia and I talked about random things like swimwear and books while the guys told Tyler about the barn and how they'd set up the projector. The day couldn't have been any more fun, and with the plans we had for tomorrow, there wouldn't be any time for me to overthink. Maybe that's how things were supposed to go on from here. No overthinking, no shame or feeling bad for what we did. Maybe what all of us went through was meant to happen, and at this moment, it felt like fate wanted us to simply accept it. And that's what I was planning on doing. *** The next afternoon, we were all over at Tyler's place, camped out by his pool with plates of food on our laps and plastic cups in our hands. It felt nice to just sit here. Later, Tyler suggested the guys go inside and play video games for a bit. Tia and I didn't mind. We knew boys got antsy after sitting still too long, and their idea of unwinding always circled back to video games. I didn't complain. Tia and I stayed by the pool, just the two of us, and I was actually glad for the one-on-one time with her. She was good at making people feel comfortable, like nothing you said would be judged. After a while, she stood up and asked if I wanted to see the main house, and I agreed, curious to see more than just the kitchen and backyard I'd seen before. She started showing me around, pointing out different rooms as we passed them. Every time I thought we'd seen it all, there was another door, another space. There was a whole room just for two pool tables. Another one with floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with books. Then a sewing room, where her boyfriend's mom apparently spent hours working on quilts and clothes. Another room filled with ship models that looked like they took years to build. And then, finally, a room that looked like a recording studio, even though no one in the house made music. They just liked instruments, I guess. When she finally brought me to Tyler's bedroom, I didn't have to ask if she spent a lot of time there. The room was practically half hers. There were pictures of the two of them pinned up everywhere, some from vacations, others from what looked like school events. Decorations that looked way too soft and floral to be anything a boy would've picked. It was obvious she had a say in how the room looked. "You're really lucky," I told her, quietly. I stared at one picture of them kissing in front of a birthday cake, people clapping behind them. Tia smiled, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side. "Sometimes I wonder why I got so lucky. He could've dated any girl at our school, but for some reason, he wanted me. He chased me for months." I looked over at her, surprised. "He chased you?" She laughed and nodded. "Oh yeah. It was kind of annoying. He'd call me all the time, text constantly, sit next to me at lunch. Even when his friends teased him for it, he wouldn't stop. He was relentless. But I guess...I don't know, it kind of grew on me." I smiled, imagining Tyler being that persistent. He was so calm and collected now. Probably because he got what he's always wanted. "So what made you finally say yes?" She sighed. "One night after a school hockey game, he pulled me aside and basically gave me this little speech. Said I had two options: agree to go on a date with him, or he'd keep bothering me for the rest of my life." I laughed. "That sounds like blackmail." "Right?" she laughed too. "But it worked. I said yes, even though I was scared. I thought maybe the second I gave in, he'd get bored and move on. But he didn't. The first date was perfect. After that, we just clicked. Been together ever since." "That's really sweet," I told her honestly. "You guys are the kind of couple people look up to." Tia shrugged. "We've had our ups and downs, like anyone. But yeah, he's a good guy." Then she glanced over at me. "What about you? Seeing anyone?" I froze for a second. "Uh...no. Not really interested in dating right now." "That's okay. You've got time. No rush." I nodded, hoping that would be the end of it. There was no way I could ever tell her the truth. Not about what the guys and I had, not about the crossed lines or the way my feelings didn't fit into anything normal. So I stuck with the easy answer and left it at that. *** That night, once we were all back home, Dash asked if I wanted to hang out in the basement and watch a movie. I was tired, but I said yes anyway. The idea of being alone in my room sounded worse than being exhausted on the couch. I wanted to be close to them again. I followed him downstairs and curled up next to him on the big couch Tripp was already stretched out on. "Where's Dad?" I asked, glancing around. It suddenly hit me that I hadn't seen him or Odin since the night before. That question made the energy in the room shift. Dash's mouth tightened. Tripp sat up straighter and rubbed the back of his neck. Rhys exchanged a look with Ashby. "What?" I asked again, sharper this time. "What's going on?" Tripp leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "There's...something going on between them." I frowned. "Like what? Are they okay?" "They slept in the same bed last night," Rhys said. My mouth parted. "What?" Ashby was the one who said what everyone else seemed too careful to say. "They probably fucked." "Jesus, Ash," Dash muttered, shooting him a look. "What? You were all thinking it." "I wasn't," I said quietly, stunned. "I wasn't thinking that at all." Ashby shrugged. "Well, maybe you should've been." "Can we not?" Tripp rubbed both hands down his face. "We don't know what's happening, and honestly, it's not our business unless they decide to tell us. They're probably working through a lot. We need to let them have their space." We all fell quiet after that, and no one argued. There wasn't much more to say. Eventually, we turned on the movie and settled in. The opening credits of some random movie rolled. But even with the sound of explosions and dialogue in the background, my thoughts kept drifting. I kept thinking about Dad and Odin. About how much they'd been through, and how long it must've taken them to even get to this point. And somewhere in all of that, I felt this complicated mix of emotions I couldn't even name. Worry, curiosity, some kind of hope. Maybe even a weird kind of comfort, knowing we weren't the only ones figuring things out one step at a time. And though I shouldn't have been thinking about it, I couldn't stop imagining Dad and Odin having sex. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!