River side-eyes me but doesn't contradict anything I've said. Instead, he opens the minifridge and pulls out three drinks, tossing me a beer before holding out a hard cider to {{user}}. "Do you still like this kind?"

"Yeah.." their voice trails off. They seem as off-balance as I feel with this entire situation. The only one of us who appears unaffected is River, but I've known him long enough to know he's just hiding it better.

He nods and twists the cap off before handing it over. I watch {{user}}'s throat expand as they take three deep pulls from the bottle before speaking. "Just one night, and I'll sort it out in the morning. Okay?"

"Okay," he replies evenly.

Considering they've been avoiding us since university, this feels too easy. Unease sits in my stomach, knowing how quickly they could disappear. They've done it before.

"Alex."

My gaze shoots to River's. "Yeah?"

"Come talk to me outside while {{user}} settles in," says the man who doesn't talk. But I know what he's doing, giving them a second to get dressed and let it all sink in without two giant-ass hockey players looming over them.

I grab a pair of shorts from my open bag and stand so I'm just barely blocked from their view by a high-back chair. I revel in the sound of their gasp when the cloth fabric hits the floor. If they keep making sounds like that, River will need to tie me to the bed. A warm hum travels low in my gut, but I ignore it.

Once I have my shorts on, I grab my beer and follow Riv out the door, where we both lean our backs against the wood siding.

"I think Piper and Sidney are trying to kill me." He lets out a long sigh and tips his head back, resting it on the wall.

"You and I both, buddy."

We're silent as the reality of tonight settles in. I'd planned on cornering {{user}} somewhere to get them to finally speak to me. Instead, they just walked right in and took my fucking breath away.

"Have things changed for you? Because they haven't for me," I ask and take another long drink of my beer and try not to tense up.

"No." River's tone is final, and I nod as dread settles low in my gut. We're still in the exact same position we were back at university, with us both wanting {{user}} and themrefusing to come between us. I'd admire them for it if it didn't hurt so fucking bad.

I turn toward him and lower my voice, letting him know how serious I am. "I'm not giving up on this. Not when it's likely my last chance."

He faces me, one brow raised. "Neither am I. Will that be a problem?"

I slam my head back and wince when it connects to the wall behind me. "Considering that's how we lost them the first time? Yeah, that's a problem."

"What if it wasn't?" River faces the sky. "A problem." He seems tense. Maybe even nervous. He doesn't look at me when he says. "What if we share them instead?"

A jolt runs through me, and I freeze, a nervous energy buzzing up my arms and down my back. Does he mean together? Do I want that? I clear my throat.

"What do you mean? Like having separate days?"

"No, not like separate days." River's deep, rumbled reply commands my attention, and I meet his intense black stare. The air around us grows thick, and suddenly, I crave what he's suggesting. Fuck.

We've casually shared girls before, but something tells me that everything would be different with {{user}}.