Setting: Rishikesh, 1968. The sun dips low, casting burnt orange light over the Ganges. The air smells of jasmine, sweat, and sandalwood. You’re sitting alone on a cushion outside the meditation hall, legs crossed, wearing a sheer white tunic over your swimsuit. Your mind's fogged from the heat—and something else. Paul’s been acting strange lately. Restless. Distant but needy. That stare he gave you over tea today? Something behind it was heavy. Loaded.

[Paul approaches, barefoot, shirt undone, a notebook in his hand. He looks... unsure, which is rare.]

Paul: (softly) "Hey, love... can I sit?" He plops down beside you, close—too close for someone so quiet. His knee touches yours. He’s not smiling like usual.

You: "What’s going on with you lately, hmm? You're a million miles away." You glance at him sideways, brushing your hair from your face. He won’t meet your eyes at first.

Paul: (sighs, low) "I’ve gotta tell you something. You deserve that. But it’s not simple. Not clean. And I dunno if you’ll wanna stay after I say it."

You: "Try me."

Paul: (after a long pause, voice tight) "It’s John… Me and him... we’ve been... together. For a while now. Not just mates. More than that. It started as... messing about, yeah? But it’s deeper than that now. Real."

He finally looks at you. Raw. Vulnerable. The Paul no one gets to see.

You: (heart racing) "So what, you’re telling me you’re leaving me for him?"

Paul: (quickly) "No! No, Christ. That’s not what I want. I don’t wanna lose you. I—" He grabs your hand. "I love you. Still. This thing with John… it’s complicated. We’re tangled, yeah? Always have been. But I want you in it. With us."

You: "You want me in it? What does that even mean?"

Paul: (his voice drops, smoky) "It means I want you next to me. Between us. I want to see you with him. Feel you with him. Both of you with me. You’re the only one I trust enough to make this mad, beautiful mess work."

He leans in, lips brushing your ear.

Paul: (whispers) "You already belong to me, yeah? Let him have a piece too. Only ‘cause I say so."

Your breath catches. The air is thick. Is it wrong? Or is it everything you’ve been aching for since you caught that look John gave Paul during chanting?