Twizzlers (MxMxM)

Chapter 12 - The Ex...Ugh

I secretly hoped that when I'd open the door to our room, Evander and Aubrey would be asleep so I could avoid talking about serious shit anymore. I was tired. But, why would things work out like that, right?

As soon as I opened the door, Evander looked up from the book in his hands. "You're finally back," he commented.

I nodded slowly, shutting the door. Aubrey was passed out with his head in Evander's lap, his body curled in towards the other man. Evander put the book down on the bed, probably noticing how tired I looked. "How did the meeting go?"

"Could've been worse, but it could've been way better, too," I grumbled.

"I take it the information Elvira gave was...?"

"Questioned," I filled in. "And argued about. Still, we were going to talk to your elders. Would that be alright?"

He nodded. After a moment of awkward silence, Evander patted the other side of the bed where he'd left some space for me I'm assuming. I cursed my heart for jumping at such a simple invitation. We'd only known each other for a few days but I was already way too attached to these two people.

I quickly took my shoes off and went into the ensuite bathroom to change and brush my teeth. When I came out, Evander was reading his book again but looked up at me when I re-entered the room. Slowly, as if he'd revoke the invitation if I moved too fast, I walked over, crawling into bed. It was a bit of a tight squeeze with three grown men - even if Aubrey was small like most nymphs are - but it wasn't horrible.

I'm ashamed to say that I almost jumped off the bed when Evander's very, very bare arm made its way across my shoulders, pulling me into his very, very bare chest. A blush made its way across my face as I stuttered out rather pathetically, "W-what are you doing?"

Nice, Aaron.

"You look tired. I'm trying to be supportive. If this is too much, I can-"

"No," I quickly answered, before shutting my mouth out of embarrassment. "Uhh, I mean it's fine. I don't mind."

Evander nodded, before looking at me expectantly. With a sigh, I told him about everything, including what Wren talked to me about after the meeting. When a frown made its way onto his face, I realized he wouldn't possibly have any answers.

"How strange. And what did they look like again?" Evander asked.

"Wren said they had long, black hair. That's all he saw in terms of features. The person was wearing bloodstained-robes, but aside from that, Wren said he couldn't identify anything else about the person. They just asked for help and mentioned your name."

I looked over at him expecting to still see that frown, but instead, I saw a look that said he recognized something. Well, shit, maybe I should've mentioned the long hair first. Or was it the robes that did it? Either way, Evander's frown was gone so that meant he may know something. "What is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well...I'm not sure how helpful this is, but do you remember when I mentioned that person who used to visit me often? And how they haven't been around in over a month?"

"Yeah?"

Evander looked away, his eyes slightly narrowed in concentration. "The only connection I can think of is that person. They like their hair long, and it's black, too. I always asked them about it, but they never wanted to cut it, even when it'd get caught in so many things," he mused.

I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. The look on his face was open and soft as he recounted information I didn't even ask about. It was obvious to me he cared about this person. My only concern was how much.