Chapter 97: Both Doing The Same Thing.

Bryce eventually eased himself out of the embrace, and Dave reluctantly loosened his arms around him.

He swallowed before turning toward Vincent.

"Thanks for everything."

His gaze shifted toward Bryce as well, as though the words were not meant for Vincent alone but for both of them.

"If you ever need anything, any kind of help, I’d gladly give it. But then..." He glanced at them, a faint trace of uncertainty entering his expression. "You have all these abilities. What could you possibly want from someone like me?"

Neither Bryce nor Vincent said anything to that.

"Or perhaps I could pay you for everything you’ve done for me," Dave continued, almost as though he were reasoning through the matter aloud. "But that would only cheapen everything you’ve done, because I know you didn’t do any of it for payment."

His voice quietened as another thought took shape.

"Perhaps there’s only one thing I can do to repay your kindness. I’ll stop complicating your life, Bryce. You can be with whoever you want, and I’ll never try to sabotage it or get between you and that person again. I know you love Vincent, and he loves you too, and as strange as it is, you’re expecting a baby together, so..."

He stopped abruptly, seeming to realize that he had said more than he should.

Whatever decision Bryce made about Vincent was ultimately theirs. It was not his place to determine whether they should be together.

Bryce spoke almost coincidentally at the exact moment Dave’s words died away.

"Just... stop talking. Whatever you’re saying is pissing me off right now, and I can’t even figure out exactly why. Perhaps it’s because you’re putting words in my mouth."

Vincent’s expression tightened.

"How can you not know what is pissing you off about his words when they’re so direct?" he asked. "Is it the fact that he mentioned that you and I love each other, that we’re expecting a baby together, and implied that we should be together?"

His voice had taken on an emotion that had not been there moments earlier.

"I guess the hatred you have for me is far greater than I could have imagined."

"Will both of you stop putting words in my mouth?" Bryce snapped, his voice rising before he could restrain it. "That’s not what I even implied, and I don’t appreciate either of you saying things so directly as though I actually said that."

"What else could be pissing you off about his words, Bryce? They were simple and direct."

"How about the fact that his words might be pissing me off because he’s throwing everything away as though none of it ever mattered in the first place?"

The words left Bryce’s mouth before he was consciously aware of them.

"I’ve spent weeks wanting to hate you and move on, but I couldn’t, because I’m stuck with the fact that I might have been used all that time. That you never saw me for who I was, never genuinely returned the feelings I grew to have for you. And now you’re doing nothing but reinforcing that belief inside me. You don’t care whether I actually want to walk away or not. You’ve simply decided that I should, and apparently, it doesn’t matter."

"Even as you say that, Bryce, you know it isn’t true."

Dave’s voice was quieter now, but the emotion behind it was unmistakable.

"What am I supposed to say to make you believe that I’ve been crazy in love with you for years? That it stopped being about Eli long ago.

Even now, it’s killing me to watch you walk away with someone else. But I’ve learned to respect your freedom, and that is why I choose to bear the pain I feel rather than continue bothering you."

Vincent’s fingers curled tightly at his sides as he watched the exchange. A moment later, he turned and started walking toward the door.

"Vincent," Bryce called after him, but Vincent did not stop.

Bryce teleported in front of him, cutting off his path.

"Where are you going?"

"I’ll wait in the car." Vincent’s voice was subdued. "Whatever you decide, if you want to come, find me at the car. If you decide to stay, come and tell me that too, or send me a message."

Bryce stared at him, completely stunned by the answer.

Something about it unsettled him more than he could explain.

"Are you kidding me right now?" he demanded, looking from Vincent to Dave. "So you’re both doing the same thing? ’Go wherever you want. We don’t actually care. You can leave with whoever you want.’"

His anger surged as he stepped toward the door.

"Fine, so how about I fucking go back to where I was, far away from both of you!"

He stormed toward the exit, but neither man let him pass.

Both reached out at once, blocking his way.

"What now? I thought you both just said you don’t care where I decide to be."

Even as Bryce spoke, he knew he was the complicated one here.

He had spent so much time telling them to stop controlling him, to stop forcing him into things he did not want, and to let him make his own decisions.

Now that they were actually doing exactly that, all he could hear was, ’We don’t care. Do whatever you want.’

And somehow, that hurt.

It made him feel almost unwanted.

And the worst part of all was that he did not even know what he wanted himself.

"You’re putting words in my mouth as well, that’s not what I said or implied." Vincent said the moment Bryce finished speaking. "I’m standing here feeling like a third wheel in a love history that neither of you is simply going to let go of. Honestly, I don’t know what you want me to do. I’ve been trying to tell you how much I want to be with you, how deeply I fell in love with you after our first encounter, something that had nothing to do with the bond, and all you’ve done is cut me off or steer the conversation in another direction. You keep showing me how much you still hate me."

Vincent drew a breath, but his words continued almost without pause.

"And I don’t want to force the conversation because then it would feel like I’m forcing and controlling you. Something you hate."

Bryce was left speechless.

Before he could find anything to say, Dave added his own explanation, leaving Bryce even more at a loss.

"I don’t want to make you feel like I’m still trying to control your life or your decisions either, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you or that I don’t love you anymore. I’ve never loved you more than I do right now."

There.

Now Bryce finally felt as though he had heard what he wanted from both of them. They had told him how much they wanted to be with him, how deeply they loved him, and why they had behaved the way they did.

Only now that he had heard it, he had nothing to give them in return.

There was nothing in his mind or heart telling him, You’re going to choose this person and let the other one go.

He could not choose.

And he knew he could not keep pulling both of them closer only to turn around later and tell one of them that he wanted nothing to do with him.

"Now that we’ve told you what we feel and the reason behind our behavior, why don’t you tell us what you actually want or what you’re thinking?"

Dave’s voice was hesitant, as though he already dreaded the answer.