Chapter 16

Rhyn stood at the jewelry counter, looking over the necklaces as Ryan talked to the consultant.they'd been looking for an hour, and Ryan was no closer to picking his mother's present than when he'd asked him to come.

It had been a couple of years since Rhyn had seen Elena Cabrera. Yes, Ryan had the same name as a singer. He'd gotten hell for it growing up. Rhys had been the only one who hadn't cared. It was why they had gotten along. Rhys didn't judge too much, not about things like that anyway.

If he remembered correctly, Elena liked butterflies. They had gone on a senior picnic, and she had been a chaperone. A butterfly had landed on the blanket. She had picked it up gently, looking at it in fascination. It had flown away soon after. Rhyn remembered her face even now. She had been content.

Rhyn walked to the corner of the display case. It was November, and the birthstone for November was topaz. He looked over the case diligently until he found a pendant he liked. Naturally, it was a butterfly, and it was encrusted with topaz and onyx.

He called the jeweler to open the case. Ryan ambled over as the necklace was removed. He looked at it as if he were an expert. Rhyn rolled his eyes because he knew Ryan had no idea what he was looking at. Most guys didn't unless they were either a geologist or a jeweler.

"It's a monarch butterfly," Rhyn explained.

Ryan's nose reddened. "You knew what I was thinking, huh?"

"It's not that difficult."

After asking the price, Ryan paid for the necklace. Rhyn waited by the farthest case, perusing the rings. He found a pair, a set made for a couple, and thought it'd look good. It was a simple design with vines and leaves engraved in silver.

For a brief moment, he wondered what it would look like on Myles left hand. He shook the thought away. He knew it was too good to be true. Nothing would come of these thoughts. They were just friends with benefits until he figured out his feelings.

A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to look at Ryan who smiled softly at him. He knew that smile was meant to ease him, but Rhyn knew the feelings behind it. He would never be able to reciprocate them, and that made him feel worse about agreeing to go with him.

Ryan led the way to the food court. He went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered lo mein for himself and honey chicken for Rhyn. He refused to let Rhyn pay for his meal so the guest went to find a seat.

He was glad it was a weekday. If Ryan had asked him to come on the weekend, he would have refused. The mall was always crowded on the weekends. Rhyn hated crowds so he always came early in the morning or right before closing.

Ryan sat down with their plates and silverware. He slid a bottle of water across the table then dug into his food. Rhyn was a little more sedate about his food, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

His phone chimed, and Rhyn pulled it out. Myles had texted him something mundane while in class. Rhyn scolded him then put his phone on silent. He set it face down on the table and continued to eat.

Ryan watched Rhyn for a long while. He'd changed. He wasn't as closed off as he'd been. He was still very stubborn, but he had become more easy-going. He was willing to do more things instead of staying locked in his room. The knowledge made Ryan feel like he was trying too hard.

He reached across the table and grazed his fingers across Rhyn's hand. The other man jumped and pulled it back. He looked at Ryan for a minute before looking away again. Ryan understood as soon as it happened what it meant.

Rhyn was good at hiding his emotions since he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But to catch him candidly like this was to get a true reaction. He couldn't hide his initial reaction, his true feelings like he could when he was prepared. If it had been someone else, he wouldn't have jumped as badly.

They finished their food in awkward silence. Then Ryan drove back to campus. He noticed Rhyn stared out the window the entire way. He couldn't read his expression, and he definitely couldn't figure out what he was thinking. Not many could. Ryan had only seen Rhys and Rhyd do it on the fly. All they had to do was look at him to know exactly what he was thinking.

"Rhyn?" he said. The other man turned to him rather slowly. "You already know, don't you?"

"Know what?" Rhyn asked. His tone was flat, almost like he hadn't been paying attention. Ryan knew it to be the furthest thing from the truth. Rhyn knew exactly what was going on around him.

"Really?" His tone was just as dead, giving the only glimpse of his rare agitation with the other man.

Rhyn sighed. "Yeah, I know. I've known for a while. I just didn't want to face it."

"Why? Because you want to spare my feelings?"

Rhyn's sigh was much deeper, more annoyed. He crossed his arms. "Partly. Also because I didn't want to hear about it from Rhys. You've been his best friend for almost a decade. I didn't want to screw it up. Rhys is very posessive over those he loves."

""Do you not want to mess with his friendship, or your happiness?" Ryan caught Rhyn's confused look. He would have to spell it out for him. Rhyn wasn't going to confess to anything without prompting. "I saw you with Myles the other day. You didn't have a cramp, did you?"

Rhyn didn't answer right away. Ryan stopped at a red light and looked at him. He was staring at his hands with a quirk to his mouth. He was thinking deeply about something.

"Does Rhys know?" he asked.

"I didn't tell him. If you didn't tell him either, then he doesn't know. But that's not all about it is it?" Rhyn didn't answer, rubbing his face to buy some time. "What is his relationship with you?"

"Do you remember the night of your frat party?" Ryan was a brother to them as he was also in the fraternity. He'd also been at the party, but he'd been outside at the pool most of the night. "I slept with Myles that night. I was drunk, and he thought I was Rhys."

Ryan was a t a loss for words. Never had he thought that would have happened. He'd known Myles had made passes at Rhys, but Myles had also said Rhys would nevr give in to him. He had to be drunk to think he'd slept with Rhys at the party considering Rhys had left halfway through.

As far as he knew, Myles hadn't known about Rhys being a triplet. He'd known he had brothers but had assumed they were years younger than him, not minutes. If he had never seen them, then it would be easy to confuse the three. Their faces were nearly the same with the main difference being Rhyn's mole.

"So he had a fascination with you?" Ryan asked.

Rhyn sighed and leaned his head against the window. "It's more like a mutual attraction." His voice was barely audible, but there was a heaviness to it.

It made sense now. Ryan knew Rhyn's sexuality was a bit fluid. He'd dated mostly women but had expressed interest in guys before. Ryan knew he'd never dated a guy because he was too awkward to even figure out how to show his interest. Being bisexual himself, Ryan knew the emotions that went with those thoughts.

If Rhyn had already slept with a man, it meant he was able to differentiate between the feelings he was having. But Ryan instinctively knew that wasn't all. Rhyn hadn't just slept with Myles. No, it was far from it. He had already fallen for Myles, and no doubt those feelings were reciprocated. Rhyn just didn't have the courage or understanding on how to express them.

Myles had already known Rhyn's feelings when Ryan had talked to him at the pool. He had already figured out his feelings as well so he hadn't felt awkward when Ryan had told him about his own. He'd known what Rhyn would say. There had been no competition.

"If you stay with Myles," he said, "just be careful. Between his dad and his exes, you might get hurt."

"I know his dad doesn't agree with his choices, but are his exes that bad?" Rhyn asked.

"One is. Braylin Connor was his dad's choice for Myles to eventually marry. Myles rejected her once he found out about the plan they'd cooked up. She's been out for revenge since then."

"Do you think she'd try anything?"

Ryan shrugged. "I'm not sure, but Rhys would lose his shit if she did something. He hates her."

He saw the wheels turning in Rhyn's head. He wanted to ask more, but he didn't want to give away too much. Ryan understood and respected his decision. He just hoped he made the right one for him.

Ryan dropped Rhyn off by his car and watched as he clambered in. Once the car started, he pulled away. He truly hoped Rhyn knew what he was doing. If he did, he would support him.

On the flip side of that, Myles better take care of Rhyn. If he so much as hurt one hair on Rhyn's head, he would be in a world of hurt from both Rhys and Ryan. It was a given fact. He just hoped he didn't have to hurt his friends.