"They suck," Alari said to the bar ceiling as he lay on the bar top while Tunde worked his books at a table and Matthew made them drinks behind the bar.

"Go home, Alari," Tunde said, shaking his head in exasperation as Alari ignored him.

"Fame had the audacity to come and ask for my permission. Fuck him sideways, the asshole. He should die of guilt."

"You don't mean that," Matthew added.

"I don't?" Alari asked. "Really? I'm sure he'd die happily. What with all the sex. I saw him first. I picked him out. And if that stupid, fucking promise hadn't happened, we'd have fucked by now. Oh," he hissed. "I hate them."

"Of course, you do," Tunde said as Alari pretended not to notice the look passing between them.

"I cannot believe I haven't done anything with either of them," Alari said sitting up.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Matthew dropped a glass of wine by Alari's ass. "You're always sleeping with everyone; you never get a chance to connect with people."

"Because sex is easy. Sex is awesome. Sex doesn't make me feel like I want to gouge my eyes whenever I hear them having sex."

"So you're afraid of having deep connections with people?"

"I'm not afraid of anything. Look at Tolu. I'm connected to him. I've lived with him since I graduated. He's my best friend."

"And yet you're ignoring him."

"Because... feelings. Gah!" Alari downed his cup and regretted wasting the wine the moment the last bit of it hit the back of his throat and he found himself missing the beautiful sweetness he'd have witnessed if he'd taken his time.

"If it's just feelings, then why are you ignoring Fame as well?" Tunde asked.

Alari hesitated.

"Fame is different," Alari said. "I don't have feelings for him."

"Then why aren't you talking to him? He's your friend. From what you're saying, he was only trying to help."

"Until he let Tolu fuck him. He was so eager to give me up. He didn't even blink when he promised never to come near me sexually."

"You're jealous that he didn't want you, but he wants Tolu?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying?"

Alari thought about it for a second. Or two.

Then he decided he didn't owe Matthew, Tunde or anyone an explanation.

~|~

As Alari entered the house and took off his shoes, it only took him a second to realize the complete lack of Fame's sneakers on the shoe rack. Confused, he put on his slippers and entered, listening to the muffled voices coming from Fame's room.

Delaying his frustration, he drank water and chewed some bread then dragged himself to his room, walking past Fame's door as he realized they weren't having sex. Fame's room was full of boxes and he and Tolu looked like they were having a fight.

"Get out of my way," Fame said, walking past Tolu as he put some files into a box.

"Leaving won't solve anything."

"I can't stay here either."

What the fuck? What the hell?

"What are you doing?" Alari asked, entering the room to find the bed laid bare and the wardrobes almost empty. "You're not leaving."

Fame laughed and continued to pack.

"Don't worry. I'm not asking for my rent back. You can keep it."

"Who is talking about money?"

Tolu sat on the bed, looking distraught as he watched Fame fill up another box.

"Where would you stay? You don't have anybody in Lagos."

"I called someone at work. I can crash there for a week or two."

"You're not leaving," Alari repeated, upturning a box of clothes as Fame cussed in anger and shoved Alari away.

"Stop that!"

Alari knew he ought to back down. They'd never had any reason to get physical with each other, but Fame was buff enough to punch the living daylights out of Alari, but he couldn't let it go. He couldn't just let Fame leave like that.

"Is this because of what I said the other day?" Alari asked. "Don't be a baby!"

"Says the guy who refused to tell his roommate he was in love with him."

Alari blinked in shock, struggling not to look at Tolu and confirm that yes, he had heard Fame's words.

"Tolu, say something to him."

"What do you want me to say?"

"This is your fault."

"How is this my fault?" Tolu asked, standing up.

"Whenever I sleep with a roommate and they leave, you say it's my fault."

"But Fame isn't in love with me."

Fame laughed loudly, drawing both their attention as he bent forward, looking as if he'd fall over but he wedged himself on a box. But soon, the laughter began to sound like he was crying and when he stood straight, he looked like he was going to vomit, right there on the floor.

"Don't go," Tolu pleaded. And if Alari wasn't glad for the backup, he knew he'd feel a little jealous at how lost Tolu sounded. "We can talk about this."

"Let's talk then," Fame said, dropping the things in his hand as he faced the two of them. "Let's talk about how you both are in love with each other, but I'm no one. Let's talk about how I'll live here with you two and be the eternal third wheel. Let's talk about how much history there is between you two and how I'm just the character in the story who came in to stimulate enough conflict for you two to realize that you love each other. How about that? Let's talk about that."

Words failed Alari.

Alari couldn't let Fame leave. But his mouth was stuck. He felt heavy. What was he going to say? He didn't want Fame to feel like the third wheel. If anything, Alari had been feeling like the third wheel for the past month. Maybe he'd been wrong.

Maybe this whole thing had been about him to begin with. And he'd been too caught up in his anger and jealousy to realize that Tolu wanted him back. And that Fame wanted him too. Right? That had to be true, right? Why else would Fame be leaving? Was it just about Tolu? It couldn't be. He'd come in to see Alari the other day.

"If you want my blessing-"

"It's not about that."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I don't know."

Oh, Alari had been so stupid. And now they were going to lose Fame. Judging from Tolu's present state, he didn't want to lose Fame either.

"You won't be a third wheel," Alari said.

"What? If I stay, will you both stay away from each other? Yeah, because that's so healthy."

"Maybe we don't have to stay away from each other," Alari said as both Tolu and Fame looked at him. "Maybe we... all of us... we don't have to stay away from each other."

"What are you saying?" Tolu asked him. "What do you mean?"

"He wants you. You want him. I'm cool with that," Alari said, hearing his own voice rise in tone. It was a weird turn that the conversation was taking. He was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't steer it back to the fight. That was safer. That was more normal than what he was suggesting.

"But what about you?" Fame asked. "I'm not staying here just to get between you two. I'm leaving," he stated, but Alari noted that Fame wasn't packing anymore. He was standing there, looking at Alari.

"I could... I could be there too," Alari said, feeling silly. "I've fucked two guys before."

"Fuck!" Tolu cussed, turning away as Fame eyes went freakishly wide.

"What does that mean? You don't want both of us. You want Tolu."

"If you'll notice Fame, there are only two guys I spend a lot of time with that I haven't fucked. One of them is Tolu," Alari said, looking at him. Tolu's head tilted as the screws in his brain whirred. Like he always did when he was plotting music in his head. And then his eyes brightened in acceptance.

"The other guy is me!" Fame finally said, breaking the moment between Alari and Tolu as they both looked at him.

"Yes," Alari nodded, hoping Fame could understand what he was saying. What he was trying to say. "The other guy is you."

"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Tolu asked.

"Mm hmm," Alari nodded, feeling more confident now that the other two began to loosen up as the tension slowly dissipated from the room. Maybe it wasn't such a weird idea, Afterall. Maybe?

"A threesome?" Fame asked, crude as ever.

"I believe the correct term is 'throuple'?"

"Are you asking?" Tolu asked Alari.

"Are you saying yes?"

Tolu hesitated, looking from Alari to Fame. It said so much that Alari knew Tolu so well that he could read the thoughts floating around in Tolu's head. The uncertainty, the fear that Alari didn't mean what he was saying. The silent prayer that Alari meant it. The frustration that Fame might not see things the same way. The possibility that any part of Alari's preposition might be rejected by Fame. Tolu was a pessimistic ghoul who second-guessed everything to the detriment of his own happiness. If Alari waited for Tolu to do anything, they'd all grow gray hairs.

He crossed the distance between the both of them, fighting between being as much of a coward as Tolu, and Alari's own desire to get to him. He managed to get there at a calm pace, placing himself squarely in Tolu's sight as he took Tolu's hands in his. As calm as he looked, Tolu's hands were shaking in Alari's hand as he grasped Alari's as if Tolu that he was afraid he was dreaming.

"I'm not joking," Alari said. "I mean what I'm saying."

"I... uh."

"Look at me." Tolu obeyed him. "I don't want to be angry at you forever." Alari looked at Fame. "I don't want you to go."

"You're just saying that to keep me here."

"Duh," Alari replied. "I want you here."

Fame frowned.

"For the rent?"

"Who gives a shit about the rent?"

"You do," Fame and Tolu said together.

As soon as the words left their mouths, they both looked at each other, then looked away with their mouths hinting at the faintest of shy smiles.

Alari groaned in frustration and dragged Tolu over to Fame. He took Fame's hand in his.

"I'm the only one who should be pissed, right now. But since you two are going to be cowards about it-"

Tolu jerked Alari forward and kissed him, pulling Fame along with him. Alari could not believe he'd waited this long to feel anything this close to intimacy with Tolu. He'd imagined it would happen on a crazy night fuelled with alcohol and bad decisions. His best bet was a moment spurn from bad decisions that would only lead to regret. But here he was, sober, with Tolu's lips pressed to his.

Unable to help himself, he slipped his tongue into Tolu's mouth as Tolu tilted him back, kissing every worry, every bit of anger away. By the time Tolu pulled back, Alari was breathless with longing, wishing it would never stop. Because he could have this. He could be with Tolu in this way, and he'd never even imagined it to be possible.

Tolu put his hand around Alari's neck, turning him to face Fame, who was still standing there, looking unsure and probably feeling unwelcome.

"Can I kiss you?" Alari asked.

"I'm not the one who needs convincing."

"This thing between Tolu and I has been simmering for years. You don't owe us this commitment."

"I want to," Fame said, hastily. "I really do."

As he spoke, he leaned closer, waiting for Alari to close the distance between them. Obliging, Alari kissed him too, feeling Tolu's hand on his neck, touching, feeling, heightening the emotions of butterflies and glee welling up inside of Alari, as he kissed Fame. Letting go of Tolu, Alari's hands wound around Fame, holding on as hard as he could, beginning to understand Tolu's hesitation at the thought that what was happening might be a dream.

But it was real.

Alari could tell it was real because he could feel Fame, right there, in front of him. He could taste him. He could hear Tolu behind him. He could feel Tolu's lips on the back of his neck, dropping soft, swift caresses as Alari's world swooped and leaped in equal measure.

"Oh god," Alari breathed as Fame kissed down his chin till, he was also sucking on the other side of Alari's neck that Tolu had left bare. "This is really happening."

Moaning, feeling the writhe of their bodies In front and behind him, Alari melted between them. This was what he wanted. To be loved and wanted. To be seen. To be heard in the way Tolu and Fame had heard him. In that moment, he could not have asked for more. Tomorrow would come with tomorrow's worries.

But in that moment, Alari was where he wanted to be, with who he wanted to be with. And he could never have asked for anything more.