Mi Familia

"You're kidding right?" Vince grabbed Diante's hand, giving an evil eye to his other best friend.

Diante' sighed, "I surely hope you are. You did just say, you ain't gay!"

"Whateva, listen. It's just..." Jared shook his head, putting his hands over his eyes. "I wanna make sure I'm bi, okay. I'm gonna always love women. If I get turned on, then I know I'm bi and I can accept that."

"If you don't?" Vince straightened his legs.

"Then...I only have curiosities! Geez," he laughed.

"It's not a bad thing either way, but..."

Vince rolled his eyes. He really didn't understand why Jared wanted to do this. Besides, Vince wasn't very willing to share. Sure they joked and all, they were friends but this was his man and he wanted it to stay that way. "I'm sure you can find some gay boys to help you prove your sexuality with on the set. You don't need us."

Diante' chuckled, "You make it seem like some science experiment or like we're test dummies. Not sure I wanna do that!"

Jared guffawed. "Naw, not like that, I just thought, since you guys were my friends and all, you could show me the way. I mean, you're my buds. Better you than some strangers."

"You're worried that you're actually gay?"

"Phfftt..." Jared waived his hands. "No, 'cause I'm not." He got up and went to the kitchen.

Vince stared straight ahead. He wasn't willing to hear this anymore from Jared. Yeah, they were friends but, this relationship he had with Diante' was very special. Inviting their friend to join in would just complicate things. He refused to have that. "Yeah, um...no..." He got up, pulling Diante' by the hand. "My relationship with Diante' is important to me. You are too but, this is my life, here. I think it will only make things harder if we slept together. It would open a new can of worms I'm not ready to deal with."

Diante' nodded, "I agree. Jared, you're not gay, you might just have some lingering feelings that you may need to explore. Actually, its better that you do it with two strangers than us. There's no emotion involved. No one's feelings would get hurt."

Jared came back in the room with beers for all of them. "Goddamnit you two!" He frowned, twisting off the cap.

Diante' and Vince sat back down. Vince took a sip, shaking his head. "Listen Jared, I really care about you but, I love Diante' and..."

"Don't you get it? I love you too! Both of you. I don't wanna be with two guys that I don't feel anything for alright? I wanna experience this moment with my friends. Two guys I love and respect!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, starting to sob. "I care for both of you. I..." he paused, wiping his nose and lips. "This is scary, man. You too have got a lot of balls, going out, being together, not caring what anyone thinks. Me, I've always had a reputation as a ladies man. Vince, you especially, you said to hell with it. I can't do that! I don't have the gumption. Just, give me this minute. I swear, it's only so I can enjoy it. I'm most likely bi but, I only like the two of you. I'd never go after anyone else. I wouldn't feel comfortable."

Vince gawked at Jared wide eyed. He couldn't believe anything he'd just heard. Jared telling them he loved them? No way! "Jared, I...we love you too, I just..."

Diante' held onto his hand. "Babe, let's just go on and do it. He's our friend. Let's give him the moment he wants and then we move on. We'll all enjoy it and then keep it as a memory. Okay?"

Vince nodded, gripping onto Diante's palm. He really didn't want to go through with this but, knowing that Jared wasn't really interested in them sexually made up for the enviousness. He knew Jared loved them as friends and that was what he referred to. "Okay, but only this once, Jared. This is my man, okay?"

Diante' hit his shoulder. He winced.

"Yeah okay," he sniffed. "Your place or mine?"

Vince drank the rest of his beverage. "Eww, no, we don't want to be in your bed where you been having all kinds of women in there. No way. Our bed." He placed his bottle on the coffee table.

All three men got up with Jared walking towards the door first. Vince was still uneasy about what was about to happen but hoped this would be the first and last time for their threesome experience.

* * * *

Jared sighed, smiling to himself as he strolled into his friend's bedroom. At last, he'd be with his two friends, the only men he ever wanted to be with in this sort of manner. There was no question he wanted to cherish this for the rest of this life.

* * * * *

To the present...

Jared sat in the middle of the bed, reveling in the last hour's events. Vince was on his left, Diante' was on his right. There was nothing more satisfying than being in between the two people he loved most in the world.

He let out a soft yawn while twirling one of Diante's dreads around his index finger. Jared always did have a softer spot for the young Blaxican who he cherished just as much as Vince. Undoubtedly, he felt for both but most of his reasoning for finally coming to grips that he was gay was his infatuation with Diante'. In fact, it was more than just affinity or friendship, it was damn near obsession. He was thankful that Vince forgave him for making things difficult for them back in the day.

"Damn...I almost messed up..." he whispered, tracing Diante's jawline. He leaned over and kissed him on the head. "Thank you for puttin' up with my shit."

Diante' grinned, "You're welcome, mi amor. I love you. I had no choice, right?" He opened his light brown eyes. "We loved you but as Vince said, the day we allowed you into our bed was the beginning of that can of worms."

"Yes it was, but, it did make me realize how I felt about you." Jared brought him in closer.

Vince stirred slightly, turned over to fall back asleep.

Jared grinned. "You became even more important to me after the day those two fools jumped you and Vince. I always liked you, loved you even, but when that guy was about to hurt you, I lost it."

Diante' nodded, "I thank you for being there for us, Jared. Still, I wish we didn't have to go through all the shit to get to where we are. Why couldn't you just believe that you had more than curiosities? How come your actions that nearly broke us apart, made you finally realize how important we were to you and vice versa?"

"Hell if I know," he chuckled. "Does it matter, D? All that we have right now in front of us is what's important and really, if it were easy, it wouldn't have been so damn exciting."

Diante' laughed. "Yeah, I suppose. " He lay on Jared's chest. "I love you, Jared. I always have and even with all the crap you caused, I never hated you."

Jared planted a peck on Diante's head. "I know because you're too sweet for that, Diante'. You always were a kind person and I'm glad you made Vince see that my intentions were good even though they were screwy."

"Yeah...they were..." He looked up at Jared, covering his lips with his. "You want me don't you?"

Jared smiled, combing Diante's brown locks with his fingers. "Yes, more than anything, right now, mi amor. I always have and always will."