Party of Three | MMF Romance (Complete)

20 | BOUNDARIES

20 | BOUNDARIES

"Please don't get mad..."

With a smirk on his handsome face and a dangerous look of mischief sparkling in his dreamy brown eyes, Ademar takes a seat next to Nichole on the sofa while Taehyun places a massive bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table in front of them. He goes back to the kitchen to grab more snacks, Nichole eyeing both of her boyfriends suspiciously.

"What are y'all up to?" Nichole smiles, cuddling up to Ademar. "And why would I get mad because of it?"

"Well..." Ademar gently grabs her legs and pulls them onto his lap, one hand resting at her lower back. "Tae-Tae and I may or may not have gone into your phone to steal Bonnie and Alicia's phone number to invite them over to hang out with us tonight."

"Oh." Nichole blinks, having expected a different answer. "I see."

"You probably would have preferred that we all met on your own terms, but Tae-Tae and I meant no harm by doing this and we apologize for overstepping," Ademar hurriedly continues. "We felt like you needed something like this, and we wanted to cheer you up because you've been down ever since the whole Kade ambush. And what better way to relax and unwind—apart from fucking on two very attractive men—than by spending some quality time with the people that you love?"

"Are you upset? Because you look upset." Taehyun returns, neatly setting out snacks on the table. "Please don't be upset with us, gorgeous. We really are just trying to help."

Nichole shakes her head, rejecting their assumptions. "I'm not upset that you invited them over without asking me. I agree that it would be nice for us all to finally hang out with each other."

"But you are something..." Ademar takes his free hand and slips a finger underneath her chin, raising her head so that their eyes can meet again. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"Boundaries," Nichole whispers, her emotions about as complex as a rubik's cube. "I-I know we've all been through a lot recently, and I greatly appreciate everything that you two have done for me. I'm not saying I'm hiding things from you both because I definitely am not, but... but it's a bit much to go through my things behind my back. Even if it is to throw a surprise get-together with my close friends. My past... what I went through with Kade..."

"Oh, baby." Taehyun crouches in front of the couch, grabbing one of Nichole's hands. "We really shouldn't have touched your phone without permission. We fucked up. I'm so sorry."

"Major fuckup." Ademar grabs her other hand, kissing it. "Lo siento, mi amor."

"I know you both had good intentions. It's just..." Nichole pauses, briefly reflecting on her troubled relationship with her ex. "After Kade became verbally and emotionally abusive, he also became more possessive and jealous of me... in a psychotic way rather than innocent. He'd monitor my texts and calls. Always wanted to know where I was and who I was hanging out with. It was hell dating a man like him." Nichole sighs, then quickly reburies the dark memories of her past. "When you told me you went into my phone, for just a split second, I felt the same surge of anxiety that I used to get whenever Kade told me he'd done the same thing. Even though I wasn't doing anything behind his back, we'd always end up arguing afterwards."

Taehyun stands to sit on the opposite end of the sofa, behind Nichole. He leans in close and kisses her on the cheek. "Thank you for telling us that. We truly didn't mean to trigger you, but we know better now, and I promise it won't happen again."

"Will you forgive us, sweetheart?" Ademar gives Nichole a pouty look, being a tease. She laughs in response, nodding. "Tae-Tae and I will make it up to you later. I promise."

Nichole smiles before kissing Ademar and then turning around to kiss Taehyun. "Pretty sure this is the healthiest relationship that I've ever been in."

"Same here." Taehyun chuckles. "I wouldn't have blamed you for yelling at us to stay out of your stuff. You have every right to be upset. Doesn't matter what our intentions were, we shouldn't have gone into your phone without asking. Though, I am curious about something."

Nichole wriggles around in Ademar's lap so that she's facing them both. "What's up?"

"Why don't you have a passcode set on your phone?" Taehyun asks. "I have nothing to hide either, but God forbid I lost my phone in public. Someone could easily access my personal files."

"I had a passcode set," Nichole says, suddenly looking embarrassed. "But I disabled it recently to change it to something new and just... forgot to set it up again. My mind has been all over the place ever since the Kade thing. Caty, his sister, still keeps in touch with me. Says she still hasn't seen or heard from him—"

A knock at the door interrupts the conversation.

"I'll get it!" Nichole, already knowing who the signature double then triple knock belongs to, hops up from the sofa to run to the door. Swinging it open, Alicia and Bonnie immediately swoop in to hug her on either side. "Squeeze any harder and I'll drop dead," Nichole laughs, struggling to breathe. The girls lighten their grip but hug her for a few seconds longer.

"There are four weeks in a month, bitch. That's how long it's been since we last saw your ass," Bonnie says after they finally pull apart. She gives Nichole a playful shove. "What gives?"

"Two very gorgeous men is what." Alicia's jaw hits the floor as she looks past Nichole, spotting Ademar and Taehyun as they walk over to greet them. "If I had two Anthony's at home, I probably wouldn't want to leave either. Damn. They look even better in person, Nic."

"Ain't that the truth," Bonnie adds, drooling a bit. "Goddamn, Nic! Hook your girl up with a brother or cousin or something. My kitty is in desperate need for some—"

"If you don't get in here and stop talking crazy." Nichole laughs, pulling Bonnie and Alicia inside. "Boys, meet Bonnie and Alicia. Girls, meet my super thoughtful and exceptionally handsome boyfriends, Ademar and Taehyun."

"Nice to finally meet you, ladies." Ademar, ever the gentleman, kisses Bonnie and Alicia on the hand. Taehyun sticks with the regular ol' handshake. "We have drinks and snacks set out for you in the living room. Please follow me."

As Ademar leads the way, Nichole and Taehyun take their time walking behind them. Nichole asks, "You and Addy should invite some of your friends over as well. Make it a party."

"You sure?" Taehyun questions. "This night is supposed to be about cheering you up..."

"If you're meeting my friends, I want to meet yours too," Nichole says. "Plus, Bonnie is single and... well, long story short, I'm trying to help my girl out."

Taehyun laughs. "In that case, I'll make a few phone calls and see what I can do."

"You're the best. Thanks, babe." Nichole pushes up on her toes to kiss him. It doesn't get the chance to develop into something more thanks to her friends calling her out.

"If y'all are gonna put on a show, at least come close where we can all see better," Bonnie teases, making the others laugh. "I'm kidding but not really."

"Oh my God." Nichole playfully rolls her eyes, muttering to Taehyun. "It's going to be a long night." 

. . .

a/n: bit of a filler chapter >.< it's been a while since the last update and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. thanks for your patience ~