Fighting a New World

58

Ryder's POV

I sighed to myself as I sat down in Andrew's new office.

He had joined the same therapist group as Carter's so that came with a new office and new clients. Sadly for my boyfriends and I that meant limited availability.

Andrew wasn't at our beck and call anymore. Between his work at camp, his new clients, and us, he barely has barely any time for himself anymore.

"How has the past week been," he asked as he opened up my folder. At least some things never change.

I only shrugged at his question as I start playing with my fingers.

"It could be worse I guess. I mean, the depression meds are working so I haven't hit any all time lows or anything but sometimes I'll be fine and smiling and then out of now where I'll think of her and I'll start crying."

"Any new nightmares," he asked sadly as he wrote a few things down.

"Not yet but you know as well as I do that they always pop up at random."

"How about panic attacks?"

"I had one yesterday. Callum hugged me from behind and I freaked out. It wasn't a bad one though."

"How are things going with all of them? I remember you told me you didn't want them to meet your mom because they would treat you differently if she passed. Is that happened?"

I want to scoff at that but I refrain.

"They're treating me like broken glass," I huffed. "It's already been two weeks and while I've started moving on, they are acting like it just happened. I can't tell you how many times I've told them to stop but they won't."

"What are they doing that's so bad," he asked as he put his pen down and looked up to me.

"They're coddling me and it's suffocating. It's like they think I can't do anything without them. I know they are just trying to help but it's just irritating at this point."

Andrew frowned as he thought of a way out of my problem.

"Try treating this like a fight," he said after a while, making me raise an eyebrow at him. "Right now you are separated from them, not because they are mad at you but because you all aren't on the same page. Treat this like an argument. Sit them down, tell them the problem, and tell them what needs to be fixed. You're group has always had a problem with communication."

"We have not," I scoffed out at the last comment but one look at Andrew's face tells me he strongly disagrees. "We're better than most poly relationships," I defend.

"Better than most isn't exactly a good thing. You all wait until the last possible second until one of you speaks up. You would figure that after a while of almost exploding you would learn to broach the subject before it gets that bad."

"Either way," I said with a small eye roll. "I've already tried telling them to lay off any they won't. It works for a few hours and then I need something and they all go back to smothering me."

"Okay then skip that step. What do you guys normally do after a fight or after someone relapses to get rid of the tension?"

"Usually we have sex," I say honestly.

I watch as Andrew turns bright red at words before nodding.

"I'm not surprised with Callum as a boyfriend," he admits, knowing good and damn well that Callum is most horny out of all of us. "Have you tried that?"

"No. I know Liam and Jax are just going to brush it off, Carter is ace so it will just make him uncomfortable, and Callum would probably just take care of me again which is still the opposite of what we're going for."

"Couldn't you try to take charge? Make them do what you want them to like Callum does?"

For a second I only blink at him.

"Andrew, I am a bottom," I state clearly, making him blush yet again. "I can't 'make' them do anything."

"Yet you always seem to get your way," he points out, the blush still very present on his cheeks.

"That's true I guess," I mumbled, not feeling the need to tell him I get my way through teasing.

"So maybe after you've finished, you can try to talk to them again. And not just tell them but show them you're doing better and don't need them quiet as much."

I frowned at that but still nodded.

My mind went back to the shop Callum took us to a few weeks ago and all the things we bought there but before I could start planning anything, Andrew interrupted my thoughts.

"Jax's birthday is coming up, isn't it?"

"Yea, it's on Friday. He's already said that he doesn't want anything big but Callum is going to get him a cake and Liam and I were going to get him a few new sketchbooks and pencils."

"I didn't think he would want anything big like that," Andrew admitted. "I still wouldn't mind coming over for a little bit if that's alright with all of you. Maybe we can all go out to dinner, I'll buy."

"I'll have to ask Jax but I don't think he would be too mad about free food. You know Patrick will want to come too if we're doing something."

He only nodded as he wrote something on a calendar and circling it.

The last twenty minutes of my session were me only somewhat answering his questions while I thought of my plans to seduce my boyfriends.

By the end of those twenty minutes, I left with a smile on my face and a well-made plan.

It might not be enough to make them stop coddling me, but at the very least it would be a fun night.

I know it's short but the next chapter will be kinky so get ready for that.

Last updated September 30, 2021