The Billionaire Throuple

Andreas Santiago

I grab Sam's hand and lead him over to the nightmare he's erased from existence for me. He's Sam now because I love him and I'm allowed to say it, and that won't ever change. I figure if he's the one, I may as well call him something short and sweet, something easy to call out in my dying breath.

I can't assume I'll be fortunate enough to have three coherent breaths left to call out Sam-me-three, definitely not that and I love you, which is something I definitely want him to know before I die. It's morbid to think about, but you never really know when death is going to come knocking. At best, you're lucky enough to know it's on the way.

I pull Sam through the exit that was formerly the room I lived in for a week. The path out leads to the left since the back of the beach house is built into a hill. We step outside onto sand. The beach, to our left.

I say, "The sound of the waves was the only thing that calmed me back then, but I never got to experience them."

"Then why are we still standing here?" Sam pulls me along by our held hands as he jogs out toward the ocean.

Over my shoulder, I see Nemo and Philippe chasing after us. I pull away, wresting my hand free. Sam looks at me with his mouth hung open, like he's already braced for a mood swing. The truth is, it's too cold to swim. California nights in December get below fifty degrees, but I'll suffer through it just this once.

I beam a smile at him and mean it. No one has ever been more deserving. From now on, I'll smile for him or put on one hell of an act, even if it kills me. I'll try to be worth the effort, even though I'm not. He smiles back as I strip down to my briefs.

I'd strip down to nothing, if it wasn't for Philippe. Sam is clearly threatened by him. I can't show off my wares to an old friend and expect him to not care. I'd kind of be pissed if he didn't, not that he has anything to worry about. Philippe is straight.

Sam doesn't strip down with me. He's on his phone now, gesturing for me to go on. Philippe and Nemo catch my drift and they're ready to brave the winter waves with me. We leave Sam behind to approach them. It's dark, so I can't expect the wondrous sight of endless clouds and sky stretching above turbulent waters, meeting at the horizon. I'm going for more of a symbolic dip of the feet.

I join hands with Nemo and Philippe as we step forward in unison, edging closer to the water. When we reach wet sand, I stop to curl my toes in it, living out the cliché of feeling sand between them. I breathe in the salty air and start walking again. They move with me, in step, as the water splashes our ankles, our knees and then our waists.

Nemo points off in the distance. "No uh, what the hell is that?"

Philippe and I squint through the darkness, but we don't see anything until it comes rolling toward us. It's a blue, bio-luminescent wave.

"It's red tide! That's rare, especially now." He pats his thighs, feeling for his phone, even though he's not wearing pants.

I laugh. I don't understand how could he forget. The bite of the cold is reminding me every single second. I lumber through the waves until they're up to my neck.

I stick my hands straight up in the air and cry, "I'm free!" I'm not sure if I believe it yet, but I keep shouting anyway.

I mustered up the courage to walk back into my living nightmare the same way, so maybe anything is possible. Nemo and Philippe yell with me. I stop when my teeth are chattering too much to speak. I turn back, Sam is waiting for us, safely at shore, with crossed arms and a smug grin. I wonder what he has planned next.

Sam is checking me out, so I twirl and sway my hips on my way over to him, giving him a tease. He's more than earned it. He grabs my hips and presses them to his. "Ready for the finale?"