We stopped for food at a nice restaurant. When I ordered a beer, I got carded, which amused my Committeds to no end. Thankfully, my mortal I.D. said I was twenty-four, old enough to drink but not too old that humans would question the authenticity of the document. I’d never grown out of my baby face and feared I never would.
The drawbacks of immortality.
After dinner, we continued our drive, pulling into an establishment that advertised itself as “The World’s Largest Drive-In Theater!” The grounds were shaped like a pentagon to accommodate the five huge screens. In the middle was a pentagon-shaped building with a lighthouse rising from the middle.
“Oh my God, I’ve never been to a drive-in movie!” I clapped my hands in excitement as Gideon paid the entrance fee.
“We know,” Jai said.
“That’s why we’re here,” Noel finished.
“Which movie would you like to see?” Gideon asked as we idled next to the sign pointing us in the direction of the different screen parking lots.
I studied the list of movies before making my choice. “Screen four,” I said confidently.
“Told you he’d choose Bohemian Rhapsody,” Jai whisper-shouted.
Noel rolled his eyes. “Well done, all-seeing one.”
It was an old movie nowadays, but it held special meaning, and I wiggled in excitement as Gideon found a parking spot in the back of the lot and backed in so the truck bed faced the screen. With blankets and pillows that they’d stashed in the back, we made a comfy nest where we could all sit or lie down.
Gideon left to gather snacks while Jai connected our Bluetooth speaker to the correct screen frequency. Noel took the opportunity to pull me close and nuzzle my cheek. I buried my hand in his silky hair and inhaled his lilac and sunshine. There was a hint of turpentine. He must have painted with the kids today. I found a small splotch of teal paint on his ear that proved my theory.
“Surprise,” he said as I kissed the edge of his jaw. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks. Best birthday yet.”
He frowned. “Even better than three years ago when we dressed up for Jai and we fucked so hard none of us could walk straight the next day?”
Well, when he put it like that.
“That was a good birthday too,” I conceded.
“Damn right it was,” Jai growled as he pressed into my other side and nibbled on the nape of my neck. “Though it felt more like a birthday present for me than you.”
Noel and I had both dressed in lingerie and posed in my bedroom for Jai. I didn’t really enjoy the feel of lace or silk the way Noel did, but Jai absolutely loved it when I wore sexy clothes for him, so it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. And Noel was right; the sex had been really good.
“Every birthday is a good birthday when we’re together,” I said, and Jai twisted his fingers in my curls and angled my head toward him.
“Good,” he said, the flames behind his dark irises smoldering. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
His kiss was rough and wonderful, his beard leaving red chafe marks on my chin as I drowned in his dokha and sunshine. Noel whined, frustrated at being left out, and I turned, capturing his full lips with mine. Jai nipped at the skin behind my ear as his hand rubbed over the front of my jeans. Noel swallowed my groan as he sucked on my tongue.
“I can’t leave you three alone for a second, even in public,” Gideon lamented as he climbed into the truck bed.
With a chuckle, Jai pulled away from me and helped divvy up the snacks and drinks. I slowed Noel’s and my kiss, separating us with a sigh. His eyes were dark purple now, cheeks red with arousal, lips swollen. I wanted to take him right here in the truck bed, but I resisted. Public indecency and all that.
The movie started, and we made ourselves comfortable. I cuddled with Noel first as the bond between us pulsed with comfort and passion, acceptance and love, love, love. Jai plopped me into his lap and wrapped himself around my back at the halfway point. Our rope thrummed with strength and heat, courage and mine, mine, mine.
It was almost the end of the film when I snuggled into Gideon’s side, draping my legs over his lap. He kissed the top of my head as the fiery threads in my soul trembled with safety and stability, relief and home, home, home.
Night was in full swing as the credits scrolled over the screen. The parking lot emptied out, but we didn’t move right away. Jai and Noel lay on their sides, facing each other, legs and arms curled between them. They whispered in hushed Utopian, and though I understood them now, I chose not to listen in. Some things weren’t for my ears.
Gideon cupped my cheek and directed my face to his. Our noses brushed, and his exhale smelled like popcorn and soda. He said, “Happy birthday, darling.”
“Thank you for this.”
“We have one last gift for you,” he said, and I huffed.
“You give too much.”
“Hush, precious one.”
Our foreheads met, and the bonds flared. Jai and Noel were watching us, hands twined between their bodies. The stars twinkled overhead, and the moon shone bright and full, illuminating the overwhelming love in their eyes.
“You are so much more than we ever hoped for,” Gideon said as he shifted to his knees and fished for something in his pocket. “You’re not human; you never were, but you were raised human. This may not hold significance for us, but the symbol means something to you.”
Jai and Noel sat up as Gideon pulled a black box from his pocket. “The bonds are enough, but we want you to have this all the same.”
My heart stuttered. “What?”
Jai said, “My heart was yours, Riles. Before either of us even realized it, it was yours.”
Noel said, “You saved me from darkness so many times, and I will love you for always.”
Gideon said, “You gave your life, your very soul, for mine. That is a debt I can never repay. I hope my love can be enough.”
The box cracked open, and my eyes stung as metal glittered in the moonlight. It was a simple titanium band. It was heavier than it looked when I plucked it from the felt bed and held it in my palm. On the inside of the band, there was an engraving.
Our courage. Our hope. Our light.
“So you never forget what you mean to us,” Noel said.
“So you never forget who you are,” Jai said.
“So you never forget how much we love you,” Gideon said.
And I said, “I never knew I could be loved this much.”
I said, “This wasn’t the life I expected, but I would choose it, with all its heartache and struggle and pain. I would choose this life with all of you every single time.”
I said, “Thank you. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for loving me. I will spend the rest of my existence striving to be worthy of it.”
And they said, “You already are.”
Things got teary after that. I laughed and cried simultaneously as Gideon slipped the band on my left ring finger. It fit perfectly, and I choked on a half-laugh, half-sob. Throwing myself into Gideon’s arms, I smothered him with wet kisses. I was handed off to Jai and then Noel, and they received the same affections.
I was held in an embrace of peppermint, lilac, and dokha. Our bonds glowed bright and strong, like a supernova beneath my breast.
They were my family. They were my home.