Coming Home

Charlie continued to stare at me with his mouth gaping open. I had never seen a Marine stunned into silence before; it was kind of eerie. Marines were loud, boisterous people. This man was just silent. Had Dan fed me the wrong information? Was he even bisexual?

I reached a hand over to him, meeting warm skin. I had to remind myself that he was just another guy. He was just any other person, like the boys. It was hard to do. I mean, the man looked like a fucking Greek god. He looked like someone chiseled him from the heavens. It was making me fucking drool, and I usually only felt that way about Rae.

"Charlie, are you okay?" I asked, fear entering my eyes. I had really put myself on a limb. I never did that. The SEALs beat that shit out of you. You followed rules in the military. This was insanity, and I was so afraid that I was about to be rejected by someone I was highly attracted to.

I was in love with Rae and that had always scared me, but Charlie was someone I could see myself falling in love with. And that scared me most of all. How could a former SEAL Team Six member and current metal god fall in love with two people? How could one of them be a man?

Charlie's insanely deep blue eyes met mine. "I'm fine, Matt. I just... that isn't exactly a question I ever expected to hear from you. Truth be told, the fact that you might even consider fucking men is not something that ever would have occurred to me? You're Matthew Motherfucking Shadows. You don't date men."

I laughed at that. "Is that what you really think? Charlie, I don't really date. Period. Rae was and is the only serious relationship I have and will ever have. Until I saw you with her, until I finally relented and said this is who I am. You know, you know!"

I paused to push my hair back and scratch a hand over my bread. "You were in it during that shit. You were in it when you wanted to deny something that made you, you. The military tried their fucking hardest to beat that shit out of you, Charlie. And you know it. You know that even thinking you might like men was beaten the fuck out of you.

"It took me years and years of substance abuse and losing one of my best friends to come to terms with who I am. I am a metal singer, I am a veteran, I am in love with a woman who is fucking insane, and I am bisexual. A little birdie told me you might be too. And Charlie, I don't want a life without Rae. If that means you're in it, I want to be with you too."

His eyes popped open. It was like you could see his brain running through all the possible things he wanted to say. Charlie was trying to figure out what to say, and it made me nervous. He was a big, bad Marine, and Rae loved him. The more time I got to be around him and get to know him, I could see why. It was fucking Charlie Anderson. You think the SEALs are gods... this man is a legend across four branches of the military.

"Matt, the thing is... I have been denying that piece of myself for so long, I think I might have killed it. I think it's dead and buried. And trust me, if it was even a possibility that it would come back, I would jump on this chance. Hell, I might jump on this chance now." Charlie looked at me, a small smile spreading on his face. "But we are leaving out a key element here."

My eyebrow cocked. "What?"

"Rae," Charlie said, "We are forgetting about Rae. It's all fine and dandy if we want to try a relationship, but Rae is kind of the vital element here. You want her, and I want her. And we both are attracted to each other. But does Rae want both of us?"

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "Fuck, how could I forget about that?"

"I'd like to think it had something to do with my disarmingly charming good looks." He smiled at me. "But, I think it was just nerves about asking me if I want a relationship with you and Rae."

"You never did answer that," I said, dimples popping again. I knew it made men and women swoon.

"Hell yes. But it all depends on Rae. It always does."

Notes

I know... it's short. I promise, when I am feeling actually good again, I will give you some good long chapters with SMUT. I promise. But for now, sinus cold medicine, ice on the knee, and pain killers for the ovary.