A Lover's Decision

Chapter 7

Rhyn was making cookies when they got home. Whenever he was overwhelmed, he baked.

Rhyd was already plowing through a pan of brownies. He was chattering about something asinine as Rhyn dipped a spoon into a bowl then dropped batter to the cookie sheet. Every now and then, he'd eat some of the batter, humming in happiness.

Myles noticed the tension had left the middle Easley since he'd left the gym. The pizza box lay empty on top of the already full garbage can. Rhys bypassed him and collect the trash. He replaced the bag and took the full one outside.

Rhyn met his gaze briefly before he turned to the oven. He pulled out another pan of cookies before putting the other in. He set the timer then turned around in time to slap Rhyd as he reached for the steaming goodies. The youngest brother laughed then resumed his brownie devouring.

Rhys returned and sat beside Rhyd, snagging a brownie as he did. Myles sat beside him and watched as Rhyn cleaned up his mess. He was slow and meticulous, making sure everything was clean and shiny. He wiped down the counter then wrung out the rag before dropping it in a laundry basket at the end of the counter.

"I thought you were going to study," he said.

"I am, but I wanted to make sure you were okay," Rhys replied.

Rhyd looked between his brothers. "What happened?"

"The team was comparing our looks and things went a little PG-13."

"It's not a big deal," Rhyn argued.

"It is when you look like you're about to cry." Myles looked at Rhyn as his face started to get pinker. His nose became rosy and his ears turned red. Rhys looked at him softly. "Are you okay?"

Rhyn swallowed hard and picked at his fingernails. "It's annoying, but..." He let his voice trail off as he shook his head.

Rhyd lacked tact. He picked up on the middle brother's uncertainty and ran with it. "Did they call you something inappropriate?"

"No, they said his voice was soft," Rhys said. He took the last brownie. "They insinuated the rest of him was soft."

Myles kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to ruin the moment between the brothers, but if anyone had any knowledge on Rhyn it was him. The middle brother was tone, but he had a bit of belly fat. It wasn't noticeable unless he was standing next to Rhys. The older brother worked out regularly. He knew Rhyn swam but not every day.

He didn't realize how alike yet different the triplets were. They loved each other but they didn't agree all the time. Their personalities were one notch above each other's itch Rhyn the most reserved and Rhys the most outgoing. On the other hand, Rhys was the most easy-going while Rhyn was the most stubborn. Even now he didn't want Rhys and Rhyd to get involved.

"That's the reason I don't come to your practices," Rhyn said. "I'm always compared to you."

"No, you're not." Rhys waved his hands in front of his face. "Everyone knows there are three of us. Three people are always different, even if they're born at the same time. We're identical; the same egg split three times. Our heights and your mole are the only differences."

"Well..." Rhyd said. Rhys looked at him while Rhyn all but glared. "There have been some rumors that went around in high school. Ones that said you could swing either way."

Rhyn started to vibrate. It started in his extremities until it absorbed his entire being. His shoulders shook uncontrollably. His face flushed slowly until he was completely red. He jerked away when Rhys reached for him, his mouth quivering slowly.