Mary and Halley (sequel to When Mary Met Halley)

thirty seven

(a/n just FYI, I went back through both books and aged Charlotte and Joey up a year so they're close to 18)

We all spent the next day helping Leif and Paramjeet move into their own house, five minutes from ours. The furniture they'd picked out at a local store was delivered on time, and by six we were leaving them to have their first dinner together alone.

It was bittersweet, but I didn't have time to get emo about it because as soon as we got home the teens wanted to move their things into the newly empty garage. Mostly this consisted of Char directing the boys.

Leif arrived back at our house as they were almost done. "We just got rid of you like half an hour ago," Halley teased him.

"Forgot my charger," he said, holding up the cord as evidence. He stepped aside as Nate and Joey brought the box spring for Nate's bed out and pushed it up against the double bed they'd already set up.

"You have room now, you guys don't have to cram together still," I said absently, looking up the date to put the Christmas tree out for collection.

Leif slung an arm around my shoulders. "You guys," he said, his voice full of mischief. "Should we tell her?"

I looked up, wondering what in the hell he was talking about, and saw them all grinning, even Halley. "What am I missing?" I asked, feeling dumb. Always the last to figure something out, even the year before when I had been falling in love.

"You're not the crunchiest cookie in the batch, but we love you anyway," Leif said fondly.

Halley shoved him. "Be nice," she scolded, replacing his arm with hers. "The things is, sweetie, they don't want their beds apart. They like being crammed together."

Char pointed at her like She's right, amused, and I finally got it. "Oh," I said stupidly. "Ohhh," I added as it all made sense. Duh, Mary. Just, duh.

"It's a poly thing," Nate said cheerfully, in case I was still clueless. My brother just nodded, self-conscious, busying himself with putting the drawers back in their blue dresser.

"Not to mention a compersion thing," Charlotte said, mostly to herself.

"TMI, gawd," Leif said, making a face.

"Hey, get your mind out of the gutter," she said. "That's not the only meaning."

He scoffed. "My mind lives in the gutter, sis; maybe you've met me? Okay, I'm outta here. Glad you finally caught up, Tug; it's been like half a year." He hugged Halley and me both, kissed my forehead, and messed up her hair before he darted off. "Byeeeee."

"I swear to God," Halley said, smoothing it back down.

"Wow, Joey, here," Char said, moving to help him place the drawer he was struggling with. She then looked up at me, an easy grin on her face. "We all love each other; it just happened that way. As things do." She shrugged. "We three? Are meant to be."

"Hey, love is love," I said, recalling a time when she said the same to me about my feelings for Halley. "Whatever makes you guys happy, but why am I always the last to know these things." Embarrassing. I hadn't thought anything of their affection for each other; Leif and I had often shared a bed to watch TV or even sleep, especially when Caleb had been away, and it hadn't been anything other than platonic. But in retrospect, duh again, Mary.

"Toldja she wouldn't care," my brother said to Nate.

"Boy, I know that now," he retorted, placing his beret on Joey's head. He looked at me. "I'll admit I had some worries at first, but that was before I knew you," he explained.