Several hours later, Rhyn woke up, but he wasn't alone. He felt someone pressed against his back. Panicking, he thought about lashing out until he heard a page turn.
Rolling over, he saw Rhys with his anatomy book and a notebook balanced on his knee. He was taking notes as he read. Many people thought Rhys was a dumb jock, but he was actually very smart. Most of the time he did his homework like everyone else. It was how he had gotten a full ride to play basketball. He had the skills and the grades.
Rhyn looked around the room. It was only the two of them. Myles had gone home it seemed. Sighing deeply, Rhyn rolled into his brother's thigh and pressed his nose into the thick muscle. When they were younger and had shared a room, Rhyn had always lain like this while Rhys had read to him. It brought him comfort much like when Rhyd wrapped his legs around him earlier.
He heard the book close and land on his bedside table. A bing hand carded through his thick hair, fingertips running easy circles in his scalp. He pressed closer to his brother, an arm going over the tops of his thighs. Finally, Rhyn felt truly at ease.
"You should have told me you had a fever," Rhys chastised. His voice was gentle, barely above a whisper. It was like he was scared he'd chase Rhyn off.
"It's manageable," Rhyn said. "Where's your friend?"
"He went home." Rhys moved around a bit so he could grab something. He pressed a bottle of water to Rhyn's cheek. "Here, take this. It will break your fever."
Rhyn didn't argue. He sat up and took everything from his brother. When he'd taken the medicine, they sat quietly for a long time. Rhyn picked at his blanket as he stared at nothing in particular. He waited for his brother to say something, anything. He knew Rhys already knew so why not just come out with it?
Rhys finally shuffled around until he was sitting knee to knee with Rhyn. they stared at each other, each sizing the other up.
"I know what happened," Rhys whispered. "But I want to hear it from you. What's your side?"
Rhys shrugged. "I woke up in his bed. Naked."
"Were you drunk?" The younger brother nodded. "Did he force himself on you?"
"I don't think so." Rhyn knew he hadn't but he wasn't going to admit it. "Where did you go?"
"When I last saw you, you were standing by the pool table talking to Cassie Robinson. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, you were gone. I thought you had gone home. Then I started talking with that girl Katharine I told you about. We walked around campus before I took her home." Rhys leaned forward. "If I had known you were that drunk, I wouldn't have left you. Or at least I would have come back for you."
Rhyn knew Rhys would have come back for him. He remembered seeing him go to the bathroom, but his next memory was upstairs with Myles. The few moments in between were hazy at best. He could remember tripping up the stairs and laughing, but everything after that blurred together. Until...
"Rhyn, you need to be careful," Rhys warned. "Myles is very popular, and if someone finds out he hooked up with you at the Greek Party, you'll be harassed. He's that popular."
"But why?"
Rhys frowned. "Why what?"
"Why would he want to take me to bed like that?"
"He wouldn't."
It was Rhyn's turn to frown. Because his head still hurt, it made him look constipated. He stared at his brother anyway.
"What do you mean he didn't?"
"He didn't want you." Rhys emphasized the word 'you.' "He wanted me. He thought you were me."
Rhyn leaned back against his headboard. "Rhys, are you...?"
"No, I'm not. I strictly like girls. But Myles used to joke about how much fun we could have. I thought it was just that; a joke, but I found out the hard way it wasn't."
"So Myles is gay?"
Rhys shook his head. "Myles likes people for their personalities. He'll sleep with anyone as long as they get along. Some like to call him pansexual and others demisexual. Myles just does what he wants as long as the feelings are mutual."
"So why did he want you?" There was no other way to word the question. If Myles was interested in Rhys, Rhyn wanted to know why. Maybe it would help him understand what had gone on in Myles's head.
His brother smiled. "We were hazed when we pledged into the fraternity. One night we had to draw numbers. The hazers would call out a number then pull an 'embarrassing' activity out of a hat. They were things like 'hold a stick between you with your mouths' or 'sit in the sixty-nine position for a minute'. They were stupid things like that."
"You drewthe same number as Myles?" Rhys nodded. "What was your task?"
"Seven minutes in heaven without the closet." Rhyn blinked stupidly at him for a few minutes. Rhys smiled at his brother's reaction. "We made out in front of all the pledges and the brothers. Needless to say, we made it."
The younger brother could barely believe it. He understood why Rhys never told him and Rhyd what had happened during pledge week. What if they had looked down on him for it without meaning to do so? He would have felt awful. Rhys never judged anyone for their romantic choices. He saved that for stupid drivers in traffic.
Rhys continued. "After the fact, I asked Myles to never do it again. I wasn't attracted to him in any way other than a friend. He hasn't pushed for it, but we joke about it a lot. I know if I open the door, he'll take it off the hinges."
Rhyn understood. "I remember bits and pieces."
He told Rhys about grabbing the wrong drink. After he was drunk, he ran into Myles. He didn't remember all of the conversation, but he remembered enough to know Myles asked him to make out. He'd agreed even though he hadn't necessarily wanted to, but after that initial kiss, he couldn't let go.
He didn't remember them getting to the bedroom, but he did remember fumbling to get his clothes off. The steamy breaths, the hot mouth all over him especially on his...
Rhyn shook his head, but he kept going. He could see Myles's face hovering above him as he'd gathered his legs to him. He remembered the pain of having a foreign object penetrate him, of the searing kiss that had stamped away the pain only to leave him gasping.
"I only remember asking him to wear a condom when I saw the wrapper on the floor," he finished.
Rhys let out a shaky breath. "At least he did that. I'd hate to have to kill him. I like the bastard."
"Why did you never tell him you were a triplet?"
"He knew I had younger brothers. He just didn't know how much younger."
"This could have been avoided had you told him."
"Probably, but it has now happened. I just don't want you to be mad at me."
Rhyn looked at his brother again. Rhys looked lighter than he had moments ago. He wondered how long he had held onto all of the information. He believed in keeping secrets, but it seemed that hisbrother held too much of other people to be truly happy. If he was keeping this secret, what else did he have?
"Myles may try to talk to you again," Rhys said. Rhyn licked his lips but didn't say anything. "If he tries to call you, what are you going to do?"
"You know I don't want drama, Rhys," the younger whispered. "If there are people who will try to ruin my life, then I don't want to have anything to do with him."
Rhys leaned back and sighed. "If he asks you out, will you consider it?"
Rhyn felt cold, like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Why was Rhys asking if he'd consider dating his friend? Was he that concerned about his reputation or Rhyn's? He didn't want to ruin his relationship with his brother because of some random person?
"I don't think," he paused for a second, "I will ever want to be in a relationship with him."
"Why not?" Rhyn frowned at him. His mouth was set in a thin line as his eyebrows scrunched together. Rhys knew that stubborn look very well. "Why would you not look at him? I know you're not close minded."
Rhyn licked his lips before he answered. "Why would I want to be compared to you in another situation?"
Rhys's mouth fell open slowly as he realized what he was saying. Multiples were always comparedto each other. Rhyn wasn't as athletic as Rhys and he wasn't insanely smart as Rhyd. He didn't mind that, but others sometimes did. He still their relatives compare them even though they are grown.
Rhyn shook his head as if to shake off dark thoughts. "I'm not trying to hurt you, but I don't want to see someone who sees you. If I'm with someone, I want it to be me who is seen. So if one of your friends asks me out, I'll have to say no because he or she may see you."
"So you don't want to have anything to do with him?" Rhys's voice was quiet.
The younger brother nodded solemnly. "I don't want to have anything to do with him."
Rhys nodded and didn't pressure his brother any further. Rhys was stubborn and it took a lot to get him to change his mind once it was made up. If he said he didn't want to have anything to do with Myles, he wouldn't have anything to do with him.
But he also knew that if Myles wanted to get to know Rhyn, he would stop at nothing to do so. If he felt guilty, he was going to try to apologize for his actions. Then he would pursue him to be his friend. Myles could be just as stubborn as Rhyn. So Rhys was going to have to wait to see where all of it goes.