Chapter 38: Congratulate Me!

“I think that we will be celebrating something good, soon, guys,” Ricky hinted and continued, “Big news, very positive news.”

“My feelings exactly,” Don said with a twinkle in his eye.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Alex replied.

“So, who’s first?” Don asked.

“Why don’t we go alphabetically?” Alex suggested.

“Yeah, right, and whom might that favor?” Ricky asked.

“Alex, try again,” Don said, patting him on the back.

“Ok, does anyone else have a better idea?” Alex inquired of his two friends.

“Uh, what about in order of who saw her last?” Ricky suggested.

“Yeah, but I win again.” Alex beamed, “two days ago and two days in a row.”

“Alright guys, there’s gotta be a better way,” Don stated.

“I guess I’ll be the one to take control of this situation,” Ricky said, always the leader of the pack.

“As usual,” Don and Alex said simultaneously while rolling their eyes.

“Well, there’s no beating around the bush with the matter. Laura and I are partners. She is my exclusive girlfriend. If things go well, after six months we’ll be engaged.” Ricky was proud of himself for winning in the competition, for having someone to share his life with, and for finally being able to tell the guys his news.

“What?!!!” Don and Alex shouted, causing others in the restaurant to look over at them.

“We said that this would not affect our friendship, but we hope and believe that, for the sake of our lifelong friendship and Laura and my happiness, you will get used to this over time and give us your blessing. We’re committed to one another and we’d like our lifelong friendship to remain exactly that: lifelong. We both have faith you will be able to move forward and find your own partners.” Ricky smiled.

“Wipe that silly grin off your face. She might have picked you in the past but Laura is my girlfriend and mine only,” Don stated, slightly raising his voice.

“No, no, no. She’s mine. We had pie and coffee and intellectually we’re...” Alex clarified, his voice starting to warble as he tried to convince the guys and even more so himself, slowly realizing that they could be back at square one.

“None of that matters, I gave her a diamond and put it around her neck,” Ricky said, getting angry at what his two friends were suggesting.

The friends’ argument continued back and forth until Don countered with a game changer. “Guys, I hate to break it to you, but she’s mine. We have been intimate together several times. So...”

“What? Me too. What?” Ricky and Alex were both shocked.

Immediately after the last word was uttered, they all said with raised voices: “LAURA”.

“I’ve known you guys my whole life. Now it looks like we all love the same woman but she’s hurting us. I don’t think it’s intentional, but each time she fuels the fire, we get burned,” Don shared his thoughts emotionally.

“This is not what we want. We see Laura one day and she is with another one of us next and by the end of the week she has been with all three of us. We’re better than that, guys,” Ricky explained.

“I also think we’ve all been giving this game all we’ve got to get Laura to pick one of us, but I dunno about you two, but this is no game with me. I love her and I want her. I don’t want to share her. I don’t want to argue, fight or lose you as friends or her as my lady.” Alex paused and said, “What would you do in her shoes, guys, we are wealthy, eligible, young bachelors. It would be hard to choose. She’s doing her best not to hurt anyone. It’s the nature of the beast.”

“Is she a player?” Don wondered. “Cause I definitely feel I could take some lessons in a refresher course.”

“Is she unable to make a decision and stick to it other than that cello?” Ricky asked.

“Guys, this has to stop,” Alex pleaded with Don and Ricky. “We’re the three amigos.”

“You’re the one who made us the four musketeers,” said Ricky.

The guys verbally argued back and forth, eventually realizing that Laura had hurt them by choosing all three once again. Nevertheless, they forgave her and would strongly encourage her to choose one of them.

They had made rules of engagement twice before without success. Additionally, despite not wanting to admit to it, knowing that they were all competing made the pursuit of the lovely Laura even more exciting. She was wanted by three, but only would end up with one.

“Look on the bright side: if we did not have any sort of redeemable qualities, she wouldn’t have such a hard time picking one of us,” a calmer Ricky stated.

“Yeah, bro, you’re right,” Don agreed, “We’ve met our match.”

“To battle, comrades, and may the best man win (again),” Alex said.

They ended their meeting, with each one almost completely convinced that they were what Laura wanted, needed, and would pick, abandoning a love relationship with the other two. The further away from the guys they got, the stronger their resolve became. The stronger their resolve became, the more determined they felt they could be in a last effort to get Laura not just to agree to be a girlfriend, but be in an exclusive one, denying all others. Would Laura’s newly found music success make this easier or harder to do, each one wondered?