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As Eddie sat on the couch in his apartment, plucking lightly at the strings of his guitar, he couldn’t help but feel a little distracted listening to his roommates. They were getting ready for a date they’d planned a while ago, and while he heard Steve throwing every piece of clothing he owned on the floor trying to pick something to wear and Billy fussing over his hair in the bathroom, he couldn’t help but feel a little out of place.
Everyone on campus knew about Billy and Steve being together. They’d started as friends last year, and after a couple of months they’d started to date. Eddie had been friends with them since the beginning, and he’d been with them every step of the way. He had actually been the one to introduce the two at a party that year, and he guessed that that was why they felt they needed to keep him around after they’d gotten serious.
They’d asked him to move in with them when they got the apartment off campus, they let him tag along wherever they went, and sometimes they’d even let him join in on more intimate activities. If they went to the movies, Eddie was there. If they went out to eat, Eddie was there. If they got drunk together after midterms, Eddie was there. And frankly, it baffled him as to why. They had a good thing going, why did they keep him around to crash the party?
Eddie hated feeling like a third wheel, but he had figured, if they didn’t mind him being around, why should he? It wasn’t like it was illegal to hang out with your friends who just so happen to be dating each other. And if they wanted him to join them when they were making out on the couch or getting frisky in their bedroom, well, Eddie was only human, who was he to refuse?
But lately he’d started to wonder, why did they always want him around? It wasn’t like he was bad company, but he wasn’t great company either, so he just couldn’t understand it. And then it dawned on him a few weeks ago, maybe it was something completely different. Maybe they felt sorry for him, since he was kind of a loner, and they only let him tag along with them because they didn’t want to leave him on his own. It kinda made sense, since most of Eddie’s good friends either went to different colleges or hadn’t gone to college at all, so none of them were really around. Steve and Billy were all he really had, and maybe they knew that, which is why they let him follow them like a duckling.
And now they were running around the apartment, trying to get ready for their big anniversary dinner. They’d been planning this for weeks, asking Eddie’s opinion on what they should do and where they should go. He gave them the best input he could, but it kind of started to eat him up inside after a while. He knew it was a mix of jealousy and guilt, but he had no idea how to process that. All he knew was that he shouldn’t be jealous of his two friend’s relationship, and that just made him feel bad about it. He felt like a terrible person for always infringing on their time together and still feeling like he didn’t get to spend enough time with either of them.
He knew he was mostly jealous that they were in a relationship with each other and that neither of them were with him, but he supposed that it was just his silly little brain and heart making him feel left out. If he’d had the opportunity to be with one of them, he was sure he wouldn’t be feeling like this, but it was the fact that he couldn’t be with either of them that was making him feel this way. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.
Deep down, he knew he’d be jealous either way. He really cared about both of them, and whether they were with each other or with completely different people, Eddie would’ve felt the same. That was why he let this go on for so long, because he wanted to feel like he was a part of something special, but now he just felt like a weirdo. He shouldn’t have let it go on for this long.
And that’s why, as the other two bustled about to get ready, he hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch, trying to take his mind off of things as he prepared himself to send them off on their own and stay behind. Even if they said it was okay, he wasn’t going to go. He had to break this off before he let himself get too comfortable and end up with his heart broken once the novelty of his presence wore off.
When they finally walked into the living room, both primped and polished and ready to head out into the crisp fall air, Eddie had to hold his breath. They both looked so handsome, and he wished they didn’t have to go, but he reminded himself to stay strong and let them. He wasn’t a part of it, he had to let them go.
“Hey, Eddie,” Steve asked as they saw him, “Why aren’t you dressed? You knew we were going out tonight, right?”
“Yeah, uh, I knew you guys had plans,” Eddie said, looking down at his strings to avoid their eyes, “I’m not going.”
“Why not?” Steve asked, “Aren’t you feeling well?”
“No, no, I feel fine,” Eddie said, sighing as he geared up to say his piece, “I just don’t want to impose on your special night, y’know?”
“What do you mean you don’t want to impose?” Billy asked, genuinely looking like he had no clue what Eddie was talking about. He looked at Steve, but he too looked confused, shrugging his shoulders before they both looked back at Eddie.
“I mean it’s your anniversary and I don’t wanna make things awkward. I’ve been third-wheeling for months and I’m sure you guys wanna spend some time without me, so I’m just gonna stay here,” he said, putting down his guitar and getting ready to make a quick exit. But before he could go anywhere, the other two stopped him, each of them grabbing one of his arms and keeping him there with looks of concern on their faces.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Steve asked, attempting to put a hand on Eddie’s forehead, but Eddie shook him off.
“Yeah, are you?” He asked.
“We’re both fine, but we’re worried about you now,” Billy said, “Did you hit your head? Do you have amnesia?”
“What the hell, no? Why are you asking that?”
“Because if you’re not amnesiac, you’re an idiot,” Billy said, crossing his arms with a smirk, “You’re not a third wheel, numbnuts, you’re a third partner . We thought you knew that.”
Eddie was kinda stunned into silence after hearing that. What did he mean ‘third partner’? Was he dreaming? That had to be it, because he couldn’t think of any other explanation for why they were acting so confused right now.
“Wait, what?” He finally asked when the words sank in.
“Yeah, Eddie, why do you think we’ve been bringing you along every time we go for a date? You’re part of this relationship too, dude,” Steve chuckled a little bit, shaking his head.
“Wait wait wait, lemme get this straight,” Eddie said, trying to wrap his head around all of this, “You’re dating him, he’s dating you, and you’re both dating me?”
“Yes,” the other two said at the same time.
“So why didn’t you tell me that?!”
“We assumed you knew, shit head! Why else did you think we let you do literally everything with us?” Billy laughed.
“I kinda just assumed you felt sorry for me?” Eddie smiled, feeling kinda sheepish now that they had to tell him to his face that they were dating him, too.
“Well, I didn’t before, but now that I know you have zero perception when it comes to these things, I kinda do,” Steve grinned as he watched Eddie’s face turn red. “I’m just kidding. But now that you do know, you better hurry up and get dressed! Our dinner reservation is in twenty minutes.”