Theo squeezed Nilla's hand gently and said, "Take your time to think about it. No pressure. I mean that."
Nilla nodded, eyes wide, brain still doing somersaults. "Time. Yes. Thinking. Definitely doing that."
Theo smiled softly, stood, and turned to James. "Mind hanging out for a bit? I'd like to talk."
James blinked, glanced at Nilla, then back at Theo. "Sure."
As the guys left the café, Nilla pulled out her phone and immediately called Sarah.
Cut to: **Sarah and Max's apartment**
Sarah's shriek could probably be heard from space. "TWO hot men love you and are willing to *share*? You're living the dream!"
Max raised a brow from where he sat on the couch with chips. "This is either a romance novel or a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe both."
Nilla flopped dramatically on their couch. "I didn't ask for this! I was just trying to live, wear fun eyeliner, and occasionally kiss someone without imploding!"
Sarah grinned. "And now you're potentially the lead in a hot poly romance. Jealous doesn't even cover it."
Max pointed at her. "If you *ever* bring home two dudes and try this, I'm moving out."
Sarah smirked. "Challenge accepted."
---
**Meanwhile, at Theo's place…**
Theo handed James a beer as they settled onto the couch. For a moment, they just sat in silence.
James was the first to speak. "So… you're really not joking?"
Theo sipped his drink. "Not even a little. I've thought this through."
James stared into his bottle. "And you're okay with the idea of her loving both of us?"
Theo shrugged. "Are you?"
James opened his mouth… then closed it. "Weirdly… I'm not completely against it. Which is shocking. But it's Nilla."
Theo nodded. "Exactly."
Another pause. Then James asked, "So, like… just out of curiosity—are you into guys at all?"
Theo looked thoughtful. "I've never dated one. But you're not exactly hard on the eyes."
James raised an eyebrow. "Are you hitting on me?"
Theo laughed. "I don't *think* so. But I'm trying to figure this out too."
James narrowed his eyes. "Do we… I don't know… test it? Just to be sure?"
Theo leaned in. "You want to?"
James blinked. "Not really. But I feel like if we're talking about potentially *sharing* someone, we should rule it out."
They leaned in. Both paused an inch apart.
"…This is weird," James muttered.
"So weird," Theo agreed.
"Still not moving."
Theo sighed. "We're idiots."
They both laughed and backed off at the same time.
James shook his head. "Yeah, no romantic spark here. That was like trying to kiss my cousin."
Theo wiped his mouth. "Glad we cleared that up. We're bros. Not lovers."
They clinked their beers.
"Now," Theo said, "let's figure out how to not make Nilla run for the hills."
Nilla sat cross-legged on her couch, surrounded by throw blankets, half a tub of cookie dough ice cream, and three open tabs on her laptop titled *"Am I emotionally capable of polyamory?"*, *"Signs you're dating two men and they're cool with it"*, and *"What is my life???"*
Sarah had ditched her for a "Max won tickets to a concert and I can't say no to Taylor Swift" emergency. So here she was, talking to herself and aggressively analyzing her feelings.
"I mean, it's not *that* weird," she mumbled, licking the spoon. "I love them both… in different ways. But like, how would this even *work*?"
As if summoned by the chaos in her brain, the front door swung open.
"Movie night!" Theo called out, arms full of snacks.
James followed behind with a giant pizza box and a very smug look. "We brought provisions and zero expectations."
Nilla blinked. "How do you guys always have such good timing?"
"Magic," Theo said with a wink.
"Male intuition," James added with a smirk.
They dropped onto the couch beside her, sandwiching her in comfortably.
She stared at them both, spoon hovering mid-air. "Okay, but are we really doing this? Like, *this* this? Because I've been spiraling and you two are all chill and handsome and apparently *fine* with sharing me like I'm the last donut in a bakery."
Theo tilted his head. "You are the last donut. And the best one."
James added, "With sprinkles. And maybe a cream filling—"
Nilla groaned. "I swear to god, if you sexualize pastries again, I will scream."
Theo chuckled, then sobered slightly. "But in all seriousness… yeah, we're serious. We've both thought about this. A lot."
Nilla's eyes narrowed. "Okay. So how would *sex* work then?
Both men glanced at each other.
Then, in unnervingly perfect unison, they said, "Don't worry about that. We have ideas."
Nilla choked on her ice cream. "That's *exactly* the kind of answer that makes me both terrified and intrigued."
James grinned. "As you should be."
Theo handed her a soda. "We'll figure it out if and when it gets there. What matters is that we all communicate, check in, and make sure no one's overwhelmed. Emotionally or… logistically."
She blinked at him. "That might've been the hottest use of the word 'logistically' ever."
James smirked. "Wait 'til he breaks out 'schedule integration.' It's basically foreplay."
Nilla laughed, the kind that loosened knots in her chest. She pulled the blanket over them all, curling her legs across James' lap as her head gently rested on Theo's thigh.
They started a movie—some chaotic comedy Sarah had recommended—and as the opening scene played, all three slowly relaxed into each other.
No labels. No pressure. Just soft breathing, shared space, and the slow bloom of something new and deeply felt.
James glanced down at her legs and then across to Theo. "This is weirdly nice."
Theo smiled, brushing a strand of hair from Nilla's face. "Weirdly… yeah. But also kind of perfect."
And somewhere in Nilla's sleepy mind, just before she dozed off, one thought echoed louder than the rest:
*This might actually work.*