Finding Eden by Kele Moon

Danny had been seeing these two for the better part of two years. They represented what he secretly longed for and watching what they had together was a miserable replacement for something that would never be his.
    “Where’s Paul?” Melissa asked, pulling away from Denise when she noticed him standing there.
    “He took off,” Danny said sullenly, unable to hide his disappointment. “That sucks.”
    “Aww.” Melissa held out her arms, beckoning him. “Come here, baby.”
    Danny went to her, suddenly not caring that it was a replacement for what he really craved. He pulled Melissa to him, leaning down to rest his chin on top of her head. He breathed in strawberry shampoo and tried to forget about the secrets welling up between him and Paul, without Danny realizing when it had happened or why.
    He took the comfort, letting his unhappiness show because both girls were aware of his feelings for Paul. They knew Danny was bisexual. He had told them earlier on when he realized they didn’t just fool around for the novelty of it. Like him, they genuinely preferred both sexes, and he was of the opinion bisexuals should stick together. They were on the outskirts of both societies. Gays and lesbians often rejected bisexuals as easily as straights did. They weren’t really gay, and they weren’t really straight. The pick a team and stick with it mentality was more prevalent than people realized and though it didn’t bother Danny, he did feel the need to protect his own.
    “You wanna just skip the party and go back to my place and fuck?” he asked, tilting his head on Melissa’s to look at Denise. “Party next time?”
    “Sure.” Denise shook off the party as if she and Melissa hadn’t just spent two hours trying to talk him into it. More than lovers, they were his friends and they knew Danny was upset. She gave him a beaming, bleached and perfect smile. “Sounds like fun to me.”
    * * * * *
    Danny lay in bed staring at the ceiling, watching the shadows from the trees outside dancing in the rays of moonlight filtering in through his uncovered window. Finally giving up on sleep, he rolled over and grabbed his cigarettes next to the bed. He lit one and fell back against the pillow, blowing smoke up to play with the shadows.
    “Are you okay?”
    Danny looked to Melissa when she lifted her head from the soft spot between Denise’s breasts. Her long, blonde hair was mussed from sleep and fucking. She blinked tired, light eyes as she silently watched him smoke his cigarette.
    “I’m fine,” he lied. “Go back to sleep.”
    “You’re sad about Paul,” she said knowingly.
    “Mmm,” he hummed, taking another puff off his cigarette. “Pretty much.”
    “Why don’t you just tell him? Everyone knows you’re into guys but him.”
    Danny snorted. “He’s homophobic, Mel. His father is the original old-school redneck. It wouldn’t go over well.”
    “Oh.” She pouted, looking insulted. “Is that why he hates Denise and me?”
    “He doesn’t hate you.”
    “He never goes to any of our parties.”
    “He hates parties, not you.”
    Danny reached over and stroked Melissa’s hair, pushing it back into place and then pressing her head back down to its resting place on Denise’s chest. Denise hummed in appreciation despite still being deeply asleep. Her hands ran up Melissa’s bare back, holding her closer, and Melissa responded with heavy eyes and a soft kiss to the side of Denise’s breast.
    Danny smiled as he watched them. “You’re precious. No one could hate you.”
    “Says you,” Melissa mumbled sleepily. “Lots of people hate us. Our parents bought our way into our sorority thinking it’d make us fit in, but it didn’t really fix anything and missing parties doesn’t help. We’re outsiders.”
    “You’d tell me if someone was picking on you, right?” Danny asked, concerned when he thought about all the homophobic assholes in the world. Denise and Melissa were so very open with each other.