Chapter 18 – Franklin
Well this night had turned into a clusterfuck. There was no way I was letting Belinda slip out of my life. Between the three of us, we’d have to figure out a way of calming her down.
When we got back to the room, she wasn’t there. This is a disaster and it was quickly spiraling out of control.
“Dammit!” I said throwing a pillow across the room. “This is all your fault Miles!”
“Me?! Well who brought his sister into the mix?!”
“I didn’t bring my sister,” insisted Theo. “She just happened to be in the same hotel!”
“The hotel that you suggested,” reminded Miles.
“And that you booked,” reminded Theo. “She’s a woman, fellas. And a woman wants to feel loved. You watched sports. How do you think that made her feel, Franklin?”
“Don’t put this on me,” I snapped. “I don’t have to say I love you every ten seconds, Mr. Romance.”
“Arguing amongst ourselves isn’t going to get us anywhere,” said Miles. “We have to figure out a plan.”
“Well, the first thing we have to do,” I insisted. “If we’re going to do this relationship, we have to tell people so there are no more misunderstandings like this. No matter how embarrassing it is, we just have to be honest with the world and our families.”
“It’s not embarrassing to me,” insisted Theo.
“You didn’t tell your own sister,” reminded Miles.
“I didn’t want to get into it right then with her,” snapped Theo. “Everything’s moving so fast. I didn’t think this would happen.”
“Okay, okay, calm down,” I chastised. “We have to sort this out, Romeo. What’s our next move here? C’mon, we need options.”
“We have to find her first,” said Miles.
“Where else is she going to go, Miles?” I said a little sarcastically. “She probably called an Uber and went home.”
“All right, let’s assume that,” reasoned Theo. “She home. She’s upset. Probably calls a friend or her mother. Feels like we aren’t serious about the relationship and that we played a game.”
“Then we have to get more serious,” said Miles. “What’s the most serious thing we can do.”
“Only one thing,” I said. “We have to convince her that we’re an exclusive deal. That we’re coming at this relationship like men.”
“You mean, marry her?” asked Miles. “Could we even do that?”
“Not legally, I don’t think,” said Theo. “But that part doesn’t matter, what matters is the gesture. The trouble.”
“Okay, I’ll call a jeweler, I know a guy that can get us rings, quick,” I said, grabbing my phone.
“Hold up, hold up,” said Miles, unsure. “Are you both sure about this?”
“Dude, we have to prove our love to this woman or we’re going to lose her,” I insisted. “You saw how she reacted. The longer we wait…”
“She might cool down though,” offered up Theo. “Maybe we should wait.”
“Guys, it’s more than that,” said Miles. “This is a serious commitment we’re making here. We have to think in the long term. You’re so caught up in the moment, you’re not thinking.”
“Well, I can’t see being with anyone else, quite frankly,” offered Theo. “I’m ready to make that commitment. We could get a place. I mean, between the three of us, it would probably be an awesome place.”
“What about kids,” said Miles. “I’ve always wanted kids. Could we have kids in this situation?”
“Why not?” said Franklin. “Look, we got the money. Money gives us options. The question is, do you love Belinda or not?”
“I do love her,” said Miles. “I’ve never loved anyone like this. She’s just--- I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Well, that’s the important thing, right? The rest is just logistics,” I assured him. “Gentlemen, Belinda is a catch. We can’t let her get away. And if she does get away, at least we have to put it all on the line to feel like we tried, right? I love this girl. I’m in. No matter what, I’m in.”
“I love her too,” said Miles. “I’m in. Let’s do this. Whatever it takes.”
“All for one and one for all,” agreed Theo. “Okay, you were saying about jewelers? Let me coordinate with you.”
“Beyond that, what’s the play, Captain Romance?” asked Miles.
“Extravagance, lads,” said Theo. “We need to dazzle her again. Miles, why don’t you drive past her place, see if she’s there. If so, park far enough away that she can’t see you and watch the house. Franklin and I will coordinate here.”
“Isn’t that kind of like stalking?” said Miles.
“I just want to make sure she’s home when the presents arrive,” assured Theo. “You’re not watching her get a shower, you’re just making sure she’s home to receive the gifts, okay?”
“Got it.”
“Before you go, put on the nicest clothes you have. You too, Franklin. We all have to look our best for this,” said Theo. “This is a proposal, so it has to be magical and it has to be all of us at the same time.”
Miles put on a suit and got spruced up. He headed for Belinda’s house. I coordinated with Theo and the jeweler, while putting on my best suit. There was going to have to be lots of changes in our lives, especially if we were going to live together. Working with the guys on this, I felt a camaraderie. We seemed to work well together, makes sense we’d work well in the relationship too.
After a few hours of prep, we were ready. Miles had confirmed Belinda was still at her place. We got into the limo, picked up the rings and headed over to meet him.
It was all or nothing now. Either Belinda would forgive us and stay with us forever or she’d rejected us. I don’t know what I’d do if she didn’t. I’d probably stay alone for the rest of my life.