“Ryan’s out I take it?”
---
“Oh hey, Dmitry. Ryan said you went on a business trip. Didn’t think you’d be back so soon, did it get cut short. Hope it was a successful trip.” She handed over the sleeping babe to his dad and nodded looking at the television. She sighed though, “Dmitry, your baby is weird. I swear imma have nightmares … this one was after Freddy. Livvie picked it, but she's asleep now. Nikki, went to sleep before Freddy, I feel him on that one.”
“Ryan went out about 20 minutes ago, said he’d be back around 2 and to take the guest room.”
---
Ah. Okay.
Dmitry moved Emorlai to his shoulder, slumping into the couch. “Yeah I'm aware. He is my son through and through.” He gave the girl a tired smile. “You can pick whatever now that Silas is asleep.” He pulled himself off of the couch, “Did you want me to order you anything? I can try to cook but I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to.” He placed his son in his crib and made his way back to the living room. Instead of grabbing the wine from their pantry he flopped back down on the couch again, taking out his vape. The flavor of cherry invaded his taste buds along with the calming feeling that comes from nicotine. Blue eyes closed contently while the vapor came out through his nostrils.
---
“I’ll just sleep in the room, I slept in last time. I mean its closest to the kids and Im sure Ryan will knock and check on me when he gets back. You know how he is.”
Leah should her head at the food comment and pointed toward the kitchen, “I had pizza with the littles earlier, their’s a whole pepperoni left if you want it. I figured I’d save some for Ryan, so I got extra.” She watched as he got up and took Emorlai to lay him down before plopping down on the sofa and vaping. Now that she really looked at him, Dmitry looked down bad.
“Uh, Dmitry. Are you okay? Did your trip go poorly because … Im not going to lie, you look like you could use a nice long shower. Why don’t you go grab one and I’ll reheat the pizza in the oven for you.”
---
Dmitry shrugged and took another hit from his vape, “Sure. Pizza sounds nice.” She mentioned a shower and if he looked okay. The redhead shrugged once more, he was sure there was something wrong with his face, there were not any mirrors at his wonder yet so he couldn't see himself and he was sure there were some eyebags. He didn't care at the moment and figured a shower would help. However, he just couldn't seem to move off of the couch, that was too hard. “Yeah…Shower. Sure.” Tired blue eyes looked over, “No, I'm not okay. I did not go on a business trip Ash, I don't know why Ryan even said that.” Instead of being honest…But that was the pot calling the kettle black wasn't it? He visibly winced and sunk further into the couch, taking another hit. Thanks guilt you're amazing!
---
Dmitry agreed to pizza and she guessed the shower, but seemed to make no move to get off the couch. Then he informed her that he hadn't in fact been on a business trip and she nodded, a small oh falling from her mouth. An understanding of the situation forming. She gave him a sympathetic look and went to put the pizza in the oven asking Alexa to set a timer for her.
She made her way back to the couch, “well Ryan doesn't seem, like to type, to want to spread his business around so maybe that's why. I mean it really isn't any of my business.”
She smiled, “though that being said, if you need an ear, I can listen. I’ll keep it to myself, even Mercy couldnt pry it out of me.” She grinned giving the scouts solute even though she’d never been a scout.
---
Did he need an ear? He was half tempted to decline the offer given the fact that Ash was only 20 and he didn't think unloading on someone so young was appropriate, but it wasn't like he could call up Lily or Mercy who were both very pregnant AND his husband’s best friends so they would definitely tell him and then he would be back at square one. With a sigh, he took another hit and started talking, “I all but told Ryan I wanted to add a third to our relationship…At 2am in the morning, then proceeded to ******** up being transparent and lied to him. So he's not happy with me at the moment and I don't blame him.” A sigh left his lips and he continued, “I told him I was happy, and I had only thought about this for a couple of weeks, but….It's been much much much longer than that.” He sat forward, head in his hands while he just kept replaying that night in his head.
“I ******** up Ash…Im not sure how to ******** fix it either.” Another hit from the vape and his nerves calmed themselves if only temporarily.
---
Hearing Dmitry talk and tell her what was really going on, well it was a lot and not what she was expecting, but she sighed when he finished and got up to grab the pizza as Alexa sounded. “We’re going to need more than pizza,” she mumbled, proceeding to rummage through the freezer for ice cream.
She came back with a tray laden with junk food, pizza, ice cream, chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, nuts, a banana and whipped creamed.
She pointed to the vamp, “put that away … this is a banana split kind of situation.”
“So, um why weren’t you honest with him … I mean we aren't around each other a lot, but the way Mercy tells it, you guys are always honest … er too honest.”
----
Dmitry chuckled and put his vape back in his pocket. He was not entirely sure how Ash was related to Mercy considering the 180 degree turn when it came to their personalities, but he would take it. She was such a sweet kid. “Banana split it is then.” He started making one with the ingredients that were placed before them, wondering about the question she just proposed. “I….I tried and I just got this feeling that it wouldn't work. Bit too late to try and remedy that though, hes already pissed.” And would be even more pissed once he found out about how long this has been weighing on him. Maybe he should just forget about it entirely and never bring it up again. But that meant he would have to suppress himself a bit more wouldn't it? Mitry ran his hands down his face, leg bouncing while he tried not to reach for the vape that was burning a ******** hole in his pocket.
---
Leah started laughing and shook her head at him, “that's not true Dmitry. Your husband might be mad, but you're married and he loves you. Anyone with eyes can see that … he’d fly to the moon for you. Your approach and timing was just wrong.”
She pushed his banana split closer to him and made one up for herself. “Cause who,” she said, eating some of her banana split, “wants emotional turmoil fresh out of sleep at 2 am, especially something that blindsides them. It's like a coach accepting a cheer off and telling you it's in 30 minutes.”
“Not to mention, you lied and he caught you … but I feel if you tell him the real truth with time to process he’ll respond better.”
“Why do you want a third anyway, yall seem really solid from what I've heard.”
----
All that was true and then some.
Dmitry reached for the banana split but then pulled away the moment Ashley asked why, he ran his hand through his hair, “Yes we are. But…” He got up to grab his phone, swiping till he found what he was looking for. “This is the mother to the kids. Her name Is Moon.” He didn't want to tell a whole a** 20 year old what he was about to say next but might as well keep going. “I’ve met her a couple of times and helped out during both pregnancies and she's wonderful Ash, like I have never been attracted to someone so much before other than Ryan.” He started pacing then, “But it felt…Wrong, like I was cheating or something and we haven't done anything except talk and interact…But <********> I just couldn't stop thinking about her or the fact that I wanted her in our kids lives permanently, not just the woman that gave birth to them.” He actually tried to hold them back, but he could already feel his eyes watering and it sucked.
---
Leah gave him a concerned look as he talked, but smiled at the picture and looked at Dmitry. “She’s beautiful and your kids look a lot like her. Why didn’t you just tell Ryan what you told me … I mean though Dmitry Im going to … er be honest … Do you love her?”
Dmitry looked like he was going to cry and his ice cream was going to start melting soon. She could certainly understand how torn up he’d be about potentially falling in love with someone else when he was married … but it wasnt as if he was going to act on it. Clearly Ryan had to be okay with it … involved in it? She wasnt really sure, this was a very complicated situation.
“At least maybe try to share some of Moon with Ryan and honestly tell him what's up?” She didn't know she was trying to help though.
---
That question made Dmitry stop in his tracks.
He looked to Ashleigh with wide blue eyes, “.....Yes.”
God he felt like s**t.
Kaori_luv
