#poly concept

you and Rafe met in college, became a couple, moved into a flat in Boston after college

you started working in marketing, Rafe started his business as a freelancing graphic designer for online presence, designing and maintaining websites and social media accounts for businesses and other organizations

Topper and Rafe have known each other since forever, had crushes, shared a few drunken / high kisses when they were younger, never talked about them, oggled each other whenever they had the chance

during covid, Topper visited for a couple of days, you did a lot together, you noticed how they looked at each other. ohhh the pining!!!! you knew Rafe was bi but you've never seen him look at someone like he was looking at Topper - the same way he looked at you, with attraction and love. the thing is, you couldn't even blame him, Topper was hot af and his neverending good mood was infectious

the three of you had the best time. it was so different to any other relationship with friends you ever had. Rafe was so different. He was calm and confident and so funny. you didn’t get to see this playful side a lot but Topper managed to get it out effortlessly.

Topper stayed longer than he initially wanted. he wanted to visit for a weekend but it was quickly decided that he would end up staying an entire week instead. Rafe just beamed when you agreed upon that. the way he reacted, you knew that something was different.

that night in bed, you asked Rafe whether he felt different for Topper than for his other friends. He confirmed. You didn’t know where that question came from but it just made sense in that moment to ask: “are you in love with Topper?” he was completely taken aback by that question . "I'm… I think so, yes. But I love you so much and we're so good together, I would never jeopardize what we have" you just nodded, deep in thought about what this meant for the two of you. "I kind of want to kiss him all the time,” Rafe admits , his head buried deep underneath the covers. you pulled the covers away and gently made him look at you. "it's weird, but I kind of understand. he's so good for you." you couldn't really put into words how you felt. oddly enough, you still weren't really jealous.

you were both so confused by what that meant. Later that night - you both couldn't sleep - you told Rafe that if he wanted to explore whatever that was with Topper, you were fine with opening up your relationship as long as you always were in the loop with what was going on. you were secure enough in the relationship you had with Rafe, a part of you couldn't believe your own words but you knew that they were true. Rafe couldn't believe his luck.

Rafe was awake the whole night, thrashed around the bed, at 4am in the morning he got up to get a glass of water. when you woke up again, Rafe wasn’t next to you and his side of the bed was cold. You got up and in the living room, Topper and Rafe were asleep on the pull-out couch, Rafe wrapped up in Topper's arms. You still weren't jealous because it looked so right but it scared you.

Topper and Rafe woke up, super sorry, embarrassed. Rafe wanted to get up but you told him, "No, Rafe, stay, it's fine." and it was. But then Topper lifted the covers and asked you to join and Rafe and you are so taken aback in the best way possible, so you do.

the three of you spent the whole day on that couch. cuddling turned into kissing and kissing turned into something else eventually. This is what you did for the remainder of the week. Exploring each others' bodies, exploring being three people, exploring this. It was new for all of you but you all loved it.

when Topper left, the two of you missed him a lot. He came back a week later and then he kind of never left. He transfered to an office of his mom's firm in Boston and there's that.

at the beginning it was hard sometimes because Rafe and Topper had history and they were in much deeper than Topper and you. the way they kissed was so familiar, the way they joked about inside jokes from when they were young, the way Topper got when the conversation flowed around drugs and Rafe's past addiction. You’ve only ever known Rafe since he's been clean but Topper was there for the worst of it. so Topper knew how it was.

but then you realized it was just as hard for Topper because you and Rafe had history that didn't involve him as well. You guys were a couple for two,  almost three years already , you have been living together. This was your apartment. Rafe and yours.

it took so much to make this work, so much communication, so much research, so much trial and error. but it was so, so worth it!

the three of you eventually moved into a bigger flat, the triple income making it possible to rent a huge apartment in which all of you have their own room, plus a huge master bedroom, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen.