I stared at my phone, contemplating if I was making the right decision. He had told me that whenever I needed someone to talk to, that he would be there for me. I hoped that still remained true; my head was a mess and I needed someone to help me clear it out. We weren't exactly close, but he had always been there for me when I needed it. Hopefully, this time would be no different.

Continued to stare at my lit up phone screen, chewing my bottom lip. I toyed with the key chains on my key ring, the keys still jammed in the ignition, but my car sitting in idle. After I had left North's trailer that morning, I had felt dizzied and confused. I didn't want to return to Nathan's feeling like that, and in an attempt to clear my mind, I went for a drive, ending up at the edge of town. I looked up briefly to admire the ocean; I had found a parking lot near the beach and I had seized the chance.

My phone vibrated and I started so badly, that I nearly dropped it. I gripped it tightly, a smile overcoming my face. He had actually responded; relief washed over me. We weren't that close, but I could rely on him, and that was something I enjoyed greatly.

Mr. Blackbourne: Would you like to meetup to talk or will speaking over the phone suffice?

I thought over his question, wondering if talking over the phone would be enough for what I needed to discuss with him. I shook my head, quickly deciding that something so serious should be discussed in person. I told him as much, and he gave me the address to a cafe for me to meet him at. I smiled slightly, having the sudden urge to give Owen Blackbourne a big hug. The hug would have to wait for later, I decided. Taking a deep breath, I drove myself to the cafe, mentally preparing myself for the conversation I was about to have.

I was surprised by the fact that Owen was already there, sitting at a table in the back, looking as perfect as ever. I wondered if he was able to roll out of bed and just look that nice, because sometimes it seemed completely plausible. I hesitated in the doorway of the cafe, but then gave myself a mental kick in the ass and walked into the back, taking the seat across from Owen.  I resisted the urge to squirm and show my anxiety.

"How are you?" Owen asked, tilting his head, studying me behind his glasses. My anxiety betrayed me, and I squirmed in my seat, averting my gaze. It was hard to make eye contact with him for me; he always unnerved me by the way he looked at me. The way his steel eyes bore into me made me want to spill every secret that was hidden in the crevices of my tiny body.

"I'm fine," I replied, though it felt like a lie, because even though I wanted to feel fine, I didn't. His eyebrows shot up at my answer, and I nearly let out an exasperated sigh. For the past month, every time he wanted me to spill something, he would just stare at me. Wait me out. Most times it had me running away, only to return later and tell him what he wanted, but I still hated it. I ground my teeth together. "Fine. I have a predicament."

"A predicament?" He repeated, curiosity passing over his face before falling back to his normal stoic expression. I wondered how much work it took to pretend like you were unbothered by everything, because I knew it was an act. I hadn't known Owen long, but I had known him long enough to notice.

"Yes, a predicament," I quietly confirmed, slumping in my seat slightly. It was just then I was realizing how exhausted I was, because it was truly exhausting to constantly have a new problem to deal with each day. I could use a year long vacation that mostly consisted of naps and maybe even some cuddling. "That's why I needed to speak to you."

"I figured," Owen nodded, studying me closely. I knew that he was probably able to tell just how tired I was, but I was mostly beyond caring at that point. "Would you like to get something to eat or drink before we begin?"

I shook my head, briefly contemplating resting my head on the table and if he would consider it rude. I resisted the urge and sat up straighter. "I'm fine. I think it would be best to just start discussing this."

"Of course," Owen agreed, though he was staring at me slightly incredulously. He was probably wondering what had me sulking so much, he must have thought it had to do with my family. In a way, I kind of wished that it was. Issues concerning my family were always so much simpler: just ignore it. "Please tell me about what's bothering you."

"I have feelings for North," I paused, studying his reaction. His eyebrows had raised just slightly, but otherwise, he was still impassive. "And Nathan. And Victor. And Kota. And all of the boys." I mentally added that I had feelings for him as well, but thought that was a conversation for another time. "And I don't know what to do about it, because it's literally impossible for me to choose one of them." I paused, swallowing around the ball of emotion in my throat. "I can't lose you all." I whispered out the last sentence, tucking my hands underneath my thighs to hide the fact that they were trembling.

Understanding formed in Owen's eyes, and his mouth drew down into the slightest of frowns. My heart stuttered and stopped, sinking low in my stomach. He was going to disapprove of how I felt and he was going to want me to stop hanging out with the boys. I bit my lip hard to keep myself crying. I inhaled deeply, mentally reassuring myself that everything was going to be okay. I reminded myself that I had gotten through life on my own for a long time, and I could do it without the boys if need be, though I wouldn't like it.

"Sang," I heard Owen speak softly, snapping me out of my panicked thoughts. "Sang, it's okay. We can figure this out. Will you give me a few moments to research some things?"

I nodded, pushing my finger against my lip. I didn't know what else to do but trust him at this point. I had no one else to go to about this without stepping on toes and hurting feels, and if he could find a solution then that would be wonderful considering I was currently lacking in the solutions and ideas department. I leaned back in my chair, letting out a small sigh. I checked my phone and nearly scoffed at what I saw.

Knox: It's been a month, Sang. Your birthday is coming up. Please come home and make amends with Zain. He's doing better.

Marie: If Knox is bothering you about Zain, then you're not alone. He's on me and Micah's ass too. Once the golden boys, always the golden boys.

Micah: I love you and all, and I love Zain and Knox too, but you're the golden trio, so please get the golden assholes out of my shit.

My siblings were potentially getting more and more annoying by the day. It was no secret that I deeply loved them, and they loved me too, but they were a pain in the ass sometimes. I shouldn't have to constantly clean up their messes. I was a teenage girl, not a fucking slave to them. Doing something I hadn't done in what felt like an eternity, I narrowed my eyes, steeling myself. I was not about to let my siblings push me around anymore.

Me: If you don't leave the twins alone I will come home just to shove my foot so far up your ass that you'll still be tasting dirt and foot sweat when you're dead.

It wasn't often I had to threaten my brothers, but when I did, I made sure to carry through and I was sure as hell going to carry through if Zain didn't back off Micah and Marie. It was wrong of them to drag them into the crossfire, and the next time I saw Zain I was going to be lecturing him. I had already forgiven Knox for his stunt, but I wasn't quite ready to come home yet. I made a mental note to call him later in the day and speak to him about everything that had happened. The truth of the matter remained that he was his my big brother, my favorite sibling, and my best ally. There was no way him and I would ever give up on each other.

"I think I have something." Owen announced, and I set my phone down, making sure to silence it. I didn't need one of my siblings interrupting this conversation. Surely what we were dealing with was slightly more urgent than Zain's never ending alcohol issues. He would still be drinking in a month; there would still be time for retribution and begging for forgiveness. "I found an article. You should read it."

Owen slid his phone across the table to me, and I leaned over it, my curiosity piqued when my eyes caught sight of the word 'polyandry'. I began to read through the entire article, the piece being about poly relationships. I was thoroughly fascinated, and half way through it, excitement spiked through me at the realization that this was a possible answer to my concerns.

When I was finished, I handed Owen his phone back. "Do you think this could be a possible answer for us? Do you think the boys will go for it?"

"I'm not sure yet," Owen responded truthfully, another thing I admired about him. No matter how harsh the truth may be, he gave it to you anyways. There weren't many people like that, and it was refreshing. It was one of the thousands of reasons that I really liked him. "I'll have to speak to them about it, but it's worth a try, don't you think?"

"Anything that prevents me from losing you guys," I said, my voice firm. I would give a poly relationship a chance if they would. I knew it wasn't the most traditional, and I also knew that there would be a lot of complications with it as well, but I was a stubborn girl, and when I wanted something I worked for it. I knew the boys were the same as me, and if they truly wanted to try it, they would work for it too. "Thank you, Owen. I thought I was losing my mind when I texted you. You made me feel a lot better."

"You're very welcome, Sang," Owen rewarded me with a millimeter smile. I smiled back at him, feeling a small blush forming.

There were many things that I was uncertain of at the moment, many people who were destroying my trust in them, but I knew for sure that I could rely on Owen. 

Before I left, I made sure to turn around and threw my arms around him in a big hug. He stiffened at first, but then he relaxed slightly and hugged me back. I wore the biggest smile as I walked out of that cafe, feeling a bit better about things in my life.

a/n: Yayyyy we finally covered that issue, as well as she got some time with Owen!! Now, I'm sick and really tired so I'm going to go rest. Again I say: your comments make me feel really good and give me lots of encouragement so thank you to everyone who comments.

xoxo,

ry.