Friends and Marriage

Chapter 5

Tana mumbled out in her sleep as she cuddled into Irina's back. She knew Tana had been trying to explain something, but she was still stuck in her mind, thinking to herself that Bruno wasn't just Bruno... he WAS Bruno. People loved him, he was popular and the life of the party. If she accepted to think of him that way... and he went along with it... what would become of her and Tana?

She knew Tana loved Bruno too. She had seen moments when she became flustered around him. She knew that they had a good relationship as friends. They admired each other too, especially because Tana was a beautician. She also had a gorgeous body she hid, and a sweet and loving personality.

Irina was a little more guarded, and easily became envious of people. She had been envious of the relationship that Bruno and Tana had, despite knowing that she was also part of it. She knew that he had come over that day because he spotted them across the grounds, looking gorgeous but lonely. They could do with an extra body.

That was what Bruno had loudly declared. He meant what he said, and never lied or schemed. He loved them dearly, and she had talked herself into believing they would all live together until the day they died in old age. This thought solidified after what happened with Johnny.

Irina's thoughts finally allowed her a few winks of sleep. However, Tana was up at 7.00 am and she had so much energy that Irina internally cursed at her to suddenly fall asleep.

Tana seemed to notice how tired Irina was, and tried to quietly complete tasks around them. The latter was grateful for that consideration.

Bruno's appearance was heartwarming for both. He picked up on Irina's lack of sleep immediately and offered to let her nap on the couch as they all talked. She nodded sleepily and the three friends sat down in Irina's living room.

"Alright, so how do we decide what's happening with who?"

Tana shrugged her shoulders. "You must have thought of a way to resolve this."

"I didn't..." Bruno replied hesitantly. "I couldn't bear to... I love both of you and choosing one makes me feel like I abandoned the other..."

"I don't mind who it is, so long as he is cute," Tana spoke up. "And is okay with having me." At this, both her and Bruno turned to look at Irina who shrugged as if to say "if Tana's fine, I am fine."

Bruno took a deep breath. "Alright, then I guess it is time for you to officially meet Edward, my business partner."

Tana's eyes widened as the doorbell rang. She almost suspected that Bruno had timed his sentence to coincide with that. It felt unreal, almost like this was the bachelorette and it was just her and one other guy.

Bruno went to bring him through, and both Irina and her were now facing the door when the pair came in. Irina's eyebrow went up and she almost giggled. "You meant Eduardo?!"

"What?!" Bruno asked in surprise. Edward smiled and shook his head. "You know each other?!" He turned to look at the man beside him. "How do you know each other?"

"We are childhood friends and distant cousins."

Relief seemed to settle slightly in the room, as three people knew each other quite well. Tana still felt a little anxious. Was he good? He seemed nice just now-

"You're Tana, right? Bruno's told me lots about you. I almost feel like I know you so well," he said with a charming smile. He held out his hand and she shook it. She immediately felt comfort from how big and warm they were.

"Hey Edward... unfortunately, Bruno hasn't told me much about you..." Bruno smiled mischievously. "Or I might have dozed off at some point... still... it would be nice if we could have a nice chat first."

"Yeah, sure," he said with a warm smile that made her heart skip a beat. While he didn't dress up as much as Bruno did, he still looked nice in his shirt and jeans. He also seemed friendly. Tana wondered if he was okay with this, because Bruno had a knack of thinking out of the box. Sometimes his ideas had the girls scratching their heads and questioning if they were looking at the same things.

"You two can have a chat here. Irina and I will be in the kitchen if you need us." Bruno and Irina then left the room. Tana watched as Irina winked at her and waved to her childhood friend on the way out.

Tana slowly sat down and Edward joined her. His smile was warm, and her heart skipped a beat. "Alright, shall we play a game, or just talk?"