Can't Have It Both Ways, Pick Option Three

20250506

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

“Wow.” Grace shook her head as her finger traced the sparkly heart sticker on next Tuesday’s calendar square. “Three years already, huh?”
Jack quirked an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Not counting that part…”
“Oh, for-” Sam pulled a face - half contrite and half reproachful. “I was wrong! I’ve apologised! I was wrong and it was stupid and I’m sorry already!”
“Pfft.” Jack leant over to plant a kiss on their cheek. “Relax. Looking back now, it’s kinda funny.”
“Is it?” Grace drawled archly, resting her hands on her hips and doing that adorable pout.
Sam sighed. “I do wish I’d just told you both everything. At the start, I mean.”
“Mm.” Grace absently twirled her hair around one finger. “Not sure how I would’ve reacted to finding out you’re a shapechanger and you operate completely different personas for school and outside it and you had a crush on both me and someone else. It’d be… kinda a lot, y’know?”
“It still would’ve been better than-”
“Well, yeah.” Grace grinned and draped her arms around Sam’s shoulders in a casual glomp. “And maybe it would’ve worked out just the same. But with less betrayal and shouting.”
“Mhm.” Sam laced their fingers into hers and looked across at Jack, who was watching them both with a fond smile.
“So.” Grace’s tone brightened. “What do we want to do for our three-year anniversary? Feels like it should be something special, right? I mean, three years, three of us… it’s poetry.”
“Pity nobody does romantic deals for threes.” Jack pulled out his phone. “And three’s too small to get a group deal most places. Hm…”
“Ugh, you and your bargain hunting.” Grace rolled her eyes, her huff tickling Sam’s scalp.
“And yet you insist on me doing the grocery shopping, honey-bunches.”
Grace stuck her tongue out. Jack smirked and turned back to his phone.
“…I’ve always loved the aquarium.” Sam confessed. “I don’t know if it counts as romantic, but…”
“It can be!” Grace squeezed them and smooched the top of their head. “Especially the jellyfish room. The lighting in there is amazing. Perfect for a photoshoot.”
“See,” Jack scoffed, not looking up, “I could say something like ‘you and your photography’, but I won’t. Because I’m the mature one in this relationship. Somebody has to be.”
“Suuuure you are!” Grace and Sam chorused, shaking with a shared giggle.
“Ooh, come to think of it…” Grace flopped into her chair, eyes alight. “We could coordinate! Sam, who were you planning to go as?”
“O-oh, I don’t mind.”
Grace tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Well, neither do we, so decide.”
Sam looked uncertainly at Jack, who drawled “Babe, we are so over the fact that we’re dating someone who’s sometimes the same gender as us. The, like, self-doubt and questioning wore off before our second anniversary. Go in whatever form you like.”
“But make sure you have a white outfit.” Grace was busily sketching plans. “That’s important.”
Sam beamed at them.

Prompt was “Write about a love triangle”.
[What first sprang to mind was the drama during Samantha/Samuel trying to date two different people while hiding the truth about themself. But I felt like that really wouldn’t fit into 500 words. So I skipped to the aftermath.]