In the very beginning, when you’re attracted to someone, just making a space and encouraging them to sit there, next to you, is a wonderful way to show care. It can also be nerve-wracking.
Here’s that very brief moment of Jess seizing upon opportunity in We Three:
Jess looked from Eric to Elena and sipped her shot of chocolate wine. Make a move if you want something, Jess’s mind whispered. She shifted and suggested, “There’s a spot here.” She was glad she had spoken up when Elena accepted the invitation and settled beside her.
In a polyamorous relationship, “making room” can also be shown in feeling comfortable, even loving, toward a metamour — the other person a partner loves. You recognize that the metamour makes your partner very happy, fulfills something in them. And you see love not as a competition.
In We Three, while Eric is also attracted to Jess, he recognizes that her relationship with Elena makes Elena happy and supports that by “making room” for them to have alone time and a good relationship. This exchange shows Eric’s awareness of Elena’s feelings for Jess — and his support of them:
[Elena said] “Awkward. I stayed around here, had a couple drinks, a salad. But… there was no more… I know she would have come back if she could have.”
“So Jess is another you, huh?” Eric knew it was painful for Elena, but he admitted to himself he found it a bit amusing.
“She apologized. She wanted to see me again. I know we already said we’d come out tonight, but…” Elena glanced toward the bar, where Eric saw Jess working, rapidly filling drink orders, standing next to a male bartender. “I don’t know how to start again. The mood changed so fast,” she said.
Elena’s distraction tonight was now fully explained. She’d been trying to watch Jess, to gauge when she could possibly approach her again. It occurred to Eric that he hadn’t seen Jess leave the bar once all night. Their drink orders had been taken and delivered by a redheaded waitress wearing fishnet stockings, a skintight black skirt, and a pink button-up that strained to contain her ample cleavage. He knew Saturdays were probably the busiest night of the week here, but surely the blonde should’ve had a break at some point, like she had the night of the gallery opening?
“The bar’s last call is 2:00 a.m. We can stick around until things close up and she’s off the clock. Then maybe we can talk with her? She had such a good time with us at the house on Monday. I can’t imagine she’s not still interested in spending time together.” He led Elena back to the table. “You like to keep work and play separate. It’s not really hard to imagine she does the same.”
Elena’s eyes gleamed a little then; he’d returned some of her hope. “Yeah.”
“I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding. But being off-balance after an interruption doesn’t make it easy at the time to see all that.”
Her smile was more genuine this time. “I guess you’re right.”
Eric gave his chest an exaggerated pat. “Of course I am.” She did laugh, as he wanted, and he mentally patted himself again for knowing her so well.
—
What did you think? Share your thoughts about “making room” for someone as a way to show love.
~ Lara
Lara Zielinsky 