"We really need to talk," Kimi says.
Your voice chokes in your throat, and you consider throwing the phone down.
"...kimi..." You whisper.
You hear her almost inaudibly gasp at your voice, one she had wanted to hear for a while.
"Kimi, I swear, if Aria's hurt..." Your voice trails off.
"She's ok," Kimi says, sounding dejected at your tone. "We... I... just needed to talk to you, and you weren't picking up my calls."
"Wow, I wonder why?" You sarcastically quip.
Shit. I can't afford to say things like that. I need her to keep talking to see if Aria's safe.
"I'm sorry... it was stupid of me to do all that," she starts.
You ignore her words, knowing that you had no reason to trust anything she said.
"I thought that you didn't want to be with me... that other girls were taking you away from me... so I did something stupid. Really, really stupid. And I know you'll never forgive me. I won't ask you to. I'll even move away from here if you want me to. I'll stay as far away from you as you want."
Despite your earlier thoughts, you can't help but be drawn in by her resigned, tired tone.
"I just..." She sniffles. "...i just want you to be ok, but i'm the sole reason you're not..."
An unfamiliar pang of emotion hits you, making you slow down and reconsider her words.
She sounds... No. I can't let her do this to me again. I need to check if I can track Aria's phone. Or maybe I'll just go straight to Kimi's place and see if she's there. I need to do something.
But... what if she means what she says?
"...are you listening?" She asks, her voice now fragile.
"Prove... that Aria's ok," you coldly say through gritted teeth, not willing to let her know how unsure you were.
You hear some shuffling, and another voice appears.
"I'm here. I'm ok. I... I wanted this conversation to happen. She's told me how she's been feeling, and I thought she needed to tell you the same thing."
Aria... she sounds like she means it. And... there's no way she's tricking me too, right?
"Aria... does she mean it?"
The few seconds of silence on the other side fill your head with possibilities of what could be happening. What silent threats Kimi could be making, or what final evaluation Aria could be coming up with.
"...yes."
"...ok," you let out.
Kimi takes the phone back and walks back into privacy.
"So..." she says.
"So?"
"Can we... can we meet? I'd like to talk... to make things right. And prove to you that you don't have to... be scared of me."
Her voice almost cracks at her final words, realizing just how destroyed your relationship was.
No way. No way! I'm not meeting with her! What do I gain from that? I... I...
You hesitate, and the sympathetic feeling in your gut takes over for a moment. "Only if Aria's there," you let out, immediately regretting your decision.
"...of course. I'll text you the time."
"...ok."
"Bye," she whispers.
You hang up, exhaling deeply as you place the phone down.
...
"Hey, are you busy?" You hear a voice outside the door.
"No, come in."
Toast walks in, hiding his slight grimace as he smells the abundantly obvious mix of female perfumes your nose had gotten used to.
"What's up?" You ask as he stands near the entrance, not used to seeing him this quiet.
"Listen, I'm a smart guy."
"...sure," you squint your eyes, not sure where he was going.
"I know how things work."
"...alright..."
"I know how women work."
You eye him suspiciously, opening your mouth to remark on his last comment.
"That's not what I mean. Well... listen. I saw you last night. With... Jaime, and Jodi, and Sydney," he starts.
Your cheeks turn pale.
"And I haven't slept for a single second since."
Looking closer, you can see the truth in his words, as the dark bags under his eyes only added to his disheveled appearance.
"How?" He asks, earnestly.
"How...?"
"How did you sleep with all of them, obviously!"
"I..."
Honestly... that's a good question.
I started dating Jodi by accidentally stumbling upon her while she was dealing with some issues. I met Sydney... well, that was a once-in-a-lifetime scenario. I hope. And Jaime... I guess Jodi told her about me? Honestly, it was...
"It was an accident."
He slaps his forehead, sinking his shoulders as he sighs.
"Getting into a foursome... is not an accident."
"...I kinda met them all at different times, in different ways. We kinda just... clicked?" You say, unsure.
"Well, yes, that's how meeting people works. But... I just don't get how you did it."
"Toast, are you asking me this because you're trying to-"
"No, I'm not trying to get in their pants. I have dignity."
"So then, why do you ask?"
"..."
"...do you have someone else in mind?"
His expression gives nothing away, and you accept that he probably wouldn't want to talk about it.
"So... there's nothing you can give me?" He asked.
"...I don't really know what to say, sorry..."
He gets up, muttering a quick goodbye and exiting.
Hmm. I wonder who it is, if anyone. Maybe I could do something about that.
...
"Ay! Where'd you go last night!"
Yvonne bursts in, not bothering to knock.
You jump back, your headphones falling to the ground.
"Hey! Knock next time!"
"..."
"Yvonne?"
Her eyes widen, and she looks at you incredulously.
"You..."
You stare back at her in confusion.
"...what?"
Her nose sniffs the air, and you realize what she's smelling.
Her face contorts in confusion, as she slowly pieces it together.
"Wait... that's... Jodi's perfume! You... fucking bastard!"
Her sharp words are complemented with a look of pure rage on her face, prompting you to blurt out a quick reply.
"It's not what it looks like!"
"YES IT IS! She... was here... with YOU?!?"
"She's not cheating!"
"...what?"
"She... they... broke up."
"...when?" She says, her anger completely disappearing.
"A while ago."
She thinks for a moment, remembering why she was angry and picking it back up.
"But... she was here! You took advantage of her! She was drunk!" Her voice was almost ear-piercing, and you knew that nearly everyone in the house could hear.
"YVONNE!"
"..."
"She was not drunk. It was consensual. We've been together for a while," you bluntly state, wishing there was some other way to calm her than exposing yourself.
"But... I thought you were..."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not single. Get over it."
"Wait... what is this?" She says, a glint of reflected sunlight catching her eye.
Peeling away the sheet, she holds up the delicate collection of small pearls strung together on a wire.
"This... is Jaime's necklace..." She says.
Shit.
"...what the fuck happened?"
"Yvonne, please."
"No! I know she was drunk! But... if Jodi was here too... what happened?"
"..."
"You better tell me right now."
"Jodi... and Jaime... and Sydney. We were all together. We... did it. Together. " Your eyes are fixed to the floor.
Her cheeks turn red, as she realizes that the most unlikely possibility she could've ever imagined had actually happened.
You glance up at her for a brief moment, seeing her anger transform into a peculiar expression.
She... doesn't look mad anymore. She looks... strange.
"Please don't tell anyone," you mutter, not sure if she was even listening, her mind lost in thought.
She quickly walks out, slamming the door shut behind her.
Fuck.
...
whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck
Yvonne's mind races a mile a minute as she paces her room, contemplating everything.
All along... he was...
Unable to complete a thought, she forces herself to slow down. After calming herself down, she sits down on her bed, sinking into her soft mattress as her mind flashes back to the very first night you had spent at the OTV house.
I can't lie... even then, he caught my eye.
She had never really gotten the chance to get to know you, so she was planning on doing so later.
But... I saw how he was looking at Imane the next day, and I knew something happened between them. So I... figured I should stay away. Imane's the reason I'm here in the first place. I didn't want to get in the way if she wanted him...
She shakes her head, collapsing onto her bed.
But I didn't realize he... kept going. Not just with her. With all kinds of girls...
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
Look at me. I was the first to figure it out, but even after all this time, I'm still... in the background.
Always. Always in the background.
She takes a shaky breath and grabs a pillow, her knuckles turning white.
Not anymore.
...
A gentle knock wakes you up. You sit up, putting your pillow behind your head.
"Come in," you groggily let out.
You gasp as Yvonne enters, looking completely unfazed.
"Hey!" She cheerfully says.
"...hi."
"Sorry for blowing up yesterday, I don't know what got into me."
"Oh, it's alright," you respond, her surprisingly laid-back tone making you feel at ease.
"So, whatcha up to?"
You stop, surprised at her easy dismissal of yesterday's events.
"Huh? Oh, not much. I'm gonna stream pretty much the whole day. Gotta get my hours up, ya know?"
"Oh, yeah. Guess that's what you get for being a partnered streamer."
"Ha, I guess so."
She hesitates by the door, flickering her gaze about.
"Would you... want to play something together on stream?"
"...well, I pretty much have my whole day already set..."
"Oh, it's ok. Not this time."
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow." Content, she gives you a small parting wave and leaves.
...
"Hey, sleepyhead!"
Yvonne's voice startles you awake for the third day in a row.
As promised, you had played with her on stream for hours yesterday, playing duo queue Valorant. You both had a great time chatting and catching up, and you ended up promising her another few games today.
She saunters in, much more comfortable around you.
"What does the ogre demand of me this time?" You jest.
"WHAAAT!!"
You chuckle at the sight of her cheeks puffing in anger.
"Ehh, I'll take it back if I get to choose today's game."
"...fine. What do you want?"
"A horror game."
"..."
"..."
"On second thought, I forgive you. Yup. I've completely forgiven you. You don't need to take it back. Nope."
"Uh uh uh," you say. "You agreed."
"Come on, really! You know I hate horror games!"
"It won't be that bad."
"Yes it will!"
"I'll can be next to you! How about this. I'll be right there beside you, and take over if it gets too scary."
"You'll... be next to me?" She nonchalantly turns to face your window, hiding the soft flush taking over her face.
She opens the curtains, and you freeze for a second to admire how the light lands on her, angelically illuminating her skin.
"Do you mind?" You ask, getting back on topic.
"NO! I mean, um... no, I guess."
She quickly exits, mumbling something about breakfast.
...
"AHHHHH! I CAN'T, I CAN'T, I CAN'T!"
You cover your ears, her wailing cries piercing you.
You take one hand off of your head to place it on her arm, hoping to calm her down.
It works better than you expect, her face quickly sobering up at your touch.
"Do you want me to take over?" You ask.
Her chat spammed No, but you didn't want to torture the poor girl.
She stays close behind you, closing her eyes and ducking her head behind your chair whenever it got scary.
She absentmindedly clutches onto your shoulder, making you blush. Her soft hands tickle your skin, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up at the sensation.
...
"Hey, Yvonne," you say, as you hear her familiar footsteps outside your door. After weeks of waking up to her, you've learned to identify her gait.
"Wait, you're awake already? I thought I was your only alarm clock!" She hands you a small platter of food, your eyes lighting up at the sight.
"Woah!"
"I thought I'd try my hand at something. It's not burnt, I swear."
"Wow... Well, to answer your question, I slept early yesterday. Speaking of which, since when do you wake up early? You've been up before me for the past... what, two, three weeks, now? I don't think you used to do that."
"Well... I got motivated."
"Hmm. Nice."
"Wanna play something else today?" She inquires.
You grin at her familiar question, her soft smile warming your heart.
"You bet. You can choose this time."
"Animal Crossing!" She cheers, having prepared her choice beforehand.
You groan, slapping your forehead.
"HEY! It's fun!"
"Yeah, yeah..." you grumble.
Your phone lights up in your hand as a new message appears.
Are you free to call?
"Hey, I have to make a quick call. Do you mind?" You say, gesturing to your phone.
"Oh, it's alright. I'll be back in a few."
You call Rae, holding the device up to your ear.
"Hey Rae, what's up?"
"Hey, baby... my precious darling..." she says soothingly.
"...what do you want?"
"Hey! Why do you think I want something?"
"You're using that tone..."
"Oh."
"Well?"
"Um... could you be my cameraman again? You've done such a great job in the past. Please?"
"Rae, I don't know if I-"
"You'll definitely enjoy it."
"What do you mean?" Something in her tone made you curious.
"Bella's gonna be there. You want to see her again, right? And besides... if you don't come, you'll totally regret it once you see what we're wearing..." She teases.
Your head starts to populate with fantasies of what the two gorgeous girls could have prepared for the shoot.
"...alright. I'll come."
"YES!"
You hang up after a quick goodbye.
Yvonne returns, plopping down on your bed as she usually did.
"Hey, I think we'll have to postpone our Animal Crossing session."
"What! Why?"
"Rae asked me for a favor. I'll be out with her today."
"Oh..."
"We can play some other time, ok?"
"Yeah, ok," she grumbles.
You furrow your brows at her disappointed look, her fallen expression striking you with a pang of regret.
...
Holy shit.
She was right.
You struggle to keep the camera steady as you take pictures, nervously gulping at the girls' outfits.
The girls put on gorgeously sultry looks, and you can't tell if they're meant for the camera or the person behind it.
Just... a few more...
...
"That was fun. I think I'll have to head home now, though. It was great seeing you, Rae. And you too, handsome," Bella winks.
You and Rae wish her a cordial goodbye, and you head home together.
"Wow. That outfit made me feel... sexy," Rae says, as you both settle into your car. You turn onto the highway and start heading home.
"It's not just the outfit."
"Huh?"
"...you're pretty darn sexy."
She narrows her eyes. "Hmm..."
"..."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were turned on by it," she says, speaking slowly.
You gulp as she leans in close, her soft skin brushing against yours.
"But I do know better, so I know..." She nibbles your ear and whispers, "you fucking loved it." Her hand starts to edge toward your pants, brushing your thigh.
"Rae... I'm driving," you say as her hand gets closer.
"Come on, let me have a little fun..."
"Not now. Let me get you home safe," you sternly say.
"Ugh, fine, Mr. Rule-Follower. But you're taking me inside and I'm gonna ride you until you can't walk."
You burst out laughing at her unexpectedly blunt line. Unable to resist, she chuckles along.
...
"Oh, I'm so close! HARDER!" Rae demands, driving you to push yourself further.
"Oh, fuuuuck, baby, YESSSS!!!" Rae moans as she hits her high, finally releasing all of her pent-up lust.
You groan as you finish alongside her, pumping a few final times into her from behind, your hands still firmly squeezing her ass.
You both collapse onto your bed, grinning.
"I'll never get used to that," she says, wrapping you up in her embrace.
"I'll never get used to you."
Blushing, she pulls you close, kissing you all over your face while you giggle.
...
The short figure standing outside your door squeezes her hands tightly. Her heart aches as she overhears your words, knowing you well enough to recognize the sincerity of them.
Barely able to keep herself composed, she slowly retreats from your doorway to the privacy of her own room.
...
You wake up, feeling like something was missing.
...what is it?
You look around, seeing your phone and setup, all in order.
Oh.
you look toward the door, where you see an empty spot that you had gotten used to a certain woman standing in.
Hmm. I wonder where she is.
You crawl out of bed, combing your hair back with your fingers.
Maybe I'll wake her up this time.
You walk to Yvonne's room, pushing the door open without knocking.
"Hey, Yvonne!"
"AH!" She yelps, quickly clearing her throat and stifling herself.
She pulls the blanket over her head, hiding from you.
"Hey! Where was my alarm clock this morning?" You smile.
"..."
"...Yvonne?"
You walk to her side, pulling gently on her blanket.
"mmm... go away..." She mutters.
Something in her voice sounds strange, but you can't quite put your finger on it.
You grab the blanket and pull once more, planning to tease her a bit more.
But her grip slips loose, and the blanket slips off, revealing the tear-soaked face behind it.
"Yvonne! What happened?!?" You yelp, running to her side.
Her eyes widen in shock, and she tries to turn away.
You hold her face in your hands, and you stare at her, seeing the tears that had trailed off her face and into the pillow beneath her.
"Yvonne..."
She looks you straight in the eyes, simultaneously terrified at being caught and delighted at the feeling of your warm hands wrapped around her cheeks.
"...i'm sorry..." is all she can croak out, the tears beginning to flow once more.
"Hey, shh, it's ok," you whisper, leaning down to hug her. Her arms circle around you, and she softly weeps.
"Do you want to talk about it?" You ask after a while.
"...i don't know if i can..." She slowly responds.
You sit beside her, your worried look burning her up inside. You reach up to wipe some of her tears but pull back uncertainly.
Sensing your hesitation, she places her hand on yours, holding it to her face and wiping some of the falling tears.
After a while, she breaks the ruminating silence.
"How was your trip yesterday?" She asks, trying to distract herself from the elephant in the room.
"It was... good. How... was yours?"
"...I saw you with Rae," she eventually says, almost quivering.
"...oh! You mean when we came back after the shoot?"
"...I heard you two..."
Your cheeks turn bright red as you realize what she was talking about.
"Shit... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for anyone to hear..."
"..."
"..."
"...I just didn't know you..."
Were dating Rae? I thought everyone knew that by now.
"No, I knew you were with her..." She clarifies, reading your mind.
"...oh."
"I didn't know... you'd just blow me off to be with her..."
"Yvonne, I didn't mean to... we've been playing nearly every day for weeks now, right? It's been a while since I've hung out with her. I'd never just blow you off like that for no reason."
She covers her face with her hand, shaking her head.
"I know, I know... Sorry, I'm a mess right now,"
"That's ok."
"..."
"But... you never did tell me what that had to do with you crying," you softly speak.
"..."
"..."
"...I like you, ok?" She lets out, her expression dropping even further.
You bite your lip, taken aback at the timing of her blunt confession.
"I do too."
"I'm so sorry, I'll - WHAAAAT?!?" Her hands fly off of her face.
You clamp your hand over her mouth, quickly cutting off her scream.
"You..." She says into your hand.
"I do. I feel like I've gotten to know you really well over the past weeks, and I... I like you too."
She stares at you, your serious expression turning into laughter as you see the look on her face.
"...why are you laughing? Are you... joking?" She tentatively asks.
"No! Because you look so... confused. You really didn't think I would like you back?"
"Can you blame me? I mean, you have so many beautiful women to pick from around you- "
"But none of them are you. None of them make sure I get up on time for my streams. None of them take the time to make me amazing breakfasts."
She blushes, grateful that her efforts didn't go unnoticed.
"And I want to do the same for you. I adore our time together, you know. I would love to wake you up with a meal sometime, and, at the very least, keep playing games with you."
"Even Animal Crossing?" She asks, grinning.
"...fine. Even Animal Crossing."
She pulls you in, planting her lips on yours. You soak in her presence, your thumb wiping away her final tears. You both feel giddy and warm, and you quickly scoot next to her to continue your spontaneous make-out session.
"You better... make it up to me," she says between kisses. "You wake up so damn early, I've lost so much sleep trying to get up before you..."
You grin, kissing her on the cheek before returning to her sweet, soft lips. "Take it easy for a while. I can start waking you up if you want me to. Or... I wouldn't mind waking up with you..."
She turns red, trying to stop her thoughts from running wild.
She pulls you in again, and you both lay there, your lips gently caressing each other.
...
Alright. So... I have to meet with Kimi...
You shudder at the prospect, reminding yourself that Aria would be there to calm yourself down.
I should also take Yvonne out on a date sometime...
And... what am I forgetting? Oh right, Toast.
I wonder if... Hmm, maybe that would be a bit too invasive to try. Maybe I'll ask around and see if anyone knows anything.
He and Michael are pretty close. Maybe I'll start with him.
Closing your notebook, you set down your pen on your desk and sigh, leaning your head back and staring absentmindedly at the ceiling.
Your door bursts open, and a wide-eyed Michael awkwardly staggers in, out of breath. Taking a glance at him, you can see he hadn't slept in days, as he sometimes did when working on a new project.
"Michael? What happened?"
"I swear to fucking... here... come look at this..." he slurs out.
"Are you ok? You look half-dead!"
"Follow... me." He rubs his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he had seen.
You stand up, quickly following him out of the room. After climbing the stairs, he tiptoes as he approaches Imane's bedroom. You follow, your heart sinking as you realize what he might have seen.
He looks through a crack in the door, almost wincing in pain at the sight.
"I am actually fucking hallucinating?" He desperately asks. "Or is this... real?"
You look through the crack and see Lily's naked body on the bed, her head buried into the mattress as Poki eats her out from behind, a horny grin on her face.
Oh fuck.