Ah... comfy 3AM streams... it's been a while since I've done one of these.
Poki smiles as she turns on her computer, ready to start streaming through the night. She cracks her knuckles and rolls her neck, preparing herself for hours of sitting and gaming.
Her phone suddenly vibrates on her desk, and she stares at it for a moment before picking it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Imane..." Kyedae tiredly replies.
"Is everything ok?" Imane asks.
"Yeah, uh... listen... I'm gonna get straight to it," Kyedae says tentatively. "How's your relationship going?"
"My... relationship...?" Imane repeats, ensuring she heard her correctly.
"Yes."
"It's... going great. We're going pretty steady now, so I can't say there's any new developments, but... I love it. I love him," she clarifies, smiling.
"Oh..." Kyedae hesitates.
"Why do you ask?" Imane asks, growing a little concerned.
"Um... are you sure? There's nothing... off about him? Does he seem different lately?" Kyedae pushes.
"...no? Why would he?" Poki asks, starting to get suspicious.
"So... you have no complaints..."
"Why are you asking me this?" Imane forcefully asks. "What's going on?"
"I'm sorry, I just... wanted to see..." Kyedae mutters.
"Wanted to see what?" Poki pushes.
"..."
"..."
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Wha-" The sound of Kyedae hanging up the phone stops Poki mid-question, and she slowly lets down her phone, feeling more bewildered than before.
Her heart palpitates in her chest as she tries to decipher her words, and an unsettling feeling rests in her stomach.
...
Kyedae grunts to herself as she puts down the phone and types furiously, quickly documenting Poki's words at a blazing pace. She looks at the remaining list of names and prepares her next call, while simultaneously pushing away her impending exhaustion.
I can't rest now. Not while he's out there... ruining everything .
He'll never get away now. Once and for all, his bullshit will finally be out in the open.
Everyone will finally realize exactly who he is...
...
"Woah, it's noon already! Alright... I think this is a good place to stop," Poki rubs her eyes, yawning. "It was great seeing all of you again, but I reeeeally need to take a nap now, so I'll see you tomorrow! Byeeee!" Poki waves with both hands.
She scans over the chat as she finishes up, and amongst the flurry of hearts and goodbye messages, a few messages catch her eye.
dargkamer69: have you seen the tweet?
1980matty: no way it's on trending
pickle12cucumber: holy shit WHAT
prom_xb67: bruhhhhhh
She ends her stream moments later, finally settling back down into her chair and resting her eyes for a moment.
What tweet? Is someone trying to cancel me again...?
She rolls her eyes as she pulls out her phone to check, immediately scrolling past the flurry of notifications and reminders.
Right as she opens up Twitter and prepares to see what the fuss was about, an unfamiliar notification appears at the top of her screen.
Kyedae. She messaged me... and 20 other girls?!? What the... why...?
She quickly opens up the new group chat, and Kyedae's first message appears.
Kyedae: There's a lot you all need to know. Read THIS carefully:
Imane quickly clicks on the link in the message, feeling her prior nervousness reappear.
Oh. It's just... a document. About...
Her train of thought falters as her trained eyes speedily read through the text in the document, slowly widening as she takes it in.
Her breathing quickens, and she hunches over in her seat, reading over line after line as she breathlessly murmurs to herself.
...n-no.
She scrolls and scrolls, shaking her head and gulping nervously as she sees everything written.
No.
She sets her phone down with trembling hands, finally piecing together why Kyedae had called her.
No. This can't be.
Kyedae: I know this might be a shock to some of you. Less so to others.
But please read it closely.
If anyone has any objections to the testimonies I put down, please speak now.
And if you want to confirm what I've said... please speak now.
"What the fuck is this?" Poki whispers out loud, growing more and more bewildered by the second.
She reads through the document again, seeing names and stories flash across her screen.
Leslie... Jodi... Tina... and so many others...
How... how...
The group chat is silent for a minute, and Poki waits with bated breath, praying someone would say something contrary to Kyedae's collection of stinging testimonies.
Foozley: its true
Imane squeezes her fist, nearly drawing blood as her nails dig sharply into her palm. She stares at Leslie's simple yet fateful words, starting to hyperventilate as the panic overtakes her.
Jodiiiii: me too
Tina<3: same
...
Rae's shaky breaths turn to tears as she continues reading the group chat, clamping her hand over her mouth to prevent any of her roommates from hearing her gasps for air.
She quickly closes the chat, unable to bear looking at it any longer.
I have to find out. There's... no way.
She fumbles with her phone, searching for your name through her blurred eyes until she finds your contact and calls you.
"It's a mistake, it's wrong, it's all wrong..." She mutters through her tears.
please, tell me this is all a dream... please, fuck...
She clutches the phone to her ear, needing nothing more than to hear the sound of your voice.
But as the last ringtone finishes, she grimaces to herself and tries again, not willing to give up yet. The second call quickly becomes a third and a fourth, before she finally stops.
Instead, she charges out of her room, down the hall, and into another room, not bothering to knock.
"Leslie! He hasn't been picking up any of my calls! Do you know where he is?" She begs.
Leslie slowly looks away from her phone and up at Rae.
"..."
"Leslie?"
"Yeah. I do," Leslie's austere voice whispers, sending an uncomfortable shiver down Rae's spine.
"...w-where?"
"Check Twitter."
Rae stands in Leslie's doorway as she goes to check, alarmed by her creepily calm tone.
"I can't believe this is happening..." She mumbles as her shaking fingers struggle to open the app.
"Well, believe it..." Leslie mutters.
"Leslie!" Rae gasps, snapping her head up.
"What?"
"Why are you... so... fine with this?" She asks.
"...because it's what he deserves."
Before Rae can even process her words, the front page of her Twitter feed appears, and she freezes as she sees the images in front of her.
Her heart pounds with relief as she sees your face, but it quickly fades as she realizes what the images were depicting.
And all at once, her resistance towards the ideas and testimonies everyone had supported suddenly starts to crumble as she takes in the sight of your body crudely intertwined with a stranger's.
...
Ow, fuck. Where am I?
You groggily look around as you grimace through your slight migraine, quickly relaxing as you see the familiar seats of your car.
Oh. Right.
The smell of sex still lingers in the vehicle, and it reminds you of her.
Shit. I didn't get her number. Hopefully she'll come back to the bar one of these days.
You search around for your phone, finally finding it in your pants pocket.
Damn, afternoon already? I should head... home...
Your train of thought is cut short by the sight of multiple missed calls from Rae, the last one being just 30 minutes ago.
You quickly call her back and hold the phone up to your ear as you sit up and climb into the driver's seat.
The ringtone plays out to completion. You lower the phone, still trying to orient yourself as you fully wake up.
I should not be driving right now. Let me wake up a little more.
As you sit in silence and drink from a half-full water bottle resting in a cup holder, you finally feel your phone vibrate once more.
"Kyedae?" You ask, surprised at the caller.
"Finally awake, hm?" Kyedae's cold voice stings you, and you reel from her evidently disdainful tone.
"...what's going on?" You ask, nearly stumbling over your words in confusion.
"Come to the OTV house in an hour. We'll be waiting for you."
She hangs up, and you freeze, trying to take in what she said.
We...?
What is she talking about?
Putting her cryptic words aside, you scroll through your phone, ignoring all the social media notifications.
Mmm... I wonder if Janet's awake. I could go for some right now...
No, no... I said I would break up with her...
You sigh as you consider the hard conversation you'd have to have with her.
Alright. I'll ask her to meet.
You quickly send her a text, asking to meet.
Me: hey janjan
can we meet?
i think we should talk
Janet: of course baby!!!
come soon <3
Damn. I guess she didn't get the hint.
You sigh as you climb into the front seat of your car and pull the car out of park, preparing to head over.
...
Yes... he's finally coming over.
Janet's knee nervously jitters as she considers her plan.
Am I really... gonna go through with this?
This is wrong... but... fuck, what else can I do...?
She turns to her phone, where she had blocked all her other notifications days ago to ensure she didn't miss any of your messages.
I have no other choice if I want to keep him...
...
You walk up to Janet's doorstep, considering how you would go about telling her.
Maybe I'll just come right out and say it. There's no point in waiting.
You climb the three steps up her porch and take a deep breath as you prepare to knock.
The door bursts open, and Janet's warm lips wrap you in a kiss as her hands reach around your body and hold you tight.
She pulls you inside and gently pushes you up against the wall, reminding you of her sweet taste.
"Janet!" You yelp out, finally pulling away as her hand tries to snake under your shirt.
"Huh?"
"Stop. I... came to talk to you," you say.
She gulps.
"I think we should bre-"
"We can talk later!" Janet blurts out, reaching forward to capture your lips once more.
"Jmmnnntt!" You try to say through her pressed lips. Her hand slides down your chest, and she begins caressing you through your pants.
You gasp as she places her lips on your neck, and your resolve starts to weaken.
"Janet... ah..."
Her dexterous fingers undo your belt and slide into your pants, stroking you with her cool fingers while you lean back and let her have her way.
"Jan... we need to talk... I have to tell you..."
Your voice chokes up as she drops to her knees and wraps her lips around your shaft.
"Ah, fuck..." You curl your toes at the feeling, loving and hating how amazing she could make you feel.
Her throat envelops your tip as she pushes you through her soft, wet lips, and you put your hand on the back of her head, feeling her pulse up and down while she licks the underside of your sensitive head as she ascends.
"Please..." You try to regain some of your composure, despite the flurry of ecstasy flowing from below.
But she doesn't slow down, and you feel your thoughts slipping away.
"Come on..." She stands up, pulling you by the hand. She drags you to her couch, where she lays on her back, removes her soaked underwear, and spreads her legs, biting her lip as you approach.
You mindlessly climb on top and insert yourself into her, letting your craving overtake you.
You lose yourself in your lust as you begin pounding, feeling her familiar tightness wrapping around you.
"Fuuuck, yes..." She groans into your ear, pulling you close. "Yes, baby..."
Her lips meet yours, but you feel nearly nothing. Her kisses didn't feel how they used to, and you know exactly why.
You slowly regain yourself and remember what you had to tell her.
Her lips meet yours again, but even as your hips continue pulsing back and forth, she can feel you responding less and less to her touch, and even as her smooth hands wrap around you and pull you in closer, your expression becomes more and more solemn.
"Baby..." She says, her heart racing from lust and fear. "Come on, fuck me harder..." She tries to seduce you.
"Janet... I want to break up," you blurt out.
Her entire body tightens as she hears your words, but even as her eyes begin to quiver, her legs pull you in, bringing you even closer to the brink as your hips move with a mind of their own.
She remains silent, clenching you tightly as your bodies remain entangled. Her expression reveals to you that she had known this was coming, but a part of her still hoped it wouldn't happen.
"I'm sorry Janet..." You say.
"Ah... I'm gonna..." You add, realizing that you were still on the path to release.
Her eyes widen, and she finally stutters out some words.
"W-wait... n-no... um..."
"Huh?"
"p-pull out..." She shakily gasps.
"Wha-?"
"PULL OUT!"
At the last second, you pull out and bust all over her chest, shooting ropes of your cum onto her belly.
But your pleasure is distracted by her expression, and you breathlessly choke out a question.
"J-Janet... what... why?"
She pauses for a few seconds, nearly frozen as her eyes threaten to release the torrent of emotion hidden behind them. As she looks up into your eyes once more, she finally lets her tears loose, and she quickly brings her hands up to her face to hide her sobs.
"I'm... so so sorry..." She wails.
"...f-for what?" You ask, confused and scared.
"I... I'm not on... on the..."
Your eyes widen as you finally piece it together, and your worried face curls into a grimace.
"Janet..." You warn, praying she didn't mean what you thought she meant. "Do you... mean to say..."
"...fuck, I'm so sorry..." Her body enters another fit of trembling as she continues sobbing, regretting everything. "...I shouldn't have..."
You slowly stand up, feeling repulsed.
"What the fuck, Janet!?!" You shout.
She flinches, covering up her face even further and curling her body up.
"You... you almost..." You mutter to yourself, unable to even look at her. "I'm leaving."
"No! Please, don't..." Janet pleads.
"We're done, Janet," you say as you scramble to put on your clothes. "Clearly we should've been done long ago. But after this..."
You walk out, raggedly buttoning your shirt before stepping out and slamming the door behind you.
The hairs on the back of your neck stand as you hear her tears turn to wails as you continue walking down the steps, but you don't look back.
An icy shiver travels down your spine as you reach into your car, still faintly hearing some of her sobs.
You take a few deep breaths as you step in, clenching your fists as you try to cool down.
Fucking hell. Is she out of her goddamn mind?
You shudder as you consider what could have happened if she hadn't told you at the last second.
Everything would become so much messier...
You rub your temple and prepare to start driving home, shaking your head.
I'm never seeing her again. That was... insane.
As you get on the road and slowly calm your nerves, a thought occurs to you, and you furrow your brows as you think.
Wait... didn't Kyedae tell me something earlier?
You think for a moment longer to recall her exact words, and you check the time.
Oh, right. I'm supposed to get back home... 20 minutes ago. Whoops.
...
You absentmindedly hum to yourself as you park outside your home, wondering if you should tell everyone about what Janet had done.
Maybe that can wait. First I need some good sleep, on a real bed.
You quickly walk inside, hoping whatever Kyedae had planned wouldn't take too long so you could get some shut-eye.
You open the door, and a strange feeling overtakes you as you step inside. It takes you a moment to realize that it was because of the complete, utter silence.
"...hello?" You hesitantly call out.
Maybe no one's home? That's unusual...
You walk up the stairs, unable to push down the strange feeling building in your gut.
You grab the handle to your bedroom and twist it open, and you jolt backward with a yelp as you take in the sight in front of you.
"What the-!"
You gulp as you slowly look from one pair of eyes to the next, taking in the unnerving expressions of each of the eleven female faces staring back at you. Three on your bed, two in your chairs, and the other six sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall. Aside from Kyedae, almost all of them looked away once you turned in their direction, unable to meet your gaze.
"Sit down," Kyedae's jagged voice commands you. "You're late."
You look around, feeling your heart pound as you try to hypothesize what this could be about.
"So... why am I here? I mean... why are you all here?" You ask.
"We need to talk," Kyedae responds, beckoning to the single empty chair next to you.
"About what?" You ask more forcefully as the door closes behind you, suddenly feeling like you were uncomfortably surrounded.
"You haven't... checked Twitter today?" Kyedae asks, clearly taken aback.
"No..." You reply as you swiftly pull out your phone, trying to hide your fear as to what it might be.
Did I do something? What could it be? I...
The first thing to pop up on your feed was the photos of you and the familiar stranger from the bar.
"Ah..." You say as you process what you were seeing for a few moments.
"Hmm... ok. What's the issue?" You ask, looking up.
"..."
A few of the girls fail to cover their gasps, and even Kyedae takes a moment to process your words.
"...ok? That's all you have to say?" She mutters through gritted teeth.
"Yeah. What's wrong?" You ask, knowing by the quiet murmurs around you that this wasn't the reaction they expected. "I slept with her, ok? What's the big deal?" You start to become defensive. "Am I not allowed to sleep with people now?"
"Do you ever even think about us?" Jodi finally pipes up.
"What? ...jodi?" You turn to her, surprised by her tone.
"Did you think to ask us if that was ok? Or even tell us where you were?"
"...no...? I... I assumed you'd be ok with it..."
"What about Tina? Did you even think about going to her last night?" Kyedae butts in.
"..."
"..."
You look over at Tina, who had nervously tucked her face behind her fallen hair.
"I... didn't," you say, looking down. "Shit. I'm sorry, Tina."
She stays silent.
"Wait... how did you know about that?" You ask Kyedae.
"Because she told me," Kyedae simply responds. "And everyone else here has told me their stories, too," she says, crossing her arms.
You slowly swivel your head around, finally realizing what this was.
"Wait... am I here because..."
"Call it an intervention," Leslie says, finally speaking up. "Because you've gone far too long without one."
"What? Why the fuck do you think I need an intervention?!?" You cry, taking her words as an accusation.
"Because you do," Yvonne says, making you turn to her. "You started focusing so much on trying to keep as many of us as you could."
"Is that wrong? I did that for you! All of you!" You say, standing up.
"Don't lie to yourself. You loved it," Leslie grits.
"Well, of course I did! But I... I worked so hard to cut down so that I could have enough time for you... for everyone I was still left with!" You cry out. "I... I thought it was working..."
"..."
"..."
"Well, it's not. It's all gone to your head now," Kyedae says.
"What are you talking about?" You ask, getting more and more irritated by her.
"You've forgotten about them," she says, beckoning specifically to the girls you were still with. "They became a game to you. Trying to save time by going on double-dates, going from woman to woman for nothing more than sex... you're addicted to it. You're addicted to sex, and you're addicted to the lifestyle you've been living without consequence."
"How... dare you accuse me of that..." You mutter, clenching your fist. "I love them..."
"You started thinking you could get any girl you want, and so you didn't have to treat them well," Kyedae continues, unfazed by your threatening look.
"I've never thought that! I've always tried to treat you all well!" You exclaim, looking around for some confirmation. Some girls offer you slightly more sympathetic looks than others, but no one agrees.
"And you've failed. It shouldn't take much reflection to realize that."
Your annoyance builds up as Kyedae relentlessly provokes you.
"Well, I tried my best, ok? I'm not exactly experienced in this type of... harem situation, if you can believe it," you scoff.
"This isn't a harem. These are real people," Kyedae emphasizes, gesturing around her. "Real people that you've been neglecting. Real relationships that you haven't been doing nearly enough for."
Her tireless countering finally brings you to the brink, and you let yourself snap.
"Oh, well I'm SORRY that I'm expected to be such a fucking perfect boyfriend all the time to so many of you! Gimme a fucking break!" You yell, slamming your fist down on the arm of your chair.
Pairs of shocked eyes stare at you from all over the room, and the excruciating silence that fills the room becomes nearly unbearable.
"..."
"..."
"We will."
You stop in your tracks, hearing Tina's frail voice finally make an appearance.
"...huh?" You say, leaning in closer.
"We will. All of us," Celine quietly repeats.
Your anger instantly dissipates, and you take a look around the room, seeing every girl sitting in silent agreement.
"..."
"..."
"...n-no. No," you say, backing up. "You can't..." Your voice cracks and your knees threaten to buckle underneath you.
"We can't go on like this," Jodi says, looking down at her lap. "I can't. All of this... it's too much. It... even made Sydney and I break up."
"What?" Aria blurts out, breaking her prolonged silence.
Jodi nods solemnly, not yet willing to expand further.
"I'm... so sorry to hear that, Jodi. But... are you really gonna end things with me too? Why?" You direct your attention toward her, genuinely not understanding.
Her innocent eyes meet your gaze, and you can see the resolve she was exerting to keep herself composed.
She purses her lips and whispers.
"...you didn't even get those flowers for me..." She barely manages to hold herself back from crying.
You sit in silence, feeling your rebuttals fade as her words start to soak in.
You force yourself to remain calm, knowing you were only digging yourself a deeper grave by getting angry.
"I'm sorry. I... I'm really sorry," you eventually admit. "I was so caught up with so many things, I didn't make time for you. But... that can change now," you say, looking up at her hopefully.
Jodi wipes the corners of her eyes and returns her gaze to the floor.
"To all of you who feel like that..." You say, now addressing everyone. "I promise it won't be that way any longer. I...I'll be honest with you, and I won't be so irresponsible," you softly say, regretting your outburst. "Let me make it up to you."
Kyedae starts, "You've had enough chances already-"
"Shut up, Kyedae," you command. "This isn't for you."
"..."
"...please?" You ask again, to everyone.
You catch multiple brief, nearly-hidden flickers of disapproval and disgust being cast from girl to girl as they look around, and you slowly turn in a circle, praying that someone would be on your side.
One girl's quiet sigh catches your eyes, and you realize she hadn't spoken up the entire time.
"...Rae?" You quietly call her name.
She picks her head up from her place on the bed.
"You've changed," she mutters.
"What? Rae, please, not you too-" You plead.
"Yes, me too," she cuts you off with ease. "You... were so different. You told me... that I was your number 1," she enunciates every word with clear intent, while her fist remains tightly squeezed around the blanket underneath her. "That I meant everything to you, and I... believed you. And now... what happened to you?" She cocks her head, truly wondering if you had an answer.
"Rae, you're still my number 1!" You exclaim, shocked that she would doubt that.
"Well, I don't want to be," she instantly rebukes. "Because you're not the same person I thought I knew."
"Rae, it's been... just a few days since that happened! How much can change in that time?!?" You try to reason.
"Nothing. Which means that this ugly side of you..." She emphasizes, making your chest lurch, "...was always there. I just didn't see it until everything finally got to your head."
"Rae, don't say things like that..." You say.
Her steadfast resolve brings a tear to your eye, and even more begin to form as she stares you down, hiding her vulnerability behind her tough expression.
You finally realize the gravity of what she was saying, and you feel her slipping away. You take a step toward her, but she pulls away.
"Don't. I think... we're done," she says.
"Rae... you said... that you love me..." You whisper. "And that you'll... you'll..."
"...always love you," she finishes in a frail whisper. "Well, guess what?" She asks, sniffling.
"..."
"I wasn't lying." Her facade finally cracks, and the scared, vulnerable girl you wanted nothing more than to wrap your arms around finally shows herself.
"...but that's my problem now. I fucked up. I fell in love with you," she buries her face in her sweater sleeves. "My heart belongs to you... but I can't trust you with it anymore."
The somber wave of silence that floods the room upon everyone hearing her grave words finally pulls a tear down your cheek, and you stand there, speechless.
You look to your left and right, taking in the intensely grievous expressions written all around you.
You open your mouth to speak, but your lungs refuse to. And as you finally give up and sit down, you realize that there was truly nothing you could say that could resolve this.
Their stories start to seep back into your mind, and you begin to recall how you had wronged nearly each and every one of them, in ways you had believed at the time were insignificant.
Their solemn faces strike sorrow and pain into your heart, and every time you blink, you see the sight of so many of the girls you deeply loved staring at you with nothing but contempt and scorn burned into the back of your eyes.
The tear that had traced down your cheek is followed by a second, and then a third.
Your head pounds with intense, blinding pressure, and your breath becomes shaky.
Your gaze averts to your closet mirror, pointed right at you, and at that moment, you almost feel like you don't recognize the man you see.
Instead, all you can see is the sex-addicted, lustful, short-sighted, arrogant monster you had become.
You race out of the room, not saying a word as you throw yourself down the stairs four at a time and pull open the front door. You escape out onto the driveway and out onto the road, letting your bare soles strike the hot pavement as you begin to sprint. Your legs legs carry you as fast as they can while the wind blows your tears onto the concrete below, leaving a quickly evaporating trail of misery that follows you as you run.
You gasp for air as you push yourself faster, with nothing but a blank mind and a punctured heart.
You turn into the heavily wooded park, heading directly for the foliage. You grimace as the branches and twigs stab at your feet, but your legs don't stop, carrying you deeper and deeper into the forest until you can't see a way out.
You finally fall to your knees, bawling, as your exhausted body collapses onto the leaves beneath you and curls into a ball.
...
No one takes a step in your direction as you race out of the room. Even as your heavy steps vibrate the whole house, no one moves a muscle.
Once the door finally slams shut behind you, Rae's shoulders drop, and she lets herself weep, slightly shaking as she releases all the built-up tension out onto her cotton sleeves.
One by one, the girls slowly leave their trance. Some go to comfort Rae, rubbing her back while releasing a few tears themselves.
Imane silently stands up, slips out of the room, and climbs down the stairs. She glances upstairs to make sure no one was following her, and then puts on her shoes and leaves, quietly closing the door behind her.
Miyoung eventually stands up from the spot she had sat in the entire time, and she slowly but fatefully steps out of the room. She walks down the hall, and once she finally reaches the room she was approaching, she gives a quick knock and opens it.
Toast's eyes snap up to meet hers as he swivels around in his chair, and a questioning look graces his face.
She walks over to him, puts her hand on his chin, and places her lips on his, making him gasp before quickly responding. They stay there for a second longer, while Toast gently runs his fingers along Miyoung's hand.
"I guess you made up your mind?" Toast asks, pulling away.
She nods. "Yeah."