AN: As the title suggests. I had to do it at some point, hope this was good.
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"A friend of yours?" Lisa asked, pulling up her bikini top.
"It's complicated," Charlie got up, walked to the railings, and looked down at Laura. "What are you doing here, Laura?"
"Well, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd return your towel. I washed it properly."
Charlie glanced at Lisa, who looked like judging him and drawing multiple conclusions in her head.
"Just keep it. Think of it as a gift," He said with a little smile.
"Invite her in. I'd very much like to hear the story between you two," Lisa said with her eyes narrowed, full of curiosity.
[A Few Minutes Later – Living Room]
Charlie stood near the kitchen island, arms crossed, his jaw tight as he watched the two women on the balcony through the closed glass doors. Lisa and Laura sat opposite each other on the outdoor chairs, legs crossed, posture casual but with that undercurrent of female strategy he knew too well.
He couldn't hear them.
But he knew this was either going to end with a drink… or a bomb.
Lisa leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees, eyes fixed on Laura.
"Alright," she said calmly. "How do you know Charlie?"
Laura raised an eyebrow, cocking her head just slightly, the sun glinting off her piercings. "You mean, like how do I know him, or how do I know him?"
Lisa smiled. It wasn't sweet.
"Let's skip the cute answers. Just be real with me."
Laura sat back in the chair, her fingers playing with the edge of the towel draped across her lap. Her body was relaxed, but her eyes were sharp. Studying Lisa. Measuring the room.
"You want real?" she asked.
Lisa nodded once.
"Well, don't blame him or me. So, I met Charlie online. Around 7 years ago. Back when I was figuring out who I was… and making a lot of dumb choices to pay rent."
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Oh!"
"FreakyFans," Laura said. "Live stuff. Mask on. Nothing glamorous. Just survival mode."
Lisa didn't flinch. Her face didn't change. She was letting it all come without interruption.
"I was just 18," Laura continued. "He stumbled into my stream one night. We talked. He tipped a lot. More than I'd ever seen. Then things happened..."
Lisa crossed one leg over the other. "He messaged you?"
Laura nodded. "Yeah. And I thought... okay, another creep. But he wasn't. He was... weirdly kind. Charming in a way that made you forget you were naked on camera."
Lisa glanced at the door, then back at Laura. "So, you met up."
"We did. I came here. To this house. Thought it would be awkward, transactional. But it wasn't. He was respectful. Patient. Funny. And..." She hesitated, just slightly. "He was the first person who didn't treat me like I was just a set of parts."
Lisa didn't respond. She just watched her.
"I lost my virginity to him," Laura said, voice lower now. "I know that's probably weird to say to you. But it's the truth. And after that, it wasn't a one-night thing. We spent time. Talked. Hooked up a lot. I think I stayed here three nights straight at one point. On the couch. In his bed. On the floor. Wherever we landed. We had a lot of sex. It was a fun time. I was young and horny. Still am."
Lisa's expression was unreadable. Calm. She wasn't angry because it happened in the past.
"I wasn't in love back then," Laura admitted. "It was just sex and fun. But when it ended... when he stopped calling... I realized I couldn't un-feel it. That kind of warmth doesn't happen twice. Not for me."
"You never moved on?"
Laura gave a bitter smile. "No. Not even close. I opened a tattoo parlor. Charlie helped. Quietly. No strings. Gave me five grand like it was nothing. Told me to be bold. Said I had the hands for it."
Lisa finally spoke. "So you're still in love with him."
Laura shrugged. "I don't know if it's love or memory or just stubbornness. All I know is, I never slept with another man. Not since him. Couldn't. I tried. It felt wrong. Like I was betraying something even if he'd already moved on."
Silence passed between them. The sound of waves below filled the space.
Lisa tapped her fingers lightly against the armrest.
"So, why now?" she asked. "Why show up again? Why bring back all this... history?"
Laura looked her in the eye.
"Because I saw his face again when he and that loser guy came to visit my mom for a divorce case. And the second I did, I knew I'd never actually let go. And maybe I just wanted to see what I'm up against."
Lisa leaned forward slightly. "And what are you seeing now?"
Laura didn't answer right away. Then she said quietly, "I see why he's different with you. He never looked at me the way he looked at you when he came outside."
Lisa sat back. She didn't gloat. Didn't smile. She just let that sit.
Laura stood, slow and calm, folding the towel and placing it on the table between them.
"I'm not here to ruin anything," she said. "But I'm not going to lie and pretend I don't still feel it. He mattered to me."
Lisa gave a small nod. "That, I can respect."
"So, what now? You got everything you wanted," Laura asked.
,,,,
Lisa looked at Laura for a long moment. Then she glanced through the glass doors behind her.
There he was.
Charlie, peeking like a guilty kid behind the kitchen island, barely ducking back in time.
Lisa smiled faintly.
Then turned back to Laura.
"You know," she said slowly, "I wasn't expecting this today. I thought maybe you were some beach flirtation or an accidental stalker."
Laura smiled wryly. "I've been both."
Lisa tilted her head. "But I believe you. And I can tell you weren't lying about any of it."
Laura nodded once. "Thanks."
Lisa stood up, walked to the edge of the balcony, rested her hands on the railing, and looked out at the sea.
"I've never been the jealous type," she said quietly. "Possessive, maybe. But not jealous. Especially not over things that happened before me."
Laura said nothing. She just watched her.
Lisa continued, "But this... it's rare. What you feel. Seven years without touching another man? That's either obsession or love. Or both."
Laura smirked. "Maybe."
Lisa turned to her.
"Do you want to be with him again?"
Laura didn't flinch. "Yes."
"Even if he's in a committed relationship?"
Another beat.
"Yes," Laura said again. "But I'm not a homewrecker. Maybe I'll jump the moment you dump him."
Lisa studied her. "What if there's a world where that doesn't apply?"
Laura blinked. "What do you mean?"
Lisa looked at her directly now, with her arms crossed and leaning one hip against the railing, still facing the ocean. "You said you're not here to wreck anything, and you still feel something real. That he mattered to you."
Laura nodded slowly. "That's the truth."
"And I believe it," Lisa said. "But I also know Charlie. The version you had back then? He's not the same man now. And neither am I the kind of woman who gives up something good because the past knocks on the door."
Laura looked confused now, but curious. "So...?"
"I'm not offering him up on a platter. This isn't me backing away. But... I've been thinking lately about how rare it is to feel this safe and this seen. With someone. With anyone."
Lisa paused.
"And how rare it is to find someone else who loves the same person, not like a rivalry, but... in parallel."
Laura said nothing. Her eyes were searching now.
Lisa stepped closer.
"What if, instead of pretending we're enemies... or pretending this never happened... we try something different?" Lisa's voice was steady, but soft. "Not to blow things up. Not out of boredom. But because I trust him. And maybe, maybe I trust you."
Laura's breath caught. "You're talking about... sharing him?"
Lisa nodded once.
"Only if all the parties agree."
Laura stared at her, stunned. "I... I didn't expect you to say that."
"I didn't expect to feel it," Lisa admitted. "But when you talked about what he meant to you and how you waited seven years... Weirdly enough, I didn't feel threatened, if I'm being honest."
Laura blinked. "Are you... serious?"
Lisa smiled now. "I'm serious enough to ask. Not begging or rushing. Just... putting it on the table. You wanted to see what you were up against. But I'm not the wall. I'm the door. And maybe there's more space here than you thought."
They stood in silence. The waves crashing in the background. Charlie was still half-hidden inside, probably pacing like a cat on a hot griddle.
Finally, Laura let out a stunned laugh, shaking her head.
"You're either the most confident woman I've ever met... or the craziest."
"Maybe both," Lisa said, still smiling. "But here's the condition: if we ever go down that road, there'll be no turning back. We stick till the end, together."
"Wow! Alright. Ok," Laura said after a brief pause. "If... if he agrees to it… And you are cool with it, then I am in."
They both turned to glance through the glass door, where Charlie, wide-eyed and pale, ducked out of view again like a cartoon character who just heard his name on a hit list.
Laura looked back at Lisa.
"What if he wants to add more girls in the future? You know, like a harem?" Laura asked.
"Harem, huh?" Lisa said with a thoughtful expression. She looked back out toward the sea, then slowly turned to face her.
"If he thinks he can survive two of us already," she said, her voice dipping with amusement, "then sure… let him try."
'A harem, huh? Dates, cuddling, kissing, sweet whispers, petting, wild sex, threesome... WOW! Ok. I can live with that. If it's Charlie... Then, yeah. Let's do it.' Laura's eyebrows lifted. "So that's not a no?"
Lisa stepped forward again, closer this time. Her presence was calm, but commanding. And dangerous in the way only a woman completely sure of herself could be.
"If the foundation's strong," Lisa said, "you can build anything on it. Even something wild. But that doesn't mean anything goes. There'd be rules. Boundaries. Respect. Trust. Not just sex and 'fun.'"
Laura nodded slowly, processing. "You mean... actual structure?"
'What the hell am I saying? Fuck it! You get to live once, let's live it to the fullest with no regrets,' Lisa smiled wider now. "If you're going to build a harem... might as well do it right."
Laura let out a low whistle. "Damn. You're not joking."
Lisa shrugged. "I don't joke about my man, or my orgasms."
They both laughed then, and for the first time, it wasn't tense.
It was two women standing in full awareness of themselves and each other, and still choosing not to tear anything down.
Just then, the glass door slid open behind them.
Charlie stepped out slowly, hands raised like a hostage negotiating with two SWAT team negotiators.
"Okay," he said carefully. "I don't know what kind of multiverse conversation you two are having, but... should I be scared? Or should I start Googling how to apply for a second life insurance policy?"
Lisa and Laura both turned toward him.
Lisa said, "Relax. You're not being sacrificed."
Laura smirked. "Yet."
Charlie looked between them. "Am I... in trouble?"
Lisa walked over to him, placing a hand on his chest. "Not yet. But you will be if you keep eavesdropping."
"I wasn't eavesdropping," Charlie said quickly. "I was... emotionally assessing my safety."
Laura crossed her arms. "Your safety might depend on how honest you are right now."
"First of all, I never slept with anyone or cheated on you ever since we started this relationship again," Charlie said truthfully to Lisa, minus the kisses. It's better not to mention those, since it wasn't he who kissed the girls, but they did. "As for her, we had a thing a long time ago."
Lisa asked, "Would you... ever consider being with both of us?"
Charlie blinked like they'd just asked him to solve quantum physics while naked.
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