Because your world revolves around Maya.

You pull the skank into your room... And half-throw her to the floor, as you slam the door shut. You see a mix of surprise and fear on her face, and... Relief?

"Oh, thank God, you're a normal person," The skank sighs as she sits up, "I had no idea how I was going to earn your forgiveness if you were really the kind of woman who would have let that go. Or how I'd deal with it when it happened again, to be honest."

...The hell? Did you flip some kind of switch on her?

You were weirded out, but pushed ahead anyway. You were still angry, after all, and this skank had a lot to answer for.

"Who the hell would let that go?" You fume at her, "You throw yourself at my best friend, and then have the audacity to ask me out five minutes later? Just how big a slut are you, exactly?"

"I told you, I'm a total piece of shit," She answered, completely calm, "And yeah, you can totally make me pay for that now. Anything you want to do to me, I'll accept. Shout at me, hit me, violate me... It's all yours, if you'll treat me kindly afterwards. Just work it all out on my body now."

....No wait, what the fuck. That was... Totally screwed up, blatantly so. That wasn't how you treated your girlfriend, that was...

That was how an abuser behaved.

...Just what were you doing here? Yeah, you were a piece of shit to Maya, but... That wasn't you. You weren't going to double down on that, were you? Maya would never be friends with someone like that.

You took a deep breath, and came to a decision. You were going to calm down, and ask the skank - no Elizabeth - just what the hell she was thinking. Yes, you were a terrible person - but you were Maya's terrible person. You'd hold it together for her, because you clearly didn't know how to behave on your own.

"...No," You reply, giving a frustrated sigh, "Why would you even offer something like that? Yes, I'm upset with you. Furious, actually. But that doesn't give me the right to hit you, and it definitely doesn't mean you should offer. Relationships are built on mutual acceptance and convenience, not on ****. At least, any worth keeping."

"Really?" Elizabeth answered, still sitting on the floor, "Because hitting is pretty normal in the relationships I've seen. And it can be pretty hot in the porn I've watched. I'm willing, and you're angry, so why don't we make the most of it? We can just burn this off now, and then maybe we can see if you'll be interested for real. Worst case, I'm just left with some bruises and no girlfriend, right? I think it's worth the risk to earn a date from you."

Just... No. That wasn't how this worked. That wasn't how any of this worked. But at least you recognized the premises she was working from.

"Elizabeth, if we're going to date, it's not going to be like that," You sigh, "If you really want me to, I'll shout at you, this once. But if you screw up again, I'm going to tell you how hurt I feel - and then, maybe, break up with you, depending on how things have been going, and how badly you behave. I will never - never - raise my hand to you like that. If you're into BDSM, I guess we can try that - but it _stays _as sex play."

Elizabeth... Frowns at you in response?

"I don't get it," She says, "I'd understand you beating the shit out of me, and I'd understand you just kicking me out. But I made out with your girlfriend in front of you, and now you're seriously considering dating me anyway? You don't look like you're into NTR, and you seem to have a healthy sense of self-esteem, so I don't get what you're doing here."

...Yeah, fuck, she had a point. She wasn't the only weird one here.

Well, honesty was important to a lot of healthy relationships, right? Might as well try it here.

"Because my best friend is fucking a demon on a regular basis," You answer, "And you've seen what she gets like afterwards. I don't want to screw my friendship up with her, so... Well, you showed up on my doorstep, almost literally. Worth a shot, right?"

Elizabeth stood up as you finished, nodding.

"Yeah, okay, that doesn't sound remotely healthy, but..." Elizabeth replied, "Yeah, I understand, and yeah, I'll take it. Straight girls, right? I'll be your replacement for now, and hey, maybe we'll end up being something real later. Just... One thing. And the offer to yell at me for saying it stands."

She leans in and gives you a hug as she speaks.

"If you do end up sleeping with her, I get it, okay?" She says, "You've loved her for ages, and I just showed up on your doorstep today. Just, keep me as the 'other woman' at least. I'll work things out with her if it's a problem."

...Fuck. You do want to yell at her for that, but... Hell, she didn't know the history she was trampling on there. You'd have made the same offer to her, probably.

"Let's start over?" You say, sighing, "Tell me just how the two of you met, and how it ended up here. And then, yeah, I'll yell at you a bit."

Elizabeth breaks off the hug, and gives you a wide, honest smile. Fuck. She was actually cute.