Cards on the Table

“Can’t you save it for Sunday? So that we can all tell Brooke and Viv at the same time?” Stella suggests.

You asked Viv to go to your apartment before answering her question, as you believed revealing the app to her with the help of your girlfriends would make her believe it much easier. The problem was, you forgot that Maddy was at your apartment. Now, you and Stella are discussing what you can do to get Maddy out of the apartment for a few minutes so the three of you can tell Viv about the app. Cassie’s at the dining table with Viv and Maddy, distracting them, while you and Stella are having this conversation in your bedroom, on the pretext that she needs help finding her ‘missing’ earring.

“I kinda overplayed my hand since the app implied she was confused about wanting to sleep with me.” You explain to Stella that Viv might not be able to wait for the explanation.

“Viv doesn’t want to sleep with you!?” Stella couldn’t help but react loudly.

“Shhh~! Not so loud!” You tell her in a hushed voice.

“Sorry. I just can’t believe it!” Stella apologizes, lowering her volume to copy yours. “So that’s why she didn’t wake us up with her screaming through the walls.” Stella jokes.

“It’s not that she didn’t want to. I think she did based on her explanation. She’s just afraid of the consequences.” You explain to Stella.

“What consequences? Getting pregnant?” Stella asks.

“No. Not that.” You answer Stella shaking your head and hands to answer her a little too emphatically, as you really don’t want that conversation up right now. “She’s afraid she’ll find me bland.”

“HA! Bland!?” Stella reacts back at her previous volume, making you shush her again. “The cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity, and the gumption.” Stella adds in an accent you can’t quite place.

“Maybe it’s because you undersold me when Brooke asked you about my sex skills.” You joke with Stella.

“Then you should’ve just banged her and got it over with!” Stella argued, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at how simple she thinks the solution is. “You think I’d be bland in bed? Spank. Who’s bland, now? Spank, spank!” Stella started doing a bit, while pumping her hips and simulating ‘spanking that ass’.

“I think you’ve made your point.” You tell her to stop.

“Okay. Sorry. I’m back to serious mode again.” Stella apologized. “Why not just tell Maddy too? She’ll find out eventually once you start dating her.” Stella suggests.

“No, baby. First of all, Maddy’s off limits as per her family’s wishes. Second, I don’t even know what she even likes about me other than being one of her favorite authors. Lastly, having access to a reality altering magical phone app should be on a need to know basis sort of thing, don’t you think? Viv needs to know. Maddy doesn’t.” You answer her. Stella was about to argue her point some more, but stopped after feeling her phone vibrate. She reads it for a quick moment before looking at you.

“Cassie says she found an opening to delay having to tell Viv.” Stella informs you.

You and Stella go back to the dining table where Maddy, Viv, and Cassie are already transferring the Thai takeout into plates so you can all share what you guys ordered.

“Cassie told me she knows how you knew why I’m hesitant to sleep with you.” Viv says, upon seeing you and Stella make your way to the dining table.

“I thought you said you had a way to delay telling Viv!?” Stella asks Cassie accusingly.

“Well that confirms it.” Viv reacts with an annoyed chuckle. “I’m guessing you messaged all of them my insecurities already? Thanks for divulging my personal fuck ups, Junior.” Viv adds sarcastically.

“I don’t know what you’re insecure about.” Cassie admits, raising her hands innocently.

“I do.” Stella admits. “Dad just told me while we were talking.” Stella adds, making Viv raise an eyebrow.

“I thought you were looking for your earring?” Viv asks Stella skeptically.

“We were.” Stella answers.

“Seems like you didn’t find it.” Viv adds.

“Nope.” Stella answers.

“Seems like you talked more about me than looking for that ‘missing’ earring of yours.” Viv observes.

“Yep.” Stella answered, confirming Viv’s suspicion. Viv just stares daggers at you.

“She’s my daughter, Viv. I tell her everything.” You point out to Viv, defensively. Cassie looks away after hearing your statement, reminding you that you technically don’t tell Stella everything anymore; now that you have to hide that you bought a trait that removes the pregnancy risk without her knowing… or maybe she’s concerned that you told Stella about Viv’s insecurity and not her.

“And the only reason Cassie doesn’t know is because she was here with you guys.” You quickly add, assuring Cassie that you would’ve told her too, if the situation between her and Stella was reversed. Cassie gives you a reassuring smile, conveying that you didn’t need to add that last part.

“So Stella knows what I’m insecure about because you just told her; but Cassie doesn’t know... but she says all three of them, even Tanya, already know how you would know why I was unsure earlier. Did I get that right?” Viv asks to confirm, and Stella just asks, “What? Could you repeat that?” as her response.

“That’s how I understood it too, V.” Maddy confirms for Viv. “That means that the ‘how Mr. Craig knows you were unsure earlier’ is separate from knowing the insecurity behind what’s making you confused.” Maddy explains, making Stella go react with an “Oh~” now that she gets it.

“That’s why we need Tanya here. So all three of us can confirm that we all know how he’d know, even though we don’t know why you would be unsure in the first place.” Cassie tells her.

“Are you guys mind readers or some shit?” Viv asks you.

“Trust me, if we were, we’d stay away from your brain as much as possible.” Stella jokes.

“You sure? You might like what you see.” Viv answers in her flirtatious tone.

“Mind reading would mean they’d know the reason behind your hesitancy, V.” Maddy points out to Viv. “My guess is that they all knew you were less than sincere with your flirtatiousness with Mr. Craig. I did kinda point it out to them yesterday.” Maddy tells Viv.

“Oh yeah, Paige did say she was a lot more comfortable flirting back with you since she kinda felt it was all just play and you weren’t being serious.” Stella recounted. Maddy didn’t seem to like that the credit went to Paige though.

“Well that rules out that idea, M. Stella barely remembered you even pointed it out.” Viv reacts, resulting in Maddy’s suppressed but obvious annoyance.

“Look, to be blunt, how Jay knows is his secret that only girlfriends get to know.” Cassie says.

“Is that why you’re not telling Ms. Viv? I mean V. Sorry.” Maddy asked. All four of you, including Viv, look at Maddy awkwardly; unable to say out loud the reason why all three of you couldn’t reveal the secret to Viv. “Oh.” Maddy reacts in realization and in disappointment. “You could’ve just said so. I can excuse myself so you guys can talk.” Maddy tells you before standing up from the table abruptly.

“Woah-woah-woah. Wait a minute, M. We’re having lunch. They can tell me later.” Viv tells Maddy, asking her to sit back down next to her so you can all continue your lunch. Maddy looked at the four of you, and you all gave her reassuring smiles that this conversation can wait.

Afterwards, Cassie gives Stella a smug look of ‘I told you so’ as Viv confirms Cassie’s earlier statement that she could get Viv to delay wanting to find out.

“Like I said, we can wait to tell her once Tanya’s with us. After we all go to the gym later? Sound good?” Cassie asks. Viv nods, while Maddy could only shyly eat her Pad Thai knowing she won’t be involved in that talk.

“Oh, wait. Why not tell Brooke this secret too? I mean, if it’s a secret only your girlfriends can know. If you and I are officially dating, that should mean you and her are officially dating too. She deserves to hear it too.” Viv asks.

“You skipped a step there, Viv. What’s with Brooke already being Dad’s girlfriend? When’d that happen?” Stella asks.

“Brooke and I made a pact. We only date Jay as long as he dates both of us. If he’s dating me, that means he’s dating Brooke.” Viv answers with a finality in her tone, signifying she wouldn’t accept any other set-up.

“We’ll all tell Brooke eventually. After Brooke and I make it official.” You answer Viv.

“Then make it official tonight. What’s the point of waiting?” Viv asks you.

“We haven’t even gone out on a date yet.” You point out to Viv.

“If I remember correctly, the first time we met a couple of days ago, Stella already said she was your girlfriend but you were only having your first date that night.” Maddy recalls. “If that’s the case, there’s precedent that a date isn’t necessary for you to become official with someone.” Maddy points out the technicality.

“Last night wasn’t a date either and you still ended up saying we’re officially dating now.” Viv argues.

“I kinda considered last night as our first date, to be honest.” You tell her, making Viv just widen her eyes in embarrassment; before shyly looking away from you, flustered.

“Okay. I’ll rephrase my reason why I don’t want to tell Brooke yet.” You preface. “Brooke and I haven’t been able to honestly and openly talk about our feelings for each other yet. It’s only assumptions and inferences at this point. Unlike when I decided to consider all of you my girlfriends.” You explain to Viv.

“Not all of us.” Maddy points out dejectedly under her breath, making all four of you look at her, which she notices immediately. “I mean…” Maddy tried to explain, blushing red with embarrassment at her slip up. Viv immediately tries to comfort her and assure her.

“Come on, M. You heard what Jay said. If all it takes for him to consider someone his girlfriend is an honest talk about each other’s feelings, then you know what to do.” Viv tells her.

“What?” Maddy asks, blushing an even brighter red before looking at all four of you in embarrassment once more.

“M… if Jay could figure out a master con-artist like me was being less than truthful about my true feelings with his secret mind reading technique…” Viv points out, not having to continue it any further. It was pretty obvious she was trying to say that everyone knew Maddy liked you… including you.

Maddy looks around the table at all four of you, and you all confirm with your expressions that you all had an idea she had feelings for you already.

“I—” Maddy stutters.

Oh, God. Are you having this conversation now too?

Maddy stands up abruptly, not even finishing her plate, and immediately rushes to leave the apartment before any of you could stop her.

Apparently not.

“Do we really have to tell you what to do, Dad?” Stella asks you.

“GO!” All three of them shout at you.

Apparently yes.