Chloe and Jes watching TV

The living room is bathed in the golden, lazy light of mid-afternoon. The hum of the air conditioning is a steady backdrop to the canned laughter of a Married with Children rerun on the large flat-screen. Chloe and Jessica are sprawled on the sectional sofa, a bag of chips between them and a pair of iced coffees sweating on the coasters.

Chloe is lying back with her feet on the coffee table, her short denim cut-offs riding up as she shifts her weight. Jessica is sitting closer than usual, her shoulder occasionally brushing Chloe's as they mock the fashion and the crude humor of the 90s.

On the screen, Bud Bundy is failing miserably to flirt with a girl at the mall, his voice cracking and his bravado collapsing into stammering mess.

Chloe lets out a sharp, mocking laugh, gesturing at the screen with a handful of chips. "Oh my god, look at him. That is literally Tyler a week ago. The same 'I'm a genius but I can't look a girl in the eye' energy. It’s physically painful to watch."

Jessica doesn't laugh as hard as she usually would. She’s still feeling the tingle of Tyler’s mouth on hers from earlier—the way he didn't stammer, and the way he definitely didn't look at the floor. She takes a long sip of her coffee, her eyes lingering on the screen.

"I don't know, Chlo," Jessica says, her tone light but carrying a new, provocative edge. "Bud's kind of cute in a pathetic, underdog sort of way. At least he tries. And honestly? If he actually had a bit of confidence—like the 'new' Tyler—he’d be a total menace."

She turns her head, giving Chloe a sly, challenging smirk. "I bet if you were stuck in a house with him and he actually grew a pair, you’d probably screw him just to see if he could handle it. You love being the one to 'break' the nerds, remember?"

Chloe scoffs, rolling her eyes, but she doesn't move away. "I have Jason for 'handling.' I don't need to break anyone."

"Jason is boring," Jessica counters, leaning in so their thighs press together. "Admit it. You're bored. That's why you're so obsessed with 'Mack.' You want something that pushes back. Something that isn't afraid of you."

"I'll admit," Chloe responds, "Things are certainly more interesting here with Mack around."