Helping Heather?

After Chris had left, Heather had buried her face in her hands. How could she have said something like that? Luckily for her, she had kept it together until he had left. “How could I have said that? Dumb curse, why did you make me say that?”

“Because all three are hot men. Will might have a bit of a belly, but that is cute. Jesse comes over as a sprig, and that is no issue, and well, Chris is the leanest muscle around. Sad for him, but true and delish. He wishes he could have a belly sometimes,” Ryan cuckled as he said it. “Or at least he did in college. He complained, but he had read the side effects of the medication and was scared away from it immediately. Brittle bones, no thanks. I get that with how active he is.”

“So who do you think makes the best partner out of those three?” Heather dared to ponder.

“You will always be stuck with Chris,” Aimé interjected.

“She can speculate. Also, Chris won’t always have time for her with at least 6 other partners.” Ryan rebutted the gnome. He realised how Chris must feel with Ember shouting that over his shoulder.

“Why the at least?” The heiress asked.

“Well, if Chris can’t pick between Jesse and Jessica, it will be 7. There is the option of adding contestants later. Syl blatantly said she wouldn’t have less than 6 contestants. Eliminated contestants are still part of the harem, but back to a better subject now. Will, as a partner, I have no clue about. He did prefer hanging out and gaming over doing stuff IRL, if I understood him correctly. When he and Missy had a date, he would plan loosely and go with the flow of what she wanted, like a bag in the wind.” Ryan responded.

“So extreme go with the flow, very little commitment to things?” She asked a clarifying question

“No, if he agreed to do something, he would do it, but for the people he likes, he bends like a twig, I think. He is more like a people pleaser.” Ryan looked at the ceiling. “He looked competitively at both the Jessies and Chris when he entered. I wonder why their date suddenly turned into a competition.”

“You call that a date!” The heiress said in shock.

“No, but it is as close as those two will get here and now. There is little in the area in terms of things to do, and as a result, date options are limited. What do you plan to do as a date that is so much better?”

“Isn’t it Philips’s job to do that for us?” Heather complained.

“Nope, sweetheart, you should romance him, not the other way around,” Aimé said, another harsh truth. “He doesn’t get fucked if he doesn’t fuck you.”

The panic was returning to Heather as Ryan asserted his presence again. “Drink more of the tea. We can plan all day today, and you can ask Becky or Missy for ideas tomorrow and the day after that. Jesse, I know as much as you do, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you much about him. Chris is my partner in business and college buddy, so about him I can answer most of your questions, and maybe that would help with planning your date.”

“But you and the Jessies have your date before me.” She protested.

“No problem. I think the Jessies and him will want to go for a walk. Old memories between those two, right? Mainly about ecology, so that is their date planned, like an old field trip for me. For me, I can convince him to play games with me, maybe some beach volleyball? The Jessies and I are doing double dates anyway.” He said, fantasising about stupid games to play.

“You are thinking about it too easily.” She protested.

“You are talking to the only person who Chris has banged here and is on good terms with him. He will do whatever seems fun and engaging with the Jessies and me. Had the Jessies and I not talked about who would fuck him first, he probably would have jumped on them. They are at a major advantage compared to you. They know him. Even worse, they know him from multiple timelines.” Ryan said with a chuckle in his voice. “So yeah, I am taking it easy. Syl made a point of us being able to leave later on. It might be worth planning a fun, chill date here where you can get to know him and then look for some fantastical place to sweep him off his feet for next round.”

“You make a good point. Something we can do here, something relaxing, something where we can get to know each other… What are his hobbies?” Heather asked, actually thinking about what her date should look like.

“For starters, cooking he loves doing it. Other than that, he reads multiple books a week. He whittles wood. He draws often. I think he just likes to have a creative output during survey days as well as something that keeps his mind engaged that doesn’t cost him battery.” Ryan explained.

“We don’t exactly have an art studio here.” The businesswoman protested.

“Wood whittling only requires a knife and wood. That is free here. You could also just try to buy either painting and drawing equipment or a whole new addition in the form of an art studio for the community centre. You might be able to go Dutch with someone else if they see fit. I already bought a book nook case you wanted to read books together.” The man who had already completed most of the quests on the noticeboard and therefore had the most BP of anyone around said.

“Fair point on the books… The art studio you are also making fair points about. Do you think Chris might be open to chipping in for that?” Heather tilted her head as he asked it, considering her options.

“Sure, if he can. He probably is open to it, especially if you say it is for the date you have planned. What do you want to do: pottery, drawing, painting or something else?” The helpful man listed some options that were likely available to them in an art studio provided by the team.

“Do I need to pick one now?” She asked, sipping her tea.

“No, but if you do know, it does help your case. I am just asking to make you think about it. Do you make proposals to get funding without having a presentation?” Ryan asked one entrepreneur to another.

“No, you have a plan. Why?” The person heading a department responded, clearly not having the skill to transfer logic. The person she was having a conversation with raised an eyebrow, hoping she could pick up on the underlying meaning, and it worked. “Wait, I am asking for funding from BP instead of money.” Ryan nodded, confirming the conclusion. “Okay… I think painting and drawing is the safest for now. From there we can work out what we want.”

A smile formed on Ryan’s face as he said, “Sounds like a good plan for a relaxed day. Do you need the entire day?” Another question about the date to help her nail down details. Not as essential as the question of when to start, but knowing when would definitely help.

“I have two more days, but I will consider it. Should we leave for dinner or is it still early?” Heather said wearily.

Ryan took out his phone. “Definitely still early, but we could go to the canteen if you would feel safer there?”

“Sure, I think I have seen enough of Aimé for one day.” She responded. Aimé rolled his eyes as the duo left. He was not amused by them, but he didn’t need to be.

Missy stuck close to Becky as the trio left for the showers. She didn’t spot any of the other people except for the gnome behind the bar. Aimé had glanced over at them but had assumed they would be merely passing by, which they did. Chris had looked for Ryan but hadn’t spotted him and had assumed he would be elsewhere. The trio merged with the other trio that had left early from the showers in the locker room.

Will was the first to speak up. “Becky, did you have a good workout?”

"Yeah, thank you. I missed who won between you and Jessica?” She asked with genuine interest.

A low grumble came out of his mouth. Chris stepped in, “It doesn’t matter who won; we will deal with the consequences, and we are done with it, okay.”

“So you lost the bet,” Missy replied.

“Your choice,” Chris said, knowing this misinterpretation wouldn’t harm him or Jessica in the least. “Now it seems they have showered. Let’s join them in being clean.” He waved Becky and Missy in, leaving the rest to deal with it.

The duo wandered in behind him, leaving the Jessies and William outside. They weren’t able to hear the others over the showers. Chris had found a corner to shower in. As he was washing himself, a familiar pair of breasts pressed against his back, and the familiar voice whispered a familiar phrase in his ear. “So, should I help you wash yourself again?”

Chris shuddered; the phrase felt like poison, her touch felt like needles. “Missy, you really think I am over the bulshit you put me through? Man, I must either be the greatest actor, or you are dense. I can do shit because I feel like I need to do it. That doesn’t mean I like you! I do not want to have sex with you! I do not want you to repeat things we did as foreplay with me now! I have noooo fucking clue how this will develop over time, but now is not the time. I let you come along because I thought you could behave yourself in a way that I was comfortable with.”

“I…. I…. I am sorry. I saw an opportunity to score points, and on instinct I acted. I should have thought better of it…” Missy responded, but Chris didn’t buy it and continued showering without further response.

A moment later, Becky approached him. “Could you help me with my back?” Chris helped her wash her back without a problem or wondering why she had asked him. It wasn’t like she didn’t have enough reasons to want skin contact with him, as it was: an opportunity to score points, to make sure she was dosed with her medication. Not that she was running low, but staying on top of it couldn’t hurt, right?