For sure

Only a few seconds after Emily was out of earshot, Mary started talking.

"So, remember how you were talking about how things were good with you and Becca, right?" she began.

"Yeah, that was like 9 hours ago, how could I forget?" I responded.

"Things might be going well with her, but have you yourself ever felt unsatisfied with her?" she probed.

"Unsatisfied? In what way?"

"I don't know, maybe she just wasn't the one for you?"

"Why would you assume that? I've been with her for what, eight years now? Would I just throw away 8 of my years just for someone who I didn't assume was the one for me? Why are you even bringing this up?"

"Because..." Mary stopped for a moment, likely composing herself because she was about to take things a step farther. "Because with everything that happened with Chris last month, I realized that all of the things that I wanted to see in a partner, I never saw in him. He was rude, brash, arrogant, self-centered, and as it turns out, unfaithful".

She stopped for a moment. I took that opportunity to console her by putting my arm around her. A part of me knew that if Becca was around right now, she'd be likely questioning what I was doing, because she can get jealous easily due to her passionate nature. However, the more sensible side of me knew that I wasn't doing anything with Mary aside from consoling her, which she desperately needed in a time of need like this.

"And as I look at you", Mary continued, picking up where she left off, "I see how you're sort of the foil to Chris. Whereas Chris would try to avoid spending time with me when some of his guy friends were around, you came out to California with the nine of us, even though Michael, Linus, Jackson, and all the rest of those guys flaked on you. Whereas Chris would make statements that would tear people down, you willingly listen to me vent about my problems to you. Whereas Chris would likely snort and fall back asleep, you've come outside to experience the sunrise on vacation with me and Emily. I realize that it was mostly your idea to come out here, but I'm so glad that you dragged me and Emily out here, because it was gorgeous. Whereas Chris would cheat on me, his girlfriend of 2 years, with some bitch, you've stayed with Becca for 8 years, through some of the most difficult hardships of your lives, like college, studying abroad, and a pandemic."

Hoo boy, that was a lot to unpack there. I started processing it all, but she started talking again.

"I know you would never abandon Becca, and honestly, I'm jealous of that kind of relationship. I don't want to come off as a bad person, or greedy, or whatever, but I can't wish that it was me there instead of her."

Both of us sat in silence after she made that statement for a few seconds. It wasn't that long, but it felt like an eternity before she said something else.

"I'm sorry, I never should've sai-"

"No," I interjected. "Thank you for confiding in me with your biggest secret. You know what? Because you've done that, I'm going to try to make this work out."

"W-what?" she asked, surprised and jumping out of your arm. "No, you don't have to try to make it work out, I was just telling you how I felt."

"I know, you told me how you felt. And, I'm goin go try to help fix your problems."

"Why?" she asked, after mulling it over for a second. "Why help me? It could potentially jeopardize your relationship with Becca! Things couldn't work out between the two of us and it could go back to where it was before, except worse!"

"Here's the thing, Mary," I began, turning to face her. "I can talk to Becca, and I can get her to come around to the idea. I'm 99% sure she won't reject it, but it might take her a while to embrace it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know her, and she isn't the type of person to turn down that sort of offer. Yes, she can get jealous of other people, but it's not like she's going to deny that sort of thing."

"So what you're saying is...now we're a couple?"

"Not necessarily," I cautioned. "It's not like we can just flip a magic switch. You might be okay with the idea, and I might be okay with the idea, and eventually Becca might be okay with the idea, but it's not right at this moment."

"Well, that's better than nothing!" she said, smiling like I'd never seen before.

"Just don't go telling everyone about this," I added, and then I saw Emily running down the pier.

Author's Note: I typically don't like putting these in here, but I want to know y'all's thoughts on this lead-in, of sorts. I'm not good at writing these sorts of inciting events, so I wanted your opinions. What did I do well? More importantly, what did I do not too well, and how can I fix it in the future? If this chapter was terrible, I hope that doesn't turn you off from reading the rest of this story as it comes out.