Intermission - To work for it (Part 2).

There was something strange about the way Oliver looked back at Isabelle. He looked… surprised. Had her words gotten through? Isabelle fully expected him to brush her aside, but… Was he about to give her a chance?

Oliver removed his glasses and rubbed his face with both hands, groaning like something bothered him.

“Are the headaches still happening?” she asked softly.

“Sometimes,” he answered. He pursed his lips and looked at her, glasses still off.

Even Isabelle was mostly used to seeing him with glasses on, so when he stared at her without them it felt strange.

“I get the feeling you already know,” he said, shaking his head in resignation. “Somehow you always find out.”

Isabelle tensed up. “K-Know what?”

“Answer yes or no. Did you know I’m going out with Mila, Grace and Sarah at the same time?”

Isabelle felt a chill run down her entire body, a mix of conflicting emotions that nearly paralyzed her. Guilt over knowing, relief that it was by accident, joy that he’d admit it to her…

She answered with a knot in her throat. “...Yes.”

Oliver clicked his tongue and rubbed his eyes.

“I-It was by accident, I promise! You guys were…!” She shut her mouth immediately, before she could say more.

Oliver let out a long, drawn out sigh. His shoulders dropped, defeated. “How?”

“I… I came back home one day and… You were here with them. I heard you… talking.”

He winced. “I… see. I’m sorry.”

Isabelle smiled wryly. “It’s fine. Serves me right, huh?”

“No.”

Just… move on. “Does this have to do with why you’re so upset?”

“Where do I even start? We… We have something of an open relationship, but even that label falls short. I go out with the three of them, but they only go out with me.”

Isabelle’s heart skipped a beat. It was as she thought, but she didn’t comment and nodded for him to continue.

“It’s been great so far. It works for us. Somehow they’re okay with this weird arrangement.” He swallowed. “But a few days ago, they… Shit. They told me they would… like me to… go out with other girls, too.”

Isabelle’s eyebrows shot up and she almost staggered in place. That did NOT go where she was expecting. “W-Wait, ‘too’? As in… date them AND other girls?”

Oliver nodded, trying his hardest to keep a straight face through his blush. “They said they’d support it.”

What the hell!? Who agrees to let their boyfriend see other girls, let alone suggest it? What were these girls…!?

No. Stop and take a step back, Isabelle. Don’t just assume they are toying with Oliver. He might technically have less dating experience than her, but if that experience revealed anything, it was that Isabelle was certainly no authority in what made a relationship work. If this was how they wanted to do things, then it was what Isabelle would have to work with. And honestly, if she looked at it from another angle, it meant that her brother got three girls to agree to share him. That was equal parts scary and amazing.

She nodded. “Alright. And this troubles you because…?”

Oliver stopped for a moment, perhaps taken aback that she was being so accepting. Isabelle was only slightly less surprised, and it helped that she knew some of this already.

He groaned. “...This doesn’t get any easier. It’s troubling because… Because I like Alice and Noelle, too.”

…

…

…

…

“Alice and Noelle?”

He nodded.

“My friends?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… not as surprising as it should’ve been. Huh.”

“What does that mean?”

“That Noelle is a cutie and Alice is a babe. Makes sense.”

“I mean… Yes, but that’s not the only reason I like them.”

“Oh, of course. There’s plenty to love about them. Noelle is the sweetest and Alice is a badass.”

Oliver chuckled, and Isabelle was very willing to count that as a win for herself.

“That’s true.”

“Hmm. Okay, I think I see the issue. You like them and want to ask them out since your three girlfriends support it, but you won’t do it when they don’t know you’re already seeing other girls, and if you tell them, then that basically sets you up to be rejected. Did I get it or did I assume too much?”

Oliver chuckled weakly and smiled wryly. “You got it to the letter, pretty much. Except for one detail.”

“Which is?”

“Alice already knows. She’s been close friends with Mila, Grace and Sarah for years, and they told her about it the same day I asked them out.”

“Oh, that’s right. They would’ve told her already.” Isabelle nodded, adding that to her calculations. However… “W-Wait, so does that mean Alice…? Is she okay with this?”

Slowly, her brother nodded. “So long as we clear things up with Noelle first, yes.”

Isabelle’s jaw dropped.

It was one thing to know that three girls she knew in passing were sharing her brother, but another entirely to know Alice was okay with it. She knew Alice, and knew that girl was extremely… particular about her dating life. She basically rejected everyone who asked her out. And yet she said yes to sharing Oliver?

…

…

Her brother was the biggest chick magnet ever.

Isabelle had to take a moment to compose herself, get her bearings and think clearly.

“So… The real issue is Noelle, right?”

Oliver grimaced and gripped his knee tightly. “I happened to run into her while I was out. I was hoping to tell her I was seeing other girls, but… I couldn’t. I’m a fucking coward.”

That wouldn’t do. She couldn’t have her brother beating himself up like that. It was probably his worst habit. As much as he’d grown, that was still there, apparently.

“I mean, it’s a hard thing to bring up,” she told him. “And if I’m honest, bringing a girl to your room, one who’s obviously really into you, mind, only to tell her you’re seeing someone else… I’m actually glad you didn’t tell her.”

“You think so?”

“Totally. In fact… Why don’t you let me handle this?”

“What?”

“I’ll tell Noelle you’re seeing other girls. It might not make it hurt less, but at least she won’t associate the bad news to you. And I know her better than you do. I think I can soften the blow.”

“Seems like another coward move to me…”

“Oliver, there are times when it’s great to man up and do things yourself, but I don’t think this is one of those times. I’ll tell her that you only just admitted this to me, which is true, and since I noticed that she’s into you, I felt that I had to tell her. I… don’t know if I’ll be able to convince her to agree to your crazy proposal, but…”

“No, no. That’s… It would be a great help. Thanks.” Regardless, Oliver really looked like he didn’t like this one bit.

Isabelle racked her brain. Was there anything she could do, anything she could say to make it just the slightest bit more likely that Noelle would agree to go out with Oliver? Because that was the goal, it was what Oliver wanted. And if her brother wanted it, that was all that mattered.

Time to earn some trust back.

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