They Know

“What the shit, Robbie?”

The end of my work day had been a series of getting things organised so that I could leave, and receiving texts from the various women I was involved with as they found out that I’d had another panic attack and wanted to check on me. They’d ranged from the absolute sweetest, from Leia and Ami, to this phone call.

“I thought you were streaming this afternoon, Sugar,” I replied. “I didn’t want to distract you.”

“I am, and people noticed when I checked my phone and my face dropped as I skimmed the group chat. You could have fucking assured me you were OK at least,” she said. “You’re driving home now, right?”

“Just got in the truck,” I said. “Are you still streaming?”

“I put it on a break,” she said. “Seriously, Robbie-”

“I know, Becca, I know,” I said. “Today was a shitshow of communication all around, honestly. First Cass, and a little bit Cattie, and then me. I kind of got into a bad frame of mind after it happened and wanted to just take care of work before I tackled it. And that wasn’t fair to you or the others.”

She sighed and grunted. “To be fair, in a normal relationship waiting a couple of hours so you could leave work wouldn’t be that big a deal,” she sighed. “Since you wouldn’t have an entire group chat of girlfriends sharing news faster than you can. What, two weeks ago you could have had a bad day at work, waiting to get home and decompress by changing or taking a shower or something before telling Cassidy.”

“Have I mentioned today that I love the shit out of you and your brain?” I asked her.

“Is that because you were thinking the same thing?” she shot back.

“You know it,” I sighed. “Look, Becca, I am sorry. I need to keep this new stuff in mind when it comes to keeping the communication open. You deserve…”

“I deserve all of you, I know,” she said. “But I’m happy with sharing all of you instead. Honestly, it’s not fair of me to expect perfect communication right out of the gate. I know that. But I’m seeing problems and I can’t just… ugh.”

“Fix them?”

“Yes,” she grunted.

“What else is wrong?” I asked. “Have you heard from Wanda?”

“She’s the other big one right now, and I have. Brodi hasn’t shown up yet and his plane should have landed two hours ago.”

I grimaced. “OK. Could you keep me updated on that?”

“I will, but not until at least an hour after you have your therapy appointment,” Becca promised. “That shit is important and I’m not interrupting it.”

“Agreed,” I said. “Though I hate the idea of Wanda calling and me not answering.”

“Her stuff will take longer than a couple of hours, Robbie,” Becca said. “She’s ending a marriage, not just breaking up with her high school boyfriend on her porch. I wouldn’t expect her to call you until late if she started now.”

“That’s fair,” I grimaced.

“I also can’t fucking help Terra with anything either,” Becca grumbled. “Not from here at least. It’s a good thing Cass is flying out there or I’d be looking for cheap flights myself. God, we’re a fucked up little group, you know?”

“Becca, if we weren’t I don’t think we’d all work,” I chuckled grimly.

“Why? Because only insane people would get into this situation to begin with?” she laughed.

“Pretty much,” I sighed. “God, I want to just hold you right now.”

“The fact that I want you to hold me too is kinda insane to me still, remember,” she said, her tone warm. “Honestly, Robbie, going from my body getting the ick at the idea of just sitting brushing shoulders with someone to kind of craving you is… weird. Wonderful, but weird.”

I grimaced, knowing part of that was the touching and kissing App stuff that Cassidy had given me, and part of it was the still-questionably possible effects of the App being extra-spooky magical and preemptively acting on Becca before we’d even met. We didn’t know the extent of what the Affection Multiplier App could do.

“Well, I’m going to lean into the wonderful, if you don’t mind,” I told her. “But-”

“I know, I know,” she interrupted me. “You’ll still love me even if all our physical chemistry suddenly goes away.”

“Damn straight,” I said.

“OK, I need to take my stream off of its break or I’ll start losing viewers more than normal. Um - I know you may not want to share everything, or anything, from your therapy with me, especially not tonight, but could you at least let me know when you’re done and a thumbs up or down on the therapist?”

“I will,” I promised her. “Have a good stream.”

“Thanks, Tiger,” she said, then chuckled softly. “God, I better wipe this smile off my face or people will be wondering what the fuck is up with me. Love you.”

“Love you too,” I replied, and we hung up.

I groaned and put the truck in drive, not having even pulled out of my parking spot while we’d been talking, but I kept my foot on the brake and thumbed through my phone to open up another contact. I’d had calls with both Zenya and Becca that day, and a significant amount of texting with Terra, so I needed to make sure I put in some more time with one of my other girlfriends while I had it.

“Hey, Tiger,” Leia answered the phone. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly? A little raw still, Sunshine,” I sighed as I started manoeuvring out of the parking lot. “But I wanted to hear your voice, and it’s helping already.”

“Aww, Robbie,” Leia said, and I could almost feel her blushing through the phone. “Well, I’d love to talk and talk and talk with you, but I know you’re busy as fuck as soon as you get home, and I’m already running late to meet up with Ginnie - she’s got a date tonight and is freaking out.”

I snorted softly and smirked. “What does she have to freak out about? I’m sure she’ll knock the socks off of whoever it is.”

“Well, between you and me, Tiger, she’s in her head a bit after the end of the trip,” Leia said, lowering her voice. I knew she had roommates and assumed she was making sure she wouldn’t be overheard. “Hooking up with JC didn’t exactly scratch her itch fully, if you know what I mean, and she kinda figured out that Heels fucked you while she was doing that. The fact that you didn’t stuff her like a Thanksgiving turkey, and she hooked up with Heather and Sherry, is bugging the shit out of her.”

I was almost **** on my own spit, and Leia was trying not to laugh as well. Ginnie was a cute, tight little package of a woman, but there hadn’t been an emotional connection between us - and a big part of that, I had a feeling, was that she’d had a very early, failed hook-up on the trip with another tourist on the lake. Which was fucking insane considering I knew several of the other girls I’d ended up close with had ‘histories’ of their own and other complications. But it’s how it had shaken out.

“OK, well, tell Ginnie I say hi, and that she deserves a date who treats her right,” I said.

“I will,” Leia promised. Then she sighed. “You’re alone tomorrow night, right? Can we get our accounts hooked up and maybe get some games in?”

“That sounds amazing, Sunshine,” I said. “I’m putting in a bit of extra time tomorrow evening at work, but I should be available around eight?”

“Awesome,” she said. “OK, I really need to go. I, um… I love you, Robbie.”

I couldn’t help the giant smile on my lips. We’d held out longer saying it to each other, going on her comfortability timeline, and it had been a sweet moment the first time we’d confirmed what we’d been feeling.

“I love you too, Leia. Talk to you soon.”

She blew a kiss into the call and then hung up.

I was highly tempted to call Ami to round out everyone getting something substantial for the day - well, everyone but Wanda - but she was busy with her parents for the afternoon and she was still trying to figure out how to tell them she had a long-distance boyfriend. The rest of our weirdness wasn’t even being considered yet.

There was also the fact that I was already close to home, and if I hesitated getting out of the truck I might find myself stuck to my seat in general.

I needed to just get inside and get on with things. No pushing off the awkwardness.

I gulped.

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