You can't hide your lyin' eyes, and your smile is a thin disguise

Nick walked Dakota to the door. She looked so perfect standing there in the entryway, like a scene from his past. How many times had he seen her leave his house in the morning back when they were kids? Hugging him before heading back home.

“This was perfect,” she murmured, gazing deep into his eyes. “The perfect evening.”

“I thought so too.” Nick smiled back at her and pulled her in close, pressing his lips against hers. They shared a tender kiss together for a moment before separating. “I’ve been waiting forever to do that,” he whispered.

Dakota gave him a sad smile.

“It’s not going to be as easy as it used to be,” she said, shaking her head. “We can’t just be ‘together since birth’ anymore, and you know it. Not just the two of us. The others… they all care about you, too. And I can see it, you love them.”

She looked like she was about to cry.

“Dakota, that doesn’t mean…” Nick reached up to wipe away her tears but she stopped his hand.

“I’m going to be fine with it,” she said. “I want this. For you. I want you to be happy, and no matter how much you love me, it won’t ever be enough. Because you love all of them, too. And I’m okay with that. I will be okay with that. So don’t feel guilty. Don’t feel sad. And remember, if you ever need me for anything, I’ll be there to help you. Because seeing you happy is the only thing I’ve ever wanted.”

She leaned in and kissed him again, this time on the cheek. Then she turned and walked into the entry hall, where Holly was patiently waiting. Dakota gave her a sharp nod and the diminutive **** girl sprung through the doorway, throwing herself at Nick’s feet.

“Master! I’m finally back! It’s so good to see you, it’s been forever!” She gushed. “Did you enjoy your night with Mistress Dakota?! …Do you need breakfast? Let me prepare something for you! Or how about a shower? I’ll be happy to scrub you down if you wish! Or…”

Dakota watched from the elevator as Holly fawned over her master. Her eyes grew even mistier as the doors slowly closed.

Then, when they shut for good, the sadness washed off her face like mud in a rainstorm. An icy coldness returned to her expression and she stared dead-eyed at the door.

“Have a pleasant night, my girl?” Sylvia popped into existence right beside her with a smirk on her face.

“A perfect one,” Dakota stated.

“I must say, that was quite a performance for you. Those tears, talking about how you would be ‘okay’ with him seeing other girls? You tugged right at my heartstrings!” Sylvia placed her hand over her chest and feigned a swoon. Dakota didn’t even look her way.

“You don’t have a heart,” she coldly replied.

Sylvia winced. “You could be nicer to me, you know. I’m giving you what you want! I’m making Nick a harem of his dreams! Isn’t that what you were just trying to push him towards!? You should be thrilled!”

Dakota snorted. “You’re just doing your job. You don’t care about Nick’s happiness. Not really. And that’s fine, so long as he ends up with the harem he deserves, I don’t really care what you’re scheming.”

She stormed out of the elevator, leaving a stunned Sylvia behind. The blonde sniffled and fought back tears.

“Yes I do…”

Dani woke up with a pounding headache. She vowed to never get that drunk again.

“Ugh… that partying bitch…” She practically had to roll herself out of bed just to get off. She felt woozy and weak, which was something she wasn’t used to feeling.

“Who? Gina?”

And then Carly’s voice brought her back from all of that.

“O-Oh… Carly…” Dani was at a loss for words when she saw her roommate. Carly’s cosplay was impeccable as always, but it took a second for Dani to realize what character she was dressed as today, because she looked so… normal. She wore a white t-shirt and a long yellow skirt with large buttons up the side, the kind of outfit any woman would wear. It was her hair that really gave her away; it was silver and long, and tied up in an unbraided side plait like a stereotypical anime housewife and mother- which Tsuki Uzaki was.

“…Damn.” That was all Dani could say.

“Oh, this? I’ve definitely got the body for it,” Carly grinned, shaking her chest a little. “You like?”

“Uh…” Obviously the answer was yes. But Dani was a little too off-guard from last night to properly say anything. She could only swallow and nod.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Carly snickered. Dani was just relieved she was in such a good mood. When was the last time she saw Carly this happy? It had been a while.

“I’m glad you’re doing better,” Dani belted out, even though it was the absolute worst time to do so. “Um, I mean, compared to the other night…”

Carly’s smile shook for a second but she muddled through. “Well, of course,” she replied. “I’m doing just fine. Don’t worry about me! It just took a while to get back on my feet is all.”

Somehow Dani doubted it was that simple. But she kept her mouth shut regardless, not wanting to make things worse.

“So what about you then?” Carly asked.

Dani blinked. “Huh? Me?”

She shrugged. “It’s your night tonight, right? With Nick? When it was Kim’s night, she asked me for advice, so I was wondering if maybe you, well… I don’t know…”

Dani resisted the urge to burst out laughing. “…No thanks,” she snickered, shaking her head. “Believe me, I’m good. Trying to look sexy for Nick of all people? Carly… I’m a lesbian, remember?”

“I-I know,” Carly stammered. “But still. It helped her, didn’t it? Kim, I mean?”

“I mean, yeah, but Kim wants to go out with him,” she reminded her. “I don’t. Look, last night he got freaky with Dakota, so I just figured that tonight’s going to be chill. We’re going to spend time together and hang, playing video games or watching some movies, just like we did back when we were friends.” Dani shrugged. “It doesn’t have to be weird or anything.”

Carly actually seemed disappointed about that. “Well… yeah, I guess.”

Dani raised her eyebrow. “Is everything okay?”

“…Sure thing!” Carly nodded. “Everything’s fine! In fact, I was wondering if maybe we could go for a walk today? You know, just get out and be around nature for a while. We sort of explored this whole island during the challenge, but we didn’t have the time to really enjoy it, you know?”

“Are you serious?!” Dani’s eyes widened excitedly. She’d been trying to get Carly to come out of her room practically all day.

“Of course I am!” Carly nodded, holding up her camera. “We can get some great shots!”

Dani’s heart pounded in her chest. Carly really looked amazing.

“Would you check out this view?” Carly stood on a hill overlooking the crystal blue lagoon, snapping photos like crazy. “For all the crap this island gives us, it’s got some breathtaking shots!”

“Yeah, it really does,” Dani murmured. For once, Carly wasn’t the prettiest thing in her eyes. Seeing the way the morning sun reflected off the water was stirring her own creative spirit, and the soothing breeze was washing away all the murky feelings left over from last night’s drinking session.

“Hey, get a few with me, okay?” Carly passed the camera off to Dani, then went to go stand out by the lake. She struck a few poses as Dani’s finger pressed the button so fast she thought it would fall off. Carly just looked so beautiful like that, out there, it was like seeing a muse in human form.

That reminds me… when was the last time I…?

“So what did you think?” Dani was still lost in thought when Carly popped up in front of her, and she stumbled, nearly dropping the camera. But Carly took it from her hands just in time.

“Hmm… yeah, these are amazing! Wow!”

“So what are you going to do with them?” Dani asked curiously. “It’s not like you can post ‘em online or anything.”

“Nah, no need for that,” the other woman chortled. “I just wanted something to capture today. You know, for my own private collection.”

She turned and flashed Dani a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

“And I get to spend the day with you, and that’s pretty great, right?”

Dani swallowed and nodded. She wasn’t sure what Carly was alluding to, but the way she said that, it sounded really…

No, you’re just fooling yourself, she mentally chastised herself. This isn’t a date, Carly doesn’t like you that way, you’re just friends! And the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better!

“So about ready for lunch?” Carly held up her backpack. “I’m not the best cook in the world, but even I can throw together a few sandwiches. Come on, let’s eat out under that tree!”

A nice picnic lunch. This may not have been an actual date, but it was the closest Dani had ever come to being on one with another girl. They chatted about anime and games and all sorts of common interests while they ate, and for the first time in forever Dani felt like she didn’t have to worry about the show, or the bizarre transformations.

They kept walking, taking photos of other scenic sights. And the whole time through, Dani felt her mind in a sort of mental haze. She was thrilled to be here with Carly, she really was. But at the same time she felt a little lacking in comparison.

Carly’s enjoying herself so much, taking these photos. And while it’s great to spend so much time together, my own feelings are…

“Hey Dani, can I ask you something?” Carly lowered her camera and turned to the other woman.

“Yeah, what?” Dani asked. She’d been waiting for this. In spite of Carly’s good mood, Dani wasn’t just going to forget how miserable she’d been just a few nights ago. This trip had clearly been a pretext for a more intimate conversation, and one that she’d braced herself to hear.

“You said you were an artist, right? You used to draw? When was the last time you did?”

…That was certainly not the topic Dani had been expecting.

“M-My drawing? What?”

“Oh, sorry, I just… I know it might be private, but I was curious,” Carly stammered. She let out a sigh. “Look, it’s like this, see, a few days ago, Kim came to me asking for help.”

“I know, you mentioned that this morning,” Dani nodded.

“And while I can’t tell you everything we talked about, I do know that she’s looking for something to give her meaning in her life. I could pick up on that right away. She reminds me a lot of me, actually. Before I started cosplaying, my own life felt empty… and hollow.”

She stared pointedly at Dani, who was still confused.

“What does that have to do with me, though?” She asked.

“I guess I just… the way you were looking at the lake this morning… it was familiar. I’ve seen that look on my own face before,” Carly murmured, walking closer to Dani. “Did you want to draw it?”

Dani swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, but… it’s been years. Carly, I can’t…”

“Just do it,” Carly suggested. “It’s something that can help you pass the time. Something you’ll enjoy. And isn’t it better than just going around as my glorified photographer?” She chuckled, causing Dani to blush.

“Th-That’s not-! I like taking photos of you!” Dani protested.

“That’s sweet, really,” Carly admitted. “But come on. Dani… we all need stuff that gives us purpose, right? Something we can enjoy doing? Something meaningful?”

Her words sounded hollow. Like she was trying to justify something to herself. Dani could see they were a mask for something, but she didn’t know what.

“Carly, is everything-”

“Actually, just forget it,” Carly cut her off sharply, forcing a smile to her lips. “It’s been a long day, we should probably head back.”

And just like that, she didn’t say another word about drawing the whole way back to the hotel. They just talked about their hobbies again, and Carly expressed her excitement about coming out and doing another photo shoot with Dani sometime. It was like their earlier conversation never happened.

By the time they made it back to their room, it was almost time for Dani to head out for the night. Carly seemed antsy all of a sudden, and continually looking at Dani even while pretending to watch TV.

“Hey, um… you said, earlier… you said you were going to go up to the Master’s Suite to play games and hang out, right?” She asked.

“Yeah, and maybe watch some anime, why?” Dani asked.

“I-I was just wondering… is it okay if I come along?” Carly asked hopefully. Her eyes were gleaming with desperation.

Dani didn’t know what to say.

“Wait, what?”

“Come on, it’ll be fun. I missed out on that movie get-together, remember? This could make up for that!” Carly’s voice was pleading now, and her eyes were wide. “Just the three of us, hanging out together.”

She took Dani’s hand, her eyes shining.

“Come on… please?”

“Carly… Nick and I, we made this plan the last night we were together,” Dani said, shaking her head. “Just the two of us, hanging out. It’s been really awkward since this whole harem thing started, and for the first time I’m not plagued by all those nightmares. It’s like we’re finally getting back to how we used to be, even though I don’t really know why I felt so awkward before…”

Dani’s thoughts brushed up against a strange wall in her mind and it gave her a headache. But she quickly shook her head. “Look, just… not tonight, okay? Maybe next time. But tonight is just for Nick and I.”

Carly looked at Dani like the other woman had smacked her across the face.

“Please,” she begged, a little more insistently. “Please let me come.”

For the first time, the uncomfortable feeling in Dani’s gut wasn’t from her crush on Carly. The other woman was behaving strangely. She looked honestly terrified.

“Carly, is everything okay?” Dani asked. She was starting to worry about her friend now. “Is this about…”

“Don’t make me spend the night with her,” Carly whispered. She trembled, and then shook her head. “Please! Just take me with you!”

So it is about Mimi.

Carly had refused to tell Dani any specifics, but it was obvious to everyone by now that she had a serious issue when it came to the slime girl. And Mimi had made it clear how she felt about the matter.

“…I spoke with Mimi last night, you know,” Dani muttered. “She said she thought that you hated her. I told her that was crazy, because you’re such a great person, there’s no way you could hate someone. But you do, don’t you? You’re that **** to keep away from her?”

“I-I don’t hate her!” Carly protested, shaking her head frantically. “But that girl…” She looked like she wanted to say more, but she restrained herself.

That wasn’t good enough for Dani.

“Carly, just talk to me,” Dani pleaded. “Tell me what’s the matter! What’s going on between you and Mimi? Maybe if you told me, I could help!”

“No, I can’t!” Carly exclaimed. “It doesn’t matter! Just… just don’t make me spend the night with her! I can’t take it!”

She wasn’t making any sense. She didn’t hate Mimi, but the thought of spending the night with her made her react like this?

“Carly, if you’re scared of her, I promise, she’s not like that anymore. She won’t try to absorb you or anything ever again.” Dani wanted to help her friend, but she also didn’t like how Carly was trying to run away from the situation. Dani never backed down from something like this; and knowing how much Carly’s rejection was hurting Mimi made her even more insistent.

“Please, Dani…” Carly muttered weakly, hanging her head.

“Carly, I’m not taking you with me.” As much as it broke Dani’s heart, she needed to put her foot down. This problem had been bothering her roommate long enough. “If you have an issue with Mimi, you need to resolve it yourself. Talk to her. Get to know her. Or just TELL her why you don’t like her, I don’t know. But running away isn’t the answer.”

She bit her lip, feeling a stab of bitterness. “…It never is.”

Carly was silent for a long time. Her eyes looked devoid of light as she tossed a glassy stare towards the distance.

“…Well, what if we didn’t play games then?”

Dani blinked. “…What?”

Carly took a step closer and pulled down the hem of her shirt slightly to show her cleavage.

“I’m not a fool, Dani. You’re subscribed to my LonelyFans. I’ve seen the way you look at me. It’s obvious that you want me.”

“Carly what the hell is this?” Dani stammered, staggering back and nearly falling over. She backed away until she hit the wall.

“It’s your fantasy, right? Come on. You and me, and Nick too, even. A three-way. I know you don’t like boys, but just think about it. We can all have some fun together, all night. Or even just me... I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.” Carly sounded so far away right now.

“N-No, no!” Dani pushed her back. Unable to control her own strength, she nearly knocked Carly all the way to the bed. The other woman stared at her in shock, finally snapping out of her haze.

“Wait, what? Dani…”

“I-I don’t want that,” Dani stammered. Her heart may have been pounding because, yes, part of her DID want what Carly was offering, but she could keep that part of her in check. “Carly, something like that… you don’t even want it, you’re just trying to offer your body up to me as a bribe! And I don’t want anything to do with that!”

“Come on, it’s just sex!” Carly pleaded. “Just a night of passion with the three of us in the Master’s Suite, it wouldn’t mean anything!”

“Well, it would mean something to me!” Dani exclaimed.

Carly took a step back, her mouth morphing into an “O”.

“It would mean something to me…” Dani repeated, starting to tear up. She turned and fled the bedroom

“Dani, Dani, wait-!” Carly chased after her. “Dani, I’m sorry! I wasn’t thinking straight! Dani!”

But she was already gone.

Carly fell to her knees in the hallway and started to cry. She held her shoulders and rocked back and forth, sobbing.

“I’m sorry…”