Explanation for Heids

“I still can’t believe you dropped that info to her in the middle of the gym.” Vi says, trying (not that hard) to hold in her laugh.

“I just… I don’t know! Sai said to drop it asap, so I did!”

Vi snickers. “You listened to Sai?” She grins at him, unbuckling her seat belt as the car shifts into park. “He’s a dumb ass! All brawn no brain! Ari does all the work!”

“Well… I know that now.” Erik grumbles, leaning forward on the steering wheel. “He told me after the fact!”

She chuckles, leaning over and lightly biting his shoulder through his shirt playfully.

“Heidi.” Erik says awkwardly, his hand entwined with Vi’s. “This is Vi…”

“Hi! We’ve met, remember?” Vi says, holding out her hand, glancing at Erik.

“Oh… Right. I forgor.” Erik says awkwardly.

Heidi neglected to acknowledge that this meeting would involve having to properly meet and speak to Erik’s girlfriend…. His really hot girlfriend.

“Uhhh. Hi,” She says, almost as awkwardly as Erik did.

They sit down in the restaurant booth. Vi and Erik on one side, Heidi on the other, her hands on her thighs, her thumbs fidgeting. She really didn’t consider how awkward and intense this would be. She wants to be the one who asks the question, she wants to be the one who starts the conversation, she wants to take charge against Erik, convinced that he lied.

But… That being said… She’s utterly confused why he’s followed through with this… Why did he actually bring her… Unless it’s true… But that would be crazy, right?

“Uhm… So… The other day.” Heidi starts, her face the same shade as a ripe tomato. “Erik told me…”

Vi tilts her head.

“That you and he have an open relationship?”

Vi blinks slowly, she slowly shakes her head. “No? Why did he say that?”

Heidi looks up wide-eyed; Erik rolls his eyes and grabs Vi’s arm gently. “Dude!”

“Erik!” Heidi interrupts. “He said he wants to hook up with me!”

“I didn’t say it like that…” Erik protests, shaking his head. “Wait, that’s not the point!”

Vi is truly a phenomenal actor, tears welling in her eyes, her hands shake as she turns to face Erik. “You said you wanted to introduce me to a friend! How could you! What is this sickness?!”

Heidi is mortified, Vi’s voice getting louder, some heads start to turn, Heidi’s mouth is covered by her hands.

Erik sucks in his cheek, giving Vi a judgemental look. “Seriously?”

Vi blinks rapidly, she breathes dramatically wiping at her eyes. “Seriously, what? You tried to lie to this girl to sleep with her? Am I not good enough for you!?”

Erik glances at Heidi, he shakes his head and gestures at her, willing Vi to drop this. “Dude!”

Vi turns and it’s her turn to look horrified, she quickly wipes her eyes and reaches across the table to grab Heidi’s hands. “Wait, wait! I’m sorry! Don’t cry! Sorry!! I was messing with Erik!”

Heidi blinks tensely, the red in her face bright. “What?”

Vi squeezes her hands and nods. “I’m sorry! I was messing with Erik! Not you! I’m so sorry! I was pretending to mess with him!”

“Pretending?” Heidi asks, her fingers cold, her bottom lip quivering.

Vi smiles apologetically. “Yes, I’m sorry.”

Erik shakes her head. “Babe, I told you to take it seriously….”

Vi looks over at Erik pouting. “Sorry… Sorry… Ari has really rubbed off on me.” She looks back at Heidi. “We are in an open — kinda — sharing type relationship.” She squeezes the blonde's hand.

“You are? Like… He was serious?” Heidi asks, glancing across the freaky couple.

Vi nods. “Yes. Genuinely. At least during college, we’re being open and having fun, but with rules.” She tilts her head. “I’m so sorry again.”

Heidi nods slowly, politely pulling her hands out of Vi’s. “Wow… That’s…”

“Fun? Crazy? Insane?” Vi offers politely, Erik happy to sit back and observe, not everything needs a reaction.

“I guess,” Heidi says softly, twiddling with her shirt. “I didn’t think… those types of relationships were real…”

Vi laughs. “Honestly, it’s a lot more common than you think.” She nudges Erik. “But we do it best, don’t we?” She directs it at Erik.

He rolls his eyes but nods in affirmation. “We communicate really well, nothing is kept from each other.”

Heidi looks at Erik, then back to Vi. “So… he told you about the gym?”

Vi laughs and nods. “Yes, Don’t worry, I’ve told him off for how awkward and badly he did it.”

“That he did,” Heidi says, a light chuckle escaping from her mouth.

“You are the first girl he’s been interested in individually.” Vi says, way too casually, causing the poor receptionist’s face to blush even more fiercely. “He’s a hot guy, obviously. So I’ve been confused about what’s taken him so long.”

Vi waves her hands up. “But I digress. I get this is a lot, and as much as I want to see Erik have his fun, if you’re interested I want you to come to that conclusion on your own.”

Heidi looks up from the table, the hole she burnt into it with her gaze leaving a small metaphorical trail of smoke. “Wait, you want to see it? See it happen?”

Vi looks at Erik, momentarily ignoring Heidi. “Can I?”

“What?” Erik asks.

Vi nods. “More details?”

Erik nods. “Oh yeah.” he turns to face Heidi. “You deserve to know.”

Vi turns back to Heidi. “Well, a big part of why we’re open is because I really ‘get off’ on hearing about his escapades.” She turns and grins at him. “Not that he’s had many.” Erik rolls his eyes. “And… He loves hearing about me… And the fun I have.”

Heidi looks at Erik curiously. “Is that true?”

Erik nods.

Vi looks at Heidi. “So, any questions? One-time offer.” She winks teasingly.

“Whose idea was it?”

“Mine.” Erik admits.

“But I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it.” Vi interjects.

Heidi asks another question. “It’s just… sex?” Her voice drops in volume with the last word.

“Yep. Completely.” They answer in unison.

“If you wanted to end it, at the end of college or whatever? How does that work?”

Vi answers this one. “If we end it early, it only takes one of us.”

Heidi looks confused.

“Okay.”

She turns to Erik. “Babe, I don’t want to share and be open anymore.”

“Okay. We’re closed.” Erik responds.

Vi points at Erik. “Your turn.”

“Babe. I don’t want to be open anymore, can we close it off?”

“Of course. It’s done.”

The couple turn back to the bewildered Heidi, bowing their heads, celebrating the imaginary applause.

“That easy?” Heidi asks.

“That easy.” Erik says, giving her a small smile.

“Hmm…” Heidi thinks for a moment. “Let’s say… I am… interested… Can I kiss him?”

Vi replies. “No.”

Heidi tilts her head. “Can I ask why?”

Vi smiles and nods, explaining the rules of their relationship, no kissing others, complete honesty, etc.

“Okay,” Heidi says sucking on her lips. “I'm going to go…”

“Of course! Sorry again, about the start of all this.”

Heidi smiles at Vi, glancing at Erik she gives him a small nod and leaves them alone to chat.

“Having the woman around really makes it more believable, huh?”

Vi laughs, grabbing his arm and leaning on his arm, looking up at him. “Not necessarily, just you did it in the bottom 5 ways possible.”

“Yeah.” He says, leaning against the back of the booth.

“She’s definitely into you.”

She squeezes his arm. “If it gets too real you have to end it.”

“I know. I don’t think it will… If it happens at all. I think seeing us together would naturally, y’know, end a crush.”

“Heh, you think we’re that cute?”

“Girl, I know it.” He replies chuckling, kissing the crown of her head.

“Picking up another one of my bits I see.” She replies laughing, she looks across the restaurant. “How has a waitress not shown up to take our order yet?” She asks, noticing the distinct lack of service.

“Also.” Erik says, giving her a glare. “For someone who really wants me to start exploring too, you really thought making her cry was the best course of action?”

Vi looks sheepish…. “Yeah… Sorry about that… I didn’t think that through fully. I just thought it would be funny to mess with you… I’m sure it’ll work out though! She seemed not completly put off!”

Erik rolls his eyes in response.