[Edward POV]
My living room.
"What do you expect going to happen when you start dating two girls at once?" Amy asked.
My cousins came to the house after I called them to strategize about meeting my grandmother.
Amy had long since grown up from her childish image and became quite a charming figure in the entertainment industry.
Maggie had turned into a bit of a femma fatale and was the last Bond girl in the Daniel Craig franchise.
"I don't know. Never facing the ire from anyone, ever." I scoffed slightly.
Maggie smirked and said, "So how are you going to bribe us to be on your side?"
Amy interjected, fully excited, "Oh yeah. I want a mansion."
"I want a billion dollars."
I stared at the girls with disbelief. Then I got an idea.
"Rather than bribe, it'll be blackmail." I grinned mischievously.
Both of them were startled.
"Blackmail? You have nothing against us–"
I interjected as Amy was speaking.
"Your sex android. I'm sure grandma will be thrilled to hear you dating a clanker."
Amy gasped, looking offended.
I turned to Maggie and said, "Your art film. The 13 minute lesbian scenes… I'm sure Grandma will love to see it."
"Fine!" She crossed her arms and sulked, sinking herself into the couch.
Alex and Abby came from the bedroom. They changed into modest clothes, and Abby even wore a cross necklace.
Although, their voluptuous body was even more prominent with those tight-fitting clothes. It even turned me on a little bit.
"Eddy. Stop leering." Alex said with exasperation.
"Stop undressing us with your eyes." Abby held my head and said sulkily. "Wait till it's over and then do it for real."
"Ugh." Maggie and Amy groaned in disgust.
We flew to Wisconsin to meet up with Grandma. I tapped my feet on the airplane floor as I was incredibly nervous.
My mouth felt dry, and I really wanted to just go back home.
When we arrived at the ranch, my panther Ace came to greet me first.
The panther had grown tremendously, over twice the normal size of an ordinary panther.
With a half-moon white mark on its forehead, Ace had turned into a guardian beast with a few abilities.
Ace could use shadow transport, where he teleported between shadows. The beast could also detect bad intentions.
Ace already foiled a few attempts to sabotage the ranch and kidnap my grandmother.
"Good girl." I rubbed her face violently, which made the panther shake her head away.
"Feeling embarrassed are you?" I said teasingly.
Ace grunted rebelliously and nudged her head at the ranch– wanting me to get inside quick.
"Oh. Grandma already got you on her side huh?"
I could smell the brisket coming from her mouth.
Turning to Abby and Alex, I gulped my saliva and walked to the door with them.
"Grandma! I'm here!"
"Oh Eddy!" My grandma immediately rushed towards me. "My little Emperor of China, has finally graced me with his presence, bringing his concubines with him."
I smiled wryly and said, "So I should marry a thousand girls?"
"What?" Grandma squinted her eyes, slightly irked.
"That's what Chinese emperors do. Has lots and lots of concubines."
"You're speaking nonsense." She said dismissively before going to hug Alex.
"Hi. It's been a long time since I last saw you."
"It's been a while grandma." Alex smiled sincerely.
"Yes. A while. Even though you dated Ed for 4 years, you never came to visit this old lady."
Alex received the same treatment as I did. I snickered and pointed at her mockingly.
"And you. You have grown up so much." Grandma went to Abby next.
Abby grinned and said, "The last time I'm here is for a wedding. You still remember me?"
"Of course I do. Just because I'm old, doesn't mean I have a bad memory." Grandma said with a passive aggressive tone and clapped her hand suddenly.
"Let's have dinner!"
"It's lunch time." I quipped.
"Let's have a meal!" Grandma said without changing her smiling expression.
…
We ate in silence. The air felt chilly even though the temperature was pretty warm today.
The food felt like coarse sand. I was eating a cherry when Grandma suddenly asked, "So who will be the main wife and who's the mistress?"
Alex choked on her water and began coughing violently.
Abby's eyes lit up. She wore an amused expression as she said, "I'm fine with being the mistress."
"Abby!" Alex admonished her instantly.
"That will make you the wife." Grandma turned to Alex.
Alex was startled. "Um, yeah?"
"Good." Grandma smiled in satisfaction.
"Wait! I mean No! We haven't discussed anything yet." Alex said, frazzled.
"Grandma. We haven't talked about marriage yet. It's too soon." I interjected.
Grandma's eyes turned sharp. "So you decided to show everyone your choices, but you didn't even talk about it yet?"
"We'll talk when it's time to talk. We won't let anyone else dictate what we are supposed to do." I argued.
Even though she tried to hide it, I noticed my grandma nodding slightly when she heard my answer.
"Do the two of you share the same thoughts?" Grandma asked Abby and Alex.
"We'll cross the road when we get there." Abby replied.
Alex however, hesitated.
I turned and stared at her intently.
"Well." Alex inhaled sharply. "I'm only 20. I don't even want to think about getting married… but if I do… then I want to be the first wife."
Maggie grinned slightly and said, "So you love Eddy more than Abby does?"
Abby was offended. "That's not fair. I love Eddy too. I just don't believe in marriage, so I don't really care about being the first wife or not. Love is just a chemical reaction humans used to justify being trapped in shitty marriages, before they realized they dug the holes deeper by reproducing with their shitty mates."
"Sounds like you're saying Eddy is a shitty boyfriend." Grandma glared at me slightly.
I blinked in confusion and turned to Abby, wondering the same thing.
"No. I just saw too much… So I don't really believe in that sort of thing. Labels are useless anyway. People read the vows before marriage, but a lot of them didn't honor that vow. So I just want to be with the people I like, without putting any labels on them, ever." Abby replied, slightly wary of my reaction.
I nodded in understanding and said, "So. That's that."
Grandma sighed and said, "I don't really agree with what you're doing, Eddy. If I told you to break things off, or you can't call me grandma again, what would you do?"
"Grandma!" Maggie tried to speak, but Grandma put her finger on Maggie's lips to stop her. Grandma stared at me, expecting my answer.
"I mean…" I turned to the girls who were staring at me intently too.
"I guess. It's been a great journey, and I really wanted to find a way to make it all work…"
Abby and Alex sighed, looking defeated.
But I turned to my grandma and said, "So. I have to break up with you Grandma."
"You're cutting grandma off?" Amy was flabbergasted.
"Don't you even want to try to change her mind?" Maggie argued.
Abby and Alex looked touched. But at the same time, hurt because of my grandma's ultimatum.
I expected my grandma to be dejected, but she was smiling instead.
"Good. I guess that's the kind of determination you need to actually pull off this thing."
"Grandma?" Amy turned to Grandma Jules with a surprised expression.
Abby and Alex turned to her too, with an expectant glint in their eyes.
Grandma scoffed as she saw everyone's gazes. "Do you think I'm going to stop you from dating two girls?"
" You can date ten girls, and I won't bat an eye. Just give me babies and do it soon. I can't expect these two girls to give me my great grandchild, can I?"
She pointed at Maggie and Amy. Both of my cousins looked offended immediately.
"Excuse me?" Maggie tried to argue, but Amy stopped her.
"Calm down. She's trying to instigate us so we will get married too." Amy said calmly.
"Good catch." Grandma said playfully.
Even though she said that, I could sense her hesitation behind her decision.
It was hard for her to accept this, but she tried hard to do just that.
Since she's my grandma.
I let out a burst of mirth and asked for confirmation, "So you have no problem with this?"
"Nope." Grandma smiled in satisfaction. "And also, I'm quite hurt dear. You're really going to cut off your grandma from your life?" She began guilt-tripping me.
"Oh no." I mumbled, shuddering slightly at her innocent smile.
Abby and Alex grabbed my hands.
Abby muttered, "This is a great thing, isn't it Eddy?"
Alex blushed a bit and said, "I'm just messing around with the first wife thing. You don't have to take that seriously."
I could finally relax after going through the ordeal. The food began having a taste again.
…
Grandma slowly walked towards me while I was tending to the cows at the barn.
It has been a few hours since we got to Wisconsin. Grandma guilt-tripped me into staying the night. Amy and Maggie left since they still have work to do, but for me, my work right now was treated mostly as a hobby by Grandma.
"Eddy. You're working hard."
She handed me a hot chocolate and sat down on the hay. Then, she gestured to me to sit beside her.
I drank the chocolate and watched as Ace happily ran with the german shepherd dog grandma just got.
"Eddy." She called me softly. "You're in for a troubled time."
I sighed and said, "I know grandma. But I think I can fight the public opinion–"
"That's not what I'm saying." Grandma stopped me. "You really think dating two girls are just sunshine and rainbow, and threesomes?"
"Ugh." I groaned in disgust. "Grandma. I never want to hear you say the word threesomes again."
She laughed and said, "Then what am I supposed to say? You are the one who did it, so don't be embarrassed by it."
"I'm not embarrassed. I just don't want to hear you say it ever again. Grandma should not say that, ever."
"It's fine. I tried to ask Sam for a threesome once."
"GRANDMA!"
I was completely mortified.
Grandma just laughed and said, "I'm kidding. Geez."
"Great. Now that image is in my mind. I can't get it away." I shook my head with disbelief and annoyance.
"Back to my original point." She said calmly. "I'm sure you noticed it, but Alex and Abby have their own thoughts about the relationship."
I sighed and said, "Abby acted as if she didn't need the label, but I don't think that's true."
"So you care more about Abby than Alex?" Grandma asked.
I turned to her in confusion. "No. I'm just saying, you don't have to mind it."
"So Abby is the problem I have to be mindful for?" She asked again.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why are you mentally torturing me?" I asked with a bewildered expression.
She giggled and said, "That's the trap Eddy. And now, you're dating two, very intelligent, very sharp girls, and you're outnumbered. You won't be able to win an argument as much as you want anymore."
I grumbled and said, "So you're afraid they'll join forces and take me out?"
"Not really. You're smart too. That's what's so dangerous about this." She said seriously. "Because all of you are smart, you have certains egos… that will interfere with your relationship if you don't keep it in check."
I nodded slightly.
She sighed and added, "Jealousy is also another concern. If you treated one better than the other, she might begin to get jealous, thinking you're playing favorites."
"I won't do that."
"You can't read minds, Eddy." Grandma said seriously.
I inhaled slightly and said, "Well~"
"You can't." She said urgently. "Even if you can't, don't. The mind is a sacred space. You shouldn't violate it, even if you can."
"I'm not going to." I replied, slightly frazzled.
"Promise grandma."
"I promise."
Grandma made me realize the superficiality of my relationship with the two girls.
We just had fun with each other.
But until when can we do that?
Abby and Alex wanted different things. How long can I treat them as an equal?
"Ah, this is hurting my brain."
…
Abby, Alex, and I sat on a picnic mat, covering our legs with a fluffy blanket.
Ace laid down behind me, and I was using her as a backrest.
The fire crackled as the night deepened.
"The stars are crazy over here." Abby muttered, looking at the sky while drinking beer.
"They are crazy in California too, but you are cooped up inside your room so you never noticed it." Alex teased her.
"Ed. Sing something." Abby suddenly said.
"Alright." I agreed casually. "I need an instrument though. There's only a ukulele over here."
"That's fine. It's been a while since you sing something on the ukulele." Alex grinned.
I nodded and whistled slightly. The German shepard dog heard it and picked up the ukulele from the ranch porch and ran with it.
He brought the instrument for me. I gave him a jerky and patted his head.
"Good boy!"
"WOOF!""
I strummed the ukulele in a calming manner.
The girls leaned on me as I started to sing in a slow, relaxing tone.
[BoyWithUke– Migraine]
♫♪♫♪♫♪
"♫♪ I'm not a psycho, but I might go crazy, writing typos, they ask, "Why so shaky?", Missing my coat, all this pressure hitting my head ♫♪"
Alex and Abby's eyes lit up.
"Is this new?" Abby whispered.
"He's a vending machine, so yes." Alex replied.
"♫♪ I'm on a tightrope, can't hit the high notes Baby, I need Ibu-profen I know, that you'll take me back home, don't leave me alone, I need a friend ♫♪"
Abby realized I was singing about the pressure I was feeling. She anchored her chin on my shoulder and hugged me from behind.
"♫♪ I don't care what you think of me. I just want to be on top. I'm not – stressed that you've never heard of me You'll be listening non-stop ♫♪"
Alex nodded, "That's true."
"♫♪ Hop off the highway! I've been having migraines ♫♪"
"♫♪ I've been waiting for a while to have it my way ♫♪"
"♫♪ Oof, just a boy acting like a goof. I've got fifty-five voices saying I gotta do what they all say ♫♪"
"♫♪ Got me looking sideways. I don't wanna write a song about a heartbreak♫♪"
"♫♪ Oof, just a boy acting like a fool. Got a hundred things I'd rather do ♫♪"
I whistled as I played the ukulele.
After meeting my grandma, it felt like a boulder was lifted away from me.
"♫♪ I don't like when they try controlling me The thoughts I fight, they can get a little frightening But I don't mind, if it means I get to be free ♫♪"
Alex giggled slightly.
"♫♪ I speak my mind loud when I wanna be, up all night, I can tell, they're getting sick of me. But I don't mind, If it means I get to be me! ♫♪
I smiled and kissed Alex on the nose since she was nearby. Abby was jealous and she bit my shoulder slightly.
"♫♪ I don't care what you think of me. I just want to be on top, I'm not stressed that you've never heard of me, you'll be listening non-stop ♫♪"
Abby and Alex moved their body with the beat, dancing slowly.
"♫♪ Hop off the highway. I've been having migraines. I've been waiting for a while to have it my way. Oof, just a boy acting like a goof♫♪"
"♫♪ I've got fifty-five voices saying I gotta do what they all say ♫♪"
Alex and Abby glanced at each other.
"♫♪ Got me looking sideways. I don't wanna write a song about a heartbreak ♫♪"
They suddenly grinned since they realized the line was about them. How I didn't want to lose them just to satisfy the people I've never even met.
"♫♪ Oof, just a boy acting like a fool. Got a hundred things I'd rather do ♫♪"
I played calmly. Then, I stopped for a beat and sang quickly.
"♫♪ I just wanna run around, but what do I know? ♫♪"
"♫♪ Like I said before, I'm missing all these high notes. I just wanna
Live a little before I go. I don't wanna lie low. Yeah, I know the subliminal messages they're sending me on how to leave a legacy ♫♪"
"♫♪ It's harder when you're farther and they're never letting constantly and speaking over what you see. It's like they're coming after me. Can someone teach me how to breathe? ♫♪"
I chuckled slightly and so did the girls.
"♫♪ Tell me what I need. I don't care what you think of me. I just want to be on top. I'm not stressed that you've never heard of me. You'll be listening non-stop ♫♪"
"♫♪ Hop off the highway! I've been having migraines. I've been waiting for a while to have it my way. Oof, just a boy acting like a goof. I've got fifty-five voices saying ♫♪"
"♫♪ I gotta do what they all say. Got me looking sideways. I don't wanna write a song about a heartbreak. Oof, just a boy acting like a fool. Got a hundred things I'd rather do ♫♪."
The girls hugged me tightly as I finished strumming the guitar.
…
[General POV]
After Taylor revealed Edward's relationship to the public, she received overwhelming support, but only for a short time.
{Me❤️Edward: Who do you think she is? She completely intruded on his privacy.}
{LucyFanclubPrez: Taylor, why do you do that? Do you even talk with Edward before revealing it? It's not your place to tell.}
Taylor read the comments while biting her finger.
"Taylor really thought Edward would come crawling back 😭😭😭"
"Imagine fumbling Edward and watching him replace you with TWO women."
"He upgraded twice 💀"
"Taylor: 'I'm single.'
Edward: 'That's crazy. Anyway, these are my girlfriends.'"
Her thumb started to bleed from her excessive force.
"She announced she was single like Edward was supposed to come running 😭 my brother brought reinforcements instead."
Every comments sent her into a deeper spiral.
"Alex AND Abby??? Taylor lost so badly they had to invent a new category."
"Edward really said why replace her with one when I can replace her with two 😭"
"She's single. He's double."
"HE'S DOUBLE 😭😭😭 DELETE THIS."
"Edward didn't move on. Bro moved on TWICE."
"Taylor announcing she's single right before this dropped has to be one of the worst-timed announcements in celebrity history."
"The funniest part is Taylor being single while Edward looks happier than he has in YEARS."
"Sorry but have you SEEN Alex and Abby? Girl, it's over. Turn the stove off."
"Taylor's next album is going to need two discs."
She threw her phone to the wall. The screen cracked, but the comments were still coming in.
"Edward escaped and immediately discovered buy-one-get-one-free."
"Not her fans spending years saying Edward would regret losing her 😭 WHERE IS THE REGRET?"
"Imagine opening your phone and seeing your ex-boyfriend trending because he's dating two women who look like THAT."
"Taylor lost custody of Edward."
"Someone check on Taylor because I would simply move countries."
"AHHH!" Taylor yelled madly.
"NEWGATE!" She picked up her pillow and started to beat it up, imagining it was Edward.
(This is my last chapter in months. I haven't been writing this series since I got a major writer's block. I'm really sorry. I am still trying to write, but my efforts bear no results.)