But only if the other girls agree.
That... might prove difficult. Especially since one of those girls was Saya Takagi. He didn't even want to imagine how the rest of this would unfold, but for now, he could breathe. He was taking a step towards a resolution, rather than away from the problem, and that, he could live with.
"You're fucking amazing. I don't know how I'll repay you for putting up with me." Tysone murmured.
He pulled her in, embracing her gently.
She giggled. "Maybe I should add some extra terms to our deal? Like a lifetime of foot rubs or something."
He snorted. "I'd give you a lifetime of anything you want."
She blushed, and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"You're a pervert..." She sighed. "And I'm a pervert too for liking a pervert..."
Tysone chuckled. "We're all a bunch of dumb perverts, ain't we? So what are you going to do about it?"
"I'll be your girlfriend. Your dumb, perverted girlfriend." Mai murmured, closing her eyes. "Granted that this whole 'sharing' thing pans out. I don't want to make you choose." She'd be too scared of the answer; if there'd be any. "You're a lot of work, you know that?"
"I do, I'm an ass." He smirked. "Your ass."
She wrinkled her nose. "Idiot."
…
Saya's mind was a mess. Thoughts were jumbled, memories and emotions tangled up in an incoherent mess that refused to make sense. She was pacing in her room like a caged animal, the events of the day playing on a loop in her head. She kissed Tysone. She had wanted it, and it had been incredible. And yet, the aftertaste was bittersweet.
She hadn't seen him since then, halfway expecting him to come by and confront her about it, but he didn't, and a part of her felt relieved while the other felt... anxious, disappointed even. Maybe she had gone too far, pushed him away with her impulsiveness, and now he was avoiding her.
"Idiot." She muttered to herself. How could she be so stupid, so careless, to think that a simple, stolen kiss would make things alright?
There was a knock at the door that startled her out of her spiraling thoughts, but it was the voice that came through the door that truly shook her.
"It's me." His voice, a little muffled by the door, sent a shiver down her spine. He was here. Finally, here to confront her. She couldn't hide, not anymore. Not from him, not from this.
Shit.
Should she sound a little upset?
He did come a bit late, right?
Screw that, he came at the perfect time.
Saya rushed towards the door and opened it.
"What?" She said, pretending to be upset.
Arms crossed. Her gaze unwavering.
"Nice to see you, too." He responded with a smirk, as if he knew something she didn't.
Saya narrowed her eyes suspiciously, her arms crossed, trying her best to look uninterested, even though her heart was pounding in her chest.
She had been waiting for him, wanting to see him, to talk, to figure out what the hell was going on between them. But of course, she couldn't let him know that. He was arrogant enough as it was.
"Okay, let's talk then." Saya replied nonchalantly.
"Okay. Let's go to your bed."
"W-Why there?"
"It's more comfortable than standing around." He reasoned.
"Fine." Saya huffed and marched over to the bed. "But no funny business." She added sternly, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks.
He chuckled, sitting down on the edge of her bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. "I didn't realize you were the funny business type."
"Shut up. Just... tell me what you wanted to talk about." She said, trying to regain control of the situation, trying not to think too much about how close they were, how easy it would be to reach out and...
"I want to apologize." He stated.
"Apologize? What for?" Saya raised an eyebrow, her defenses up. She couldn't believe that Tysone was apologizing, and for what? She was the one who initiated the kiss, who crossed the line. She was the one who should apologize.
"For leaving things off so weirdly earlier today." He sighed.
She softened a bit. "Well, it was my fault for... you know..." Her face grew red again, remembering how it felt to press her lips against his. "I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what came over me." She muttered, avoiding his gaze.
Had she seen the wrong signs? She thought that Tysone was, at the very least, a little attracted to her. She knew she was beautiful, but so were Mai, Shizuka, Saeko, Marin and literally every other woman that was inside this place.
"Forget about it."
She ended up saying.
"It's okay." She insisted. "We're okay. We don't have to talk about it." Saya continued. "It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. Let's move on and forget it ever happened." She wanted to sound casual, dismissive even, but the way her voice quivered gave her away.
"Saya..."
"It's fine, Tysone."
"You're an idiot."
"..."
She glared at him. "Excuse me?!"
Tysone looked at her. "I don't want to forget about it. In fact, that was something I'd low key wanted for a long time."
Saya was shocked by his confession. "W-Wait... what, really?"
"Yes. And, look, I know I have a reputation, and it's probably not the best." Tysone admitted. "I'm a pervert, but you knew that already. But, that doesn't mean I can't have genuine feelings for someone. You know? Truth is, I like you. A lot. But not only you—that's the thing. I want you, but I want others too. You get what I'm sayin'?"
She nodded, speechless for once. Tysone had always been honest with her, brutally honest at times. But to hear him confess to liking her, and then to add that he wanted others too... that was unexpected. It made her feel both special and insignificant at the same time.
"And...?" He prompted.
"Shut up." Saya grunted, her heart still beating fast in her chest. "Arrrghhh! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, then another, and another, until she was breathless from her outburst.
"What the fuck!?"
Tysone managed to deflect the pillows, a bemused expression on his face.
"You're a fucking asshole, Tysone!" She exclaimed. "You can't just spring that on me and expect me to...to..."
"To what, Saya?"
He leaned in closer, a smirk tugging at his lips.
She huffed, her face flushed. "To make a decision just like that! What am I, some sort of...of..."
"Sexy genius?" Tysone offered.
She blushed furiously, her hands clenching into fists. "No, you jerk! I'm not just some... some... option for you to pick from a menu!"
He raised his hands defensively. "Woah, okay, I get it. I didn't mean to upset you, Saya." His voice softened, sincerity in his gaze. "Look, I just want to be honest with you, okay? I like you, a lot, but I can't deny that I have feelings for others, too. And I know that's not fair to you, or anyone, for that matter."
Saya looked away, her cheeks still warm. She wanted to believe him, but it was all too confusing. How could he be honest about liking multiple people? It was... unorthodox, to say the least. She felt like she was part of some crazy dating show.
"Who?"
She sighed, holding her face with both hands?
"What?" He almost couldn't hear her.
"Who are the others?"
Tysone blinked for a moment. "Mai... Shizuka-sensei... and, hm, probably Saeko too?"
"What do you mean probably Saeko too?!" Saya
"Look, she hasn't really made any overt moves or anything, but..." Tysone shrugged, his expression sheepish. "I'm not blind, you know? She looks at me sometimes in a way that... well, it's hard to miss."
"I know that already! I'm talking about what you mean by 'probably'!" She exclaimed.
He raised an eyebrow. "I mean, we've never talked about it, and I've only ever had one real conversation with her." He admitted. "I just figured it was kind of a vibe I got, you know?"
Saya sighed heavily. "You're such an idiot. And I'm an even bigger idiot for..." She stopped herself, her cheeks reddening.
"For...?" Tysone prompted, a knowing grin on his face.
"For nothing! Just... forget it." Saya grumbled, looking away.
Tysone couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, which earned him a scathing glare from the petite girl. "You know, Mai said she'd be cool with it as long as the rest agreed. Shizuka-sensei's pretty down too. But if you're not okay with it, well..." He trailed off, leaving the unspoken question hanging in the air.
Saya's heart was racing. It was all so absurd, and yet, here she was, actually considering it. Tysone's words kept echoing in her head. Mai was okay with it, as well as Shizuka, but what about her? Could she do it?
"Are you serious?" Saya asked. "This is insane! You want me to share you with three other women! Four, including me!
"This isn't the world we used to know. I don't see why we should be confined by the same rules and standards." Tysone shrugged. "Besides, you're a smart girl, Saya. You understand that, right? What is so bad about having a group relationship? You don't lose out, in fact, I think it could work. It can't be that hard to share a guy, especially one who's willing to treat you right."
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.