18. Modding for Love’s Add-Ons
Loungingin Spencer and Emily’s guest bedroom, I sprawled out with a self-satisfied smirk. The echoes of last night’s triumph with Rachel still hummed warmly in my memory. That kiss? Fireworks. And then, cleverly keeping the game alive, I messaged Huntra this morning. My approach was nothing short of masterful—simultaneously courting Rachel and her mysterious alter ego, Huntra. After all, who could navigate the complexities of her dual existence better than me?
My plan was a stroke of genius, perfectly executed. It was all about the slow burn, leading her step by careful step towards the grand revelation. And once the truth was out in the open? We’d be set for a lifetime filled with love, kids, and all the laughter we could handle. I could almost see it: our own romantic comedy, where I, the bold and charming hero, finally convinced the elusive beauty with a secret identity that forever was meant for us.
Visions of cozy mornings and impromptu weekend escapes played through my mind, a future as bright as a blockbuster finale, when a sharp knock cut through my daydreams. Without waiting for an invitation, the door flew open, and there stood Emily, looking like a thundercloud in human form, her presence slicing through my reverie with the precision of a storm.
Emily burst into the room, her fiery temper fully ignited, her expression one of barely controlled fury. “Are you stupid?” she snapped, planting her hands on her hips and fixing me with a glare that could cut glass.
I reclined casually, a smirk playing at the corner of my mouth. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked, maintaining a cool demeanor despite the heat in her tone.
“You kissed Rachel last night,” she accused, stepping closer with each charged word.
“Yeah, I did,” I responded with a nod, my voice steady and confident. “And it was incredible. It was a moment you feel right down to your bones, Emily. When we kissed, it wasn’t just good, it was right—like everything else just faded away. It was intense, you know? The kind of kiss that makes you forget where you are, that makes everything else seem trivial. It felt like we were the only two people in the world.”
“Really? Best kiss ever? Incredible?” Her anger didn’t wane; if anything, it seemed to build.
“Are you here to give me a best friend’s warning? Don’t worry, I’m not the bad guy here.”
Her response was swift and physical, a firm shove against my chest. “Ouch,” I protested, more in surprise than pain.
Emily’s frustration boiled over as she glared at me, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. “I should have done that last night!” she exploded, referring to her previous impulse to shove me. “Why are you messaging Huntra all flirty when you’re supposed to be all in with Rachel, huh? Are you just leading her on?”
I straightened up, affecting a look of innocent confusion. “How exactly did you know I flirted with Huntra, Emily?” I countered, watching her closely.
She paused, momentarily thrown off by my question. “I… I just do, okay?” she stumbled, clearly not prepared to divulge her source.
“It’s almost like you got this info from an insider,” I teased, leaning forward slightly. “But it’s not like you know Huntra. Unless… Rachel told you?” I added, a mischievous twinkle in my eye.
Her eyes narrowed, slicing through the casual air I’d set up. “What are you implying, Everett?” she pressed, her voice sharp.
I shrugged, playing dumb. “I’m not implying anything. I’m just curious about how much you seem to know.”
She threw her hands up in exasperation. “You’re impossible! Regardless of how I got my information, that’s not the point! You’re playing games with both of them, and it’s not fair.”
I raised my eyebrows, feigning surprise. “Playing games? I don’t know what you mean.”
“Cut the crap, Everett!” Emily interrupted, clearly losing her patience. “You know what you’re doing. It’s manipulative and cruel. Rachel deserves better than this.”
Her accusation hung in the air, heavy and condemning. I hesitated, my facade cracking slightly. “And if I said I knew why you’re so fired up, what would you say?”
She took a deep breath, eyes flitting away before locking back on mine. “I’d say you’re deflecting. Stop changing the subject and admit what you’re doing is wrong. You can’t lead Rachel on while you’re in love with someone else. It’s wrong.”
I assessed her, then laid my cards on the table. “Alright, Emily. What if I said I know why you know what I said to Huntra?”
She paused, her expression tightening. “What do you think you know, Everett?”
I smirked slightly. “I think you know Rachel is Huntra.”
Her face blanched for a moment before she retrieved her composure and snapped, “Fine! Rachel is Huntra. There, I said it. Happy now?”
Her confession hit like a wave, but I kept my expression carefully neutral. “So you knew. Why keep it from me, Emily?”
“This isn’t about me! It’s about you playing with her feelings,” she retorted sharply. “You’re messing with both sides of her, and now she’s hurt and confused. Is that what you wanted?”
“I’m just showing her I care!”
She rubbed her temples. “Explain.”
Rubbing my shoulder where she shoved me a bit too enthusiastically, I tried to bring her into my line of thinking. “I’m just laying down a smorgasbord of affection here, showing I can juggle both sides of her. It’s all part of the charm offensive.”
“Are you an idiot?” Her voice spiked, disbelief and irritation crackling through the air. “Flirting with Huntra right after spilling your guts to Rachel? Now she’s going to think you’re playing her. It’s like you’re two-timing within a love triangle with only two people in it!”
“No, no, it’s strategic,” I insisted, the grin persisting despite the brewing storm. “I’m cultivating an atmosphere of appreciation for all her identities. It’s deep psychological stuff.”
She threw her hands up, exasperated. “Everett, sometimes I think you’re just five different kinds of charming disaster rolled into one. You think you’re being Mr. Casanova, weaving this grand romantic narrative, but you might just be crafting your own epic fail.” Emily’s eyes blazed with indignation, her voice sharp as she cut through my excuses.
“But Jo said?—”
“You’re taking advice from Jo?!” she interjected with a scornful laugh. “Seriously, Everett? She’s currently trying to sync meditation sessions with the Wi-Fi signal. You think that’s a reliable source for relationship tactics?”
I tried to assert my strategy. “I’m showing her I love both sides of her personality!” I insisted, believing in the soundness of my plan.
She scoffed, her anger not abating. “You are more naive than I thought.”
“Emily, let me just?—”
She didn’t let me get a word in edgewise. “No, you listen! I’ve seen Rachel struggle, trying to balance who she is with who people want her to be. And I’m not about to watch you play mind games with her emotions because you think it’s some grand romantic gesture. She’s my friend, Everett. And yeah, she’s fallen pretty hard for you—both as Rachel and as Huntra. But what you pulled today? You’re just confusing her more.”
“But I thought—” I tried again, my frustration mounting.
“What? That playing both sides would make you some kind of hero in her eyes? This isn’t a video game, Everett. It’s real life. And your ‘strategy’ is playing with her feelings. It’s cruel. She’s now wrestling with thinking she’s just the runner-up, some second choice while you chase after Huntra.”
Emily stepped closer, her voice dropping to a forceful whisper. “This isn’t just some clever plot twist you can script. These are her feelings, her real, actual life. You need to step up and be honest with her, or you might just lose her for good. And honestly, right now, I wouldn’t blame her for walking away.”
Her words finally sank in, the weight of them pinning me to my spot on the bed. She was right. In my convoluted attempt to be the hero of both worlds, I might have risked the trust Rachel had placed in me. What was supposed to be a grand gesture of understanding and affection was now looming as a potential catastrophe.
Emily took a deep breath, her anger simmering down a bit as she looked at me, almost pleadingly. “Everett, you need to fix this. And fast. Rachel deserves better. Man up and tell her you know.”
“But she doesn’t want me to know,” I said, my shoulders slumping. “She’s not ready. She thinks I don’t like Rachel.”
“Then like Rachel, Everett. Stop flirting with Huntra.”
Emily turned to head for the door before whipping around with a flair that could rival any daytime drama queen. “And just so we’re crystal clear, I didn’t spill the beans because of girl code, Everett. Girl code is sacred—it’s like the sisterhood of the traveling secrets or something. I take that stuff super seriously,” she declared, jabbing the air for emphasis.
With a sassy flip of her hair, she added, “And no, I don’t regret keeping you in the dark. Clearly, you’ve got about as much subtlety as a sledgehammer at a glassblowing class. So, yeah, no apologies from me. Figure it out.”
The room was silent for a moment, her last words echoing off the walls, mingling with the hum of the city outside. As she turned to leave, she paused at the door, looking back at me. “Just think about what you’re really trying to achieve here, Everett. And for heaven’s sake, think about Rachel, not just how this all plays out in your head.”
With that, she left, leaving me to stew in a mix of deflated pride and a newfound resolve to set things right. Emily was right—I had to make amends, not just for Rachel’s sake, but for the future I still hoped to build with her. One where there were no masks, no games—just us, as real and flawed and hopeful as anyone else.