AMA - The Divorcee: Day 12

When Chad calls an end to your workout, you look around and can't believe that everyone's already done with their workouts as well, and you're barely breathing heavy; something you decided to ask Chad about.

"Hey, thanks for helping me today." You tell him.

"No prob, bro. You shared your knowledge with me, so I shared mine right back. Courtney and I loved the place you suggested to have our date, even though they didn't have the French stuff I wanted to order so I could impress her." Chad tells you, and you can't help but have an awkward smile on your face at the memory of Viv threatening to kill you for sending Chad to her restaurant. That being said, she'd probably love to hear that Chad and Courtney loved her food.

"Thanks for not asking about what happened earlier either." You add, Chad having avoided asking about Viv and Becca's situation.

"Nah, bro. I'm just glad to see you're human." Chad answers you.

"Human?" You ask in confusion.

"Yeah, bro. Human, as in -- not perfect. Your relationship with your shorties seemed too good to be true from what I saw. Seeing that you have to handle all those hormones when they're synced up makes me envy you less." Chad explains, and you get his point immediately. The past few days have been a little too filled with drama than you were ready for.

"By the way, I actually wanted to ask--" You started saying, trying to go back to the initial question you wanted to ask him, but Chad was too excited and incorrectly assumed what your question was going to be.

"Bro! I've been meaning to tell you about it! Courtney was super into the idea that I wasn't one of those guys that has to bone on the first date, and she liked that I already invited her to hangout the next day at our place before our date ended, and then I asked her to go to the gym tonight, and tomorrow--" Chad started telling you how his dates with Courtney have been going so far, but you interrupt him, to clarify what you were going to ask.

"That's great to hear, Chad. Although, I'm not sure how I helped in that regard since my advice wasn't really related to that at all... but, actually--" You tell him, but he interrupts you again.

"Bro, you gave me step one! Make sure she likes me first before I tell her I'm a cuck!" Chad tells you.

"I can't be the first one to have told you that, Chad." You say in disbelief.

"You are bro. Every other bro I've met tells me that a successful date means hooking up. Maybe Courtney would've thought I was a weirdo already if it wasn't for your advice." Chad tells you, and you can't help but pity the guy for having had such a skewed view on dating before you talked to him.

"Have you talked to your brother about this?" You ask him, unable to believe that a rational guy like Brad hasn't given Chad any advice.

"Bro! No! Yuck! I'm not trying to bone other dudes, bro! Why would I want to ask for advice from him?" Chad asks you, confused and seemingly disgusted at your suggestion.

"You're not going to ask him about that specifically, just relationships in general. He seemed like a rational enough guy based on my first impressions of him, so I'm guessing he could give you some tips. Plus, you know, he was able to have a romantic relationship with Brooke before admitting his sexuality. You have to count that for something." You explain to him.

"Since you're the one saying it, I'll give it a shot. I'll talk to my gay bro later and ask him for advice too." Chad tells you.

"Actually, what I wanted to ask was about being able to handle this workout better than when I train with Brooke. I'm not as tired as I usually am when I workout with her." You ask him.

"Oh, that's cuz' Brooke's been doing full body workouts with you; that's why you're exhausted after every session with her. If you're doing a more targeted workout you wouldn't feel as exhausted if you did it right. Except for legs. Leg days are the worst." Chad explains. "If you're going to workout around this time, I can be your trainer if you want. Otherwise, you would probably be doing booty exercises with Tanya and Brooke for an hour." Chad informs you.

"I'll talk to Brooke about it. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Chad." You tell him.

"Anyway, I need more of your advice, bro." Chad tells you honestly, and you nod to confirm that he can ask you what he has on his mind. "How do I bring up the whole cucking thing to Courtney now that we're dating?" Chad asks you.

"Bring up the what to who!?" Courtney reacts in shock behind you and Chad, after hearing Chad ask you when he could bring up the topic of cucking to Courtney. Brooke was with her with an extremely awkward look on her face.

"Babe!" Chad reacts in excitement, without a hint of anxiety or nerves after possibly getting into a sensitive conversation with Courtney before he was ready. "I was just asking my love coach what's a realistic amount of time since the first date to bring up your fetishes to your girl." Chad openly tells her confidently, signaling to you that he's not actually afraid to have this conversation with Courtney, but has been eager to find the opportunity to bring it up to her. Most likely holding himself back from doing so until he got advice from you.

"Your what!?" Courtney replies, before glancing at you.

"Love coach. Jay's my love coach. I told you about that, babe." Chad answers, missing what Courtney was asking about.

"UGH!" Courtney shouts in frustration.

"I think you should let Chad handle this himself, coach." Brooke advises you.

You immediately back off, following Brooke's advice; and Chad assures you and Brooke with an, "I got this, bro.", and a thumbs up. You're not really sure how Chad has got this, but if he and Courtney were getting along the way it seemed like they were, he would know better than you how to handle that situation anyway.

You and Brooke walk back towards your girlfriends, with Stella and Cassie giving you teasing looks as you approach them.

"How was your date with your bro, bro?" Cassie teasingly asks you.

"Did you tell him about our Boardwalk date, bro?" Stella adds on to Cassie's tease.

"Stop it, girls. I actually think Chad's a sweetheart." Tanya reprimands them, although she still did it in a lighthearted manner.

"Oh, we do too. Don't get us wrong. It's just funny how Jay became the love guru to a big guy like him." Stella explains to Tanya.

"Plus, he told Dad he has a--" Stella was about to start, and you know for a fact the completion of that sentence might hurt Chad if someone overhears it out of context.

"Stella!" You interrupt your daughter, before she could finish her thought. Whether she was going to say he had a cucking fetish or a tiny dick, neither would be appropriate to share without Chad's consent.

"Tanya knows about Chad being a cuck, Jay. Sad to say for our gym's reputation, most of the long time female members do." Brooke says while hiding her face in her hand in embarrassment.

"Wait, wouldn't that mean Courtney knows about him being a cuck too? Why'd she act all surprised?" You ask Brooke.

"HA! Courtney's not a member. This is the first time she's even come here." Brooke answers you. You guess Courtney's not a supportive roommate then if this is the first time she's come to her roommates gym.

"First day in the gym and she already knows Chad's a cuck. That's gotta be a record then." Stella jokes.

"Well, if it is the record, we'd be tied for it." Paige jokes.

"I hope that knowing my idiot brother's proclivities isn't a deterrent for you coming back, Paige." Brad addresses Paige upon joining your group once more.

"Oh, it's definitely not! Don't worry." Paige reacts with a laugh. "I'll be joining Stella and the others when they drop by after work hours from now on." Paige adds.

"Oh! You bought a membership, Paige?" Brooke asks her.

"Ms. Hoffman bought it for me! Said it was a perk of being her executive secretary." Paige said proudly.

"Is that the job you got hired for!? Oh my god! Congrats, Cappy!" Stella congratulates her with an enthusiastic hug.

"Awww! I haven't been called that in years! Thanks Stella!" Paige returns your daughter's hug with just as much enthusiasm, and the two of them begin bouncing up and down in place.

"Um~" Maddy mumbles to get your attention, after discretely sliding next to you. "What's a cuck, Mr. Craig?" Maddy asks you in a whisper, making you blush from awkwardness.

"I'll tell you when we get home." You answer her, and she gives you an appreciative smile.

"Speaking of, are we leaving soon? I want to catch up with Ms. Viv. I hope she and Ms. Becca are doing okay." Maddy asks you.

"Yeah. I think it's time for us to go too." You answer Maddy, before informing Brooke, Brad, and Paige that you and your girlfriends should all be leaving soon to see how Viv and Becca are doing back at the apartment.

"Hey~, Mr. Craig, can you give my regards to Ms. Hoffman? Paige asks.

"Yeah. Of course." You reply.

"I'd like to go with you, but I... I'm not sure my relationship with Ms. Hoffman is there yet. She really only wanted to come with me tonight after she found out Viv was going to be here with you guys." Paige explains.

"It's no problem, Paige. I know Becca can be intimidating. I'll make sure she knows you're thinking of her." You assure Paige, who gives you an appreciative smile.

"Just don't gang up on her this time, okay?" Paige jokingly reminds you, making you rub the back of your neck.

"Becca was really lucky you had her back tonight." You tell her with an appreciative smile of your own.

"You should go with them, Brooke." Brad addresses Brooke, after hearing that Paige isn't going with your group.

"You sure?" Brooke asks back.

"Yeah. Chad and I can close up. Viv obviously still needs you. You left earlier to help take care of her, right?" Brad assures her. Brooke gives him a hug, before she looks back to the group after her hug.

"So..." Brooke starts asking. "Shall we go?"

CHAPTER 149.1

What happens next?

Compromise and Confessions

You and the girls have all made your way back to the apartment from Brooke's gym. You and the three teenagers illegally squeezed into the back of Tanya's pick-up truck, with Stella sitting on your lap to make more space to fit inside. Thankfully, it was a short drive back to the apartment, so the calculated risk of not getting caught by traffic cops paid off. After parking, you all make your way back to the apartment.

"That fancy car is probably Becca's." Tanya points out the 'out of place for your neighborhood' Rolls-Royce that's parked along the street.

"There aren't any police vehicles. That's a good sign." Stella jokes.

"Maybe no one's reported it yet." Cassie rides Stella's joke.

"Maybe there's just nothing to report." Brooke tried to get them to stop joking about something serious.

"Maybe. Becca does seem like she can hide a body pretty well." Stella continues to joke, disregarding Brooke's attempt to stop making light of the situation.

"Don't count Viv out. I've seen her freezer. She can keep a body in there if she needs to." Cassie points out, as you all enter the apartment building.

"Yeah. Let's not have dinner at Viv's just in case she decides to serve liver with fava beans and Chianti." Stella jokes, getting Cassie to laugh.

"Amarone." Maddy interrupts.

"What?" Stella asks in confusion.

"Dr. Lecter pairs liver with Amarone, not Chianti." Maddy corrects Stella, to even further confusion from your daughter.

"You're both correct." You clarify to Stella, before she could question Maddy's correction. "You're referencing the movie, while Maddy's referencing the book." You inform Stella.

"Oh! I didn't know that they changed that part. Never read the book. Is it good?" Stella asks, and Maddy gives her opinion on the book, while Stella informs her that the movie is a classic and she should definitely see it. Maddy and Stella's conversation continued until you all reached the third floor.

"I'll check up on Viv and Becca. You guys go ahead and take your showers." You tell them, and they all agree to that plan, before splitting up. Cassie is going with Tanya to her apartment, Stella and Brooke are going to yours, while Maddy goes back to theirs.

"Don't eat any liver that Viv serves you alright?" Stella jokes, giving you a kiss on the cheek, before heading into your apartment with Paige.

With the girls having left the hallway, you ring Viv's doorbell and wait for her to answer.

"Boyfriend!" Viv shouts upon opening the door, and going in for a hug.

"Hey~, girlfriend." You greet her back awkwardly, knowing that you're probably covered in sweat while she hugs you. "How are you and Becca doing?" You ask her, breaking away from her so that she doesn't ruin her clothes.

"We're... talking. Calmly." Viv answers you.

"It's a vast improvement from our last encounter. I guess I mean our previous last encounter. You know, before you and I got together last night. The one I told you about. Not the fight we had at the gym... and I'm rambling. Come in!" Viv adds before, pulling you into her apartment.

"Jay." Becca greets you from Viv's dining table.

"Becca." You greet her back.

"How was your workout?" Becca asks you with a polite tone.

"It was okay, I guess. My whole body isn't as sore as it usually is when it's Brooke who trains me." You tell her, and she raises an eyebrow at how you phrased your answer.

"Too much snu-snu will do that." Viv jokes.

"Not what I meant." You reply with a smile, knowing that Viv was only kidding.

"I assume it wasn't Brooke who trained you this evening then?" Becca asks.

"No. I did chest and back training with Chad tonight. He told me that's partly the reason why I'm not as tired, since I didn't do a whole body workout." You answer Becca.

"I guess meathead is good for something." Viv teases.

"Hey now, he was actually a really good trainer." You defend Chad, to Viv's surprise.

"He must be. Last time I checked you were irritated the fuck out of him too." Viv comments on your sudden face turn on Chad.

"He's a lot more tolerable when he's... making sense." You tell Viv, who laughs at your description. "He and his date loved your food by the way. Thought you ought to know." You inform Viv, who doesn't humbly take it. Flipping her hair back with her hand like she expected as much.

"Where are the others?" Viv asks you.

"Showers." You answer Viv.

"Aww~. You skipped your shower cuz you couldn't wait to see me again?" Viv asks, before hugging your arm tight. You look at her and smile, as she's smiling from ear to ear too. You look back at Becca who has an uncomfortable grin on her lips. You're reminded that she's also someone who's developing feelings for you, and this public display of affection may be bittersweet for her. It wouldn't even surprise you if Viv is actually playing it up because she knows Becca's feelings as well.

"I actually just wanted to check if both of you haven't killed each other yet." You reply jokingly.

"Vivian and I have been very civil, for your information." Becca tells you.

"I don't doubt you've been civil, Becca. Viv on the other hand..." You reply jokingly, getting a loud "The betrayal!" from Viv before she slaps your arm. Becca seems to enjoy your teasing of Viv, trying to hide her amusement by covering her mouth with her hand.

"Vivian's been immensely accommodating despite my earlier rude comment." Becca assures you. "We even had some of her foie gras for dinner." Becca adds.

"Fancy meal for my fancy guest." Viv teases Becca.

"Believe me, it wasn't my idea; but Viv insisted on cooking that particular dish, and I didn't want to sound ungrateful." Becca shares.

"You just casually keep fancy ingredients in your freezer?" You tease Viv.

"Fridge. I didn't freeze it. Got a good deal from the Farmer's Market and I thought it was worth experimenting on. I actually needed to cook it yesterday so it was still fresh, ~but... yeah." Viv answers you.

"What about you, Jay? I assume you and the girls haven't had dinner yet?" Becca asks you to try to change the subject, so that Viv doesn't dwell on yesterday anymore. You give Becca a nod, confirming that her assumption is correct.

"I'll have Frank buy some dinner for all of you, so you don't have to cook." Becca tells you. You were about to say that that was unnecessary, but it falls on deaf ears with Becca who starts typing onto her cellphone. Once she was done, all you could do was thank her for her generosity.

"Where were we?" Viv asks.

"You mentioned you guys had foie gras for dinner. That's duck liver, isn't it?" You ask Becca.

"Correct." Becca informs you.

"She didn't pair it with fava beans and Amarone did she?" You ask jokingly, unable to help yourself as the coincidence was too good to pass up.

"I didn't know you had food knowledge like that!" Viv reacts in surprise. "I'm so wet right now." Viv whispers into your ear. You don't have the balls to tell her that you were just referencing Silence of the Lambs.

"She has told me to put lotion on or I'll get the hose again." Becca jokes back, having understood your reference, making you chuckle.

"What? Wait a minute... OH!" Viv reacts, upon realizing what Becca was referencing, and what you were apparently referencing too. "Amarone threw me off! Didn't he pair it with Chianti?" Viv asks you.

"Only in the movie. He paired it with Amarone in the book." Becca explains to her.

"You've read Silence of the Lambs?" You ask Becca.

"I have. I'm deeply fascinated by crime thrillers. Most of the few pieces of media that I consume revolve around the genre." Becca informs you. You were already intimidated by her before, but her fascination with serial killers isn't helping much in toning it down.

"You really are the Beccanator, aren't you?" Viv jokes, immediately ruining the scary image you just had of Becca.

"Like the burger?" You ask teasingly.

"I AM NOT A ROBOT!" Becca fires back in irritation, after hearing you side with Viv. It's the first time you've seen her flustered like that. It's also probably why Viv enjoys teasing her about being a robot so much.

"Okay. We should stop, Viv. Also, you're instigating again. Last time you provoked Becca, it didn't turn out too well for you." You remind her, and Viv immediately apologizes to Becca for the joke, as do you. Becca waves off your apologies immediately though.

"I'm the one who should apologize for being so thin skinned." Becca remarks.

"Nah, Becca. We've been over this. I needed to be taken down a peg. I deserved what I got." Viv tells her, to Becca's appreciation.

"What have you guys talked about since you guys got here?" You ask them.

"A lot, actually. Something that we could have done earlier if I wasn't so goddamn emotional yesterday." Viv replies.

"Hey~, we wouldn't have gotten tacos if you weren't being emotional. Your emotions got us here, and 'here' is working out great if you ask me. I hope you don't beat yourself up over it. No one's blaming you, Viv." You assure her.

"I agree with Jay, Vivian. Our spat led us here. To calmer heads... and to mutual agreements." Becca assures her as well.

"Mutual agreements?" You ask Becca.

"Well~, Becca, Celeste, and I got to talking..." Viv starts to explain, taking you by surprise that they involved Celeste in their conversation. Then again, you guess Celeste would have some valuable insight as a mediator between them if they talked about their disagreement. "Celeste suggested that Becca help guide you in dominating me. Only if you're willing of course!" Viv informs you.

"If I'm willing? Viv, it's you who I'm concerned for. Are you sure that's something you're willing to go through again?" You ask Viv.

"I'm guessing Brooke explained everything to you guys?" Viv asks you.