(Pov Chloe)
Chloe looked over her blouse in the mirror one last time; it needed to look good. And it did. It wasn't like the BBQ/dinner they were going to was an especially formal event. The Smallers weren't really a formal bunch. No, the problem was that her competition would be there.
Jasmine might have gotten one leg up on her, but it wasn't that much of an advantage. She just needed to talk to him. She would be up front and just ask him out. She could probably be somewhat subtle, but she needed to take action.
Even if she couldn't beat Jasmine, then… she would just have to see how serious she was about sharing. The woman wasn't a bad contact to have; it wasn't like she couldn't be useful. Though the idea of being in a relationship with the woman. If that was even the right way to phrase it, what did you call the woman you shared a boyfriend with?
She had double-checked Jasmine's claim that polygamy wouldn't be illegal much longer, and the woman was right. Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington were all about to vote on abolishing their laws against bigamy and polygamy. The weird thing was that there was nothing in the news about it, nor about the shockingly long list of legal changes that were and had been happening in all four states. If she didn't know any better, you would almost think it was coordinated.
Of course, none of that mattered if Jason himself wasn't open to the idea. And he had seemed pensive. Unsure if he could actually manage it. That was if he had to manage it, at least most of the time; if he didn't… Well then maybe it wouldn't be a problem.
“Chloe, we gotta leave if we are going to be there on time!” Her mother shouted from downstairs.
“I'll be right there!”
Chloe looked back into the mirror, giving herself one last once over; yeah, she looked great. It might be a little plain, but she could work with it.
(Pov Jason)
“Hey, it's nice to meet you again.” Jasmine's tone was warm and polite as she greeted his parents. It had been easy for Jason to forget that his parents and Jasmine had met. She had been here after all to negotiate her, or rather West Star, renting the barn. At least they seemed to get along.
He heard his parents greet her, Julie, and Sam as they entered. After he had mentioned to his parents that two other people also lived there, they had insisted on inviting them too. His mother had made some subtle inquiries about whether Jasmine might be lesbian, though he had assured her that she wasn't. He didn't know all the details, but his understanding was that the situation was simple practicality. Though he did doubt he had managed to explain that in detail.
More concerningly, his parents had also invited Chloe's family. They were great people, and Chloe was one of his best friends. But she had been acting strange lately, especially every time he brought up Jasmine. He wasn't entirely sure why, but she didn't want to talk about it. Once upon a time, they had told each other, not everything but close to it. Certainly when things got them that upset. That had stopped eventually when he realized the crush he had on her once upon a time wouldn't go anywhere. He would stay here; she wouldn't. There wasn't anything more to it.
A hand waved right in front of his eyes. Blinking, Jason finally noticed that Jasmine was standing next to him, giving him a smile that seemed to hide a hint of concern.
“You good?”
Jason nodded. “Yeah, just lost in thought… So this other friend of mine is also coming, Chloe, I have mentioned her before… I think? Anyways, she's been acting kinda weird lately.” Jason hesitated. He trusted Jasmine, or at least he felt like he could. So asking her was fine, right? “And I am not saying you are antagonistic or anything. But please do try to get along… With… Her. Please?”
Jasmine stared at him for a second, a strange, thoughtful look passing over her face. “Of course, honey. You know I have met her at work. She did seem… stressed at the time.” She hesitated, a small, almost teasing smile spread across her face. “You know, if you want. I wouldn't really mind if you wanted to go out with her too. Though I am just informing you that you can, no pressure. You have hyped her up, and I won't really hold anything job-related against her. So it's fine by me.”
He had not expected her to take that turn, but of course she had to bring that up again. Though he felt some strange sensation, a feeling he couldn't quite recognize whenever the topic was brought up. And yet. Jason chuckled at the slight absurdity of it all. Jasmine slightly cocked her head, giving him an inquisitive look.
“It's nothing… Eh, it's just earlier this week Chloe asked me about how I feel about polygamy out of the blue.”
“Uh huh. Well, it is an idea worth considering.” Jasmine's tone sounded mischievous, like she knew something he didn't.
“Hey, how are you guys?” Jason heard from the door, the telltale nasal voice of Miss. Maison. Looking over, he saw Chloe and her family entering the living room. Chloe wore a dour look for a second as she looked over at them, before it split into what looked like a smile as she waved and started walking over.
She looked good, though she was wearing something she normally didn't. Normally she would wear something preppy, but right now she was wearing pants and a very nice blouse. It did look good on her.
“Hello, Jasmine.” The tension in Chloe's shoulders was anything but subtle.
Glancing over at Jasmine, Jason saw that ever polite smile of hers. “Hey Chloe, how are you?”
“I am good. And you?”
To call the next five or so minutes of conversation torturously tense would be the understatement of the century. It had only ended when Jasmine had volunteered to go help his parents with something grill-related outside; he hadn't heard what.
“So you two have gotten… closer, I see.” Chloe seemed to shuffle in her chair as she spoke, struggling to find a comfortable position.
“Yeah, we kinda have. A lot closer I think.”
“What do you mean?”
Shit! He had not meant to say that, not at all. Yet Jason had always been shit at lying, and he knew it. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.
He cleared his throat. “Well… You see… we… kinda… got… engaged. Or we are, like, properly courting. I think?” He couldn't help but stammer through the sentence. Seeing the color drain from Chloe's face towards the end. It made his chest really hurt in a way little did. It didn't feel like the way a friend would react to something like this.
Her hand grabbed him by the wrist, hard, and she could barely contain her voice to a whisper. “What do you mean engaged? Jason, you have known her less than a month. How did that even happen?”
“Ok, come on.” He dragged her up to the second-floor hallway. Though he doubted anyone noticed that they were gone, busy as they all were.
“Well, you see.” Jason explained the details he felt he could. Excluding everything about Jasmine's nature, and the favor for his sister. It was odd; Chloe's reactions were stronger than he had expected them to be. By the time he was done explaining, she was seemingly struck by a level of disbelief he thought was impossible.
“This is insane. You barely know the woman, and you are what, marrying her to protect the farm.”
“Not only to protect the farm.” Jason could barely get his voice above a mumble. “And it's not like I don't like her; I do, I really do.
“Jason, I…”
“Dinner's ready!” They heard someone shout from outside into the house.
“We can continue this later, ok?” Jason half-asked, half-told her as he started walking out. He had been almost praying for an excuse to get out of the situation, and the lord all mighty had given him one.
Chloe sighed in acknowledgment as she followed him back downstairs and outside.
(Pov Chloe)
There had always been something about BBQ with the Smallers, or eating at their place at all. It was cozy, welcoming; in many ways it felt like home. Until now. Right now it was infuriating.
It was clear that Jasmine liked Jason, or at least wanted it to seem that way. The constant small acts of physical contact, the smiles, the way she looked at him. It was grating. Or more accurately, it created this deep pit of longing? Or maybe loss, that she felt in her stomach.
The bi… That woman had won, hands down. She had been quick too, far too quick. She didn't know about anyone except maybe some Mormons who got engaged that quickly. Though based on what Jason had said, it was more a trial period; still, it was odd. She had a feeling something had happened that sped up events; Jason was not a man for quick decisions. Though his reasoning here wasn't that out of the ordinary for him.
Jasmine's laugh grated on her ears. It wasn't that the laughter was ugly or bad; it simply grated. She drew a deep breath. There was still a chance; she didn't like it, but it was there. Jason had mentioned that, also like Mormons, Jasmine seemed to want him to have more partners.
She would just need to get along with Jasmine. Wonderful. She was still unsure if she could do that. Was it even worth it?
Looking over, she saw the way the sunlight highlighted his hair and face, the way his face seemed to glow as he smiled. Laughing at some joke or another.
She had planned her entire life around three central pillars. Studying medicine at Oregon State, marrying Jason, and living a meaningful life. Though the latter was more of an end goal, happiness didn't last, not really; it was a temporary state of affairs you couldn't trust. Meaning was an entirely different beast.
Fuck it.
She had managed to intercept Jasmine and draw her into a somewhat private area after the BBQ was over, or at least after the meat was eaten. Jason's mom had made dessert, and her own parents had brought some. But that could wait. Right now she had a discussion she needed to have.
She looked at the blonde woman in front of her, who was staring back at her expectantly, an eyebrow raised slightly above the other. Though the look didn't seem to contain anything other than curiosity. Much closer to the woman she had been during their discussion, before Chloe had made certain insinuations in the cafe.
Chloe drew her breath, steadying herself before the nearly traumatic thing she was about to say. “You once said you were… open to Jason dating other people.” Her voice vibrated. “Is that still a possibility?”
It took a few seconds before Jasmine answered, a few agonizing seconds. “That depends. Are you going to mellow out a bit? Because you have been high-strung the entire time we have known each other.”
Chloe nodded. “Yeah, I am going to. Jason did not seem too keen on there being problems between people he was in a relationship with. It was his largest objection when I asked him about it.” She hesitated a bit. “Not that I would want there to be conflict in that… type of relationship to begin with. So I will do my best.”
Jasmine seemed to give her a considerate look, her eyes moving up and down, scanning her for signs of something. “Ok, yeah, I am fine with that. I wouldn't mind having someone who's known him for that long helping out; it's not like I know him as well as I'd like. Is that all?”
The pit in Chloe's stomach was, well, not gone, but the sensation of it was far weaker. Still the wom… Jasmine had been right during their first meeting. Chloe had no idea where to even begin on asking him out, not properly; it didn't seem like he was gonna take the hint after all.
“One more thing. How exactly did you ask him out?”
That same appraising look. Though different this time, she felt like a gazelle that had noticed it was being sized up by a lion. Jasmine's face eventually split into a smile that looked more opportunistic or self-satisfied than anything. “So do you just want the story, or do you want help?”
“Ehh… Help?”
“Of course I will help you. But you owe me one, ok?”
Chloe nodded.
So i am a bit delayed on this one, you guys will get the next part tomorrow sorry about that.