“I think the more common term is cuck-queen? But that’s more of an insult these days. But I've also seen the term compersion floating around,” Jillian said as she and Lina got to talking.
“Well I certainly like how that sounds more than cu-cuck....the other thing,” Lina’s face cringed slightly, just from almost saying the word.
“To participate in the happiness and joy of others,” Jillian said, reading the definition off of Jason’s phone.
“Oh, I like that!” Lina said happily.
The whole conversation stemmed from Jillian calling her out for being turned on, which Lina, of course, denied at first but eventually admitted after a bit of pressure.
“So you are someone that gets off from making those you love happy,” Jillian said with a raised brow and a slight smirk. Lina’s face burned from the description she was given.
“Umm, well..” Lina stammered but her blushing cheeks and timid behavior made it pretty clear Jillian was right.
During their entire conversation, Jason just sat there, thinking about how he had been living a lie for the past few months. He worked so hard every day, yet was still unknowingly relying on a friggin teenager to support him. It felt like all his shame got ripped out of him and shoved in his face. He was lost in his head, trying to calculate just how much money he actually owed Lina, even though she said he didn’t have to pay her back. His best estimate was well over six figures. How long would it take him to pay all that back? He had to try and find a new place to live as well. Living in a place where Lina or anyone, for that matter, was paying the majority of his rent was not an option.
“Hey Jase, come into the kitchen with me real quick?” Jillian asked, snapping Jason out of his temporary stupor.
“Huh, why?”
She didn’t answer him, only giving him a hard stare that made it clear that asking any more questions wasn't smart.
“I mean, yeah, sure.”
The two got up from the couch, asking Lina to wait for a bit. She gave them a nod and sat back down on the recliner with a polite smile, watching the two walk into the kitchen.
“So, what do you think about her offer?” Jillian asked in a whisper.
Jason frowned deeply, letting out a sigh.
“I’m not thrilled about it, honestly. Plus, it bugs the crap out of me that I can’t even afford to live in my apartment without her help. I feel so fucking stupid for not realizing this earlier. I deluded myself into thinking it was the company paying for it. I should have figured it out so much sooner. They don't reward hard work or if you are actually good at what you do.”
“Hey, calm down, hon, don’t be too hard on yourself. Even though I’m not her biggest fan, I think it was her way of showing that she cared about you, and I can’t fault her for that. But I understand. Maybe start looking for a new place, just in case,” Jillian tried to reassure him. Jason nodded in agreement, his hands clenched into fists as he frowned in contemplation.
“Yeah, that's a for sure thing once I get back. There's no way I'm staying in that place,” Jason said, his fists tightening even more at the mention of going back to Florida. The topic was really starting to wear on his sanity. He needed to talk to her about it, but dealing with Lina came first.
The two talked about the situation in a hushed tone for several minutes. At some point during the conversation, they found themselves back in each other’s arms, hers around his neck and his around her waist. Like magnets, they were inevitably attracted to one another.
“So, for now, I say we accept the deal and see where it goes. It’s not like another contract where you are forced to keep in touch. If it doesn’t work out, we just end it and figure out what to do after that,” Jillian said, standing on her tippy toes to pepper his jawline with kisses.
“Yeah, I guess that’s the best option for now…” Jason pulled away from her a little to look down.
“Jill, I want to talk to you about something after Lina leaves.”
“Well, that sounds ominous. Should I be worried?” Her gaze hardened slightly at the man, bareky hiding the worry she felt just beneath the surface.
“Umm, maybe a little. I just want to discuss something that's been bugging me.”
Jason’s words didn’t help ease her worry, but she agreed nonetheless.
“Okay, we'll talk more later, then I guess.”
The two separated without any affection returned, which didn’t help the sour feeling in Jillian’s stomach.
Walking back into the living room, they stood in front of Lina, who quickly rose from her seat.
“Alright, Lina. We discussed your offer, and we agreed to be your friend, even though the friendship is rather unorthodox. If at any point something doesn’t feel right, we reserve the right to end it immediately. If you're fine with that, we can be friends, " she declared, meeting Jason’s gaze to confirm.
He nodded in agreement with the statement. It was kind of surprising how good Jillian was at this whole negotiating thing. He could easily see her doing litigation, dressed in some form-fitting pant suit. Shaking his head slightly, he fended off his fantasies before they got out of control. Lina flashed a bright grin at the announcement.
“Thank you, thank you both. All I want is a chance to be close to you two! I really enjoy seeing the two of you happy. Like a whole lot,” she exclaimed, biting her lip for a moment.
“That’s good and all, but you should really think about finding someone else. Sure, indulging in fantasies is fun, but you can't let it consume you. Give people a chance to get close. I can picture you going out with some decent guys and thinking, Yeah, he’s alright, but Jason this, Jason that. It’s really not healthy to compare others to what you may have considered your ideal,” Jillian said with her hands on her hips.
“I’m honestly nothing special to begin with anyway. I don't mind giving you advice when you need it, though. I don’t want you to go through another Timothy incident,” Jason said, loosely folding his arms. Lina blushed a little and nodded in agreement, as Jillian had been exactly right.
Several young men over the last few years, mostly at parties and small gatherings, had tried to get to know her. But Lina never gave them more than a friendly conversation, always sounding rather closed off to any attempts to get closer. Her destiny was so close, so why would she bother trying to be with anyone else?
“I want you to apologize as well, Lina,” Jillian said suddenly, causing the younger woman to look up in surprise.
“Huh, what for… I mean, sure, but for what?” Lina’s confusion only deepened along with Jillian’s frown.
“The fact that you don’t even know is a big issue,” she sighed heavily. Jillian then went on to explain just how off-base Lina was in pushing for that deal in the first place.
“Making a contract to date someone is just…” Jillian threw her hands up at the absurdity of the idea. “Like leading a horse that isn’t thirsty to a river and shoving its face in the water. That's not how love works. If the other person isn’t interested from the start, it’s already an uphill battle. Forcing someone to interact with you only makes the other person resent you.”
Jason once again nodded in agreement.
It was scary how right Jillian was. He guessed it was because she had spent so many years trying to make that bastard of a man love her. Lina was lucky to be getting this advice before she made the same mistake and possibly attaching herself to an evil bastard.
Jillian tried her best to open up about her life experiences, hoping to pass on some wisdom she’d gained through her own struggles with life and love.
“Look, I get it. You’ve been living in a bubble. You’re a spoiled princess everyone bows down to. But that also means no one but spoiled princes will want you or feel like they can even approach you. And I'm guessing you don’t want someone like that, do you? Jase told me about how that boy tricked and used you, and it pisses me off. Especially since…,” Jillian caught herself before she said something she didn’t mean to again. Lina looked at her oddly.
“Since what?”
“It’s nothing. I just hate that little jerk for tricking you for so long.” She let out a small sigh as Lina hung on every word Jillian spoke. “In the past, I thought someone loved me because he showered me with gifts and lavish trips. But it turned out. All he really wanted was my body, and he got some twisted pleasure from keeping me locked up like I was some toy he kept in storage to use whenever he wanted,” she said, grimacing as she stared at the floor.
Jason glanced over at Jillian. His expression was clouded with concern as she brought up the bastard who had tormented her for so long. He reached over and took her hand in his own, lacing their fingers together and offering what little support he could. Jillian looked over at him with a weak smile, then back at Lina. Her expression quickly became stern.
“Jason might have been the one ending up in a proverbial cage if you continued on this path.”
Lina’s eyes widened at the accusation.
“What!? I would never—”
Jillian raised a hand to stop her.
“I’m not saying you absolutely would have, but the way things were going, he was being pushed into a corner you created. You were ignoring the truth and only seeing what you wanted to see. What would have happened if you got your date and he still wanted nothing to do with you? Would you start to strip him of all the things he didn’t even know you were giving? On that matter, did you honestly not know he was oblivious to all the things you were providing him? Or did you intentionally make it difficult to figure out? Maybe because you knew he would reject your support if he knew it was you.” Jillian was coming to conclusions now that she was talking about it. Her hands balled into fists, her expression tight with mild anger.
“You wanted him to be reliant on you so you could put him into a situation where he couldn’t refuse. Admit it Lina!” Jillian shouted, making the younger blonde flinch slightly.
“I…I.” Lina stammered, looking like she was about to cry, thinking about how she had been unwittingly forcing Jason into a corner with only one way out.
“I refuse to let what happened to me happen to anyone else, as long as I have the power to stop it.” Jillian growled shooting a harsh glare at Lina, who was staring at the floor, face etched with sadness. Tears now running down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I just thought I could make him happy, less lonely. I thought if we spent time together... That maybe we could both be less lonely. But I get it, I was just imagining it all… I'm the one that's really lonely and unhappy.”
A few more tears escaped Lina’s eyes as she spoke. Jillian looked up at Jason, silently urging him to speak up. He’d been quiet for too long now. Jason frowned, but with a sigh, he moved closer to the young girl and placed a gentle hand on Lina’s shoulder.
“Look, Lina. I’ve tried to tell you many times, but you never really listened. I've never looked at you in a romantic way, and I don’t think I ever will. It’s not that I want to hurt you. I tried my best to spare you from it. You’re still young, with your whole life ahead of you. You have such a promising future. But sometimes, you let your imagination run wild and get lost in what could be instead of what will be. I… will still be your friend, but anything beyond that is just not possible.”
His words were blunt, and Lina visibly flinched at a few points. It was clear she was still struggling to fully let go of the possible relationship that had been on her mind each and every day.
“I get it...” Lina muttered, feeling the weight of the truth press down on her.
Jillian sighed and walked over as well, casually draping an arm over Lina’s shoulder.
“Let's go have a little girl talk in private. I think there are some things you need to hear.”
Lina looked at Jillian, wiping her eyes. a little surprised by how kind Jillian suddenly sounded.
“…umm, okay?” The blonde looked a little unsure but agreed.
Looking up at Jason, Jillian grinned.
“We’ll be right back. Just sit tight and look pretty,” she teased before waving and leading Lina down the hallway into Jason’s room. Then, she closed the door and locked it behind them.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He wasn’t all that thrilled they were taking over his room, but his gut told him he wanted nothing to do with that conversation. So, he went into the kitchen to make some lunch. All this exhausting drama made him ravenous.
After making himself a few sandwiches, Jason ended up back on the couch with a beer. For about half an hour, he made himself busy by scrolling through a real estate app on his phone. He was desperately trying to find something to take his mind off the topic that was burning a hole in his brain. Finally, Jillian and Lina emerged from his room, both sporting wide smiles that made him a tad uneasy.
The two strutted into the living room, and Jason couldn’t help but ask, “Everything go alright?”
Jillian replied with a reassuring tone, “Of course, we had a very nice chat and sorted everything out.”
Lina chimed in as well, a wide grin on her face, “Mmhmm! Thanks again, Jill. I’ll be sure to check into that thing you mentioned as well. I should probably head home now. Things didn’t go exactly as planned, but I learned so much I don’t even feel sad anymore! I want to apologize again for all the trouble I caused you two.” Lina sounded much more mature as she gazed at Jillian like she was suddenly a big sister she looked up too.
Jason stood up, and Lina walked over to him, a smile still plastered on her face as she looked up at him.
“Would you be okay with a hug goodbye?” she asked instead of just doing it, which was a nice change of pace.
Jason nodded with a small smirk in the corner of his mouth. Lina quickly wrapped her arms around Jason’s large midsection and squeezed as hard as she could. He was a little hesitant but placed a hand on her back and patted it softly.
“Safe travels, and say hi to your dad for me,” he said as he recalled his brief encounter with Liam Kilpatrick. It had been quite an intense first meeting, and with armed security all around them, it felt more like an interrogation than anything else. The man saw just how against the whole relationship Jason was, and he was suddenly supportive.
“It makes Lina happy, and I don’t have to worry about anyone touching her again for two years. Sounds like a nonissue to me,” Liam had said with a fatherly smile.
Though it wasn’t an issue for him, it certainly was an issue for Jason. But that didn’t matter to Liam, no matter how much Jason wanted him to tell Lina to stop pursuing him.
Lina pulled back from their embrace, wiping a happy tear from her eye as she continued smiling as walking over to the door. She turned back and waved goodbye as she stepped out of the house.
“Come on, Maurice, don’t just stand there like a weirdo,” she teased her bodyguard before the door shut behind her.
Lina’s departure felt like a massive weight being removed from Jason’s shoulders. Finally, the whole ordeal with Lina Kilpatrick was over, for the most part at least. He flopped back down on the couch, letting out a long breath as he shut his eyes for a long moment. Then, grabbing his beer from the end table, he finished the bitter last of it. Jillian looked at him with a small frown on her face, walking closer.
“So… what's the thing you wanted to talk about that I may or may not need to worry about?” she asked softly.
Jason’s eyes opened and his earlier thoughts quickly crept back into his mind, showing on his face.
“Jase?” she asked, stepping closer, trying to figure out what was bothering him.
The expression he held seemed like what he had to say was more than just something small.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, determined to sort out this new stress that was on the horizon.
“It’s… hard to talk about. It might be better to wait till we recover from this mess.”
“Nope, not letting you push this one off. We’ve been through too much lately to ignore what's on your mind now. It’s obviously bothering you enough to want to talk to me about it. So let me in, Jason,” she said as she stood in front of him, hands on her hips and a determined look on her face. Gazing at the woman, she was still so sexy in her outfit that it was hard to focus on much else. But his brain was still wracked with panic from the topic at hand.
Jillian sat down on the couch beside him, quickly moving her hand to rest on his leg, giving it a comforting squeeze. They only had a little bit of time before their moms got back from their lunch date with June, so she wanted to make the most of it.
Jason wasn’t sure how to start, but he knew he had to try.
“Jillian... My life is in Florida,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. She looked a little puzzled. It wasn't like this was new information, yet the way he was acting made it seem like he was revealing a secret to her.
“Um, okay? And?” she said, not sure where he was going with this.
“And your life is here, with your family... with June,” he continued, feeling the weight of his words. Jillian narrowed her eyes, sensing something coming.
“Just spit it out,” she urged, not liking where this conversation was heading, but tired of dancing around the issue.
Jason let out a frustrated sigh.
“I'm trying to avoid misunderstandings. What I’m trying to say is... I've thought about it, and I’m just not sure how this is going to work out between us,” he blurted out, and Jillian removed her hand from his leg, a deep scowl on her face, realizing just what he was saying.
“I keep wondering if it might hurt less to stop before things get even more complicated.” His voice was full of remorse and worry.
Jillian struggled to keep her cool. This was the man she’d just spent the whole morning with, discussing their relationship, who they were, and all their pain and worries. He had sounded so genuine when he talked about their relationship with Lina. She knew he didn’t want to end what they had. There was just no fucking way that was what he wanted. Not with how sweet and affectionate Jason had been. He had to be lying…but he didn’t lie, not very well at least. So why was he saying it now?
“So what, you want to break up because you think it’ll be easier now than later? Does that mean you were always planning on breaking up with me before you left?” She shifted away from him, pressing her back against the arm of the couch so she could glare at him more directly.
Jason turned to look at Jillian. Instead of anger, there was a deep sadness in his eyes.
“No, that’s not it at all, I swear. I...I'm worried about leaving you behind and things going badly while we’re apart. I've never done anything like this before. And I’m not going to pretend that you’d come live with me either. I’m just afr-“
Jillian’s fists clenched at Jason’s words, and she shouted over him, “I never said I would! Why would I leave my family for you after spending just a week together, especially when most of that time was spent arguing? Honestly, it’s kind of insulting and clingy that you’d even suggest it.”
Her tone was more than a touch heated as she shot back.
Jason really didn’t like the insults or her tone as she spoke. Not only did she cut him off and shout at him, but she also accused him of something he didn’t even say. His mood quickly shifted in response.
“I was saying that I wouldn't not that you would. I wasn’t trying to... You just..” he paused, struggling to find the right words.
“I just what, Jason? Called you out for some bullshit before you could finish?” Jillian said quickly.
Jason let out a slight growl as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt that familiar anger start to burn inside of him.
“It wasn’t meant to be an insult. But, surprise, surprise, you took it that way,” he said, as his lips curled down into a scowl.
“Oh, and what’s that supposed to mean?“ Jillian returned with a scoff.
“It means you interpret everything even remotely negative as a personal attack.”
“Well, maybe if you didn’t constantly push me away or fly off the handle for no reason. I wouldn’t feel like you’re constantly insulting me with vague comments like ‘I’m not going to pretend that you’d come with me’,” Jillian retorted.
“I fly off the handle for no reason?! That’s fuckin’ rich.”
The two angrily glared at one another, even more vicious than what was normal for them.
“Look, if you would just calm the fuck down and listen to what I’m saying. You would realize I don’t want to be the reason you miss your family,” Jason continued, finding a small bit of calm, but it didn’t last long. He didn’t know the cardinal rule of never telling a woman to calm down.
“Fuck you, you need to calm down. You think if I stay here with my family and you're in Florida, our relationship is just gonna crumble like it means nothing?! You have no fucking faith in us!” Jillian held her knees to her chest now and her arms tightly wrapped around her legs.
“I’m just trying to be realistic! I’ve never even been in a relationship, I have no idea how this shit even works, and it's the long distance it scares-.”
Yet again, Jason was cut off as she yelled back.
“So you just give up instead? You’re not even gonna try? Wow, okay. I guess I had you pegged wrong for the kind of man you are.”
Her eye twitched badly, the pale freckled skin of her face red with anger, the emotions building up behind her rage until they all just exploded out.
“I’m not worth your time if you can’t use my body, is that it?”
Jason’s eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped at her words. staring at her in pure shock.
It felt like everything they had been through, and the trauma they shared was thrown out with that one small sentence.
“H-how…How dare you...” He couldn’t find the words to express how he felt at this moment, too busy trying to process hers.
The fog of anger rapidly lifted from Jillian as she saw Jason’s devastated expression and the pain filled look in his eyes. It was then that she realized exactly what she had said to him. To a man whose first experience had scarred him so bad that he was hesitant to even touch her at first.
“W-wait, I-I didn’t mean it like that...” she started, but Jason stood up abruptly.
Jillian’s head tilted back to look at Jason, whose sadness quickly morphed into a visceral and twisted anger.
“Yup, you fucking figured it out, Jill. You totally caught me. That’s me, just so addicted to your body that I can’t live without it. Bravo, you solved the mystery of who I truly am,” he sarcastically clapped his hands a few times.
“You must be so relieved that you figured it out before we fucked even once, right? Since I'm such a bastard who clearly only wants to use your body. So ending this farce of a relationship shouldn’t be a problem for you, huh?”
His rage had become an ice-cold furor as he glared down at her on the couch, still stunned by the outburst.
“Um, n-no, I don’t...” She weakly tried to salvage the conversation, but it was far too late.
Words had spilled from her mouth that couldn’t be easily taken back. She quickly devolved into a state of profound sadness, tears quickly leaking from her eyes in rapid succession.
Her arms fell limp, and her legs fell over the side of the couch. Her gaze locked on the floor. Unable to look at him anymore. She had lost that right in her mind.
“I’m sorry I…I’ll leave you alone,” Jillian mumbled, feeling Jason’s intense glare burning a hole into her. He couldn’t stop himself from letting out one last comment.
“Yeah, you do that. I wouldn’t want you to feel like I’m using you anymore.”
She quickly stood up, still avoiding eye contact, and dashed out of the house, grabbing her mother’s heels on the way out. She slammed the door behind her in her haste, leaving him standing there staring at the front door, his face still clouded with anger.
He glared at the closed door for several long minutes. For a while, it felt like his anger would never go away, never fade, yet it when it slowly started to ebb, it was replaced by a small twinge of pain that was hardly noticeable at first. Everything after Lina left happened so fast, and now… it was over… it was all over. The good and the bad.
“She’s gone… And she isn’t coming back this time.”
The realization felt like tiny pins and needles in his chest. It was manageable in the beginning, but with each heartbeat, the pain multiplied. With his heart beating at a seemingly impossibly fast pace, the pain grew to epic proportions. In moments, Jason was gritting his teeth and clenching his eyes shut tight, trying to fight the searing agony that grew with each passing second.
Eventually, Jason was in more pain than he’d ever experienced before. He clutched at his chest, his face contorted in pure agony.
“Augh fuck. . . My chest Ahhh! It’s on fucking fire,” he wailed in torment.
His legs shook like leaves in the wind as he felt his heart throbbing, the pain still growing somehow. His chest was so tight, making it so much harder to breathe that he had to gasp for air. His legs eventually lost the strength to support him. He crumpled to his knees, teeth clenched tight, while saliva poured out the sides of his mouth. He tried to suck in as much air as his constricted lungs could but barely managed to get half a breath.
“Wh-what is…Ahhhhhggh,” he let out a quiet, strained scream of agony, collapsing forward and smacking the side of his head hard on the carpeted floor.
The fear that he was about to die gave him a small boost of adrenaline. But his heart was pounding in quick, irregular rhythms while it felt like an elephant was standing on his chest. Drool began pooling under his face. Teeth still clenched tight. The edges of his vision started to darken as he tilted his head to look at the door one last time. Tiny prismatic specs and bubbles clouded his eyes. His vision narrowed till all he could see was pinholes of light.
The last thing Jason heard was the muffled sound of a door creaking open and a piercing wail before his world and the sound all faded to black. And Jason, was gone.
Jillian hadn’t run back home. She'd dashed as fast as she could in the opposite direction, tears still streaming down her face as she ran on the rough concrete sidewalk. Her feet’s only protection were the thin pantyhose, which was already tearing. She kept running towards town, managing a few blocks before needing to slow and catch her breath, but never stopping completely.
She gasped for air between soft sobs, unable to calm down. She heard the distant wail of a siren. Looking up, she saw an ambulance racing down the road, passing by her in the direction of her home. But she didn’t care, she just wanted to get where she was going as soon as possible.
When Jillian finally reached her destination and walked into the building, several people in the waiting area stared at her in confusion.
“Hey, uhh, Mick, can you come out here for a sec?” A chubby man called out from behind the front desk. He sported a thin beard that did little to hide his baby face, which was covered with lots of piercings
“Kinda in the middle of something, Jerry,” came the reply.
“Umm, it’s kind of an emergency, Mika.”
There was a loud sigh and the sound of gloves snapping before Mika emerged from one of the tattoo booths.
“What, Jerry!? I was right in the middle of... Jill!” She finally noticed her best friend standing in the middle of her store, tears streaming down her now dirty face, gasping for breath after running so far.
“Jill, what the hell happened to you?” Mika rushed over, putting her hands on Jillian’s cheeks. Jillian sobbed a few more times and sniffed loudly.
“H-he... He broke up with me,” she managed to get out, and Mika gave her a stunned look.
“Huh?... Wait, do you mean Jason broke up with you? You guys got together and broke up in just a week?”
It sounded absurd, but Jillian looked extremely upset. Mika wouldn’t ignore her friend’s suffering, even if it was over something completely insane.
“Forget it. Come on, let’s get you upstairs and into a bath. You’re drenched with sweat.”
Despite it being early afternoon, Jillian looked utterly exhausted.
“Holy fuck! Your feet! Did you run all the way here barefoot?”
Small splotches of blood lingered where Jillian walked, the ruined pantyhose coiled at her ankles now. Mika quickly guided her up to the apartment above and into a lukewarm bath. The whole time, Jillian continued to sob, but not many tears were coming out anymore. Though not for a lack of trying. It was certainly going to be a long day and night for the both of them.