The Affection Multiplier - Ch. 192 & Ch. 193. (Patreon)

Chapter 192: Family outing? Kind of? In a way, I guess.

It’s the usual bar you’ve come to several times with Emma already, only this time her brother joins you two at a table by the corner. Well, he’s your brother too. But Emma’s not your sister.

Weird, huh?

Anyway.

“I didn’t know this would turn into an interrogation.” Jonathan says with a scowl.

“Come on, you have to admit it’s at least a little weird!” You argue. “It’s my girlfriend’s mother.”

“How is it different from your girlfriend’s sister? Besides, you should be happy! Julia’s now completely free!”

“Why did you even change your mind?” Emma asks, raising an eyebrow.

“I happened to run into the two on the street. I think they were coming out of a gym.” He says. “I went to say hello and noticed that Susan is extremely hot as well.”

“Of course you did.” You and Emma sigh at the same time.

“ANYWAY, I remembered that my little brother had his eyes on another one of his teachers, and figured: You know what? Screw it. I’ll settle for the mother. A few talks later and we’d already planned our date.”

“So you just canceled your date with Julia to ask her mother out?” Emma asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I feel kind of bad about that.” He says, shaking his head a bit and taking a sip of his whisky.

“Yes, you look devastated.” You say, unamused.

“Hey, I thought you wanted a shot at Julia?”

“I also didn’t want you playing with her.” You say with a soft sigh and take a sip of your own drink. 

You know this isn’t entirely your brother’s fault. There’s no doubt Mrs. Miller’s app had a big part in this, too. That doesn’t take from Jonathan being a skirt chaser, though. It makes him a very easy target.

“Let me be clear, brother. We’re not here trying to shame you for going after Mrs. Miller.” You say.

“That lady has… a reputation.” Emma says. “She dates men, uses all their money then dumps them.”

Jonathan hums. “My wallet did end up unusually light after our date.” He nods.

“Just… be careful with her, Jonathan. I’m sorry, but if it were up to me, I’d rather you didn’t have anything to do with her.” You tell him, smiling wryly. “But I can't push that on the same guy that told me to do what I wanted, right? Just know that… there’s something about her. I don’t think she’s being honest with you in the slightest.”

Jonathan groan and leans back on his chair. 

“Alright, that’s fair. I’d be an idiot not to listen to the guy with five girlfriends on this opinion about a woman.” He say before taking a big swig of his drink.

“Seven girlfriends now, actually.” Emma corrects, laughing.

That makes him choke. Jonathan coughs several times and wipes the tears off his eyes before looking at you, completely baffled.

“Seven!? Wait, yeah… you did get together with that nurse lady. Who else?”

“A schoolmate.” You admit, grumbling as your face heats up. “We’d been friends for some time, but… yeah.”

“Man, why didn’t dad send ME to this school way back then? It seems like paradise with all these beautiful girls around.”

“He probably thought you’d end up with a knife in your back for being unable to restrain yourself.” Emma tells him with a grin.

“Alright, that’s fair too.” He shrugs. “I was way worse back when I was 18. Wait, but how come it’s okay for you?” Jonathan asks, raising an eyebrow.

You feel a chill run down your back. That’s… a very direct question. Did he notice something’s not natural?

“How many of the girls you’ve been with did you make plans for the future with?” Emma asks him before you can speak.

“What? Uh… as in a trip or something?”

“As in marriage, Jonathan.” She clarifies, unamused.

“Oh. Then none.” He shakes his head, unashamed.

“There you have it. That’s the difference.” Emma giggles. “David treats us all fairly and we’re making plans for the future. We also happen to complement each other really well. We’re just a lucky group of polyamorous people.”

How much of that is half-truths and how much is the way she truly sees it? Still, it’s a relief for you to have her explain it to Jonathan.

“I still find it hard to believe you can be lucky enough to find so many people willing to enter a relationship like this.” He says, this time with a more relaxed tone as he swirls his glass in his hand.

“Everyone has their good points. You, Jonathan, are handsome, charismatic and charming. David is also handsome but honest, earnest and a very good listener as well.” Emma says, kissing you on the cheek. “When he’s this much of a keeper, a girl is willing to share.”

Your face is practically burning now. It’s one thing when they say things like this to you, but hearing Emma express her feelings in front of another person feels completely different.

“Thank you for saying I’m handsome and charming, sister. It was a real blow to my self-esteem when you rejected me.” He laughs.

“Good to see you’re at the point where you can joke about it.” You tell him.

“Water under the bridge, Dave.” He then groans as he realizes something. “God, I can already tell family meetings are going to be a pain in the future.” Jonathan says, then grin. “Make sure to get a huge house, little brother. That way we’ll spend Christmas at your place.”

“Why do we have to be the hosts? Mom’s going to complain about our interior design, no matter what we pick.” You groan and hold your head.

“That’s exactly why.”

“Is she that demanding?” Emma asks, curious.

“Yes.” You and Jonathan say in unison. “Mostly when it comes to cleaning and interior aesthetics.” You clarify.

“She had us help her clean our rooms until we were 10. From then on she left it up to us and if it didn’t meet her standards, she’d have us do it again.” Jonathan adds.

“Ooooh. Is that why your room is always so clean?” Emma asks you.

“Pretty much, yes. Habits hammered into us since we could walk.” You nod.

“Mom can be sweet, but I weep for the time you meet her if you happen to have wrinkles on your dress.” Jonathan sighs dramatically.

You notice how Emma’s smile starts to weaken and twitch. “He’s… joking, right love?”

“Brother, please don’t scare her like that. Mom’s not a maniac.” You groan, then give Emma serious look. “You do have an iron at home, right?”

“Wait, you’re both serious.”

You and your brother can’t do much more than to leave her comment lingering in the air as you take a long, silent sip from your drinks.

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Chapter 193: Intermission 16 -  The worries of an older sister.

Julia has to wonder why it didn’t surprise her when Jonathan canceled their date to go out with her mother instead. Well, for one she knew that her mother would move in to get him the moment she saw him. He’s totally her type. But Jonathan also had this air around him that warned her he wasn’t looking for anything serious.

At least his brother is a responsible young man. Emily has always been a very energetic girl, but ever since she started dating David she’s been in extremely high spirits. As her sister, she’ll always worry, of course, but the boy has been treating Emily well.

So well, in fact, that it’s got her a little jealous. Whenever Emily talks about what she’d like to do in the future, David and his other girlfriends are also there. She’d chalk it up to young love, but they seem so serious about it that it makes her wonder if she should settle down, too.

That group has such a wholesome relationship. She knows Emily is in good hands, so she can focus a little more on herself. And, well… she’d be lying if she said that she hasn’t entertained certain thoughts every once in a while. After all, David Walker does look like a keeper. Hardworking, always looking to improve himself, book smart, clever and very handsome… But no. She’s his teacher, and she’s a full 10 years older than him. The thought of her and Emily dating the same man is… oddly appealing, but she’d feel so out of place among the other young girls, too.

Man, she wants to get a good man to share her life with, but it’s not like that happens out of nowhere. It’s not like she’ll say that there are no good men out there, but how can she go around trying to find the one that’s right for her? She doesn’t just want to date random guys hopping to hit jackpot.

Urgh. The more she thinks about it, the more appealing it is to try for something with David, if only because she knows him as her student and has heard a lot about him as her sister’s boyfriend. And she’s heard A LOT. She’s only managed to get so many details out of Emily because she almost seems eager to tell her. Almost. It’s like Emily is conflicted between being too embarrassed to tell and totally wanting to brag about her amazing boyfriend. That’s why when she asked, she didn’t have to press much to find out that David is actually a beast in bed. This only adds to the temptation to ask him out because she hasn’t had sex in about seven months.

Hey, if Jonathan dumped her for her mother, it wouldn’t be wrong for her to go for his brother, right?

No! No. She’s his teacher. She can’t do that. Maybe when he’s out of Hayes, but… that’s a year and a half away.

The knocking on her apartment door stops her thoughts. Thankfully. She walks up to the door, looks through the peephole and sees her little sister standing there, waiting with a backpack on her shoulder.

She doesn’t need to guess why she’s here. She opens the door and smiles at Emily.

“What brings you here, Em?”

“Mom brought her new boyfriend home, and this time it's EXTRA awkward.” She groans heavily.

“Figured.” Julia sighs, disappointed in her mother again. “Come in.”

As Emily settles in, she takes the opportunity to tease her a bit.

“Why didn’t you go to your amazing boyfriend, though?” She asks with a huge grin.

“He takes one day a week to get as much schoolwork done as he can. This happens to be the day this week.”

“I never thought I’d see the day I’d become your second choice for refuge. You’re growing up way too quickly for my liking.” Julia says that, but she feels proud of her sister’s overall maturing. She’s a lot more responsible with her schoolwork now, and everyday she’s becoming a better and more reliable team captain. She doesn’t doubt the team will pick her again this semester.

“I still wanted to talk to you.” Emily says, taking a seat on the couch. Julia goes and sits next to her. “Are you sure you’re okay with Jonathan canceling your date?”

“It’s a blow to my ego, sure, but better to find out now what kind of man he is, right?” She answers honestly and shrugs. “What about you? It bothers you that David’s brother is dating mom, right?”

“Yeah, but I already spoke to David. He’s… okay with it, for the most part because he thinks it won’t last long, especially with Jonathan going back to Japan in a few weeks. I’m… not so sure about that.”

“What do you mean?” Julia raises an eyebrow.

“It’s… complicated. I’ve just started thinking more about what mom does, and I’m disliking it more and more every time.” Emily says, biting her lip.

“I get what you mean, but it’s her life. I’m not exactly proud of her, but it’s not like she’s doing anything wrong. She’s not pointing a gun at these guys and forcing them to buy her stuff.”

“Well, it’s not a gun, but…” Emily mutters under her breath, and Julia just barely manages to catch that.

“What? What do you mean?” Julia pries.

“N-Nothing!” Emily says, getting flustered before she remains quiet for a moment and shakes her head. “You know what? You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“What wouldn’t I believe?”

“What if I told you mom has a magic power that makes other people like her faster?” She says nonchalantly.

“Magic power? What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. It’s ridiculous. Forget about it.” Emily says that, but she has a heavy scowl on her face as she leans back on the couch and crosses her arms.

“Alright, you’re acting weird. What’s happening here?”

“I’m… just pissed, you know?” Emily admits, her shoulders slumping tiredly. “Mom could build something good for herself and find someone that truly makes her happy. Instead she’s doing… this.”

“You mean using that magic power?”

“Yeah! It would be easy, but she just…!” Emily catches herself mid-sentence and her face snaps to Julia. “You didn’t just… believe me, did you? That’d be stupid.” She says with a weak smirk.

“If it’s fake, would you mind telling me what sparked your imagination, little sister?”

“N-Nothing! It was just a stupid comment!”

“You sounded very sure of yourself.” Julia keeps pressing.

“Why are we even having this conversation?”

“You started it.” Julia shrugs. “Come on. Finish your hypothetical scenario.”

“…” Emily’s face twists in a complicated expression. Julia can easily see her having an internal conflict, and that worries her more than whatever she just said. Her sister stands up from the couch and throws her hands up in the air. “Just forget it, okay!? I shouldn’t have said anything! It was just a stupid thought.”

“If it’s such a stupid thought why are you getting so upset about it? Why can’t you tell me what’s going on?” Julia also stands up, and her voice starts to rise along with her worries.

“Because! If I say anything else, I know I’ll screw things up! And I’d rather die than screw things up!” Julia notices her Emily’s voice almost cracks. She’s trying to keep her cool, but she’s obviously upset, and that’s definitely not normal.

“Emily, please, how could telling ANYTHING to ME screw something up? I’m your sister! And if this is about mom, I have a right to know.” She walks up to her kid sister and gives her a strong, reassuring hug, noticing how tense her body is. “Please, Emily. Tell me why you’re so upset.”

“Please, Julia. Just… drop it okay?” Emily pleads, her voice weak.

“You know I can’t. This isn’t about what you said about some magic powers. It’s about whatever it is that’s making you feel this way, like you can’t tell ME of all people, something.”

“…Promise me you won’t do anything rash.” Emily says, and she can see a few tears of frustration forming on her face. “Please. PLEASE promise me you won’t do anything at all.”

“I can only promise not to do anything that will hurt you.” Julia says. If this turns out to be something serious, her sister’s wellbeing is her top priority.

Emily bites her lip but accepts that. They sit down again, and she tells her everything. She tells her about a thing called The Affection Multiplier. It’s a thing her boyfriend has, and that’s how he found out their mother also has it. She explains to her how it works, and the things it can do when used to its fullest. She tells her what she fears their mother could do if she used it wrongly. And Julia has no other choice but to believe every single word. Because nothing fake could distress her sister this much.

But now, Julia has questions. Many questions. And sadly, Emily can’t answer any of them. But if what she said is true, there’s someone that can.

Mr. David Walker.