It's a breezy Saturday afternoon, and Jake and Haley are walking through a local outdoor market. She's in sunglasses and a flowy patterned dress, sipping on a matcha latte, while Jake's carrying a tote bag already half-full with random stuff Haley insisted on getting, vintage sunglasses, hand-poured candles, and a tiny cactus.
"You know this cactus is gonna die in a week, right?" Jake teases, eyeing the plant.
Haley gasps in mock offense. "Spikey is a survivor. Don't talk like that in front of him!"
Jake laughs. "Right, my bad. Sorry, Spikey."
They meander past booths, bantering about everything from bad first dates to fashion trends. Haley stops at a jewelry stall, trying on a few rings, while Jake scrolls through his phone.
That's when a guy in a backwards cap strolls up to Haley, eyeing her like he's already got her number.
"Hey," He says with a smirk. "You've got the kind of look that makes a guy forget his pickup line."
Haley gives a tight smile, not biting. "Wow. That's tragic."
But the guy doesn't back off. He steps closer, ignoring Jake completely. "You here alone? Maybe we can grab a drink or something?"
Jake looks up, notices the body language, and calmly steps next to Haley.
"She's not," Jake says, voice easy but firm. "She's with me."
The guy looks him up and down. "Relax, man. Just saying hi."
Jake holds his ground, the same relaxed tone in his voice. "Then say bye."
There's a pause. Haley raises an eyebrow, sipping her drink.
The guy scoffs, clearly annoyed, and mutters something as he walks away.
Haley exhales, glancing sideways at Jake. "You always that smooth under pressure?"
Jake shrugs, smirking. "It's a gift."
She bumps her shoulder into his. "I could've handled it."
"I know." He says. "But it was fun stealing your thunder."
Haley grins. "You're not getting a candle now."
Jake pretends to be crushed. "No!"
They keep walking, the energy light again, laughter bubbling between them as they continue browsing.
After the little run-in at the market, Jake and Haley wander into a nearby park. It's got a small lake, paddle boats drifting lazily across the water, and a cluster of food trucks parked near the entrance.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Jake says as he straps on a neon-orange life vest.
Haley grins as she hops into the front of the paddle boat. "Come on, where's your sense of whimsy?"
"Buried somewhere under this extremely unflattering vest." Jake mutters, climbing in behind her.
They push off awkwardly, nearly spinning in a full circle before managing to paddle forward in unison. Haley laughs so hard she nearly drops her phone in the water.
"I swear.." Jake says, wiping water off his sunglasses. "This is the exact opposite of relaxing."
"Exactly!" Haley shoots back. "It's fun. You need more chaos in your life."
"Pretty sure your entire presence is enough chaos." Jake quips.
She leans back, sunglasses perched on her head, a lazy smile on her face. "You're welcome."
They drift under the shade of a tree, the sun dappling over the water, and for a moment it's just peaceful. Ducks waddle by on the edge of the lake. A kid nearby screams with delight as their paddle boat spins wildly in a circle.
"So," Haley says, glancing back at him. "Are we calling this a date?"
Jake raises an eyebrow. "If this is a date, I'm picking the next one. And it won't involve questionable ducks and leg workouts."
Haley snorts. "Fair."
Once they return to dry land, Jake nearly slips, to Haley's absolute delight, they grab churros from a food truck and sit on the grass against a tree, watching the late-afternoon crowd go by. Music drifts from a nearby group with a speaker, and Haley starts doing a ridiculous little shoulder shimmy dance.
Jake gives her a deadpan look. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to join in?"
She tosses a bit of sugar-dusted churro at him. "No. This is the part where you film me and tell me I'm amazing."
Jake lifts his phone, dutifully recording her wacky moves. "Amazing. Definitely. The people must see this. They definitely never saw someone dance as bad."
Haley grins, flopping back onto the grass between his legs, churro in hand. "You know... I'm glad we hang out like this."
Jake leans back against a tree, sunglasses hiding his eyes. "Me too." He says, laying a featherlight kiss on her neck making Haley shudder. They lie there for a bit, full of sugar and sunshine.
[ Later that afternoon ]
Haley plops onto the couch barefoot, toes tucked under her, her phone in one hand and a throw pillow in the other. "Okay, so I was thinking, what if I start doing mini-style breakdowns based on celebrity airport looks? You know, like, comfy but aspirational?"
Jake looks at her, fingers still on the keyboard. "That's not bad. People love aspirational. And if it's cozy? That's clickbait gold."
Haley raises an eyebrow. "Did you just say clickbait gold with a straight face?"
Jake smirks. "What? I learn from the best." He tilts his laptop slightly so she can see the analytics dashboard. "Traffic's up again this week. Your 'Hot Girl Autumn' post is killing it."
She beams, genuinely pleased. "See? Told you cinnamon tones were having a moment."
Jake nods, typing something. "Also told you the site needed a faster mobile layout. You're welcome."
Haley tosses a pillow at him. "Tech genius and hot. It's disgusting."
He catches the pillow mid-air. "I'll take that as a thank-you. I pushed a back-end update last night should make image galleries load faster. Also, I installed better tracking for where users drop off."
Haley's eyes narrow. "Tracking sounds creepy."
Jake shrugs. "Welcome to the internet. It's anonymous. But useful. Now we know 60% of people don't scroll past your fourth outfit pic."
"What? Rude." Haley looks back at her phone. "That's usually the best one!"
Jake chuckles. "That's because you bury it. You gotta front-load your fire."
She makes a mental note. "You'd think I'd hate having to manage all the tech stuff, but... it's kind of awesome with you."
Jake stretches. "Yeah, well. You focus on making everyone want to dress like you. I'll keep the site from crashing."
There's a pause, a moment of comfortable silence between them.
Haley looks up. "You ever think about making something like this your business? Like... helping influencers? With stats and all…"
Jake shrugs, but there's a flicker of thought behind his eyes. "Who knows? Smart ideas tend to follow the people I care about."
Haley softens at that. "Well, if you ever need a glowing testimonial, I'll say you're the reason StyleCrisis hasn't imploded."
Jake grins. "I'll put that on my résumé. Kept Haley Dunphy from breaking the internet."
They laugh together, and in the background, the site dashboard refreshes again views ticking steadily upward.
As Haley looks at Jake laughing, she thinks of the conversation she's had with her mom recently.
[ Two Weeks Ago ]
The kitchen smells like lemon cleaner and burnt toast. Claire stands by the counter, sipping coffee from her chipped mug, almost feeling Haley pace with restless energy from her phone.
"It was just one night," Haley says, more defensively than she means to. "My friends said it was fine. It was fine."
Claire raises an eyebrow, saying nothing yet. She's good at this letting Haley talk herself into corners.
"But now it's like… I keep thinking about him. About the way he looked at me. How careful he was. Not soft, but present, you know? Like I mattered."
Claire hums into her mug. "Mmm. Dangerous stuff."
Haley pauses. "What do you mean?"
Claire shrugs, all casual, voice too sharp. "You know how it goes. One night turns into two, and suddenly you're the 'other girl' in someone else's story."
"I'm not-" Haley bristles.
"I'm just saying…" Claire cuts in smoothly, setting her mug down, "That boy is already taken. You dip your toe in again and you risk ruining what you and your friend have. That friendship? That's rare. You really want to light a match to it over a guy you borrowed for a night?"
Haley's eyes narrow. "It wasn't borrowing."
"Wasn't it?" Claire's voice stays mild, but there's steel under it. "Sweetheart, I've seen how this plays out. You think you're different, that you can handle it, but feelings get messy. People get hurt. Your friend forgave you once, sure. But twice? With feelings involved?" She waves a hand. "That's a powder keg."
Haley crosses her arms, mouth a tight line.
Claire softens her tone, like she's laying a trap with silk. "But you know what? Maybe you should go after him. Just to see what happens. Chase the fantasy. Blow it all up. Sometimes the fastest way to learn is to make the mistake yourself."
She walks out of the kitchen like it's nothing, like she hasn't just pushed every button Haley has.
Haley holds the phone, jaw clenched, heart hammering.
A mistake? No. She knows how she felt that night. The way Jake's voice dropped when he said her name. The way her body melted into his. The way it didn't feel like someone else's story. It felt like hers.
Claire wanted to scare her off. Warn her.
Instead, she's just lit the fuse.
By the time Haley end the call, she's no longer uncertain.
She wants Jake.
And she wants him with Alex's blessing not because she's being reckless, but because for once, she knows exactly what she wants.
[ Back to the present ]
[ Hours later ]
Haley sits beside Alex the blanket over her, knees drawn up.
Alex glances over, sensing something.
"You've been quiet." She says.
Haley nods slowly, eyes on the tv. "Been thinking."
"It's never a good thing." Alex teases her then waits, knowing her well enough not to push.
"It's about Jake." Haley says finally, turning to face her.
Alex's gaze sharpens slightly. "Okay…"
Haley licks her lips, nervous. "You know that night… the one you let me have with him. I didn't expect it to mean so much. I thought it was going to be fun, maybe intense. But it wasn't just that."
Alex watches her, silent.
"It felt real, Alex. With him. Like something I want to hold onto." Haley hesitates, choosing her words carefully. "I know he's your boyfriend. I know what that means. But I also know you. I'm not trying to take anything from you. I'm not trying to get between you two."
Alex's jaw is set, but her expression stays open.
"I want to be with him, too." Haley says, voice softer now. "Not for a night. Not as some kind of side thing. I want to be his girlfriend. With your blessing. I'm not asking for anything secret or sketchy. I'm asking you openly, if you'd be willing to share him."
Alex's expression flickers. She looks away for a moment. "So you want a relationship with him." She says slowly, "while I'm still in one with him."
"Yes," Haley says. "I don't want to come between you. I don't want things to change between you too. I'm not asking for more of him than you get. I'm just… asking if there's space for me. With him. If you could accept that."
Alex is quiet for a long moment.
"Would you try to take him from me if I say no?" Alex turns her head now, her expression unreadable. There's no anger, no betrayal just something else flickering behind her eyes.
"I want Jake. And I want you to still be part of my life while I do." Haley says.
"You mean too much to me. That's why I'm asking you first. I don't want to do this unless it's something you want too." She adds.
Alex lets out a breath. Her lips twitch not quite a smile. "That's the problem, I don't know what I want." She says softly.
Haley's brow furrows. "You're not mad?"
"No. I should be, right?" Alex says, crossing her arms.
Alex looks at her, and for once, the filter drops. Her voice comes low, almost like a confession. "Knowing he was touching someone else, and that it was you. It should have felt threatening. But it didn't."
Haley watches her, slowly putting it together.
"You liked it."
Alex blushes faintly, but doesn't deny it. "I didn't expect to. But yeah. There's something… I don't know." She looks away, almost embarrassed. "Like, I was giving permission. Like I had control by letting it happen."
"It makes me feel closer to both of you, somehow." She pauses, then adds, almost shyly.
Alex draws a breath, deep and slow, and when she exhales, some of the tension leaves her shoulders.
"You're serious about this?" Alex asks.
"I am."
"And you're willing to do it the right way. No lies. No games."
"You know I am." Haley says. "I'd never betray you. If this works, it works because you're okay with it. Because we're still solid."
Alex looks at her for a long time, her features softening, something complex playing behind her eyes loyalty, protectiveness, maybe even curiosity.
"Jake's not a toy," she says finally.
"I don't think he is."
"And if he says no?"
"Then I respect it." Haley says. "But I couldn't not tell you how I feel."
Alex exhales again, then nods slowly. "Alright. We'll talk to him. Together."
Haley's face lights up, not with victory, but with gratitude. "Thank you."
"No promises." Alex says, but there's no edge to it.
[ After diner ]
Jake sits on the couch while Haley and Alex flank him on either side.
He can feel the weight of what they've just said. Haley's eyes are locked on his, steady and open. Alex is quieter now, her arms folded loosely, watching the ocean instead of him. But her silence isn't cold. It's thoughtful. Measured.
Jake speaks first. "So let me make sure I understand."
Both women glance at him.
"You're not asking for… some kind of three-way thing. Not that kind of poly."
Alex shakes her head immediately. "No. Not that."
Haley chimes in. "It's not about the three of us together. It's about you with me, and you with her. Separately. Two different relationships."
Jake turns to Alex. "And you're okay with that? Like… really okay?"
Alex looks at him finally. "Yes. I don't want control over you. I trust you. I trust her. What you two share… I don't want to erase it."
Jake shifts his gaze to Haley. "And you're okay with that? Keeping it separate?"
Haley smiles gently. "More than okay. I don't want to push into what you and Alex have. I don't want to change it or compete with it. I want what's ours something that belongs just to us. I think that's what makes this work."
Jake leans back, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "I never imagined this being a real conversation."
Alex laughs under her breath. "Neither did I."
"But you're both serious?" he asks again. "You're willing to try this two relationships, side by side?"
"Parallel," Alex says and Haley nods.
Jake looks between them, his heart pounding. Not out of fear out of something more rare. A strange sense of peace, of something aligning that shouldn't have made sense but somehow… does.
"Alright." He says, voice soft. "Then I want this. I want both of you."
Haley leans in and kisses his cheek,
"Then we're starting something new," Jake says, offering a hand to both of them.
Alex takes it first. Haley a moment later. Three hands, joined not in one knot, but in a steady, balanced grip.
Not one relationship. Two.
A bit later they're sitting together on the, overstuffed couch.
Jake has his arms stretched across the back, Haley nestled on one side, Alex lounging on the other, her legs tucked under her. There's a warmth between them now.
Then Haley tilts her head up, glancing at Jake with a teasing glint in her eye. "So…" She says, voice light, playful. "Now that we've all agreed… who gets the first night?"
Jake chuckles softly, but it's Alex who speaks first, raising an eyebrow in mock offense. "You're already trying to schedule him?"
Haley shrugs, feigning innocence. "It's been a while since I've had him. Feels fair."
Jake laughs, rubbing a hand over his face. "This is already dangerously close to calendar territory."
But Alex only smirks and waves her hand. "She's right. It has been a while for you two. Go ahead. I can wait."
Haley's smile grows, and she leans into Jake's side just a bit more. "You sure?"
Alex nods, sincere. "Yeah. I'd rather start this knowing you got what you've been craving maybe then I won't have to see that hungry wolf look every time you're near him."
Jake groans. "Great. Now I'm a steak."
Haley grins. "A very well-seasoned one."
Jake looks between them, sobering a little. "So… one more thing. What happens after?"
Alex and Haley exchange a glance. It's Haley who answers. "We agreed, right? Intimacy stays separate. But after the private part… we all come back together."
Alex nods. "No sneaking off. No shutting each other out. Once the… private time is over, we sleep in the same bed. All three of us."
Jake raises an eyebrow. "That's not going to be awkward?"
"Not if we do it right," Haley says gently.
Alex adds, "It keeps it balanced. We're not competing. You don't disappear with one of us. We come back and reconnect, even if the romance is separate."
Jake nods slowly, absorbing it. "Alright. That makes sense."
Haley leans in, her voice lower now. "So… I get you tonight?"
Jake looks at her, his smile soft but full of heat. "Yeah. You do."
Alex stands up, stretching. "Okay. You two try not to knock anything over."
Haley smirks. "You're kidding, with all that banging against the wall I endured I'm definitely getting revenge!"
~~~~~
Don't hesitate to give your support. It makes me happy and motivates me to keep going! I need it much more than Shitflix or BezosCorp.
/ko-fi.com/lazydreamer