Love In The Balance Ch 04

Hey guys, here's Chapter 04 of a new story for you! I hope you enjoy it. I wanted to enter something in Literotica's Valentine's Day contest but realized I would not be able to finish in time. Like my last two contest entries(Suzie's Twenty-Five Acts and Abbott Trails), the story was getting very long. So, instead of rushing to finish, I decided to split the story into multiple parts. Will this delay Birthday Pool Party? Yes. Sorry about that! I do want to finish BPP, but I was inspired to write this one. Birthday Pool Party is not being abandoned, I promise. This one won't be nearly as long as Birthday Pool Party and I already have quite a few chapters ready to go.

This one is set in the same universe as my other stories and you might recognize a few characters. This was meant to be a standalone story, so reading my other stories is not a requirement. You'll miss a few Easter Eggs, but that's about it.

I haven't written in past tense for awhile, so please let me know if you spot any tense changes. Comments and feedback are always appreciated! I read every single one. Also, please let me know if you spot any mistakes. Errors bug me, and I make sure to upload revised editions whenever I find any. Please note that this story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any real person is purely coincidental. As always, this is a world without STI's, and everyone involved in sexual activity is at least eighteen years old.

-Witty

~Tuesday February 18, 2025~

"I told her she's a fucking idiot," Camilla rolled her eyes, her arms crossed while sitting in the extra chair in Steven's office.

"How is she?" Steven inquired.

"Spent all weekend moping around the apartment," she answered. "Which you might have known if you'd bothered to text her."

"I didn't want to put more pressure on her," he explained. "Or be one of those guys who can't leave a girl alone. She made it clear we're never gonna be more than friends."

"She wants more, Steven," Camilla insisted. "She's just, well, she's Jane. Which brings us back to my 'fucking idiot' comment."

"I just wish I knew what was going on with her," Steven sighed.

"She's never told anyone," the Latina replied. "I only know because her sister told me. Jane needs to be in therapy. She has a big problem with dissociating. It's so strange since she's usually completely in control."

"I want to ask, but it's not my place," he lamented.

"I want to tell you," Camilla nodded slowly.

"What should I do?" Steven asked. "Everyone knew we slept together sometimes, but now it's out in the open. I'm not sure where we go from here."

"Good morning!" Megan Bauer's chirpy voice came from the door. "How was yo- oh, shit! Sorry!"

"It's okay," he smiled at Megan before turning back to Camilla.

"Just give her some time," Camilla advised, getting to her feet. "We'll get together as a group on Friday."

Camilla headed out the door, walking right by Megan as the two women acknowledged each other with a nod. Megan's hair was in an elegant side braid that fell over the front of her right shoulder. She sat down in the chair Camilla just vacated, pulling it closer to Steven.

"That didn't sound good," Megan winced in sympathy.

"It wasn't," Steven grunted sadly.

"I'm sorry," she replied, reaching out to place her hand on his thigh. "I mean it. "I'm really sorry."

"It's not your fault, but thanks," he replied.

"It's her loss," Megan added, leaning over to lightly kiss his cheek. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks, Megan," Steven smiled.

Megan got up and returned the chair to its proper place before leaving the office. Steven got to work, losing himself in his duties in an attempt to distract himself. Fortunately, everyone had been texting him all weekend about Jane, so no one bothered him until lunch.

Theo and Camilla were the only members of The Gang of Eight besides Steven who were working from the office. The three of them had lunch together at a table in the corner. They were silent for several minutes, Steven and Theo obviously in a poor mood.

"Well, this is fun," Camilla said sarcastically.

"The entire fucking weekend!" Theo grunted in response.

"Noah's date?" the Latina questioned.

"Right. Date," Theo grumbled. "We met two girls at the bar; Kate and Morgan. Kate was hanging all over Noah. Morgan called me an asshole and left with some lawyer. I got a drink at the bar and the hot bartender shot me down."

"Ouch," Steven winced.

"Yeah," Theo sighed.

"How was your weekend, Camilla?" Steven asked, changing the subject.

"Fine," she answered. "Sienna and I had a great night at the spa. I hadn't had a facial in forever."

"I thought you said you didn't have a Valentine this year," Theo interjected slyly.

"Let me guess," Camilla began, "you said something like that with the girls you just met and they thought you were a creep?"

"Uh, yeah," Theo admitted.

"Maybe let a girl get comfortable with you before making the dirty comments," Camilla suggested. "That way you might have a chance of finding a woman who will let you give her a facial."

"That'd be nice," Theo nodded. "I went home without a date Friday. Noah brought Kate home. She stayed the whole damn weekend. Didn't leave our apartment until last night. I have no idea how many times they fucked."

"You could have left the apartment," Steven pointed out.

"I did!" Theo exclaimed. "Kate was always there when I got back. She spent a lot of time walking around the apartment in her underwear. On Sunday, I came out of my bedroom and Kate was giving him head on the couch. She didn't see a reason to stop."

"You're an idiot," Camilla stated plainly.

"What? Why!" Theo whined.

"She was sucking dick in front of you, she spent the whole weekend at the apartment of two guys; a horny, slutty bar girl," Camilla explained slowly. "She wanted a threesome."

"Uh, she did?" Theo asked with wide eyes.

"Most likely, yes!" the Latina said. "You could have got some of that yourself."

"Noah didn't mention anything," Theo reasoned.

"He probably wanted her all to himself?" Steven suggested.

"Probably," Camilla agreed, turning her head to look at Theo. "You've been roommates for awhile, ever double-team a girl?"

"No," Theo answered. "Usually I'm in my room alone listening to the girl's screams."

"I have no idea what that's like; I'm usually the screaming girl," Camilla giggled.

Steven didn't respond as intrusive thoughts threatened to take over. He imagined Jane going out drinking, finding some guy and going home with him. The thought had his stomach in knots. With a sigh, he put away the rest of his lunch, his appetite gone.

The rest of the workday dragged as Steven wrote financial reports and analyzed Sphinx's income. He was thankful that he didn't have any meetings, the rest of the day passing with no one bothering him. At least until quitting time when Megan stopped by his office.

"C'mon, we're getting dinner. My treat," Megan insisted.

"Oh, you don't have to," he protested weakly.

"Too fucking bad," the raven-haired goddess smirked. "I already told the nanny I'm gonna be late, you're stuck with me."

Camilla and Theo were both leaving when Megan dragged Steven out the door. Steven's phone went off several times over the next few minutes and he immediately knew what the texts were about. He responded when he could, insisting that Megan was just being friendly.

Megan brought Steven to a very expensive restaurant a few blocks away. He reminded himself that this wasn't a date and that Megan was just being friendly. She didn't bring up Jane until their entrees arrived and they started eating.

"So, what happened?" Megan asked.

"I told her I wanted more, she refused and left," Steven answered with a shrug. "We haven't talked since."

"Do you think it's over?" she inquired gently.

"It never started," he snorted.

"I meant the sex," Megan smirked before popping a broccoli floret in her mouth.

"I don't know," Steven shook his head. "Probably for awhile, at least."

"I'm sorry," Megan said sincerely.

"Thank you," he nodded.

"I know a sex store that has male masturbatory aids." she offered with a teasing smirk.

"I'm good, thanks," Steven rolled his eyes.

"I'm just not sure what else to say," Megan admitted. "I'm not very good with relationships. Like father, like daughter."

"I read that your dad has a new girlfriend," he pointed out.

"New girlfriend?" she snorted. "No, he has a harem leader. Last summer? I wanted to take Carter on the yacht one day last summer, but Dad had plans with it. Him and at least two dozen barely-legal models. He spent two weeks at sea with them, using their bodies all day and night."

"Impressive for a guy in his late-fifties," Steven reasoned.

"Yeah, I guess," Megan laughed. "My friends are shit at relationships, too. Hookups, trophy wives, shit like that."

"Your mom?" he wondered.

"Never remarried," she shook her head. "I barely see her. The prenup gave her enough to live off of, but she doesn't own any of the company. Dad gave up on love after wife number five."

Steven and Megan switched to talking about work, neither of them wanting to think about their pathetic romantic lives. When the bill came, Megan paid as promised, ignoring Steven's offer to cover it. She then surprised him again by hugging him goodbye before they both went their separate ways.

Megan spent the evening on the couch watching cartoons with her son. Steven relaxed on the couch with a book. His phone went off several times, with various members of The Gang of Eight texting him. Sadly, Jane was not one of those people.

Camilla: Are you home?

Steven: Yeah, why?

Camilla: Jane is pissed.

Steven: Why?

Camilla: You went on a date with Megan Bauer.

Steven: I told you she was just being a friend!

Camilla: Right.

Steven: She was! And Jane refused when I asked to be exclusive!

Camilla: So, it was a date.

Steven: That's not what I meant!

Camilla: At least you're not at her place. I'll tell Jane. Text her!

Steven: I will.

Rubbing his temples, Steven closed his book and decided to head to bed even though it was barely 9:00PM. He sent Jane a text to let her know he wasn't dating anyone and that he missed her. Then he went through his nighttime routine before climbing into bed.

Jane didn't respond.

~Saturday March 01, 2025~

"So, my professor says to me in front of everyone else that I should really be doing my homework," the stand-up comedian says into the microphone. "I replied, asking her if she was my homework, because I should really be doing her, too. Long story short, that's why I'm here tonight instead of on Wall Street!"

The third comedian was decent, most of his jokes getting the audience to laugh. The Gang of Eight were sitting at a couple of tables near the stage of the club. It was going to be a night of amateur comedians and karaoke. A fun and unique combination the group was looking forward to.

They were celebrating. Leslie was pregnant. She had been taking a pregnancy test multiple times a day since Valentine's Day weekend. One of them finally turned positive on the last Tuesday in February. Leslie got an appointment for Friday with her doctor, confirming the pregnancy. Like Leslie hoped, the doctor used Valentine's Day as the date of conception, making Leslie's due date 07 November, 2025.

Sienna and Camilla were at the same table as Conner and Leslie. The second table consisted of Noah, Theo, Jane, and Steven. Things had settled down and everyone was getting along. Theo was making inappropriate comments, Noah was hitting on every woman in sight, and, most importantly, Steven and Jane were friends.

The other six all agreed that Steven was being way more patient than he had to be. Jane apologized for giving him the cold shoulder and they hugged. Both of them agreed to cool it with their sexual relationship for the time being. Neither was happy about it, but they had to find a way forward as friends first.

"Hey, here's a cute couple!" the comedian spoke up, pointing out Jane and Steven for some crowd work. "How long have you two been together?"

"Uh, we're not dating," Steven answered when Jane froze.

"Ouch! Young lady, the way this guy is looking at you, he definitely wants to!" the comedian said to a smattering of laughter and applause. "Awkward!"

The next comedian was better. She actually had a few jokes that weren't about sex. Everyone was laughing and the awkwardness caused by the last guy was long gone. When the final comedian's set was over, the host came out and had people go to the club's site on their phones to get in line for karaoke.

Two beautiful young ladies sang the first song. They were giggling like crazy as they sang about the good times into their microphones. The one on the left nearly lost her balance and fell over. It didn't seem like they were drunk, but they were definitely a little tipsy.

The two women appeared to be around Sienna's age, twenty-one or twenty-two. The one on the left was a strawberry blonde with a light dusting of freckles across her face. The other was a tan girl with brown hair. Both girls were average height and wearing jean shorts and t-shirts.

"Which one do you want?" Noah asked.

"The one with freckles is really cute," Theo replied.

"Great, because the tan girl's tits are huge!" Noah whispered back.

"I noticed, dude!" Theo agreed.

"Pigs," Sienna hissed across the table.

"Hey! I wasn't the one who mentioned tits this time!" Theo whined.

"Just shut up and listen," Leslie grunted before taking a sip of her diet soda.

Four more groups had their turn before Sienna and Camilla were called up. The redhead and the Latina both sang about how they felt like women. There was a ton of cheering and whistling, which Theo ruined by telling the girls it was because they were really hot. Steven insisted it was due to their singing, not their appearance.

Theo and Noah sang into their microphones when it was their turn and Theo looked very uncomfortable. Noah made a show of flexing while on stage, trying to show off his muscular build. Theo made a valiant effort of holding his gut in during the entire song. He failed miserably, needing to stop singing to catch his breath. His face was red when the two guys returned to their seats.

Leslie and Conner chose a very romantic song for their turn. Hearts melted in the audience as the lovers gazed at each other, singing passionately as if they were the only two people in the world. They bowed at the end of the song when everyone started clapping.

Theo managed to request a song for Jane and Steven. The former friends with benefits ended up doing a duet. The song had a lot of connotations for their current relationships and Sienna smacked Theo on the shoulder for suggesting it. He just grinned innocently.

Steven looked out over the audience, avoiding Jane's gaze as he loudly requested she not break his heart. Jane was obviously dejected as she declared that she couldn't. Sienna swatted Theo on the shoulder every time it seemed like Steven or Jane would break down and flee the stage.

Jane and Steven were actually really, really good. Their voices complemented each other, and the emotions they felt were laid bare. Both of them were breathing heavily when the song ended, forced smiles on their faces as they listened to the applause. They handed over the microphones and made their way back to their seats.

"You're an asshole," Steven snapped at Theo.

"Who, me?" Theo grinned.

"How did you even do that? I requested a different song!" Jane exclaimed, standing behind her chair.

"Found an option on the app to request a different song for people to do," Theo shrugged.

"Wait, there's an app?" Leslie frowned.

"Yeah, there are more options than if you just go to the site," Theo confirmed.

"Fuck you, Theo," Jane finally hissed, stomping off toward the bathroom.

The other three girls scrambled out of their seats and pursued Jane to the restroom. Jane was clearly upset and they wanted to talk to her. In addition, the ladies tended to visit the bathroom in flocks. Steven sat down heavily in his chair as he glared at Theo.

"Could you have chosen something less painful, less humiliating?" Steven asked in annoyance. "Maybe kick me in the nuts on stage?"

"Dick move, man," Conner said to Theo.

"Sorry," Theo mumbled, the realization that he went too far finally dawning on him.

Jane returned a few minutes later with the other three girls. They all sat down and pointedly ignored Theo. At least the guy finally realized how badly he screwed up. The Gang of Eight tried to relax and enjoy the karaoke, listening to various songs as the night continued.

The karaoke continued and people started mingling more as the drinks flowed freely. Guys were trying to pick up Sienna and Camilla, but neither girl seemed interested in a hookup. Jane and Steven were chatting with Conner and Leslie. Theo followed Noah's lead when it was time to make a move.

"That was a great song earlier," Noah complimented the two girls who sang first.

"Thanks!" the tan girl giggled.

"Yeah, thank you!" the freckled girl added.

"Y-you, ah, you sing really well," Theo continued awkwardly.

"I'm Noah, this is Theo," Noah interjected to keep the conversation flowing.

"Jackie," the tan girl introduced herself.

"Christie!" the strawberry blonde girl exclaimed.

"Can we buy you ladies a drink?" Noah offered.

"Um, yeah, okay. Sure!" Jackie agreed.

"Two club sodas," Christie added.

"Did you girls like the female comedian?" Theo suddenly asked. "I loved when she asked the guy if he was a trampoline because she'd like to bounce on him."

"We'll just grab your drinks," Noah laughed nervously, grabbing Theo's arm and dragging him toward the bar.

Theo did not get any smoother as the night wore on. Noah's charm more than made up for it, however. The big buy was telling the girls stories about his time as a quarterback in college. They laughed at Noah's jokes and Jackie was regularly reaching out to touch his arm.

Drinks flowed while Theo kept trying to be funny. To Noah's surprise, Christie did laugh a few times at his jokes. Jackie was hanging off of Noah, pressing her large breasts against him as she batted her eyelashes up at him. Theo made another pathetic attempt at flirting and Noah decided it was time to seal the deal. Noah didn't want another instance of Theo chasing women away.

"Do you two wanna come back to our place?" Noah offered. "We could listen to some music, hang out..."

"Hang on. Just, ah, two seconds!" Jackie held up two fingers before grabbing Christie's elbow and dragging her away.

Noah and Theo stood side-by-side as the girls chatted several feet away. The ladies were giggling, which both guys figured was a good sign. Theo had a dopey grin on his face so Noah elbowed him and gestured at him to knock it off. Both guys stood up straighter when the girls returned.

"Okay, we're in. Let's go!" Christie giggled cutely.

The two boys quickly said goodbye to their friends before rushing the girls to the subway. The four of them sat together as they took the short ride to the apartment building. They were stumbling as they walked, all of them feeling the effects of the alcohol. Noah buzzed them into the building and quickly led them to the correct apartment.

"Your room, big guy!" Jackie husked, grabbing Noah's hand.

Theo tried to find words to say to Christie, but his jaw dropped when Christie followed the other two. He took a few steps forward, but Noah's door quickly shut, both girls in there with him. Hanging his head, Theo walked to his bedroom alone. As usual.

Noah felt horrible for Theo and had no idea this was what the girls were planning. He wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what. He couldn't exactly ask one of them to go fuck his friend. If neither of them were into Theo, what was Noah supposed to do about it? He felt it was still shitty of them to make Theo think he was gonna get lucky, too.