The Heart System

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WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

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Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60★★

Kayla: Interest: 13 / 60★

Tessa: Interest: 27 / 40★

Kim: Interest: 35 / 40★

Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80★★★

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★

Mendy: Interest: 6 /20

Nala: Interest: 66 /80★★★

Penelope: Interest: 1 /20

Minne: Interest: 17 /20

Ivy: Interest: 2/20

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Progress:

★☆☆☆☆ - 20 Interest: Milestone reward

★★☆☆☆ - 40 Interest: Milestone reward

★★★☆☆ - 60 Interest: Milestone reward

★★★★☆ - 80 Interest: Milestone reward

★★★★★ -100 Interest: Milestone reward

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Select a woman to track progress.

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I was just on edge because of Emilia. My nerves were shot. And now I had let my anger out on both of them. Great job, Evan. This was supposed to be a dinner for Mendy, a night to show her she wasn't alone.

"No, you're right," Kayla said. Her expression softened back into normal. "We shouldn't be bickering. We're here for Mendy."

"Mm," Penelope mumbled.

I kept driving with a knot in my chest. Couldn't take back what I'd said, but I regretted it. I wasn't wrong about them acting like brats, but still… yelling hadn't helped.

"Let's just have a nice and calm ride," I said.

"Yeah," Penelope answered. "Let's."

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎

I parked on the side of the quiet suburban street and pulled the handbrake. Penelope practically launched herself out of the car. Kayla stayed seated, holding the wine bottle between her hands, staring at the snow-covered roads. Mendy's place was right ahead, the warm yellow lights glowing through the curtains. A few old lampposts lit the area. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful for everything going on in my head.

Kayla was about to get out when I touched her shoulder. She turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

"I meant it," I said. "I'm sorry, Kayla. I shouldn't have yelled like that."

"Don't worry," she said. "It's not the first time someone yelled at me." She gave a small smile and stepped out.

I followed and locked the car. Penelope was already at Mendy's door, knocking. By the time we reached her, the door swung open and Mendy greeted us with the biggest smile I'd seen on her in months. She wore a plain t-shirt and soft pants. Kayla really was the only one dressed like she was going to a gala.

"Oh wow," Mendy said to her. "You look stunning."

"Y-yeah," Kayla said. "I think Evan was right. I overdressed a little. Um, here. I brought wine."

"Thank you," Mendy said as she took it. She stepped aside so we could enter. "Come in. It's freezing out there."

"New Year's coming," I said. "Weather's getting worse."

We stepped into the warm corridor. I let the heat wash over me before removing my jacket and hanging it on the rack. Penelope had already thrown herself onto the living room couch. Kayla, Mendy, and I stayed in the hallway for a moment.

"She's not in the mood, huh?" Kayla asked, nodding toward Penelope.

"No," Mendy said. "She was against you coming. I told her everything would be fine, but she didn't listen. She said she came only in case things go south. Whatever that means."

"Let's just try to have some fun," I said.

"Oh, we will," Mendy grinned. "I got us this weird game where you have to contort your body and put your hands and feet on different colors."

"Wait, what is it?" I asked.

"You'll see," she said. "I want to watch you bend yourself into a knot after you eat my special dinner."

"You three planned this just to see me suffer, didn't you?" I said. "Incredible."

Kayla laughed softly and nodded toward the living room. "Come on. Let's sit."

"Hmm," I said, shrugging and heading inside.

We all moved into the living room. The place wasn't big, but it was warm in the way small homes usually are. Two couches facing each other, small coffee table in the middle with a half-burnt candle and some old magazines stacked under it. Kayla and I sat on the longer couch, while Penelope flopped onto the other one beside Mendy like she owned the place. Her legs crossed immediately, her eyes half-lidded in that judgmental way she had.

The air felt awkward. Not awful, just… stiff. No one knew where to start.

Something smelled damn good though. Warm, meaty, buttery. My stomach reacted before I did.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "What's for dinner? Something smells really good."

Mendy perked up. "My special burger. My mother loves it when I make that. I know it's not really a dinner food but… hey, you never know before you try."

"I like handmade burgers," I said.

"Same," she said, smiling.

Penelope let out a long breath through her nose, then rubbed her stomach. "So, shall we eat or what?"

Mendy clapped her hands once. "Of course."

We all stood. Chairs scraped against the floor as we shifted over to the dining area. The table was small, only four seats, but it looked cozy enough. A little plant sat in the middle, the kind that had definitely died two weeks ago and was still pretending to be alive.

This wasn't the same dinner table I'd seen before. Damn. She must've changed it after the fight I had with Richard in here, either it got broken, or she just didn't want the reminder anymore.

"I can help you if you want," Kayla offered.

Mendy stepped toward the kitchen and gestured at us. "Nah, I got it, thank you, Kayla. I'll bring everything. No need to help. Just relax. Give me ten minutes."

Ten minutes. That meant I could sneak a smoke.

"Mind if I smoke in the back garden?" I asked.

"Go ahead," Mendy said. "The door's right there, the glass one."

I nodded and stood up. The sliding glass door creaked a bit as I pulled it open. Cold air rushed inside, hitting me harder than I expected. I stepped out and shut the door behind me.

Snowflakes drifted lazily down. The backyard was small, fenced in, a little messy but comforting in its own way. An old chair leaned against the wall. The porch light buzzed weakly.

I pulled out my cigarette packet, tapped one out, put it between my lips, and lit it.

The smoke hit my throat and chest instantly. Warm. Familiar. Calming.

"God," I muttered, staring at the snow. "Please be alive, Emilia…"

I didn't know if I was talking to her, or to whatever was listening. Maybe both.

The ember glowed bright in the dark, and the cold air nipped at my face, but inside my head there was only one thing:

That blood on the ceiling.

And the hope that I wasn't too late.

The door behind me slid open. I turned my head, half-expecting Kayla, but it was Penelope. She stepped outside, pulled the glass door shut behind her, and walked over to stand beside me. Her arms folded, her breath fogging up in the cold air.

I lifted my cigarette pack toward her, offering one without a word. She shook her head immediately.

"I've always been a straightforward girl," Penelope said. "I say whatever pops into my mind."

"I realized that," I said quietly, taking another drag.

"You and Kayla," she said. "Are you guys a thing?"

"No." I answered instantly. "Kayla is a friend. That's it."

"Because if you are," she said, "you should tell Mendy. I told you before. She won't shut up about you. She talks about you nonstop. I don't want her heart getting broken again."

"I know," I said. "And I don't intend to break her heart, Pen. I'm not Richard. I'm not some dickhead looking for entertainment. You don't have to worry."

"I hope so."

She leaned her back against the wall next to me, her arms still crossed, and looked out into the small backyard. Snowflakes drifted down under the dim porch light. For a moment, the two of us just existed there, breathing the same cold air, listening to the faint noises inside the house.

"Mendy," I said. "She had a boyfriend before Richard?"

"A few."

"Why'd they break up with her?" I asked.

Penelope clicked her tongue and thought for a bit. "Mendy is… naive. Too passive. Too kind. She doesn't push back when someone treats her like shit. I guess the guys she dated wanted something else. Or wanted only one thing."

I nodded slowly. That lined up with everything I had seen so far.

"Do you think I'd be the right person for her?" I asked.

Penelope looked at me with her unreadable stare, then shrugged. "No idea."

I glanced through the glass door. Mendy and Kayla were in the kitchen, laughing at something as Mendy shaped the burger patties. Kayla was pulling condiments out of the fridge, handing them over like she'd been living here for years. They looked… good. Normal. Like people who hadn't lived through all the bullshit they lived through.

Seeing Mendy smile like that made something tighten in my chest. Guilt, probably. Or regret. Maybe both.

I took another drag, exhaled slowly, and Penelope dragged one of the small outdoor chairs under her and sat down. The chair scraped loudly on the concrete.

No matter how respectful I was trying to be, my damn eyes kept drifting. It was impossible not to notice. Her tight shirt. No bra. Those massive fake tits sitting like two planets under fabric that was absolutely not meant to contain them. Or maybe that was the point.

I cleared my throat. Screw it.

"I'm going to ask," I said. "Why the fake tits?"

Penelope looked genuinely surprised for a second, then sighed and shrugged lightly. "I like big tits. Don't you?"

"I mean… yeah?"

"Then you have your answer."

She didn't elaborate, and I wasn't going to pry. I nodded, took another drag, and looked back at the snow-covered yard.

"You really don't like Kayla, huh?"

"She says it was because of you she tricked Mendy," Penelope said. "But I don't believe her."

"It was because of me," I said, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. "She didn't do anything wrong."

"Didn't do anything wrong?" Penelope scoffed. "She fucked Richard, Evan."

"And it's not her fault," I said. "She didn't know. I'm the one who convinced her. If I hadn't listened to Richard, hadn't believed him… Mendy might've—" I stopped myself, jaw tightening. "God. Fuck me."

"What's done is done, I guess." Penelope shrugged. "You two are to blame."

"I know," I muttered. "And I'll make it up to her. I promise."

Penelope studied me for a moment. "Do you love Mendy? Do you have feelings for her?"

Love? That was… a heavy word. Did I love her? I cared about her. I felt responsible for her. Protective. But love? That was something else entirely.

"I care about her."

"As a friend?" she asked. "Or as something else?"

"Friend," I said. "I don't think I love her like that, Pen."

"Mm." She nodded slowly. "At least you're honest. Not bullshitting me. I can respect that."

"Hmm."

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EVENT

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Penelope's Interest +4

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