[Third Person's PoV]
Both Tony and Momo stared at Melissa in disbelief as she shut the door behind her, the sound of the lock clicking into place sharpening their gazes.
Tony tilted his head at Momo in confusion, silently questioning her with his eyes. Momo, blushing furiously, quickly looked away in pure embarrassment. Tony immediately misinterpreted her reaction, his eyes widening.
Snapping his head toward Melissa, he narrowed his eyes. "Melissa, speak."
Melissa scoffed. "What am I, a dog?"
"Melissa…" Tony warned, his voice firm. "What are you doing?"
"Honestly? At this point, I have no idea." Melissa scratched her head.
"What do you mean you have no idea!? Wasn't this your plan in the first place?!" Momo asked, exasperated.
"Well, yeah… But now I'm just winging it," Melissa admitted, glancing around as if pondering her next move.
"Now, wait just a minute." Tony blinked in disbelief. "We're not just going to gloss over the fact that you straight-up asked me to have sex with Momo."
Momo buried her face in her hands, turning toward the door, too embarrassed to look at anyone.
"No, I didn't," Melissa said with a puzzled expression.
"Huh?" Tony and Momo both exclaimed in unison, equally baffled.
"I was asking if you would have sex with Momo, not telling you to. It was a simple yes or no question—I wasn't demanding you grab her and throw her on your bed—"
"Melissa!" they both reprimanded her.
Melissa raised her hands in surrender. "Anyway, I was just asking if you had the chance, would you?"
"Of course not," Tony answered immediately, shaking his head.
Momo flinched at his swift response, a barely concealed hurt flashing in her eyes. He didn't even hesitate… she thought bitterly, her lips curling into a self-deprecating smile.
Melissa rolled her eyes. "Are you saying that because you're with me, or because you don't find Momo attractive?"
"Obviously because I'm with you. The hell do you take me for?" Tony scoffed. "I mean, don't get me wrong—Momo's very attractive—but I would never cheat on you, even if the opportunity landed in my lap."
Melissa tried to hide it, but the slight lift of her chin and the proud smile creeping onto her lips betrayed her satisfaction.
Tony continued, his expression turning thoughtful. "Though, if the opportunity did fall into my lap… I'd like to think I have enough self-control to not do anything stupid." He suddenly frowned, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Why are you even asking me this?"
Melissa crossed her arms. "Momo and I were debating how things might've gone if we had competed for you before we got together. She believes she wouldn't have stood a chance—that you would've picked me, no contest. I disagree. I think it would've been a tight race, and you would've struggled with the decision."
Momo shot Melissa a grateful glance, relieved that she wasn't outright exposing her long-held feelings. She wasn't ready to risk ruining their current friendship.
Tony, however, just stared at Melissa with a deadpan expression. In a flat voice, he asked, "And your best idea for resolving this was to barge into my room and ask if I'd sleep with her?"
"Yeah, not my brightest moment, but it got the message across," Melissa admitted with a shrug.
Tony sighed and turned to Momo. "First off, I apologize for whatever hell Melissa has put you through."
Momo, still looking away, exhaled deeply, her expression akin to dead fish eyes. "You have no idea."
"Just answer the question," Melissa interjected, rolling onto his bed. She shot him a pointed glare. "And be honest. I know when you lie."
"Do I have to?" Tony asked, looking uncomfortable.
"Yes," Melissa said, nodding seriously. "It's a matter of life and death."
"Oh yeah?" Tony arched an eyebrow. "Who's dying?"
"You, if you don't answer honestly," Melissa threatened.
Momo shifted awkwardly as Tony's sharp gaze locked onto her, studying her as if truly considering the question.
Melissa suddenly grabbed Momo's wrist, pulling her onto the bed beside her. The two girls sat there, waiting patiently as Tony thought it over.
After a long sigh, Tony finally spoke. "I really can't say. That situation never happened, so I have no way of knowing how things would've developed. Feelings aren't something I can just predict or control. Since it didn't happen, I can't give you a real answer."
He scratched his head. "My answer now is totally biased toward Melissa because we've been dating for months. So if I say I would've picked her, that's not exactly fair to Momo. Who's to say I wouldn't have fallen for her instead?"
Momo's eyes widened slightly.
Tony continued, "Would I have enjoyed two girls fawning over me? Probably. Would I have dragged my feet, unsure of who to pick, just to soak up the attention? Probably. Or would I have been decisive and chosen right away? Who knows?
"The only thing I do know is that if I had dated Momo instead of Melissa, I'd probably be just as biased in her favor right now." He turned to Momo with a small smile. "The possibility of me falling for you was never impossible. You're incredible, after all."
He reached out and patted her head.
Momo blushed, closing her eyes as she subconsciously leaned into Tony's touch, enjoying the rough warmth of his hand caressing her head.
Melissa watched the scene unfold with a sly smile as Tony continued speaking, unaware of Momo's reaction.
"She's smart, talented, beautiful, resourceful, brave, and incredibly caring. She's selfless too. Those are the same qualities I admire in you, Melissa. So, naturally, I appreciate them in Momo as well. Honestly, now that I think about it, you two are pretty similar in a lot of ways," Tony mused, resting his chin on his hand.
Momo, however, was beet red, her face buried in the mattress. He's practically saying I have the same traits that made him fall in love with Melissa… Her breath hitched. 'Doesn't that mean… he could've fallen for me too?'
The thought sent a wave of emotions crashing through her, leaving her flustered and overwhelmed.
Melissa, meanwhile, watched Tony with a complicated expression.
"What?" Tony asked, noticing her gaze.
Melissa let out a small sigh before resting her head on his lap. "That was way too mature of an answer. You really didn't need to make it so complicated. It was a simple yes-or-no question."
Tony chuckled, placing his hand affectionately over her eyes. "Of course it needed to be complicated. It was an important question it seemed, so I had to think it through properly."
Then, looking toward Momo, he gently ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry if I made things weird, Momo…"
Momo shook her head but remained silent for a few moments, her face still pressed into the mattress. Finally, in a quiet voice, she said, "...Thank you for being honest and actually considering the question. Your honesty means a lot."
Melissa hummed, intertwining her fingers with Tony's. "You still didn't really answer it, though."
Tony exhaled, shaking his head with a small smile. "The best answer I can give is… probably. Like I said, you and Momo share a lot of qualities, but you're also distinct in your own ways. I think I would've spent most of my time focusing on those differences… and knowing me, I would've come to appreciate them even more, which would've made the decision even harder."
Momo's breath hitched, her body tensing. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to suppress the sudden sting of tears. 'Melissa was right… Did I really give up too quickly?'
She clenched her fists, trying to fight back the emotion, but the harder she tried, the more impossible it became.
Tony frowned as he felt her trembling beneath his hand. "Momo?" he asked gently, concern evident in his voice.
And just like that, she broke.
A choked sob escaped her as she clutched her chest, her shoulders shaking. Tears streamed down her face, no longer held back.
"I—I'm hic sorry! I'm hic so sorry!" she cried, pressing her head deeper into the mattress, hands clutching at her chest as if trying to hold herself together.
—
A/N: 20 bucks to whoever can guess what Momo is saying sorry to… (I won't really pay you)
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