#Which is the containment breach game but even then it’s a prequel of sorts. you can do anything you want forever

[scp-official]

i will post my ocs on here . maybe.

[rev-plays-nikki]

Alright here we go 🙃

I am extremely disappointed with the announcement of Heaven’s Favor, or Blessed Land, as it’s been officially named on this Nikki server, as our anniversary hell event. As many others have said, this hell event is beautiful, and I love the suits (although it is disappointing that none have dark skin tones and devs of our Nikki game and devs of the the Chinese server have not thought to add them after the fact), but for an anniversary of the game which many including myself feel is supposed to be the biggest celebration of the year, I was expecting a much larger and more expensive event, such as True Road or Four Gods.

I would have been thrilled with either of those events in truth, though as someone who loves Four Gods and has been wanting it for the last 3 and a half years, I was desperately hoping you would finally bring it to us. I was prepared to spend at least $300 and most likely more on diamonds, lucky bags, and other things, simply to show my support for the devs finally giving players what we have been asking for. The grandeur and expense of this event is puny compared with the other two options we could have been given. People complain sometimes when we get expensive events, yes, but usually that is a result of too many expensive events in a row. That issue does not exist this time, and the player base as a whole does want an occasional very expensive event, especially for an occasion as exciting and celebratory as the game’s anniversary. There will of course always be a few who complain no matter what, but in this case, players including myself are frustrated, angry, and tired of how we are treated by our server’s devs. This event announcement is yet another in a long line of things that have made it clear the only thing or server cares about is money grabbing.

Though this announcement has made me finally decide to stop spending on Love Nikki, it has not been the only thing I’ve been unhappy about. It has simply been ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’ as they say. Our server’s devs have also made it clear they don’t care if we get the story in a way that makes sense either. We get the actual story chapters in order, and for the most part in a timely manner, yes, but there is a lot of the story and lore tidbits in other things like events (hell event as well as regular ones) and Dreamweaver stories. We do not get these in chronological order, which makes it confusing for everyone. I have to assume that our devs think we don’t care about the story, which I do think is largely true based on how many people tap through the story stages, but many of us still DO care about the story, so ignoring it and giving no thought to the order in which we receive story based events and Dreamweavers (both long-term “free” ones and ones that cost diamonds) is, frankly, a huge middle finger to that part of the player base.

The recharge lineup for this event is also extremely disappointing to say the least. And this can’t possibly be a surprise after the reaction from players when frost rose was brought back a while ago. We do NOT expect, and certainly do not WANT, return recharges for a hell event. Especially not for the hell event that is supposed to be our big anniversary celebration. Many were prepared to spend big for our anniversary, and now we will be spending nothing. This is yet another in a long history is giving us subpar recharge lineups that are either too expensive for a comparatively mediocre suit or contain too many expensive returning recharges for the same amount of money (or in a couple of instances, more, if someone had purchased parts of the suit in its original run and had to purchase the same again to complete it.) Personally I have purchased every recharge that became available since shortly after I started playing and have well surpassed V15 levels of spending, but I will be skipping these.

It is also shocking, as I noticed recently, that if a player does not claim their daily diamonds one day, the next day the number of daily diamonds left decreases regardless. This means if a player pays for a monthly recharge card, but cannot log in for one or more than one day for that amount of time, they simply lose some of the diamonds they paid for. While it is a “monthly” card, it promises a certain number of diamonds. It would deliver that number no matter what. Other games have systems in place to account for this. For instance, Time Princess, another dress up game, simply allows the player to collect their diamonds for whatever number of days they have not logged in. It works great and everyone stays happy and gets what they paid for. Maybe a similar system is not in place in Love Nikki and that’s fine. There are other ways to make sure people get what they paid for. The diamonds someone didn’t claim could be mailed to them for example, or daily diamonds could be made a permanent event like the daily login reward, and players could claim diamonds once a day as they choose. Another annoyance to players is that the permanent diamond pavilions still do not have a “confirm” pop up asking if players are sure they want to spend up to 1500 diamonds. This seems like such an easy fix and something players have wanted and asked for for some time.

Recharge suits should also come back for crafting. It seems as things have been going for the last four years that none come back for a long time, players complain about it and threaten to boycott, and a short time after, one relatively inexpensive suit will return in an attempt to satisfy players. Players then think this means recharge suits will return regularly, and are appeased for some time until the whole process repeats itself. This is very frustrating and tiresome. Every paid suit should ideally return for crafting, but my guess is that none of the highly expensive ones ever will. That is very sad to me, as I truly believe that every suit should eventually be made available to every player. I believe the same for the ranked suits, all of which I have, as well. It would be great if they came back but I understand for them why they will not far more than for recharge suits. As a paying player, the way I see it when I buy any suit is that I am paying to get it early, not that I am paying to get it at all. And I am more than happy to pay for that, and thrilled to know that every player will have the chance to get it eventually. I’m sure there are other paying players who don’t share my views, so I understand why devs are hesitant to bring back super expensive suits, but I do think they should return. Not only because on other servers recharge suits return for crafting far more frequently than on ours, but also because as time goes on the suits end up looking older and older and as such their value to players should decrease. The price of suits should go down when they return, not stay the same, and eventually every suit should be obtainable for any player.

Now, back to this hell event again, and more specifically Four Gods, because I’m selfish and I want it. Four Gods has been around for years. Those of us who have known about it from its original run on the original Chinese server have been expecting it to come to us ever since. Lore-wise, as I understand it, it was sort of an introduction to the main four Cloud families and their heads who feature prominently in some event and Dreamweaver stories, though not so much the main story yet. The event was sort of a prequel to Four Wars, and on the Chinese server Four Gods came first. I remember when we got the announcement for Four Wars for our server, and my utter shock. No one had expected or really been asking much for this hell and there were so many other, older events that would have made more sense to us at the time. This I think was the first truly egregious breach of lore order, at least that I can recall and that was so important to the story. When we got Four Wars most players had no idea who these characters were, so how were they supposed to care about them or the story? I think a large part of why many players don’t care about the story can be attributed to the devs not caring about it for us. If we were given events and story parts in chronological order so that it made sense, it would be much easier to follow and perhaps players wouldn’t give up on it so easily.

Since then however, years have passed and we still have not received Four Gods, or even been given the courtesy of being told why we haven’t gotten it. It hasn’t even been mentioned to us by our devs. Now there are rumors floating around the Love Nikki community about it that I think do no one any favors. There is the (I suspect true) rumor that the devs have for a long time intended to never give us this event. There is a rumor that there is some issue with converting the files from an older event to our newer server. There is a rumor that the reason we have not gotten Four Gods is that the devs do not want to give players the opportunity to get the 3000 free diamonds that originally came with the event. There are these and many other rumors, all of which highlight I think the most important issue with regards to our server, and that is communication.

Our server’s devs have always been, quite frankly, horrible at communicating with their player base. We get event announcements and teasers and all and that’s fine, those things are fun and exciting, but when it comes to larger issues in the game, like as an example darker skin tones and makeups that match them, and what the team is doing about it, we receive little to nothing. With this specific issue, and it’s not the only one, it seems players complain and complain and threaten to boycott as I’ve mentioned earlier, and the team eventually gives us the promise that they are working on it. These promises usually come far later than they should. And communication should be more than just promises once the team has finally decided to promise it. Communication should include the in-between phases. For instance, using this example, respond to players more quickly and tell us what the team is considering. We don’t always need promises, especially when the team can’t deliver what is wanted in a timely manner. We want to know what is going on. If the team is discussing something before deciding, let us know! It’s ok if nothing has been decided yet. We want to know what is going on, and if we know, we can give feedback and help the team in its discussions.

The game Time Princess again does this well. They offer frequent surveys that players can access the link to in-game, and they have almost weekly live chats in their Discord server where they answer questions, give hints and teasers about future events, give out extra redeem codes, and have players play fun trivia games with them regarding the game’s stories. If Love Nikki’s devs did something similar, it would greatly increase fan engagement with the game and the story, and show that our devs do care about us and what we want. After being more transparent with the community, and letting us know what’s going on, better decisions can be made, and better plans can be formed, instead of the team telling us nothing and letting us wonder and spread usually baseless rumors until we are given a promise. Even the promises are not always adequate either. With the dark skin tone makeups again, we were promised the team was working on it. And yes, we have received more dark skin makeups since, and that’s great, but it seems like we haven’t received that many recently, and when they come they are usually recipes that cost diamonds, and we only get a few makeups matching a few skin tones rather than one makeup for each.

My concern is that something similar will happen this time as well, and the team may well decide to continue not bringing us Four Gods without telling us a word about it or about why they have made such a decision. Supposedly now the team is talking about possibly bringing us Four Gods, but how do I know that? From the devs being open about their process and transparent with players about their plans and thinking? No, of course not. I know this because someone “close to Nikki'' told this to a well known player whom the rest of us know and trust as largely the only player who really knows what’s going on with the devs. And I doubt she even really does, but based on how little communication we get from the devs, it seems that way to the rest of us. And I of course do not mean this in any way to bash or throw negativity at Iri, I love her and she’s a wonderful person and member of our community! But it is a problem with our devs when someone telling one player something is the only way we can get some shred of an answer to our questions and desires.

Now, because I don’t want to be all negative and I don’t want to complain without offering solutions, here is a bullet point form list of things that could be changed in the game to greatly improve it and the players’ relationship with our devs. :)

- First and most importantly: communicate with players! Tell us what is going on with the team. Ask for feedback more often about more things than which door styles we prefer. Involve us in discussions! Transparency is paramount for any brand these days.

- Give us better “free” things. The Chinese server famously gets more free things like login rewards after server maintenance, etc.

- Add another recharge tier. The Chinese server has one more recharge tier than us ifI recall correctly, as well as their highest tier being more diamonds for less money. if that’s not possible for whatever reason, let us know and let us know why! And then make things less expensive. If that’s also impossible, give us better rewards. If that’s also impossible, at least let us know.

- Let people claim their daily dias even if they miss a day. Suggestions for this are already above in what I wrote.

- Add an “are you sure you want to do this?” button to all diamond pavs. Maybe with a checkmark for “don’t ask me again on this account.”

- Make sure darker skin tones and makeups come back in a timely manner. Maybe make a schedule for it and share that with players. Explain why it takes so long. Work on bringing poses for darker skin tones as well. If that’s not possible, explain to us why in detail.

- Give us four gods. Please and thank you. :) I promise plenty of us want it. If you can’t or won’t, tell us that, and tell us why. If you can’t tell us why due to a non disclosure agreement or something similar, tell us you aren’t able to tell us why. Whatever communication you can give us is far better than none.

I love and care about this game deeply. It has been a very important part of my gaming life through the past four years. I would not have bothered writing any of this if that weren’t true. I truly and genuinely hope that things change and get better in the future, but until then I will not be quitting, but I also will not be spending nearly as much time or money on it as I have in the past, which makes me sad. I wish everyone the best and I hope our devs will listen and improve their communication at the very least. Thank you.

[unchain-the-escapist]

White Sand

Meteor (Merel/Charlotte/Floor) (Romantic pairing)

Words: 4340

Prequel to Jurassic Meteor 

Please note that I am not a surfer, nor do I know which technique to use to stay on a board. This chapter circles around a polyamorous relationship and how that may evolve. Personally I have no experience with this type of relationship and I apologize if I have gotten the whole thing wrong. This was not my intention. If I have made a grave error regarding a polyamorous relationship that may offend anyone, please tell me so I can correct it.

Happy reading!

Taking a deep breath as she tilted her feet just enough for her to emerge from under the wave she was surfing on, Merel brought her board up and over the wave and ended up flat against the water’s surface as the wave continued in towards the shore.

Sitting down on her board with her feet in the water, Merel immediately began scanning for her next wave. It was the first time in a long time that she had the opportunity to surf and she wasn’t going to waste a single moment of it.

Spotting another wave, Merel lay down on her stomach and began paddling with her arms, adrenaline already starting to make its way through her veins. In her teenage years, she had spent a lot of time at the beach, every day during the summer break Merel had been surfing and swimming in the ocean not far from where she lived. The frequency of it annoying her parents to no end.

Sitting up, the blonde cracked her neck, the small breeze feeling refreshing against her skin. The week had been particularly hard for the blonde. Temperature had been higher than normal and she had had the tourist center shift at work. In a seemingly never ending crowd, Merel had been forced to endure children screaming and adults continuously asking her where the bathroom was. During the first hour of the shift, she already regretted working as a security guard. She loved her job when she was stationed at the attractions, especially the ones where she could be close to the dinosaurs, but sometimes it was a bit mundane. She had only applied for this job because of the opportunities it might bring.

As soon as Jurassic World had been announced to the world, Merel had dreamt about becoming a dinosaur handler.

Seeing how a wave began to form, Merel turned her surfboard around and waited to stand up until she felt the wave catching her board and brining it with it. The muscles in her legs took over, the twist and turns of the water familiar in their movements. Merel loved days like these. Not too many people in the water or on the beach, leaving plenty of room for surfers to navigate.

Merel’s workmates had been laughing at her for having the dream she had, saying that there was no way that a security guard could work themselves up to handler. But Merel hadn’t let their words get to her. She was determined to become something more one day.

Merel was so occupied by her thoughts that she barely saw the surfboard crashing into her, nor taking a huge gulp of air before she disappeared under the surface as her feet left her surfboard. Feeling the sting as her elbow grazed the rocks at the bottom, Merel managed to plant her feet and push herself upwards, her lungs taking in much needed air as she breached the surface and swam until she could stand up on solid ground.

Turning around while standing up, she saw the shadow of a person swimming towards her, probably the one who crashed into her.

“Dude! Watch where you’re going yo-“

As soon as the person stood up, Merel’s whole vocabulary seemed to evaporate from her mind. All she saw was skin, skin, and even more skin as toned legs seemed to go on for miles and miles. As Merel let her eyes travel further up, she saw muscular abs and white bikini parts which left little to the imagination. Realizing that the woman was talking, Merel snapped her gaze towards her face instead. Which she deeply regretted as she saw long, red hair made into a braid and was that…

“Oh no, are those freckles?! I’m doomed if those are freckles!” the blonde thought, still not hearing a word of what the other woman was saying, blood pumping through Merel ears and surely making her cheeks heat up as well. The woman in front of her was so beautiful that it made Merel speechless.

“… distracted… new to this… are you…hey!”

Snapping out of her staring trance, Merel noticed how close the other woman was now, her hazel eyes brimming with concern.

“Hazel! Do they have to be hazel?! Goddammit! And she has freckles!”

Amusement seemed to fill the redhead’s eyes as Merel still had been unsuccessful to form a proper word.

“E…hm… hmmm…I…”

The smile stretching the redhead’s lips made Merel’s stomach do somersaults.

“Just say something! You’re making this awkward for everyone! Oh why are girls this pretty?!”

And that’s when they blonde heard a laugh coming from the other woman’s mouth, Merel wanting nothing more than to hide as her cheeks flared up in embarrassment.

“Are you okay?” the other woman tried with once more, Merel nodding as she cleared her throat.  

“Yeah… yeah I’m good.” the blonde managed to say, feeling like high-fiving herself while she brushed some of her own hair away from her face. The blonde then noticed how the other woman began crossing her arms across her chest while her lower lip disappeared inside her mouth. Merel felt like she was on fire as the redhead’s hazel eyes started travelling across her body, Merel trying to do her best not to squirm under the stare.  

“Well… like I said, I am very sorry for crashing into you. Surfing is not as easy as it looks.” the woman said while releasing a breathless laugh, breaking the stare she had been holding as she bent down to pick up her surfboard.

“I’ll… I… I’ll… teach you how…” Merel managed to say through yet another stutter.

“Fuck. Me. Whyyy?” the blonde whined inside her head, bringing her hand up to rub at her eyes and pinch her nose while the other woman just laughed. Merel had always thought that she was sort of good at flirting when it came to women, but the redhead in front of her had thrown her off her game. Extremely so.

“I mean, absolutely! I would hate to crash into someone again.”

As butterflies spread in Merel’s stomach at the smile that the redhead was displaying, she too grabbed her board before holding her hand out for the other woman to shake.

“I’m Merel.”

As she felt the other woman’s hand in her own, the blonde tried not to gasp at the warmth that spread along her arm at the contact.

“And I’m Charlotte.”

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Slumping down in a breathless mess onto the sand, Merel felt the painful contractions of her stomach muscles as she continued to laugh at the story Charlotte had just told her. The mental picture of a drowsy Compsognathus trying to eat cotton swabs while Charlotte desperately tried to keep it away from the container was just too funny. While Merel had tried to teach the redhead how to surf, the blonde had found out that the other woman was the head veterinarian of the park, how she had grown up on a zoo on the mainland where both her parents worked, and how she had travelled the world to volunteer at animal sanctuaries before going into veterinary school and ending up at Jurassic World.

“I was panicking, okay! I was trying to save it from a possible operation while it tried to bite my fingers off!” the redhead finished with as she settled next to Merel, the blonde sitting up while wiping the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

The afternoon had been amazing and it turned out that Charlotte was a fast learner, quickly picking up on how the smallest of movements of the muscles in ones thighs and feet could make all the difference.

Looking over at the Charlotte, Merel noticed that her eyes were settled in the distance, looking far past the sun that was slowly setting. Sunlight was swimming around in her orbs, a smile forming on her lips. Merel didn’t want the day to end. She wanted to spend hours upon hours listening to Charlotte’s voice, to make her laugh. To hold her close…

Taking a deep breath, the sound directing Charlotte’s attention towards the other woman, Merel opened her mouth and asked a question that had been burning on her tongue all day.

“Do you wanna go out and eat sometime? Grab a coffee? You know… whatever you want to do?”

The blonde felt so unsure, but she tried her hardest not to let her voice or demeanor show that. She had already made an ass of herself with all the stuttering. Being nervous around women wasn’t who she was and she didn’t want to come off as such either.

As her words seemed to register with the other woman, Merel spotted signs of shock and uncertainty. Like she was torn. Had Merel misread the signs?! There was no that the blonde’s gaydar was off. Charlotte had to be gay, the slight flirting that they had done all day and the looks that Charlotte sent her way had proved as much.

“I…”

The redhead’s eyes moved to the waves caressing the sand, her mind seemingly deep in thought. Merel could feel her stomach starting to plummet. She had never met anyone like Charlotte before and if she were to slip from Merel’s fingers, the blonde was going to feel it for a long time to come.

“I… can you…”

It was as if the redhead was counting the pros and cons in her head. It was just a date, not a proposal, Merel thought in amusement. Charlotte turned, her teeth nibbling on her lower lip, her eyes drinking Merel in.

“I don’t know. At the moment. Can you…”

She suddenly stood up, Merel following her example, more confused than ever.

“Can you call me on my work phone in like three days from now? I have a thing…to do first.”

Seeing the nervousness in the redhead’s eyes, Merel moved her head to give the other woman a nod. Maybe she was really busy and needed to get some things settled first? It wasn’t a flat out rejection, which made Merel’s stomach flutter.

“Okay great so… thank you for today.” Charlotte said gently, her movements pausing before she leaned in to kiss Merel’s cheek, the blonde feeling how her knees got weak at the light touch and the smell of the ocean clinging to the other woman’s skin. She had to force her hands not to reach out to touch Charlotte, or to connect her lips with the redhead’s own. It was too soon, Merel figured.

As they said their final goodbyes, Charlotte moving to retrieve her towel and handing in her surfboard, Merel felt how her heart swelled in her chest. The day had been perfect.

------------  

From the work phones to their private phones, from conversations to coffee, Charlotte and Merel had gotten closer during the past six weeks. They had only met five times since their afternoon at the beach, but after each time, Merel had fallen deeper and deeper for the other woman. She had wanted to take Charlotte on a proper date, buy her flowers and gifts and all that romantic stuff, but the redhead had declined. It had hurt Merel a lot, but Charlotte had gone on to explain that she wanted to be friends first before they dove deeper in their relationship. Something that Merel could truly understand.

The blonde could listen to Charlotte talk for hours. Merel watched how the redhead’s eyes twinkled as she spoke of her passions in life, how her eyes grew somber when she had to care for seriously injured animals. Merel wanted nothing more than to hold her hand through her musings, run her fingers along Charlotte’s skin and kiss it to bring the other woman out of bad memories. Merel felt how the redhead breathed new life into her, felt captivated by all that was Charlotte.

Which is why an invitation to one of the restaurants in the town center made butterflies in Merel’s stomach go crazy, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. Merel had spent the better part of the day deciding what to wear, deciding on a suit she had worn to her brother’s wedding a few years earlier, and trying to gather her thick hair in an elegant braid. They had talked on the phone the evening before, Merel excited about the date while Charlotte had been more subdued. Which she had explained by saying that it had been a long day at work.

Pulling up to the employee parking lot at the back of the restaurant, Merel got off her motorcycle and made her way to the entrance. The evening was warm and filled with chatter from people walking along the main street, absent of children and instead opting for drinks and dining at the wide variety of restaurants. Walking up to the main street, Merel spotted the restaurant sign hanging above the entrance, her stomach wanting to revolt at the nervousness that she felt. She didn’t want to hope for too much to come out of this evening, but damn, Merel just couldn’t help herself. She imagined that Charlotte was a person who would support Merel’s quest in becoming a dinosaur handler. She had mentioned it to her in passing, but Charlotte hadn’t given her any response. Maybe Merel could request being stationed at the vet clinic to get closer to Charlotte? Maybe starting to volunteer there during the weekends? Maybe even…

The blonde had been so consumed by her thoughts that she barely noticed that she was now standing in front of the entrance to the restaurant, people walking in and out of the door while the hostess either greeted them or bid them farewell. That’s when her eyes connected with Merel’s.

“Hello? Can I help you?”

Walking further into the dim lit restaurant, the blonde had to clear her throat before answering the other woman, afraid that her nervousness might make her voice waver and crack as soon as she opened her mouth.

“Yeah, I’m supposed to meet someone here. Booked under Charlotte Wessels.”

Flashing s small smile in the blonde’s direction, the hostess turned to her computer screen and moved her eyes across it before facing Merel again.

“Indeed, there is a reservation in Ms. Wessels name. Shall I walk you to your table?”

“No just… point me in the right direction.”

Taking the lead, the hostess rounded the corner with Merel in tow. The restaurant was beautiful, the colors white, red, and orange mixing when it came to the decorations. Lights and candles were everywhere, casting glows and creating shadows in the room.

“There we are. The table in the corner.” the hostess said while motioning with her hand towards the table, Merel’s heart at first soaring, but sinking as soon as her eyes landed on who was sitting there.

Nodding towards the hostess, the blonde slowly began approaching Charlotte. And whoever was sitting next to her. The other person’s head was turned away from Merel, but Charlotte was smiling while talking to the other person. Based on the long, brunette hair and the form fitting suit jacket, Merel guessed that it was a woman. The blonde’s jaws began clenching in jealousy and betrayal. Was Charlotte seeing someone behind her back and had she screwed up the time and date for their date? The blonde felt like screaming and crying, her heart pounding mercilessly.

That’s when Charlotte spotted her.

The glint that had been in Charlotte’s eyes shifted as her eyes connected with Merel’s, replaced by a type of seriousness that hit Merel hard. The brunette also seemed to notice the shift and turned around, Merel gasping as she saw who it was.

It was her boss.

“Ms. Jansen?”

The woman moved her eyes up and down Merel’s body, her jugular moving up and down repeatedly as she swallowed, her body tense and looking ready to run.

“Yes.”

Her voice was professional and clipped, just like it had been when they had first met during Merel’s introduction to the job as security guard during her first day at Jurassic World. She had been standing in front of a room full of new recruits, towering above nearly everyone in her high heels. Her presence had demanded respect and Merel had been in an awe during the entire time. But now it just made her feel defeated and angry.

A hand being placed on the blonde’s arm made her flinch, warmth flooding her as Charlotte leaned in to give her a one-sided hug.

“You look beautiful.” she said gently, Merel feeling slightly calmer as the redhead pulled away. The blonde moved her eyes between the other two women, Charlotte was wearing a red and white summer dress, her hair slightly curled. The sight robbed Merel’s lungs of air.

“So do you.” the blonde managed to say, her lips wobbling with the tension between the three of them. Merel was so scared and confused. All that she had ever wanted stood next to her and she could sense that Charlotte wanted the same, but how did Floor Jansen fit into the picture? Oh god, was she going to fire Merel?! Was she here to swipe the rug from under her feet, take her away from Charlotte?

Charlotte smiled then, as if sensing the blonde’s nervousness.

“Don’t worry sweetie. Sit down and we’ll talk. All three of us.”

So their boss was indeed involved.

Charlotte moved to sit down in her chair while Merel took a seat in front of her, Floor to her right. A waiter came and took their orders, Merel barely remembering what she had said as he disappeared, her mind too full of questions. The blonde desperately wanted to reach over and take Charlotte’s hand in hers.

“You might know who Floor is.” the redhead began to say, the brunette sitting impossibly straight in her chair, the nail on her right index finger digging into the tablecloth as her lips tried to hold a somewhat sincere smile.

“Yes, I know. But I have to say that meeting your boss after working hours is a bit scary.”

Floor chuckled, Charlotte joining her with a small giggle.

“So, humor is the way to go.” the blonde thought as the mood lifted slightly.

“Well, I apologize. But Charlotte really wanted us to meet.”

Merel could feel how her palms began sweating, discreetly wiping them on her pants.

“Oh?”

A look was shared between Charlotte and Floor, the brunette hesitant and almost a bit sad, but the redhead reached out her hand and grasped Floor’s hand and looked at her with so much affection that Merel wanted to cry. They were a couple. Merel could recognize one of those looks anywhere. Tears began prickling in her eyes as Charlotte faced her. It was over, the heart in her chest starting to break. Charlotte would never be hers. Merel felt herself shutting down, her mind so deep into the process that she flinched when Charlotte suddenly stood up and placed herself next to the blonde, her forehead resting against the side of Merel’s head as one of her hands began stroking the blonde’s cheek.

“Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

“I feel like such an idiot.” the blonde said trembling.

“No, no, you’re not. Let me explain, please.”

Taking a few deep breaths, Merel turned to see how close Charlotte was close to crying as well. They were so close that Merel could feel the other woman’s breaths hitting her cheek, lips so tantalizingly close that the blonde’s whole body was aching. She didn’t dare to look over at Floor, afraid of what she might possibly see.

“I’ve been an idiot, I know. I should have told you this when we first met, but everything that is you threw me off. Your goofiness, bravery, craziness, beauty, and laughter made me feel so many things.”

Merel was both confused and amazed. Charlotte did feel the same that Merel felt for her. But then why was Floor here? And why did she allow this to happen? She could clearly hear what Charlotte was saying.

“And I don’t want to take this further until I’ve explained to you… what my heart wants.”

She looked between Merel and Floor, the blonde now daring to look at the brunette. She looked torn as well, like she was making a huge sacrifice.

“My heart… wants both of you.”

Merel didn’t know if the sound escaping from her mouth was a sob or a sharp exhale of disbelief. Her heart was pounding with a strong yes yes yes, but her mind was torn. What did this confession mean?

“I… told Floor about my… polyamorous side early in our relationship and we didn’t pay it much thought, but then I came to her apartment after that day at the beach and… it all became very real.”

Moving her eyes between Floor’s and Charlotte’s, Merel saw the raw emotions swimming around in them. Merel had always tried to keep an open mind about sexualities and relationships, but a polyamory one could be a whole new strain all together. The concept of sharing a loved one wasn’t for everyone and Merel hadn’t really thought about it at all. Until tonight.

“I understand if you don’t want to do this, Merel, but just so you know…”

Their eyes met and Merel saw it. Charlotte loved her. It was the same look that she had given to Floor. It must have been the one that she had given to Floor when they had talked about the blonde. What if Merel had had to have that conversation with Charlotte? Would she have given Floor a chance?

“…I… think I love you.”

There it was, clear as day. Those three little words that Merel had longed to hear for such a long time. It became hard to breathe, heart taking turns in dropping and soaring. She looked at Floor then. The woman was fighting with whatever she seemed to feel, hands wringing together as her lips took turns in thinning and widening as they disappeared and emerged from between her teeth.

“Floor?” Charlotte asked quietly, her head leaving the side of Merel’s to look at the brunette properly. Floor’s hands were shaking now while her lips tried forming a smile. She wasn’t mad, just… trying to accept it all.

“This is not easy for me, Merel. When Charlotte first told me I was angry, so, so angry.”

Merel’s pulse began racing. If the tables would have been turned, would Merel accept Charlotte dating Floor?

“We had been together for three months before you entered the picture. Three of the best months of my life and then one day she comes home and… talks about you like she’s a schoolgirl with a crush.”

It was quiet for a while, like Floor and Charlotte were reliving the memory. Charlotte snuck one of her hands into Merel’s own and squeezing it.

“I let her continue talking to you, meeting you, because… she would hate me forever if I didn’t give you a chance.”

Their eyes connected, Merel feeling relieved as she couldn’t find a single sign of malice in the brunette’s orbs. Floor accepted them. All of them together. The brunette would do that for someone she loves. And in that moment Merel knew, she knew that she would do the same of the situation would have been reversed. It was about Charlotte being happy. It was about Merel herself being happy because she knew that she would never be able to find anyone like Charlotte ever again. And Floor must feel the same.

Merel didn’t realize she was crying until she felt Charlotte’s arms around her, pulling her close and whispering things in her ear.

The waiters came and awkwardly tried to place the food at the table before quickly disappearing again. Merel could feel eyes watching them. The whole restaurant had probably stopped moving at the sight of their boss being close with two other women. But inside Merel’s chest and mind, everything was moving extremely fast, so fast that the movements formed words on her lips.

“I… I love you too.”

The words caused Charlotte to inhale quickly, her arms squeezing the blonde tighter. It was a promise that Merel would try to make all of this work. For Charlotte’s sake but ultimately for Floor as well. Because they both loved the amazing redhead who had tilted their world on their sides. And they both clung to that.

Charlotte moved away, Merel immediately missing the warmth but it came back in full force as Charlotte slowly leaned in to kiss her. It was short and sweet, but it made sparks erupt on the blonde’s skin.

The clearing of a throat came from beside Merel, blood freezing in her veins as she suddenly remembered Floor being there as well. The brunette still looked uncertain, but at least she wasn’t mad. Merel had just kissed her girlfriend after all. It would be a slow process, Merel knew, but they would work through it. Together.

“I don’t know about you, but this restaurant serves the most amazing food. And I’d like to get to know you better.” Floor said while smiling widely at the blonde, straightening back up in her seat before facing Charlotte. A look passed between them, the redhead looking happier than Merel had ever seen her be. And it seemed like the look caught Floor off guard as well, the woman eyes tearing up at Charlotte’s apparent happiness.

Charlotte left Merel’s side after a kiss to her cheek, sitting down in front of her and taking a sip of her water.

“Charlotte tells me that you want to be an animal handler.”

They spent the whole evening eating, talking, and laughing and Merel realized that during all the other times that she and Charlotte had met, there had been something missing. And here was the missing piece in the shape of Floor. And Merel would try her hardest to keep them all together.