Cut the Deck (Lesbian Story)

Nice to meet you.

I shouldn't have bought this much damn ice cream. But I wanted to impress Jay and her little sister. More importantly, I wanted Jay to stuff her face with it instead of stuffing my ears with her endless rambling about Ky. I swear, she forgets that I do not want, do not care, and do not need to hear her drag on about this topic.

The door slams behind me as I follow Jay inside, echoing through the house. Not my fault—it was an accident. Jay, however, jumps like I just set the place on fire. She turns around and glares at me like I committed a crime.

She needs to chill.

"You scared me," she grumbles before shaking it off. "Anyway, you're home. Uh, Joe's upstairs, cleaning-slash-watching TV."

That's when I hear a voice I don't recognize. Soft. Sweet. The kind of voice that makes you look twice.

My eyes flick toward the source, and... oh.

The girl speaking to Jay is beautiful. Like, dangerous beautiful. Young, too. Which makes me pause because—

Wait a damn minute.

When Jay said Joe had a babysitter, I expected some forty-year-old cat lady with zero life prospects. You know, someone who smells like tuna and lives off expired coupons. I did not expect this.

I picture the weird old woman from The Cat in the Hat for a split second and then shake the thought away.

"Any trouble?" Jay asks, clearly comfortable around her. I, on the other hand, stand there like a third wheel, my eyes shifting between them as they carry on like I'm invisible.

I clear my throat. Ahem. Hello? Introduction, please?

Jay stares at me like I just spoke in tongues. I raise my eyebrows expectantly until—finally—something clicks in her slow brain.

"Oh! Nyla, this is Deck. Well, uh—"

"I'm her girlfriend's sister," I cut in smoothly, snatching the words straight out of Jay's mouth. I throw her a teasing glance, knowing full well she hates when I say that. She squirms, scoffs, and—oh, here it comes—chucks a bread roll at me.

Nyla's eyes widen, clearly catching on to the "girlfriend" part. Yes, Jay is gay. She just doesn't know it yet.

"Chill, Deck!" Jay groans, embarrassed.

I ignore her because my attention is locked on Nyla now. Her light caramel skin is flawless, her thick curls frame her face like a damn painting, and those light hazel eyes? Hypnotic. Her freckles? Adorable. Her skin? So smooth it makes me jealous, and that's saying something, considering I'm literally a model.

"Nice to meet you, Nyla," I say, turning on the charm. "How come I've never seen your beautiful face around town?"

I push my hair back in what I hope is a cool, effortless move. I think it works—she blushes. Hell yeah.

"Uh, I don't come out much anymore," she admits, tugging on her jacket. "Ever since senior year started, I barely have time to do anything. Which is terrible because I didn't even enjoy my last year of high school. And now I'm rambling to a complete stranger. I am so sorry!"

She's blushing even more now. God, that's cute.

"I'm a stranger?" I chuckle, flirtation dripping from my tone.

"W-well, I know who you are," she stammers, fumbling adorably. "I see you online all the time, and in some of my clothing magazines, but I don't know know you personally."

That's all I need.

"Well," I grin, "I'll tell you all about me if you tell me all about you. How about over dinner and a movie?"

I already know the answer before she speaks. She's blushing too much for it to be anything but a hell yes.

"Yeah, sure," she says, her voice softer now. "I'd love that."

Her caramel skin practically glows when she smiles. Seriously, how does she do that? Every time her cheeks light up, her eyes shine brighter, like she's got built-in stage lighting.

Before I can admire her more, Jay rudely interrupts.

"Alright, I better pay you," she says, reaching for her wallet.

Ugh. Jay. Go away.

I subtly (or not-so-subtly) shove her aside and tug Nyla toward the door before Jay can ruin the moment. Jay glares at me like I just kicked her puppy.

Oh, come on, I didn't even push her that hard.

"Hey, can you put the groceries away?" I say sweetly, masking my very clear scram message with a smile.

A lightbulb flickers on in Jay's head because she suddenly smirks and throws me a thumbs-up, like a proud mom watching her kid flirt for the first time.

I lean against the doorframe, grinning at Nyla. "I was serious about that date, ya know."

She laughs, tucking her hair behind her ear again. That's twice now. Definitely a nervous habit. Cute.

"I know," she says, smiling way too much. "It's just... hard to believe, that's all."

"Hard to believe?" I tilt my head, wanting more.

"You're this big-shot model and yet—never mind. I'll just give you my number and you can call me."

Big-shot model? Ha. If only she knew. I have 344K Instagram followers, which is nothing compared to Cara Delevingne or even Ky. I'm not a big-shot. Hell, I hate modeling. Posing all day? Exhausting. I'm quitting soon.

But that's not the point. The point is—she's giving me her number.

"Okay," I say, grinning as she scribbles it down. Before she leaves, I dig into my pocket and pull out a crisp $100 bill.

She stares at it, then at me. "Oh no, that's way too much—"

"I'm doubling your pay for being beautiful," I say smoothly.

From inside, Jay cackles.

Nyla hesitates, but takes the money with a flustered "Thanks," before waving goodbye.

I close the door behind her, only to immediately be met with Jay's mockery.

"Seriously? 'I'm doubling your pay for being beautiful?' That was lame. Even for you, Deck," she laughs, doing a terrible deep-voiced impression of me.

I roll my eyes. "Are you mad I never called you beautiful? I wouldn't want to lie to you, now, Jay." I run a hand against her cheek dramatically.

She smacks it away and flips me off.

"She likes you, though," Jay mutters. "For once, someone actually likes the infamous Deck Guery."

I scoff. "I'm actually very well-liked around town, thank you. I'm nice."

Jay stares at me like I just told her I moonlight as a nun.

"You're not nice. People only like you because your family donates thousands to charity," she points out bluntly.

Ouch. But also... accurate.

"Okay, besides that, I'm still a nice person."

"That's bullshit. You gave me hell when we first met."

I can't argue that one. I did hate her at first. Mostly because Ky idolized her growing up, while Jay just acted oblivious. It was annoying.

"Yeah, I didn't like you," I admit easily. "Actually, I still don't like you. I don't think I could ever like you."

Jay gasps in mock offense. "And you say you're nice? You're a total asshole!"

I smirk.

And yet, she still loves me.