[Modern Family] Ch: 24 [The Big Decision] (Patreon)

AN: Too many back to back dialogue. Hope it was alright.🫡

[Dunphy House] [4:00 PM]

The Dunphy house was unusually quiet that afternoon.

Phil and Luke had gone to watch a movie, while Claire had gone shopping with Mitchell. That left Haley and Alex alone inside the house with nobody around to interrupt them or stop another argument if things went badly.

Haley sat on one side of the couch with her phone resting beside her. Alex sat on the other side with a book open across her lap, though she hadn’t turned the page for several minutes.

They had already spent the past week arguing about Jason.

Every conversation somehow turned into another fight over who met him first, who understood him better, who he liked more, and who had made the bigger move. Neither of them had gotten anywhere.

Haley finally looked toward her sister. “We need to talk about Jason without fighting this time.”

Alex glanced up from the book. “That would certainly be a pleasant change.”

“I’m serious, Alex,” Haley said as she shifted toward her. “All we’ve done is yell at each other, and it hasn’t changed anything.”

Alex closed the book and placed it on the coffee table. “I’m aware of that. You usually start yelling before we reach anything useful.”

Haley narrowed her eyes. “See, you’re already doing it.”

“I’m stating what usually happens.”

“And I’m trying to stop it from happening again,” Haley replied while taking a breath. “So can we talk normally for five minutes?”

Alex watched her for a moment before giving a small nod. “Fine. We can try behaving like reasonable people.”

Haley leaned back against the couch. “Good. That’s all I’m asking.”

A few seconds passed while both of them tried to decide who should begin. Alex already knew this conversation had something to do with what Haley discussed with Jason after their drive, though Haley had refused to explain everything when she returned home.

"Let's both date him," Haley finally said.

Alex folded her arms and looked directly at her sister. “You want both of us to date Jason?”

Haley nodded slowly. “Isn’t it better than fighting every day over a boy? I mean, you can take a step back if you want to.”

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Alex replied immediately.

Haley’s expression changed. “I was giving you a choice.”

“You were suggesting that I leave so you can have him without dealing with me.”

“I didn’t say that,” Haley replied, already trying to keep herself calm. “I said you could step back if dating the same guy makes you uncomfortable.”

Alex leaned against the couch and studied her. “You clearly don’t have any intention of stepping back yourself.”

“No, I don’t,” Haley answered honestly. “I like Jason. And I don't have a problem with you dating him too. I even had a chat with him and he's also okay with dating both of us. So, what're you gonna do? Keep fighting? Because right now, I've got the upper hand." 

"I took his first kiss," Alex smirked. "So, I doubt you got the upper hand. Second kiss doesn't count."

"Yeah, and I took his virginity," Haley said proudly. 

Alex’s smirk disappeared so quickly that Haley almost laughed.

For several seconds, she simply stared at her sister as if she were waiting for Haley to admit it was another terrible joke.

“You slept with him?” Alex asked.

Haley’s proud expression remained firmly in place. “Yeah, I slept with him.”

Alex looked away and slowly picked up her book, though she didn’t open it. “You were supposed to talk to him about our situation.”

“I did talk to him,” Haley replied. “We talked for most of the day before anything happened.”

“And then you slept with him.”

“Yes, that happened afterward.”

Alex turned back toward her. “You’re saying that like you stopped for dessert.”

Haley shrugged and tried not to smile too much. “It was a really good day.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed while she studied her sister’s face. “Did you do it because I kissed him first?”

Haley’s smile faded slightly. “No, I didn’t sleep with Jason just to beat you.” 

“You brought it up the second I mentioned the kiss.”

“Because you were acting smug again,” Haley replied. “You wanted to remind me that you took his first kiss, so I reminded you that I also had a first with him.”

Alex’s expression tightened. She clearly disliked the answer, though she couldn’t find a fair way to argue against it without admitting that she had started the comparison. 

Haley watched her for a moment before continuing. “I kissed him, he kissed me back, and we both ended up doing it. That’s what happened.”

Alex looked down at the book in her hands. “Was it your first time too?”

Haley hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, it was my first time too.”

That answer caught Alex off guard more than the original confession.

She had always assumed Haley had already crossed that line at some point. Haley talked confidently about boys, dating, kissing, and relationships, so Alex had never questioned whether her confidence came from actual experience.

“You were a virgin?” Alex asked.

Haley frowned at her. “Why do you sound so shocked? Wait! Do you think I'm a skank?”

Alex adjusted the book against her lap. “You’ve spent years talking like you’re personally responsible for half the dating advice given at our school.”

“I know how guys think,” Haley replied. “That doesn’t mean I’ve slept with all of them.”

“I didn’t say all of them.”

“You were definitely thinking something close.”

Alex slowly nodded. “That’s probably fair.”

Haley relaxed slightly once Alex stopped looking at her like she had committed a crime. “Jason didn’t know either. He thought I had more experience because I took the lead.”

“And you didn’t correct him?”

“Nope,” Haley answered. “He was nervous, I was nervous, and we figured it out together. I mean, he found out I was virgin when I... Never mind.”

Alex stayed quiet for several seconds. Her jealousy hadn’t disappeared, though the idea of Haley and Jason sharing their first time made the situation feel more serious than she had expected.

Haley shifted closer and studied her sister. “Are you mad?”

“Yes, I’m mad,” Alex replied. “It's been like a month, and you're telling me now?”

“I wasn’t going to announce it during breakfast. I mean, do you think it was easy for me to tell you this? I had to be mentally prepared.”

“You could’ve told me privately.”

Haley leaned back and crossed her arms. “You kissed him and announced it in front of everyone.”

“That’s different.”

“How is that different?”

Alex opened her mouth, then stopped when she realized she didn’t have an answer that wouldn’t sound hypocritical.

Haley waited a few seconds before continuing. “This is exactly why I think we should both date him.”

Alex looked toward her again. “Sleeping with him doesn’t automatically give you the authority to decide that.”

“I didn’t say it did,” Haley replied. “Jason likes both of us, and neither of us wants to stop seeing him. We can keep trying to beat each other, or we can accept that nobody has to lose.”

Alex leaned back against the couch and thought about that.

Jason had already admitted that he liked both sisters. He hadn’t hidden his feelings from Haley, and he hadn’t pretended the lunch with Alex meant nothing. He had been honest even when honesty made the situation more complicated.

“What exactly did Jason say?” Alex asked.

Haley picked up her phone but kept it locked. “He said he didn’t think he could choose between us. I asked whether he thought dating both of us could work, and he asked me whether I thought it could.”

“That sounds like he pushed the decision back onto you.”

“He didn’t want to agree before knowing whether you’d be okay with it,” Haley explained. “That’s why I said I’d talk to you.”

Alex studied her sister carefully. “And you’re actually okay with him dating me?”

Haley’s expression became more serious. “I’m jealous, Alex. I’m not going to pretend I love thinking about you kissing him.”

“That feeling is mutual.”

“I figured,” Haley replied. “But I’d rather deal with being jealous sometimes than lose him completely.”

Alex looked down at the coffee table. “You’re assuming he’s worth all this trouble.”

Haley smiled slightly. “You already know he is, or you wouldn’t still be sitting here."

Alex hated how quickly that answer landed.

She liked Jason. Their lunch had felt natural in a way most conversations with people her age never did. He listened when she talked, understood subjects she cared about, and didn’t look bored when she started discussing things other people usually ignored.

She also remembered the way he froze when she kissed him.

The memory still made her smile when nobody was watching.

Haley noticed the small change in her expression. “You’re thinking about the kiss again.”

“I’m considering the situation.”

“You were definitely thinking about the kiss.”

Alex gave her a flat look. “This conversation will end much faster if you stop doing that.”

Haley raised both hands slightly. “Fine, I’ll stop reading your face.”

Alex remained quiet before finally asking, “How would this work?”

Haley shifted toward her again. “We both keep dating him. Sometimes you spend time with him, sometimes I spend time with him, and sometimes all three of us hang out together.”

“And when one of us gets jealous?”

“We talk about it before we start another fight.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You expect us to become emotionally mature overnight?”

“No, but we can at least try before Mom starts following us around with a whistle.”

Alex almost smiled. “She would probably create a schedule.”

“She’d color-code it too.”

Alex considered everything for another moment. “I don’t want either of you deciding things for me.”

“Then we decide important things together,” Haley replied. “You, me, and Jason.”

“I also don’t want you using what happened between you and Jason every time we argue.”

Haley nodded. “Fine. I won’t keep bringing it up.”

Alex glanced at her. “That agreement lasted less than one minute inside my imagination.”

“I’m serious,” Haley said. “I told you because you brought up the first kiss. I’m not going to use sex like some trophy.” She had that confident smile on her face that told Alex too many things like: 'You can never outdo me in sex. I watch porn, and you read biology books.'

Alex watched her face and slowly accepted that Haley meant it. But didn't believe the sex part one bit. 'Ha! You think I only read biology books? I've read Kamasutra and I got big boobs. All I need is a bottle of scented oil.'

Haley picked up her phone again. “So, are you agreeing?”

“I’m agreeing to talk with Jason.”

“That’s basically the same thing.”

“It’s absolutely not the same thing.”

Haley smiled and unlocked the phone. “You already want to try it.”

Alex reached over and lowered the phone before Haley could start typing. “We’re talking to him together.”

Haley looked at her hand resting over the screen. “I was going to text him.”

“You were probably going to tell him I agreed.”

“You’re almost agreeing.”

Alex removed her hand and gave Haley a warning look. “Tell him we need to talk. Don’t tell him anything else.”

Haley started typing while smiling at the screen. “Fine, I’ll keep it mysterious.”

“That’ll probably make him think we’re planning to kill him.”

Haley paused before deleting part of the message. “Okay, maybe I’ll make it sound less terrifying.”

Alex watched while Haley typed a shorter message asking Jason to meet them at the cafe later that evening.

Before sending it, Haley turned the screen toward her sister.

Jason, Alex, and I finally talked without killing each other. Can you meet us at the cafe we first met at around 7 PM?

Alex read it twice before nodding. “That sounds acceptable.”

Haley pressed send.

The reply arrived less than a minute later.

Jason: I’m glad you’re both still alive. I’ll come by around seven.

Haley smiled as she showed Alex the message. “He sounds nervous.”

“He should probably feel nervous.”

Haley placed the phone beside her and leaned back against the couch. “So we’re actually doing this.”

“We’re talking about doing this,” Alex corrected.

Haley’s smile widened. “You can keep saying that until seven.”

Alex picked up her book again and opened it to the page she had been pretending to read earlier. “I’m still allowed to change my mind.”

"Then I get to have him all for myself," Haley smirked.