AN: Here you go. 3 chs together. Don't forget those powerstones.
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Jack stayed seated on the couch, wallet safely tucked away again, while Haley met them at with that oversized grin plastered across her face. It stretched so wide it looked almost painful, the kind of smile people flash when they are trying way too hard to look normal.
"Hey, you guys!" she said, voice pitched a little higher than usual. "What a surprise!"
Jack lifted a hand from the back of the couch. "Hi, Mitch. Hi, Cam."
Mitchell gave a small wave and a tired smile as he stepped inside. "Hey, Jack. Hey, Hales."
Cam, on the other hand, marched straight past Haley without answering her greeting. He dropped onto the couch right next to Jack and let out a long, theatrical sigh that seemed to pull all the air out of the room.
Mitchell closed the front door behind them and leaned against it for a second, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Cam, come on. You can stop being grumpy now."
Haley asked, looking between them. "Okay, what happened? You both look like someone canceled Christmas."
Mitchell shrugged, casual, like he was trying to downplay the whole thing. "It is nothing, really. We were supposed to go to this water park today. The one with the lazy river and those giant slides everyone talks about. But there was some emergency maintenance issue, pipes burst or something, and they shut the whole place down for the day. So we turned around and figured we would swing by here since we were already in the neighborhood."
Haley nodded slowly. "That is great. Really. But, um, there is kind of no one else home right now. Mom took Luke to basketball practice, Dad is at work, and Alex just left for her cello thing. So it is pretty quiet."
Cam finally looked up from staring at his own knees. "Quiet. Right." He turned his head toward Mitch, eyes narrowing just a fraction. "It is nothing, huh?"
Mitchell shot him a warning glance. "Cam."
Cam stood up suddenly, arms flying out to the sides like he could no longer contain whatever was bubbling inside him. "It is nothing? You are seriously going to stand there and say it is nothing?"
He spun toward Jack, pointing one finger in his direction but not quite accusing, more like he needed someone to witness the injustice.
"It was a high-profile party, Jack. A high-profile party. Everyone was talking about it for weeks. The guest list was insane. And there were actual rumors, solid rumors, that Channing Tatum was supposed to show up. Channing Tatum. In person. Possibly shirtless by the pool. And then the water park closes, and now we are here instead of living our best lives in floaties with celebrity eye candy."
Haley bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She glanced at Jack, who was doing an admirable job of keeping his face neutral even though the corner of his mouth kept twitching.
Cam dropped back onto the couch with a theatrical huff, crossing his arms tight across his chest. "I had an outfit picked out. A very specific outfit. White linen shirt, open at the collar, sleeves rolled just so. I was going to look approachable yet mysterious. Now I am just sitting here in jeans."
Jack cleared his throat. "That does sound disappointing."
"Disappointing?" Cam echoed. "It is a tragedy. A modern tragedy."
//Mitch and Cam's confession//
Mitchell and Cam sat side by side on the couch.
Mitchell looked composed, the way someone does after explaining the same situation repeatedly for several hours. Cam, on the other hand, stared straight ahead like a man personally betrayed by the universe.
Mitchell cleared his throat. "So yes, the water park closed."
His tone was calm, rational... almost painfully reasonable.
"A pipe burst. It happens. These things are part of life. You make plans, the plans change, and you adapt like mature adults."
He gestured beside him toward Cam.
"I explained this several times in the car."
Cam didn't even look at him.
"It wasn't just a water park," he said quietly, still staring forward, clearly wounded.
Mitchell turned slightly. "It was exactly a water park."
Now Cam looked at him, scandalized.
"It was a high-profile water park event," he insisted. "There's a difference."
He sighed dramatically, like someone recounting a lost opportunity that might never come again.
"There were going to be influencers. Reality TV people. Someone said a backup dancer from Beyoncé's last tour was attending."
Mitchell tried very hard to remain patient.
"I tried to comfort him," he explained. "I suggested we get frozen yogurt. I offered to stop at the outlet mall. I even let him control the music in the car."
Cam still looked miserable.
"And none of it replaced the very real possibility," he said solemnly, "that Channing Tatum might have emerged from a wave pool like some kind of beautiful aquatic miracle."
Mitchell blinked.
"Statistically, that was unlikely," he replied flatly.
Cam immediately threw his hands into the air.
"Unlikely is not the same as impossible, Mitchell!"
He leaned back against the couch, still pouting.
"And now I'm here," he added bitterly. "In jeans."
Mitchell let out a slow, exhausted sigh.
"He's been like this all afternoon."
Cam slumped slightly, his voice suddenly softer and mournful.
"I had the perfect linen shirt."
//Mitch and Cam's confession Ends//
...
[3 hours later]
Haley practically bounced on her toes as she held the front door open wide.
"Okay, bye, you guys! Drive safe! Tell me how the replacement plans go!" she called after Cam and Mitch, her voice bright and just a shade too enthusiastic.
Cam turned halfway down the walkway, still clutching his phone like it personally owed him an apology. "If you hear anything about pop-up Beyoncé events in the next forty-eight hours, text me immediately. I'm serious."
"Will do!" Haley gave an exaggerated thumbs-up.
Mitchell offered a small, sympathetic wave. "Thanks for letting us crash your afternoon, Hales. Jack."
Jack lifted a hand from the couch. "Anytime."
Haley watched as they drove away, then she closed the door.
She exhaled like she'd been holding her breath underwater for three minutes. She spun on her heel, eyes sparkling, already crossing the living room back toward Jack with purpose.
"Okay," she said, voice dropping to that conspiratorial whisper she used when the house was finally hers again. "They're gone. No more water-park tragedy monologues. No more linen-shirt eulogies. Just you, me, this couch, and approximately zero interruptions for the next—"
The front door swung open again.
Haley froze mid-step, smile locked in place like someone hit pause.
Claire walked in first, keys jangling, gym bag slung over one shoulder. Luke walked behind her, basketball tucked under his arm.
"—forty-five seconds," Haley finished under her breath.
Right on cue, Phil bounded through the doorway last, practically vibrating with good-news energy. His tie was loosened, top button undone, and he was grinning so wide it looked like it might hurt.
"Family! We are home and we are victorious!" Phil announced to the room like he was addressing a stadium. "Two houses sold today. Two! That's commission checks plural, people!"
Claire rolled her eyes but couldn't quite hide her smile. "Yes, honey, we heard you screaming it from the driveway."
Jack stood up.
"Mr. and Mrs. Dunphy," he said, giving them both a warm nod. "Hey, Luke."
"Hey, Jack," Luke said, looking dead tired.
"Jack!" Phil lit up even brighter, crossing the room in two long strides to clap him on the shoulder. "The man, the myth, the legend! How's our favorite actor-slash-author-slash-football-star doing?"
"Doing great, thanks," Jack replied with a warm smile. "Congrats on the double sale. That's huge."
Phil waved it off like it was nothing, though his chest puffed out half an inch. "Just doing what I do. Selling dreams, one open house at a time."
Claire dropped her bag by the stairs and glanced between Jack and Haley. Her mom-radar pinged instantly. Haley was standing a little too straight, smiling a little too brightly, cheeks still faintly pink from earlier.
"Everything okay here?" Claire asked, one eyebrow arching.
"Totally fine," Haley said, way too fast. "We were just… hanging out. Watching TV. Normal stuff. Mitch and Cam were here all day. They just left a moment ago."
Luke snorted as he kicked his shoes toward the corner. "You were making out again. I can tell. You get all shiny."
Haley's mouth dropped open. "I do not get shiny!"
"You do," Luke said matter-of-factly, heading for the kitchen. "It's gross."
Claire shot Luke a half-hearted "language" look before turning back to Jack and Haley. "Well, since we're all home now, how about we order pizza and celebrate Phil's big day? Unless you two had… other plans?"
Haley's eyes flicked to Jack in a silent SOS.
Jack read it instantly. But the thing is, he gets this vibe from Claire that she doesn't like him that much, so for now, he has to get on her good side. He cleared his throat. "Actually, Mrs. Dunphy, pizza sounds great." He then looked at Phil. "And Haley told me that you learned a couple of new magic tricks. So, I was thinking, if it isn't much, can you show me a few tricks?"
Phil's expression turned serious as he instantly agreed. "Done."
So, as everyone went to their rooms to change and clean up...
Haley dragged Jack into the kitchen. "Why?"
"We can hang out at my place tomorrow. And right now, I need to get on your parents' good side, especially your mom's good side, because I get this feeling that she is not sure if I am good enough for you. So, can you bear with this for a while?" Jack said as he put his hands on her waist.
"Alright," She nodded. "But I want to see it before you leave."
"It?" He raised an eyebrow.
She simply looked down.
Jack chuckled, "Okay, that can be arranged."
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...[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
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