by Quell T Fox
“Where are the other guys?”
“Shopping.” I give them a look of disbelief.
“What?” Lenny asks.
“I just can’t picture Alec shopping.” I say as I shake my head.
“It’s only groceries and when they shop, it’s more like Callan shops and Alec walks around blindly on his phone hoping to not bump into anything.”
“Now that sounds more accurate.”
“If you both are finished, I’d like to go eat.” Lenny turns to me, making a face to mock Maddox. I laugh, taking Lenny’s hand into mine and pull him after Maddox. When we get outside, their jeep is already waiting for us. I decide to sit in the back with Lenny, which goes up Maddox’s ass sideways, but I don’t care. He has a lot of payback coming his way, so he better get used to it. We don’t drive for long before we are at a little restaurant. It looks like a log cabin. We enter and the hostess seats us at a table in the back – as requested by Maddox – so we can be alone. As we walk to our seats, a few people stare. Some stare at the guys, some stare at me.
I wonder what people think when they see me with these two guys. Or what they think when I’m with them all? Will PDA be a no-no? What will they think when they know that I’m with all of them? Will I care? Will they care? Does it matter? I’m not sure why I suddenly feel self-conscious about things that I’ve never worried about before. Caring about what people think has never been on my list of things to do.
“Friday?” Maddox’s husky voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“Huh?” I look to the waitress that’s standing at the end of the table, pad and pen in hand, with an irritated look on her face. “What would you like to drink?” She asks, not hiding her stiff tone.
“I think she needs coffee.”
“Yeah, coffee would be great. And water, please.”
“Be right out.” She gives me a tight look, but I don’t miss her face softening at the boys.
“What is everyone going to think of us?” I lean towards the guys who are sitting on the other end of the booth. Lenny cocks an eyebrow as Maddox looks me straight in the eyes. “Does it matter?”
I just asked myself that same question. “No, I guess it doesn’t”
“People function like this all the time, what have you thought of them? Have you noticed?” I shake my head. “Most people keep it discreet as to not bring attention to themselves. We Supernaturals like to keep to ourselves and stay under the radar anyway. There are some communities where we all live freely, but mostly, we stay quiet. We won’t be having an orgy in the middle of a mall, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Maddox is using a tone that I haven’t ever heard him use before. What is wrong with him? He’s lost the cockiness and seems to be in serious mode. “Unless of course, you wanted to.” Never mind, there it is.
“This will all go as fast or slow as you want. This is all on you, Friday. No pressure.”
“Thanks, Lenny.”
“That’s not what he means– “
“I know what he means. And thank you. I appreciate you guys not pushing this on me. Though, it’s still hard to believe. I can’t seem to make sense of it. I do have a question though, before I can make a decision. Will this still work if we aren’t in a relationship?”
Lenny is playing with the sugar packets as Maddox answers me.
“No.” His stormy grey eyes stare into mine and he gives me a pleading look, though I believe it’s unintentional. “But it doesn’t need to be rushed into.”
“Callan said that some of the Circle’s that are forced together, they aren’t always in a relationship.”
“You’re right. And those are the Circle’s that don’t work. I didn’t say we couldn’t all be together, I just said that it wouldn’t work. We wouldn’t be happy, we’d be stressed, we wouldn’t be to our full potential. It causes more problems than necessary. Unless there is something else they are getting out of it. For those Circles it’s usually money, or power that make it worth it. None of us care about that, we have enough money and none of us care about power, so for us, no it will not work.”
“But there’s no rush?”
The waitress comes back with our drinks. I’m the only one that ordered coffee. Lenny got soda and Maddox got water. I put cream in my coffee as I wait for the guys to give her their order, before I give her my own. Once we are alone again, Maddox answers me. “There is no rush for the relationship aspect. Honestly, neither of the other guys want to rush into that part of it, I can guarantee it. And just because we’ve already had our fun, doesn’t mean we need to push it further. We can stop, continue, whatever you want. As I said, ball is in your court. But, if you don’t make a decision within a week, Alec is out. And trust me when I say he isn’t fucking around.”
“If I say yes, what would it mean?”
“It means that we work on closing our Circle.”
“How do we do that?”
“Essentially, sex.”
“But you just said…”
“Let me break it down for you. If you say yes, then that means you are agreeing to be part of this, part of us. That’s it. If it ends up not working, we will take it from there, but I bet my left nut that it will. All of the relationship shit can wait, that’s not what this is about. This is about being a part of our family, of all of us being a family. Sex is just the glue that keeps us together. It will eventually need to happen, to close the Circle but there isn’t a time limit. Not officially.”
“How can you be so sure that I am one of you?”
“It’s my job to know.”
“Callan mentioned ways to find out. Is that true?”
“That is something you’ll have to discuss with him. Hell if I know. He’s the smart one.”
“I’ve caught that. How smart is he?”
“Hawking and Einstein have a baby kind of smart.”
I’m not really sure what to say to that, but luckily the waitress is back with our food, so I don’t have to. We eat mostly in silence. I’m exhausted, even though I slept half the day away. I blame that on all of my racing thoughts. No amount of coffee can save me today.
***
When we get back to the hotel Lenny runs to the fridge and cabinets, opening them all and wow is there a lot of food.
“Plan on staying a while?” I ask.
“The rest of our vacation,” Maddox answers before disappearing down the hallway. Lenny makes his way to the couch, picking up the remote and sitting back. I walk over to him and sit beside him. “I appreciate you giving me space, because I know that’s what you’re doing but right now I want to cuddle.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” He lays down on the couch, pulling me with him. He finds something on the TV to watch as he wraps his arm around my waist, and I snuggle into his arms. He’s warm and comforting and I love being here.
“Friday?” Lenny whispers into my ear, “why do you smell like Maddox?” A small giggle erupts from my throat and I whisper back, “his soap was the only one in the shower. Now let me sleep.” I’m out too easily and sleep peacefully. I wake a few hours later, still wrapped in Lenny’s arms. He’s wide awake, watching another movie.
“Oh, you’re awake! Good, because I have to pee sooo bad.” He moves his arm out from under me and stands up.
“You could have gotten up, you know.” I say as I curl up, enjoying the warmth that his body left on the couch.
“And risked the chance of waking you? Nope, nuh-uh. Not worth it.” He’s adorably sweet. I feel better after my nap. I know I should get up, but I really, really want to stay here for the rest of my life. Safe on the couch with Lenny. But I have bags that I need to go through, since my crazy self has already decided that I will in fact be staying. When I get into my room, the trolley is empty, but there is a Callan standing by the closet hanging things up. I stop in the door, unsure of how to react to what I’m seeing.
“I, uh, saw you sleeping and know you’ve packed and unpacked this stuff a million times and I wanted to help
out.” He shrugs, running his hand through his hair nervously.
The thought almost brings tears to my eyes. Almost, ‘cause I’m not that much of a soft bitch. Without thinking, I walk to him and wrap my arms around his waist and lean into him for a hug. He tenses for a moment, but then wraps his arms around me awkwardly. That heated feeling takes over my skin in the places that we’re touching. The same way it happened with Alec, only this time it doesn’t freak me out as much. This time, I embrace it.
“Thank you.” He pulls away, pushing his black framed glasses up his nose. “You’re very welcome, Friday.” I almost kiss him. Almost. But I won’t make that mistake twice. He looks at me with this look in his eyes that tells me he wants me to, but I won’t make the first move. I can’t do that to him.
He reaches his hand up and tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear, sending shivers down my back. He bites his lip and I swear he moves towards me just a millimeter, but then quickly backs off, clearing his throat.
“I left your, uhm… your undergarments in the bag,” he points to the one bag that sits on the floor by the dresser.
“Such a gentleman.” I place my hands on my hips. A slight blush appears on his cheeks. He walks around me quickly making his way to the door. He runs away at a compliment, imagine if I would have tried to kiss him again?
“Friday?”
I turn quickly, his voice startling me. I thought he’d gone. “Hm?”
“For what it’s worth, I hope you choose us.” And he’s gone before I can comment back.
Choose them? I hadn’t thought of it that way. That surely puts things into a different perspective. I’ve already made up my mind anyway, but I think I’ll enjoy some gravelling before I let them know. A little extra attention never hurt anyone. I can get a lot done in a week. Alec doesn’t realize what he’s done giving me that long to decide.
CHAPTER 10
Callan
-WEDNESDAY-
Friday has been in her room for a while, I really want to go in there and talk to her about what happened, but I can’t. I literally can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know what is wrong with me. I’m sitting on the couch with Lenny watching TV when Maddox walks out.
“Whose turn is it to cook dinner?”
“We do that?”
“We are now. Who’s going first?”
“I’ll do it.” I get up reluctantly, nervous about cooking but only because of Friday. Any other time I’d love it, but I feel the need to impress her, which is odd for me because that’s not something I’ve ever worried about with women. I’ve never worried about them at all. Either way, I’m glad that I was the one to go shopping. I planned the meals for whoever would be cooking, it makes the most sense money wise. You can’t go to the grocery store and buy random things, like Lenny would have done. You have to plan ahead. Luckily, planning is one of my better skills. To be completely honest, I planned an entire menu for the week.
When Maddox said we’d be staying here, I figured it made the most sense to do that. It’ll save us money and time, not that any of us really need to worry about that, but you never know. Rich people don’t become rich by blowing money all willy-nilly.
Now, to decide what to make tonight.
“Hey Lenny, meatballs or pork chops?”
“Garlic bread?”
“Well, obviously.”
“Meatballs, one hundred and ten percent.” He answers me, his eyes never leaving the television. I’ll never understand how people get into that; I’d rather read a book any day.
I make my way to the kitchen and pull out everything that I’ll need for the meatball recipe that I found online. Yes, I saved recipes for the meals that I added to the menu. Don’t you?
Forty-five minutes later I’m putting the pan of meatballs into the oven and setting a timer. I decide that I’ll read while I wait for them to finish, instead of indulging in mindless television. I pull one of the few books that I took with me out of my bag. I open the slider door and get comfortable in one of the chairs on the porch. It’s a beautiful evening, not a cloud in the sky. The breeze is cool, keeping the heat at a bearable temperature.
My head perks up when I hear the slider door open and Friday walks out a moment later.
“Oh, hi. I didn’t know anyone else was out here.” She is gorgeous beyond words. Her long auburn hair – which I can’t imagine is natural – looks amazing with her complexion and her bright honey-brown eyes. I want to run my eyes down her body, but I won’t let myself do that, even though my dick is suddenly hard and begging for attention. I shift in my seat and place my book down in just the right place to hide it. She turns to walk back inside. “No, wait. Uh, come sit with me?” It comes out as a question, not how I intended but better than nothing. At least I got the words out. Her face brightens and a smile creeps across my face on its own accord. Her happiness is infectious. She sits in the seat on the side of me and I’m not sure why I’m suddenly feeling courageous, but I’ll take whatever I can get.
“Can we talk about what happened the other night? The uh, the club? The kiss…”
BZZZZZZZ!
Just my luck. Figures I muster up the courage to finally speak to her and the meatballs are done. I fidget nervously. Both waiting for her answer and because I don’t want the meatballs to burn, they need to be perfect.
“Did you wanna get that?”
“Yes. Do you mind?” I half stand.
“Of course not.”
“I’ll be right back.” I walk to the door coolly, but once I’m inside I rush to the stove, knocking over a chair on my way, anxiety taking over. I can’t ruin these meatballs. There isn’t any more defrosted ground beef. I used it all, and if I mess them up then we can’t eat them. I can’t serve overdone meatballs. I grab the pan from the oven, somehow grabbing it with the thin part of the oven mitt. I let out a loud hiss. The pan drops to the stove top with a loud clank. I throw the mitt off, seeing that the burn is already bubbling up. I run it under cold water for a second. I grab a fork from the drawer, unintentionally pulling two others that drop to the ground. I poke at the meatballs and note that they are perfect. When I allow myself to relax, I realize all three guys are staring at me.
“Care to explain?” Maddox raises an eyebrow. Alec has his scary face on for no reason at all, and his arms being crossed only makes it worse. Lenny is standing beside Maddox, resting an elbow on his shoulder.
“I’m cooking dinner.” I point to the stove, unsure of what he’s asking me.
“Why are you in such a rush? It’s just meatballs.”
“Seems to me like he’s trying to impress someone.”
“A girl, perhaps?”
“Guys, I’m just cooking dinner. For all of us.”
“Know what I think?” Alec asks. “I think you like her. I think you’re trying to impress her with your balls. What do you guys think?”
“I think his balls are nice and I can’t wait to have some. I bet Friday is going to love his balls.”
My face warms with embarrassment. I’m so glad that Friday decided to stay outside, because then I’d never be able to have this conversation with her or look at her for the rest of my life. At this point, I’m not so sure that I can anyway. I ignore them and check the sauce that has been simmering for about an hour now. I throw the pasta into the boiling water, and the garlic bread into the oven.
“Dinner will be done in twenty minutes. When the timer goes off, shut the pasta off.” I say it to Lenny as I walk by him. He sticks his foot out and I trip but experience allows me to catch myself and I don’t fall. I remember when I used to fall every time. He used to get me every chance he got. My knees were constantly scraped up as a kid, from tripping over his clown feet. Though they always teased me and said it was from sucking dick. They’re jerks, but they’re family. My family. And I love them anyway.
I make my way back outside, a bit of confidence still lingering. When I step into the warm air, I notice that Friday has her nose buried in my book. She
’s so enthralled she doesn’t hear me step out. She doesn’t look up until I walk by her and sit back in my spot.
“This book is great. I wish I would have grabbed my books when I left Dickwad, but I didn’t. I’d love to have a library of my own one day.”
“You’ll have to see mine, then.”
“You have a library?” Her eyes go as wide as saucers.
“I have a large room in my home that has the walls lined with shelves and books. Does that count?”
She nods her head, biting her lip. “I would love to see that.” She looks out at the city scape for a moment. “I don’t really know what I’m doing here.”
“Can I be honest with you?”
She nods her head again, “please, always be honest with me.”
“None of us do. This is new for all of us and we’re all just going with it. Don’t think about it too much. Focus on what you feel.”
“That’s funny coming from someone like you.”
I let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, it is isn’t it?” She lets out the most adorable little laugh. “I try, but it’s hard for me. Anxiety is a very real, very serious thing. Most things that people take for granted, are a struggle for me. Going out to dinner, being in crowds, even just being away from home. Work some days is a struggle.”
“What do you do for work?”
“I’m a professor at a private school.” She looks down, picking at her nail and I sense sadness. “What’s wrong?”
It takes her a long moment to answer. “You guys seem to have everything together. You have your problems, but you have lives, homes, jobs. I have nothing but my trash bags full of clothes. I have nothing to contribute to any of you.”
“Of course you do. You.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It will be for us.” We stay silent for a few moments. I can sense some of her sadness has gone, but I don’t say anything yet.
“What did you want to talk about?”
I hurry the words out before this confidence runs out on me. “When you kissed me, I wanted it. I wanted you. And to continue being honest, I still do. But for both of us, I can’t rush into anything. I have completely dedicated myself to this life that we are supposed to have. At first, that’s what it was, then as I got older it just became awkward and a little embarrassing. It wasn’t hard to avoid the sex thing. I’ve never had interest in anyone that I met. Nothing ever felt right. Not until you.” My eyes meet hers, and she smiles at me, this giant genuine smile.
