It’s really the worst time for morning sickness to set in. The next day, I spend hours kneeling in front of the porcelain god. Arthur buys me some antacid, but it doesn’t help, so I end up sleeping for the rest of the afternoon to stave off the exhaustion, both mental and physical.
I wake up to the sound of murmuring outside the bedroom.
“We have to do something,” Jack says quietly, but I can hear him through the door. “It can’t go on like this.”
“I’m digging,” replies Bennett. “I found some of his social accounts, and I think with some detective work, I might be able to figure out who he is.”
“Then we beat the everloving shit out of him, right?” says Arthur. I’m surprised to hear that from him.
Jack answers right away. “We do what we have to do.”
I don’t like the direction this is heading. They feel personally responsible for GingerWatchman, and that’s not right. They’ve already done so much by giving me a place to stay.
Getting out of bed, I open the door, surprising all three of them.
“Stop.” I prop my hands on my hips. “I’m going to get a new place. I’ll start looking tomorrow.”
I don’t miss Arthur’s face falling.
“Oh. Okay.” He jams his hands in his pockets and looks at the floor. “I’ll help you.”
Jack opens his mouth like he’s going to argue, then he takes in my unyielding expression and stops himself.
I feel bad for shooting them down, but I know where this all ends. I have to get a new number, a new address, maybe a new name. I might even have to start my business over, or find a new profession entirely. But I don’t say any of that aloud because I know it would make them angry.
My own anger is enough for me right now.
A week passes. I help Arthur around the house, fixing window screens and assisting with the landscaping. Everything looks great from the curb, and I think some small family will love living here. It looks homey and safe, and I almost regret that I’ll have to say goodbye to it when they find a new place to live and I do, too.
Each morning, I open the newspaper to look at available apartments, and search all the online rental groups. But it’s hard to find something in this market at the same price as what I already have, and I can’t really afford more. I don’t want roommates and I need two bedrooms, which is a lot to ask of my small budget.
But I can’t stay here either. I worry about GingerWatchman finding me again. What would he do if he discovered I was living with the satyrs? He might just try to burn the place down.
The best thing for everyone is that I find my own spot and make sure it’s discreet.
Over the weekend, I join the guys in house hunting, and it’s the bright spot in my life. I love seeing all the potential, fantasizing with them about what furniture will go where and which rooms will belong to the babies when they grow up. It’s a fun exercise to envision their future, where a playset would go in the backyard, or what cupboards the little ones might get into.
The realtor is clearly annoyed, though, when Jack refuses to commit.
“We have to find the perfect thing,” he says, and then his gaze slides over to me. “Somewhere we can envision ourselves living. Somewhere we can all belong.”
The centaur huffs. “I’ve shown you everything in your price range.”
Jack shrugs. “Then I guess we’ll just have to wait until the right thing goes on the market.”
Personally, I don’t know what’s missing in any of the homes we’ve looked at, but it’s his house in the end.
Then, finally, I get a notification for a new place that just opened up. It’s a single room apartment in a gated community, which is exactly what I need. It’s much smaller than my old place, and a lot farther outside of town, but I call them up and schedule a viewing, anyway.
I can see it hurts Arthur when I tell him. I’ve sensed for some time that he wants me to stay, but isn’t willing to say it out loud. So I suppose it’s up to me to broach the issue and clear the air.
Sometimes, if I’m feeling well enough, we go inside for lunch and then have a mid-day naked adventure. I decide to wait until after, when my thighs are coated in satyr cum and Arthur is panting next to me, to bring it up.
“Look,” I begin, stroking the tawny fur on his chest, “I know you want me to move in.”
He freezes under my hand. “Well, uh… I mean…”
“And I hope you know that me looking for a place doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”
