Carter huffed a laugh and crawled back onto the sofa, reclaiming his spot between Jessica and Zyan. "I had a long discussion with the employee because of your special order, Jess."
"You'd think the broad public would be more used to veganism by now," Jessica muttered.
"And yes," Carter told Zyan. "I'm well aware of their nosiness, but I'm sure you were holding your ground, so I won't apologize."
"I can't believe you're already starting to get thoughtless again," Zyan said. "After less than a day, you should still be burying me in gifts and chocolate."
"Wouldn't that be a waste of my time and effort? You already know what you're getting into, so there's no reason to pretend."
Zyan huffed a breath. "No matter how old you get, people will always find new inventive ways to disappoint you."
Carter pressed a short kiss to Zyan's temple. "You love me."
Zyan rolled his eyes. "Don't even start with this again. This is no way to end an argument."
Part Two
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
2 Years Later
Zyan
Zyan was sitting on Ava's sofa. Almost a month had passed since they'd been in the same room without their significant others around. Carter had dragged Jessica along to see some musical, and since he'd only bought two tickets, Zyan and Ava had decided to send them off and use the evening to catch up on lost time.
They'd started by watching TV and eating lunch, but had soon started to get bored by the reruns. Now Ava was reading a book while Zyan played quiz games on his cellphone. To outsiders, it might seem like they were ignoring each other, but upon closer inspection, they'd realize their feet were nudging each other every few seconds and both were frequently looking up and catching each other's eye with a smile.
Ava huffed a frustrated breath.
When Zyan looked up, he caught her rolling her eyes. "What happened?" he asked in a teasing voice. "Did an author write a character who puts their chin on their knees again?"
Ava lifted her head to glare at him. "Nobody does that! It's incredibly uncomfortable!"
"I know, honey, but you'll keep running into that phrase anyway."
Ava clenched her jaw and looked back down at the pages. "So frustrating," she muttered. "So annoying."
Zyan's phone was momentarily forgotten as he watched Ava, her brow still furrowed in irritation. A handmade illustrated bookmark peeked out between the first few pages of her book. "Did Jessica make that?"
"Huh?" Ava looked up and followed his gaze. "Oh, yeah, she was just doodling the design, but I liked it, so I got it laminated."
"Cute." Zyan cocked his head. "So when's she moving in?"
Ava froze. "Wh-what?"
Zyan raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you've never even considered it before. I mean, she's practically living in your pocket as it is. I can't even remember the last time she hasn't slept over at yours."
She shook her head and dropped the book into her lap. Her eyes were wide, as if the revelation had physically slapped her. "Oh god. How have I never—?" She trailed off and groaned as she sunk deeper into the cushions. "Shit, Zyan, Jess has probably been dropping hints for ages! What if she's just been waiting for me to ask her?"
Zyan shrugged. "Then she probably would've asked you."
"What if she didn't because she wants me to set the pace?"
"Look, Ava," Zyan said patiently, "next time you're alone with her, you just sit her down and bring up the possibility of her moving in. Easy."
"I can't!"
"Why not?"
"Because…" Ava huffed a breath. "Because I—" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Well, if it's so easy, why haven't you asked Carter to move in yet?"
Zyan shrugged again. "We're comfortable living on our own. We like to have our own space."
"Oh please," Ava said. "Carter hasn't slept at his own place in months. You're practically married again."
Zyan sighed. "Okay," he said. "Fine. If you ask Jess, I'll ask Carter."
Ava smiled widely, and whether it was because of Zyan's use of Jessica's nickname or his actual statement, he wasn't sure. Most likely both. "Really?"
Zyan rolled his eyes. "Really."
"And they're both gonna move in with us?"
"Yes."
"We'll all be neighbors?"
"That would be the inevitable outcome, yes."
Zyan could see how much Ava was trying to keep her excitement contained, and wondered if he'd just doomed himself to a mortal life-span of frustration and annoyance. Or at least, pretend frustration. The thought of having everyone nearby where he could keep an eye on them filled him with ease.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Jessica
Ava and Jessica were strolling through their favorite park, hand in hand and shoulders brushing. It was only 4 p.m., so they passed by the occasional stranger now and again as they walked in silence. Jessica was enjoying the sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze and the sensation of Ava's warm hand in hers while the cool wind ruffled her hair. She felt content. Happy.
They'd been walking in silence for about half an hour when Ava drew Jessica's attention by squeezing her hand. "You're sleeping at mine tonight, right?"
"That was the plan," Jessica confirmed.
Ava nodded a little to herself. "You do that a lot," she pointed out after a beat.
"What do you mean?"
"Sleeping over," Ava elaborated, clearly trying to sound casual but failing.
Jessica had to force herself to keep her expression neutral. She had a feeling about where this was heading. "I guess so, yeah."
"Zyan's noticed it too," Ava continued. "He claims you're pretty much living with me at this point and…after I thought about, I had to admit he was right. We're pretty much together twenty-four-seven. You know, we work together now, and we barely fight, even though we spend so much time around each other, so we could just…take the next step now."
Jessica felt warmth pool around her heart. She'd always assumed this feeling would wear off, like it usually did: that these emotions would decrease in their intensity, but here she was, still feeling just as smitten, just as in-love. Every day she woke up wondering how she'd gotten so stupidly lucky in running into this woman on Facebook of all places.
"So what are you saying?" Jessica asked softly, pushing Ava to spell it out for her.
"Do you, um…would you, I mean." Ava took a deep breath. "Would you like to move in? With me?"
Jessica was glad she couldn't see her own goofy expression. "I'd love to."
Ava beamed at her. "When's your lease run out? How much does a moving van cost? Do we even need one? Do you think we should repaint the living room? I know you never liked the wallpaper, and to be honest, I don't either. I'm just too lazy and cheap to change it—"
Jessica grabbed Ava's shoulder to get her attention. "Slow down, there, lady bug."
Ava averted her eyes for a beat before she looked back at Jessica with raised eyebrows. "Lady bug? Have we reached the insect level now?"
Jessica shrugged. "It's been two years. We were doomed to run out of ideas eventually." Ava acknowledged the comment with a specific facial expression that was just very her. "But yes," Jessica went on. "We will have to do some planning before the actual moving part."
"Like…are you gonna bring your desk chair?"
"That depends," Jessica replied. "Will you actually let me sit on it, or are you gonna hog it for yourself?"
"Bit of both?"
Jessica rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. "Fine. You can have it."
Ava grinned. "My coccyx thanks you."
Jessica squeezed Ava's hand and tugged her a little closer. "Selling all my furniture should get me enough money to buy a second one anyway. And maybe a few new bath towels. You know, ones that don't feel like sandpaper."
"Fabric softener is expensive!"
"I know. That's why I told you to put the towels in the dryer after you wash them."
"But they take up so much space!"
"Better that than losing two layers of skin every time you shower!"
Ava huffed. "Fine." Her voice was smug when she continued. "I'll let you get on that once you've moved in."
"I see…" Jessica hummed to herself. "Well, well, well. This was our strategy all along, wasn't it? You just want someone to split chores with."
"Of course. That, and someone to warm the sheets on cold winter nights."
"Duly noted."
Ava pressed closer into Jessica's side as two joggers passed them before she dipped back her head and pressed a kiss to Jessica's jaw. "I wish you could move in today," Ava mumbled.
"I practically already live there," Jessica reminded her.
"I guess I just want it to be official."
Jessica looked at her and couldn't help but steal a quick kiss. "Me too."
Ava's eyes were as bright as her smile when they parted. And when she leaned her head against Jessica's shoulder, her curls tickled Jessica's cheek.
Minutes passed, spent in comfortable silence, before Ava's phone signaled an incoming text. She pulled it out and rolled her eyes at the screen, even as a smile tugged at her lips.
"What's up?" Jessica asked.
"My brother," Ava replied.
"Something wrong?"
"Nah." Ava pushed the cell back into her pocket. "He just wants to know if I already asked you to move in."
"And you're not gonna answer him?"
"I'll text him later, after I've told Zyan." Ava perked up. "Which reminds me…"
"Of what?"
"I'm not the only one who might have some big news to share today. Zyan's gonna ask Carter to move in with him as well." Ava looked up at Jessica expectantly. "You think Carter's gonna say yes?"
Jessica frowned. "I thought Carter already did."
Ava smiled bemusedly. "What? No."
"No, seriously," Jessica insisted. "Carter already moved in. He didn't renew his contract last time."
Ava cocked her head. "Huh. How long ago was that?"
Jessica shrugged. "Dunno. Several weeks? Months, even."
Ava started to laugh. "Wha—what? Oh, my god. I can't."
Jessica smiled, not because she was over the situation, but because Ava's laugh was infectious.
"Ah." Ava wiped under her eyes, giggles still bubbling out of her. "I wish I could be there. Just imagine the look on both their faces."
"I mean, I told Carter to just go talk to his dumbass boyfriend…husband…whatever."
Ava sniffed as she visibly tried to compose herself. "They're both hopeless."
"They should take a page from our book," Jessica said. "Those men need to work on their communication."
"Definitely," Ava agreed. "But just think about it: we're all gonna be neighbors soon. How cool is that?"
"Pretty cool."
"Exactly! And speaking of you moving in, I was thinking we should switch out the beds. Yours is a lot more comfy. Oh! Also, I want your bathroom rugs. Those things are fluffy as fuck, and I need to feel them between my toes every day. And those curtains you have in your bedroom? Perfect color to match the sheets Joe bought me."
Jessica watched Ava, the way she waved her arms and how her eyes shone with happiness. When she couldn't take it any longer, she wrapped an arm around Ava's waist to pull her close and smack a kiss to her temple. "I really, really love you," she said softly.
Ava looked up at her with a soft smile. "I love you too," she said before facing front again. "But let's talk clothes! Are we just gonna put all our stuff into one closet and wear everything, no matter who it belongs to? Or are you one of those folks that wants to keep some items to themselves? Because personally, I'm all for sharing is caring, and you gotta admit that we look pretty damn cute in each other's hoodies, which is also the reason I buy them oversized, or you'd never fit into mine."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Zyan
Zyan was sitting on his couch with Carter's head in his lap while his fingers absently carded through Carter's unruly mop of hair. Almost half an hour had passed since Carter had curled up on his side and decided to use Zyan as his pillow. They'd talked at first, but had soon fallen into comfortable silence as they'd gotten lost in their own heads. What Carter was thinking about, Zyan didn't know, but his own thoughts kept running in circles.
How could he bring up the subject of moving in together without outright asking?
Usually, he was more than fine with being blunt. He'd never been one to beat around the bush or drop hints, but this fell into the territory of things he wasn't fully comfortable with. What if Carter turned him down? Or even worse—if he told Zyan he'd 'think about it?' Zyan didn't want to deal with that. They'd just started to fall back into step with each other. Things still felt fresh and fragile, and they'd decided to take it slow. The problem was that they'd never decided how slow 'slow' meant to them.
"Hey, Carter," Zyan started, when he realized there was no point in stalling any longer.
"Hm?"
"Do you remember that rule we used to have?"
"Which one?"
"The one about the pets?"
Carter looked up at Zyan. "What about it?"
Zyan kept his gaze focused on the television screen, despite it being switched off. "I was thinking about adopting a hamster."
"And?"
"I'll name it Dr. Hans van Hamsterdam."
"That's not what I meant, but good to know." Amusement laced Carter's words.
Zyan smiled to himself. "I was wondering if you'd like to be its co-owner since…you know, you love pets so much."
"We have quite the track-record of pet-ownership," Carter agreed.
Zyan thought back to the string of strays Carter had brought home when they'd gotten their first house with a garden. "There were dozens."
"The amount exponentially decreased after I introduced the rule though," Carter pointed out.
Zyan huffed a breath. "Don't act like that's the reason it exists."
"Oh yeah? So why does it?"
"I think your exact words were, 'We need a rule to ensure the safety of Troy. We can't put him through a custody battle like Twitter!'"
"He didn't understand why one of us was gone! He died because of us!"
"Twitter was already old when we got him! I told you we should have taken the orange one!"
"But Twitter's little feathers were so colorful. I couldn't just leave him there!"
Zyan raised an eyebrow. "And what about Troy? You literally introduced the rule while you were holding an actual tortoise in front of my face."
"The idea only came to me after I already adopted him," Carter defended himself. "And you loved him! You literally arranged the most beautiful funeral I've ever seen when he died."
Zyan shrugged. He could admit he'd cried a little (okay, a lot) at the loss. But so had Carter. Actually, Carter had cried even more than him. He always did. No matter how many they'd lost, he'd always grieved like he hadn't known it was coming. Still, he'd kept taking in strays and adopting the pets no one else wanted, no matter how old or sick. It said a lot about his character.
Zyan smiled at the memories of hours spent on the floor, watching whatever pet they'd had at the time until they'd earned its trust. There'd been so many, Zyan had sometimes wondered if Carter was trying to fill a void in his heart.
*~*~*
Zyan knelt on the ground as he watched the cat cower in the corner. It was thin and shaky. Crusted blood stuck to its ears, neck, and spine: the battle scars from a past fight or run-in with a cruel human.
"Where'd you find it?" Zyan asked.
Carter nudged the fish closer to the cat but scooted back when it earned him a warning hiss. "Him," he corrected. "He was hiding by the docks. Some kids were throwing rocks at him."
Zyan nodded. His gaze wandered down to Carter's bare arms, covered in scratches. The skin surrounding the torn flesh had already grown a deep pink. "You should let me clean those."
&n
bsp; "Later," Carter replied. His eyes never strayed from the cat. "I don't wanna leave him just yet."
Zyan sighed but didn't even try to put up a fight. He knew he wouldn't win.
The sun set, and they still hadn't moved an inch. Zyan's bones and joints hurt from the hard wooden floor and his stomach and throat were pushing him to get up to eat and drink. If Carter was feeling the same, he didn't show it.
"Why do you do it?" Zyan asked.
"Do what?" Carter replied. He didn't seem startled by the broken silence.
"Take in these animals? Let them scratch and bite you? They clearly don't want you to save them."
"Who says they don't want to be saved?"
Zyan didn't respond.
"They're just scared. People have been hurting and abusing them their entire lives. Why wouldn't they lash out? How would they know I'm any different from the people they've met?"
Zyan nodded and allowed the silence to fall once more.
Hours later, Carter finally let himself be dragged off to bed. The stray had fallen asleep in its corner. The fish remained untouched.
"Will I ever have to worry about you bringing home a stray child?"
Carter seemed caught off guard by the question. "What?"
"I know we've never talked about it, but…"
"Do you—do you…want to?" Carter sounded on the brink of a heart-attack.
Zyan was quick to shake his head. "No, no. Definitely not."
Carter seemed to relax. "Okay. Good."
"I just thought—" Zyan paused. "You clearly care a lot about animals, people, nature, so you'd surely make a great parent…"
Carter was quiet for the longest time. "Maybe I would. I never considered it."
"But you don't want to…"
"No. I don't think so, no." Carter took a deep breath and turned on his side, facing Zyan. "But even if I did want to, I wouldn't. I mean…could you imagine losing your child? Seeing them grow old and die?"
"I don't even want to imagine," Zyan whispered.
They fell silent again.
The sky was already doused in color by the time sleep found them.
The Thing About Forever Page 24