Caleb 08 - Moving In

Caleb 8 - Moving in

It was a good job that Mary was in my first lesson because I didn't take any of it in. Fortunately, I was able to share her memory of it as we left the classroom and separated to go to our second lesson - one that we didn't share. I managed to concentrate a bit better in my second lesson, and by lunchtime, I was pretty much back to myself.

As I was the first person in, I got lunch for everyone, and so I was waiting at a table with four trays of food when the girls arrived. We sat and ate together and discussed our morning schooling.

"Is Jasper behaving himself?" I asked Jules when a momentary pause in the conversation allowed.

"So-so," she said. "He is not being nasty to me directly, but there are a lot of snarky comments and whispers."

"Would you like me to have a talk with him?" I asked.

"There are other options," said Mary. "For instance, the student counselor might be interested that the guy that was responsible for your trip up to the science building is bullying you."

"Or we could get Grams to have a word with him," suggested Amanda.

Jules looked at each of us as we offered our suggestions. "No, thank you, guys. I can deal with him, but it means so much that I know you are all here for me. As long as I have that, he can't really touch me."

"Then never forget that you do," I said.

Amanda linked her arm through Jules's and pulled her in close. "Are we still going to move into the house tonight?" she asked.

"That's the plan," I said. "As soon as I finish lessons I'm going to go back to my room and pack up my stuff. If you guys can do the same, I'll bet we can be done in a couple of hours. Then we'll load it all into my truck and Amanda's car. We can take our time unloading at the other end, and we can call out for pizza for dinner."

We finished lunch and each went our separate ways for afternoon classes.

Josh was in our room when I got back after class. He looked miserable when I started to pack up my stuff.

"I guess I can't blame you," he said a little morosely. "If I had that place to move into, I'd be out of here as soon as I could."

I looked up from where I had been emptying my desk into a cardboard box.

"Is that a hint?" I asked with an amused expression. He looked a little confused for a second and then realized what he'd said and how it could have sounded.

"Oh, god no," he said. "I wasn't hinting at anything, just saying. I... we, will miss having you around though. Even before we started fooling around, I enjoyed sharing a room with you. God knows who I'll end up with next."

I finished with my desk and moved onto my chest of drawers, packing my clothes into the suitcase I had retrieved from under my bed, plus my holdall.

"Where's Louise tonight?" I asked.

"She's studying," he said. "She has a test tomorrow and needs to get good grades."

"So why aren't you helping her study?" I asked him.

"Because she can't study if I'm there," he said. "We always get kind of distracted."

I smiled at him. "I don't doubt it; she is a beautiful girl. You should hold onto that one tight."

He smiled at me, but I could see there was something else. His aura was dark and subdued - a deep blue color that made me think of sadness. He slumped down on his bed and put his head in his hands.

"I think I screwed everything up," he said sadly. "With you, with Louise. I just don't know what to do."

I sat beside him on his bed. "Want to tell me about it?"

He shook his head. "It wouldn't be fair. I would be laying this all at your door, and it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault, but I just got messed up and don't know what to do."

"Is Louise studying," I asked him, "or did you cry off tonight?"

He looked at me anguish in his eyes.

"Caleb, I don't know what to do. I really fell for Louise. I love her. I can't see any future for me without her in it. She is such a beautiful, thoughtful, sexy, intelligent, wonderful girl."

"I'm not seeing the problem Josh," I said, my hand on his arm. "What is it?"

"I can't tell him."

I heard the thought as clear as if he had spoken it.

"It wouldn't be fair."

"Josh?" I said again.

He shook his head, but it was too late. Although he never voiced it, I heard his thought loud and clear.

"I love him too!"

Okay, I didn't see that coming. This was possibly the worst outcome I could have predicted, and I had royally screwed up. In involving myself in Josh and Louise's relationship, I had destroyed it. I had no idea what to do next.

I pushed the memory to the twins via our bond, with a plea for help. I was lost.

Mary took charge. She sent Amanda to go get Jules and bring her to my room. She herself went to speak to Louise

I put my arm around Josh's shoulder to comfort him and thought about what feelings I had for him.

I had told Jules that my attraction for Josh was not really for him as an individual, but for him and Louise as a couple. I had just felt that they were so right together that I had felt drawn to the pair of them. Now I had to consider how I felt about them individually.

Josh was a good guy. He was good-looking, yes, but that wasn't that much of a consideration. He was genuinely a nice person. When I had moved into the dorm, he had already been here a week, having come up early, and was settled. We'd hit it off immediately and he'd taken me under his wing, introducing me to people and showing me around campus. He'd introduced me to Louise and they'd both taken me out with them until I'd found my feet. I'd never gotten the feeling from either of them that I was in the way, and I'd never sensed any jealousy from them if I spent time with the other. I had just been adopted into their relationship. Up until a few days ago it hadn't been sexual in any way, just a friendly, relaxed relationship, where two of them would go off and have sex from time to time.

There was a knock on the door, and I let Louise in. She immediately went to Josh and threw her arms around him.

"Oh Josh," she said. "You poor, poor, man. I've really screwed you up, haven't I?"

He looked at her, surprised, as did I. Mary had followed her into the room, and I looked to her.

She smiled at me and shared a memory. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to have been confessed to this evening. Louise had spoken with Mary during the free time they'd both had at the end of the day. Mary had decided to wait to discuss it with all of us until we were in the house. My call for help had prompted a change of plan.

I assimilated the memory.

Earlier that day----

"Mary, do you have a few minutes?" Louise asked as she caught up with her in the corridor. Both had just finished the penultimate lesson of the day and were heading to the library to do some private study in their free time.

Mary looked at Louise, and saw sadness, anxiety and a little fear there.

"Sure," said Mary, smiling. "Here? Or would you rather talk privately?"

"Privately," Louise affirmed. "We could use my room."

Mary nodded, and they walked side by side, in silence, until they reached the room.

"Please," Louise indicated her chair as they entered her room, choosing to perch on the edge of her bed rather than use her room-mate's chair.

Mary sat.

"I don't know where to start," Louise began. "I don't know how much you know about Josh and I, but we met the day he came to PSU. The moment I saw him, I knew he was the one. Don't ask me why. He's good looking in his own way, but there are better-looking guys around; he's in reasonable shape, but again, there are better-built guys here. There was just something about him, something in his eyes, his manner, his personality that spoke to me, and I answered.

"For all the time I have been here we have been together. I knew I loved him, but I had a nagging feeling that although he liked me, he didn't love me. He didn't seem to have the connection with me that I had with him. And I was scared that at some point I was going to lose him.

"When Caleb arrived, and Josh brought him out with us for the first time, I was a little annoyed. I was supposed to be his girlfriend, and he was supposed to be with me, not hanging with his bro, but before half an hour was over, Caleb had won me over. He is such a nice guy and has a way that actually makes you feel good about yourself. I never minded him coming along after that. In fact, I encouraged Josh to invite him.

"I never considered leaving Josh for Caleb. Josh was and is still my man, the one I love, and the one I am going to spend the rest of my life with if I can, but, I'm sorry Mary, I fell in love with Caleb too."

"He's an easy person to love," Mary said.

"Then last week," Louise said, "Josh told me about a dream he had had. Someone gave him an incredible blowjob, and that someone was Caleb. A second before he told me, if you had asked what I would have done if Josh had said that another guy had sucked his dick, I would have told you I would have erupted like a volcano and committed violence on one or both. But the instant he said Caleb's name, I can't describe the feeling, it was like coming home. It felt so right, and HOT.

"Then we had our first encounter. This was before you and Caleb got together. It was amazing. The sex was good, not earth shattering, Caleb had never gone down on a girl before, but it wasn't the physical sex that was so amazing. It was the feeling of rightness, of belonging, of love.

"Being included in your playtime was even better. Caleb might not have known what he was doing, but you certainly do." She smiled at Mary, who grinned back at her.

"But again," she went on, "It wasn't just about the sex. It was that feeling of being part of something much bigger than us. There was still an 'us,' Josh and me, but we were surrounded by something else - something warm, and comforting, and loving.

"Yesterday, at lunch, when you guys said you were moving out, you may as well have gut-punched the pair of us. I didn't know what to say or do. We were happy for you guys; you deserve to be happy, and that house looks amazing, but we had just found ourselves a part of something wonderful and we were going to lose it.

"After we left you guys at the house, Josh and I spoke. He told me that the moment he realised that I was the one for him, the moment that he knew he loved me, was while Caleb and I were on our knees in front of him. He said that he looked down and saw me talking to Caleb while Caleb was blowing him, and he just knew. He also told me, that although he knew that I was the one - that he loved me - that he also was in love with Caleb.

"Now you guys are leaving. I know we will see you at PSU, but it wont be the same. Josh won't be sharing a room with Caleb and I won't see him, or you and Amanda, as often. Because the feelings I had for Caleb seem to have almost instantly grown to include you two as well. I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose Josh, but I think he is suffering worse than me, and we don't want to lose you guys."

Mary put her arms around Louise, who wasn't exactly crying but was pretty close. She gently flexed her power and projected feelings of love and comfort onto her.

"Let me talk to Caleb, Amanda and Jules," Mary said. "I'm sure that Caleb didn't know about this, and I have to say it's a surprise to me too. I should have realised what was going on, but you and Josh were just so horny when we got together, I couldn't see anything else. We are packing our stuff up today and going over to the house. Once we are there, we will get a chance to talk this through between ourselves, and we will come up with something to help you, I promise."

Louise drew back, looking into Mary's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's so unfair of me to dump this on you like this, but I really didn't know where else to turn."

Mary smiled at Louise, and that's where the memory ended.

Back to the present--------

Mary had shared the memory with Amanda at the same time she had with me. Amanda and Jules came into the room, Amanda talking quietly to Jules as they walked. I guessed she was bringing her up to date. I watched Jules' face to see her reaction, and I saw her give Josh a look of compassion. Something else about Jules caught my eye. She was no longer wearing all black but had a pair of jeans and a T-shirt on.

I closed the door, and we all took seats. Josh and Louise were on his bed; I sat on my bed flanked by the twins. Jules surprised me a little by asking if she could sit by Josh. He nodded.

"It looks like we have some talking to do," I said, breaking the silence. "Josh, Louise, I am so sorry. I had no idea what was going on. If I had known..."

"What would you have done, Caleb?" asked Josh. "What could you have done? You did nothing wrong; nobody did. I can't help how I feel. I used to think that when you fell in love, that was it, nobody else mattered. But the instant that I knew that I was in love with Louise, that I knew what love felt like, I realised that I loved you too."

I couldn't help it. I surreptitiously checked my wrist. Nope, this was not an illusion.

I looked at the pair of them.

"Josh, Louise," I said, "you are two of the nicest people I know..."

"But you don't love us," Louise said. "That's okay. We understand. I mean..."

"Actually," I interrupted her, "that's not true. But my feelings for you are more complex. You see Josh, I like you, I like you a lot. Louise, I like you too, a lot. but when you are together, a couple then yes, I love you then. Individually you are wonderful people, but together..."

I looked to Mary. I needed her to say what was next. I could easily have done so, but Louise would have wondered how I could possibly know what she had said to Mary earlier.

"Louise and I had a chat earlier," Mary said, Josh looked at her, then Louise, who nodded.

"I told her," she said. "I knew you were hurting; I was hurting too, for both of us. I needed them to know how we felt and to see if they maybe felt something for us."

"Josh," This time it was Jules that spoke, which surprised me. Mary and Amanda looked equally shocked. "Why do you think you are losing us?"

Us? I thought. That was interesting.

"Because you are all moving out," he said. "Once that happens, the only time you will be here is for class. You see it all the time. Roomies move out, they say they'll keep in touch, and they do, for a short while, but it tails off, and before you know it you barely nod at each other in the hallway as you pass."

Jules looked at me. She knew I would hear the question she was forming in her mind. "Can they come too?"

I sent that memory through the bond to the girls and they both immediately sent back feelings of love and acceptance.

I nodded slightly to Jules, and she smiled slightly before thinking, "Then ask them."

"Are you sure?" I sent to her, and her eyes widened a little. I didn't think she knew I could do that.

"They love you Caleb," she thought, "and if what Amanda told me is true, Louise at least loves the twins too. You love them too; you already said so."

"But what about you?" I returned. "How will you feel..."

I don't know how she did it, but she interrupted me. "With even more love around? When love is what I have been craving for so long?" She smiled wryly at me and then surprised me even more by putting her arm around Josh.

"Josh," I said, finally convinced, "you didn't really give us a chance, but the girls and I were talking last night. We were going to get settled this weekend and then see if you and Louise would like to come and share the house with us."

Louise and Josh both looked up in surprise.

"Seriously?" Josh asked. "You're not just saying that?"

"He would have asked you last night," Jules said, "but he was worried that I would be scared having you there. He wanted to make sure I was okay with it before making the offer."

"But I would never..." he began.

"He knows that," Jules interrupted. "You have to remember that two days ago, I was considering jumping off a large building. You can't blame him for worrying that my reasoning isn't sound just now, especially since I don't know you as he does. You know he trusts you, or he would never have left me alone with you yesterday morning."

"But you still don't know me," he said.

"I know enough," she said. "I know that Caleb trusts you, which goes a long way, but that night when you came back and found me in bed with Caleb, you asked if it would upset me, you being there when I woke. Someone who didn't care wouldn't have even thought to ask. I'm prepared to take a chance on you - on both of you."

"So, there you have it," I said. "So, two questions: first, would you guys want to come and share our new home? And second, if yes, did you need one room, or two?"

I picked up some of my stuff. "I'm going to start loading my truck. That'll give you a few minutes to talk about it."

My three girls each grabbed something, and we left, walking down to where my truck was parked. Amanda's car was parked beside it and I could see it was already packed up with the girls' stuff.

"How are you coming along with packing?" I asked Jules.

"All done," she said. "It's just waiting in my room."

We decided to go and get Jules' stuff and load it into the truck also, and so it was nearly an hour later before we got back to the room. Josh and Louise were lying on his bed. They were fully dressed, and she was lying down with her head on his chest. They looked up when we entered.

"We thought you weren't coming back," Josh said.

"Sorry," I replied, "that took longer than we thought. So, what do you think? Did you want to come with us?"

"I don't think we can," Louise said sadly. "I don't think we can afford it."

I frowned. "You can afford to live here; what's different?"

"You know that housing here is subsidized," Josh said. "We pay a nominal rent and no utilities. We couldn't afford to live outside of the dorms."

"It will be the same deal at the house," I said. "Same rent, no utilities. And since we won't be eating in the cafeteria all the time, we will probably save money. Although we will have to figure out who can cook. Look, there's no reason not to. Apart from a ten-minute commute each way and a bit more property to keep tidy, there will be no difference to living in the dorms. So, what do you think? Will you need one room or two?"

Josh and Louise looked at each other.

"Louise?" Josh asked.

"For the kind of rent they are asking," she said with a little glimmer in her eye, "it would be greedy to ask for two rooms."

Josh grinned and looked at me. "I guess just the one."

"Then you better start packing," I said "Louise, can you fit all your and Josh's stuff in your car?"

She nodded.

"You remember the address?"

She nodded again.

"Ok then - I'll order pizza for..." I looked at my watch. "... Nine. Is that enough time?"

They both nodded again. I stood watching them for a minute. They didn't move.

"What are you waiting for?" I asked.

Louise dived for the door, and Josh bolted to his feet and scrabbled about under his bed, looking for his bags.

I finished the last of my own packing, and the girls and I headed for our new home.

+++++

We had almost finished unpacking - although it would take a lot longer to get everything sorted out completely - when Josh and Louise arrived.

I answered the door and led them to the second bedroom, the only other bedroom in the house with an ensuite.

"Will this be okay for you?" I asked.

Although they had seen the room before, they looked around again happily.

"It will be awesome," Josh said. "We need to talk to the accommodation officer tomorrow, then we'll arrange to get the payments sent to you direct. In the meantime, we can..."