Synchronicity for Six Pt. 05

Synchronicity for Six, Part 5

Author's Note: This is a story of the romantic love of three couples. There is very little explicit sex in it, so if that is what you're seeking, look elsewhere on Literotica. "Synchronicity for Six" is the most recent part of a series of romantic stories about the blending into one family of three Harrison men and three Lawson women (the 'Six' principal characters). It is focused on their developing love and relationships, and the friendships in their lives. "Synchronicity for Six" can be read on its own, but your enjoyment and understanding of the characters will be enhanced by reading the two preceding ones first. "Every Thing She Does is Magic" introduces the first couple, Tom and Julie, during September and October. "Spirits in the Material World" then spans the period from just before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve and introduces their parents, Alan and Rose, and their siblings, David and Maggie. "Synchronicity for Six" begins on Christmas day.

The voted ratings are nice, I'll never deny that. But it's the comments that feed the writer's soul and ego. If this epic saga has made you laugh or cry or even made you think, I would love to know about it. I laugh and cry as I'm writing it; I hope you do the same while reading it.

= = =

Friday, January 29

The week of school was done, finally! It had been a long, hard slog through the week after the events of the previous weekend. It didn't help that the weather had changed and a storm had rolled through on Tuesday, dumping inches of winter precipitation on the unsuspecting citizenry. With the colder air temperatures and the snow and ice, people had been pretty much confined to their residences, unless they wished to risk their lives. But the roads had been mostly cleared, and the weekend ahead promised to have more clement weather.

Rose had suddenly realized on Thursday that her lease on the apartment in Centreville was up on Sunday. Maggie would have to work in the jewelry store on Saturday, and David was remaining at school for the weekend. She knew Alan would be by her side, but she needed more hands. Rose could not get her old apartment 'properly' cleaned without help, and a mildly panicked call to Julie occurred. As a result, Tom and Julie would be driving to Middleburg once their classes were finished on Friday.

Tom stamped the snow and muck from his boots outside the apartment door. He was grateful the steps up to Bruce's place provided a little protection from the elements. Holding the door open for Julie, who was coming around from the driver's side of her car, he demanded a toll of a kiss from her before allowing her to enter.

"Tom, I'd like to get on the road by 3:30 and it's 3:15 now," Julie admonished him as he sought to extend his toll collection. "There will be plenty of time for that tonight at home." Chastened, he placed his satchel on the coffee table and went to retrieve his duffel bag of clothes for the weekend from their bedroom.

"Hey, Jules, did you remember to tell Dawn that we'd be gone for the weekend?" Tom inquired.

Agitated, she left the kitchen and stood at the short hallway leading to their bedroom.

"Tom, are you auditioning for the role of Charlie Brown's teacher? Wah‑wah‑wah‑wah, wah‑wah‑wah. Are you aware that you do that to me a lot? You go into another room and then try to start or continue a conversation." Abashed, Tom was immediately contrite.

"Julie, did you remember to tell Dawn that we were going out of town? We can't host them this weekend."

"Yes, she knows and we can talk about it in the car. Tick, tock! Time's‑a‑wastin'."

Tom grabbed his bag and hers. If they forgot something, they'd have to make do with whatever remained in Middleburg. Julie brought a couple of drinks and a sandwich for each of them, and she herded him out the door to his Jeep for the four‑hour trip back to his boyhood home.

= = =

David was loving his Psychology 100 course! It was all making perfect sense to him. The paper he had to do on his choice of founders of modern psychology didn't seem onerous. He actually researched all five of the early psychologists on the list, just to be familiar with each's contributions. The paper was due on that Friday, but he had completed it by Wednesday evening. So, he ended up helping Amanda to get hers completed as well. He did not write her paper for her, and all of their time together was spent under the watchful eye of Robert to be sure no funny business was going on. Finally, on Thursday evening, once Amanda had left to return to her room, David spoke up.

"Rob, we gotta talk."

"Yeah? What about?" came Robert's surly response.

"Me and Mandy and Psychology 100. Dude, I have no designs on your girl. Look at this!" David held up his right hand to display the silver ring with the Celtic knotwork.

Robert jerked his head back in surprise. He had not noticed that ring before. He leaned forward, peering closely at the jewelry, intrigued by the design.

"It's a 'friendship ring' or a 'promise ring'," David explained. "Some consider it to be an 'engaged to be engaged ring'. Maggie has another one, almost identical, just more feminine and delicate. We gave them to each other on Sunday right before I returned from home. You haven't noticed me fiddling with my hands this week, have you? Well, I have been. I can't keep from touching it. It keeps me focused on Maggie, hoping that she can feel my love for her through her ring."

"So, you're 'just friends' with Amanda and you're helping her, why?" Robert queried. David just shook his head in disbelief.

"Really? You're my friend, Rob. Mandy's your girlfriend. I want my friend's girlfriend to be succeessful. Besides, she's spying on me for Maggie, right? This way, I can have some influence about what gets reported."

"You're not angry?"

"Why should I be? I've nothing to hide from Maggie and nothing to be ashamed of. It's a bit like obeying the law: if you're not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to fear. Well, maybe that's a bit simplistic, but it's true in theory. Anyway, I like it that Mandy and I sit together in class. In an odd way, I'm helping you, dude. My presence keeps other possible Lotharios at bay."

"You're probably a better friend than I deserve, Dave. Any chance you can make yourself scarce for some time this weekend?"

"Yeah, I can go hide out in the library for a few hours on Saturday, I suppose. Just so the two of you can plan for it, I'm gonna be gone all next weekend."

"Thanks, dude!"

= = =

Tom and Julie were about ten miles out of town when she brought up a potentially sensitive topic. She had wanted them to be alone and felt the time was now to bring this up.

"Tommy," she said affectionately, placing her left hand atop his right as it rested on the gear shifter, "I'd like to talk about something. But I need you to hear me all the way out before saying anything, okay?"

Tom's heart felt like it was falling into his stomach at her words, and he grimaced, visibly. He kept his gaze focused on the road before them, but he nodded and hummed an "uh-huh".

"We had been having some communication troubles for the past couple of weeks, right?" Getting an affirmative nod, she continued on. "But things got a lot better after our talk on Sunday, right?" Another nod. "Well, this might set us back a little." Julie paused for about a half minute, then proceeded. "I would like to give Dawn a key to our place, just in case she has to escape."

"Escape?"

Julie launched into a convoluted explanation of how Dawn's request for a roommate change had not yet been decided, how Renée Green had reacted when informed of Dawn's request, and how helpless John felt about Dawn's situation. She went on about how close she was with Dawn, how Dawn had clicked with Julie so quickly when they were matched as roommates, and how welcoming Dawn's family had been the one time Julie had visited them. When she seemed to run out of steam, Tom glanced at her and sighed.

"You've already given her a key, haven't you?" he asked, softly. This was a predictable move on her part, and he could not see any benefit to getting riled up about it.

"Yes, I had a copy made on Tuesday, just in case," Julie admitted in a small voice. Then she waited, but the anticipated explosion did not occur. His cold silence was in some ways even worse. All she got was another sigh from Tom. "But I made her promise not to use it until we gave her the go-ahead," Julie continued, meekly. A couple of miles passed beneath their tires before Tom spoke again.

"Why didn't we discuss this before you gave her the key? I'll grant that getting another key made was probably a good idea, especially for when David and Maggie come to visit. But giving it to her? Wasn't there time for you and I to discuss this?" He paused for a few seconds to see if she was going to try to defend her actions. "Do you understand the possible consequences of her having a key to our place? You know we're on the hook for anything that happens to the apartment, even while we're gone, right?" Tom pressed his lips together, tightly, as he considered things. "We should have gotten permission from Bruce. I hope this doesn't invalidate our lease with him."

Julie's eyes grew wide as she had never considered all that. She just knew her good friend was in a predicament and she had a way to help that friend. Tom continued with his thoughts.

"Please call her now and put it through the Bluetooth so we both can talk to her."

"Dawnie, hi, it's Jules."

"Jules! Please tell me something good. Please! Oh, shit! She's throwing things now."

"Dawn, it's Tom. Two things. One, go get the R.A. and tell them what's happening. And two, yes, you and John may 'escape' to our place while we're away for the weekend. Do this now, and call us back when you're safe."

"Oh, thank you, Tom!" A loud crash was heard and then a door slammed, hard, and the call was disconnected. Tom collected his thoughts for a moment.

"Julia, it appears you did the right thing for Dawn, but in spite of our discussions Sunday night, you once again went about it in the wrong way. We have to talk about this, but not before we get home."

Julie fought with herself internally. On one hand, she wanted to defend her actions and choices of the past couple of weeks. Rose had instilled in her the confidence and assertiveness to stand up for herself. She would not be anybody's doormat! On the other hand, the rational side said that Tom was completely correct. Which might indicate that she was in the wrong.

Tom was also consumed by his thoughts. He realized that he loved the way Julie leaped in to help her friend. It exemplified the 'Kind' point of the Scout Law that he held so dear. It was just that she went about it in a way that could cause all kinds of trouble for them down the road. She just seemed to leap before she looked as well as leaping before she truly needed to. They needed to discuss things with wiser minds, namely the parents who had raised them. He sighed, deeply, and remained focused on the road ahead of them.

Julie heard his sigh and guilt was gnawing at her. Nothing was playing on the radio, and Tom wasn't talking with her. The sound of the tires on the pavement and the seams in the road kept echoing in her mind: 'You were wrong. You were wrong. You were wrong.' Her eyes began to fill with tears. She looked over and both of his hands were on the steering wheel, occasionally flexing as though he might want to throttle her. She reached over and gently stroked his leg to gain his attention. Then she turned her left hand, palm up, on the gear shifter and waited.

He looked down to see her fingers gently undulating in an invitation, and he placed his right hand on hers, palm to palm, interlacing their digits. His hand felt so warm in hers. She was comforted by his touch, by his willingness to be in physical contact. A single tear trickled out of her right eye, away from Tom, and she turned her face further away so he wouldn't see her wipe it away with her right hand.

For his part, Tom enjoyed Julie's touch as much as she enjoyed his. He derived some small comfort from her willingness to remain touching him. He wanted their love for each other to overcome all obstacles. He was that much of a romantic at heart. Yet, the reality of the situation was that they both would have to put in some effort to make their relationship work. The past week had reinforced that necessity. He was that much of a realist.

As they drove along, Tom thought hard about what had happened in the previous two weeks. Admittedly, he could have been more inclusive in the process of making the decision about which position to accept initially. And he thought he had done a decent job of explaining how he had reached his conclusion, as well as allowing Julie some opportunity to weigh in before sending off his acceptance earlier in the week. He believed he was being totally fair and still she did what she did. His hand remained entwined with hers, but his lips pressed together in his frustration.

Julie couldn't see why Tom was making such a big deal about all this. Everything seemed to work out for the best in the end. If Dawn was able to use their apartment to escape 'the Urban Rat's rampage', then so much the better. Surely Bruce wouldn't fault them for this. It's not like they had four people residing in the apartment when only two were on the lease. She kept her face turned away from Tom's view despite holding his hand. He wasn't squeezing it at all, so he couldn't be too angry with her. This would all blow over fairly soon, she was certain of it.

They were just entering Middleburg when Julie's phone buzzed with a text from Dawn.

"You are a lifesaver, Jules! John and I are safe in your apartment. Tell Tom thanks from both of us. Can we have the rest of the wine in the refrigerator?"

= = =

Alan's week ended on a decidedly difficult note. At 2:00 on Friday, he called Melvin into his office and asked him to close the door. He surreptitiously activated the voice recording on his phone before speaking.

"Melvin, have you begun any of that online training I requested for you last week?"

With a sneer, Melvin answered belligerently, "Nope. And I'm not going to, either."

Alan pursed his lips and nodded slightly. "I figured as much when I found the papers I gave you to review thrown into the trash can. Your attitude makes you toxic here. Melvin, you are fired, effective immediately. Please get your coat and keys and leave the office now. You may come back tomorrow at 10:00 AM and you'll have an hour while Julius will observe you pack up your personal items." At that moment, Alan's office door opened, and Julius Jones, the ex-All Pro linebacker turned security guard, entered and crossed his arms. At 6'7" and 320 lbs., nobody could stand up to Julius. Melvin turned a little pale, then flushed with anger.

"You can't do this, Alan!"

"Yes, Melvin, I can. You have refused to comply with a directive by your organizational superior, me. You have brought this entirely on yourself. You may appeal my decision to Gil Larsen, but don't expect positive results. He and I have discussed your performance and attitude. This is an at-will employment state, and right now the company no longer desires your employment. HR will be in contact with your out‑processing paperwork. Please, don't make this more difficult for either of us than it already is. You have made your choices and we've made ours. Just go."

Julius opened Alan's door all the way and stepped aside, unblocking the doorway. Melvin shakily got to his feet and left with his head slightly bowed.

"Julius, please be firm but gentle with him," Alan asked, softly.

"Yes, sir, Alan. I'll take care of it." Julius left and closed Alan's door. Alan turned around in his chair, his back to the door, and allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek. Sucking back a sob, Alan turned back to his desk and called the IT group to have Melvin's accounts locked down immediately. Julius would assure that nothing untoward occurred at Melvin's desk. Alan then composed an email to go out to the entire office about Melvin's departure, promising more information in the coming days. He suspected there might be some happier people from the office this weekend. Just not him.

= = =

Maggie stood aside as Jack Johnson locked up the store Friday afternoon. After he had activated the alarm systems and locked the door, he turned towards the street. Impulsively, Maggie wrapped him in a hug and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek. Surprised and a little embarrassed, he just stood there looking at her.

"What was that all about, Mar... Maggie?" he stammered slightly.

"I'm just in such a good mood, Jack! I've got a job I enjoy, one with a wonderful boss. I've got a boyfriend who I trust is thinking of me often." Her left hand gravitated to her friendship ring on her right ring finger. "I don't have to deal with those mental midgets who infest my old high school. And I've got a new friend who needs my friendship. Things are going very well for me right now."

"Well, I'm very pleased for you then, Maggie. But you had better hurry along or you'll miss your bus home." Jack gave her a warm, grandparental smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early."

"Yes, you certainly shall!"

Maggie made it to the bus with a minute to spare and quickly took her seat. Extracting her phone, she began to type out one message after another. The first was to David, informing him that she was on her way home, thinking of him, and a little sad he was not coming home that weekend too. When he did not instantly respond, she banged out a message to Katie, telling her that work was done and she could come over after supper. That message did have a near instantaneous response of, "It's On!" and "7:00 PM". Maggie then thought to inform Rose that she was on her way home. Then she sat back, smiling, and watched the town slip by until she reached her stop.

She was one house away from home when both Alan and Rose arrived, one after the other. Waving at the adults, she followed them through the garage into the house. She trailed Rose into the kitchen; Alan went upstairs to change clothes.

"Mom, I've invited Katie to come over for a few hours after supper. Is that okay with you?"

"I think that will be fine, Magpie. Your sister and Tom are coming, too, probably arriving between 7:00 and 8:00."

"Why are they coming?" Maggie queried.

"I haven't shared it with you, but the lease on the apartment in Centreville is up as of Sunday. While we have most everything out of there, I still need to clean it properly so I can get the full security deposit back. Which reminds me, I'll need your keys, please."

"Okay, I'll get them for you in a minute. So why are Jules and Tom coming?" Maggie had completely forgotten about having the keys to the apartment and the mailbox on her keyring. The past month had nearly obliterated her awareness of those sorts of details that had become irrelevant in her new life in Middleburg.

"Well, you're working tomorrow, David's not coming home this weekend, and I don't think that Alan and I can do this by ourselves. Besides, don't you miss your sister's shining face?"

Realizing that the truth would not necessarily set her free, Maggie sagely opted to keep her response to herself. Then the reality set in, and she gave a heavy sigh.

"I suppose she'll want the 'big bed' for her and Tommy boy," she huffed. "I guess I'll go tidy things up and prepare to sleep in Davey's bed for a couple of nights." Maggie then trudged down the hall and up the stairs to make her room presentable for her sister and beau. Never mind that the room was originally Tom's. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, right?