Synchronicity for Six Pt. 06

Synchronicity for Six, Part 6

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.

Synchronicity: noun: an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated.

= = =

Saturday, January 30, continued

The four of them, Tom, Julie, Rose, and Alan, returned to Middleburg from Centreville. Julie rode home with Tom, and her hand never left his while atop the gear shifter. Much of the tension between them had cleared, and both felt much better about where their relationship was heading.

Upon returning home from Centreville, Alan became concerned when Maggie was not there. Rose apologized profusely for forgetting to share that Maggie was staying the night at Katie's. Relieved, Alan wondered if perhaps Julie was not the only Lawson lady who needed to work on her communication skills. Shaking his concerns away, he suggested they go out for supper. The choice of venue was fairly simple. As usual, the food and service were excellent.

When they returned home, Julie immediately pulled Tom into the living room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began rocking her body from side to side, occasionally bumping him with her hips. He quickly intuited her desires and dropped his hands to her waist and pulled her in even closer. He began to hum 'Only You' as he pressed his face into her ear.

Quietly observing Julie and Tom, Rose eased into the room and started up a Spotify playlist for the two lovebirds. She then helped Alan bring in the remainder of their cleaning supplies and equipment. Completing that, she pulled Alan by his hand and led him to the living room. They joined Tom and Julie in swaying to the words of poets and the melodies of wonderful musicians. Around 10 PM, Julie tugged Tom's hand and began heading upstairs. Alan called out to the departing progeny, "Church at 9, kids," to which Tom's retreating reply was, "Of course, Dad." Alan and Rose held each other closely and danced for one more song before she pulled away.

"Go be sure everything is locked up, Alan. We definitely don't want any uninvited people in the house tonight."

Giving him a mischievous smirk, she scampered up the stairs.

= = =

Katie and Maggie ended up going out for supper themselves. Katie's parents had left a note saying they (the two of them) were going out and that Katie and her "little friend" could make do on their own. At least they left Katie a $20 bill along with the note. Remarkably, Maggie held her tongue when she saw the note. A rare moment of sensitivity struck her, and she turned Katie around to see huge tears in her eyes. Protectively, Maggie pulled Katie into a hug and stroked her hair, just like Rose would do when Maggie was upset.

"Let's get out of here, Kat," Maggie. "Where's a good place to eat?"

Drying her tears on Maggie's shoulder, Katie sniffled and suggested Gino's for some deep-dish pizza. "It's not Giordano's quality, but it's the best Middleburg has to offer," Katie explained.

"You're driving, Kat. But put that money away; it's no good tonight. I'm covering supper for us," Maggie explained.

The ride to Gino's was quiet with each girl consumed by their thoughts. Once at the popular restaurant, they were seated at a two-person table and ordered a pitcher of Mtn Dew. They negotiated the toppings, agreeing on sausage, mushrooms, and green peppers. While they waited for their pizza to be made, Maggie reached over and held out her hand, palm up. Katie looked at her quizzically.

"I think you need a little human contact, Kat," Maggie explained. "Just go with it for now."

Katie placed her hand in Maggie's, and Maggie gently squeezed her friend's hand in sympathy.

"What are you going to do about college next fall?" Maggie inquired.

"I'm taking the ACT in March," Katie explained. "I know I don't want to go to Tech where Larry's at. They don't offer things I want to do."

"How about State? I'm going there, and David's gonna transfer in as well. You'd have at least two friends from Middleburg there."

"How am I going to get into State?" Katie nearly sobbed. "I'll be lucky if Mom and Dad will even pay for community college to get an Associate's degree."

"Slow down there, Kat. Let's take things one step, one problem at a time. First off, do you even want to go to State?"

"Sure! I can even use its distance from here as a selling point to Mom and Dad. I'm pretty sure State offers some programs I would like."

"Very good. That was step number one: deciding that you want to go. Now, step two is to get you qualified. That's where I come in. I'm gonna be your ACT prep tutor in addition to your Trig tutor. We'll get you the best score in Math possible, and then even better scores in the other areas. Do you believe me?" Maggie looked Katie squarely in the eyes, daring her to gainsay her intense new friend.

"Yes," Katie answered, hesitantly. The confidence she saw in Maggie could have been overwhelming, but instead, it was encouraging.

"Good! When we're done here, we'll go to the bookstore at the mall and find an ACT Prep book," Maggie declared. "Oh, and if you'd like, you can call me 'Mags'. I have another nickname that my family uses, but 'Mags' or 'Maggie' is fine."

"Oh, okay,... Mags. Oh, look. Here comes our food."

Between them, the girls could only eat half of the pizza, so they got the rest boxed up for later. Piling into Katie's Honda Civic, they drove to the mall to look at prep books. It was nearly 9:00 PM when they returned to Katie's home. Her parents were still out, so the girls headed to Katie's room. Once they closed the door, Maggie pulled out her phone.

"Kat, I've got to talk with David for a couple of minutes, okay?"

"Sure. Do you want some privacy?" Katie offered.

"Nah, this should not be that sort of call." Maggie pressed the speed dial number for David then set the phone on speaker and placed it on the bed between them. David answered on the second ring.

"Heya, Magpie! I was hoping you'd call tonight." David sounded very chipper and pleased.

"Hi there, Davey! Oh, it's so good to hear your voice." As she was speaking, Maggie was unconsciously twisting the ring around her finger. She looked over at Katie and nodded, indicating it was okay for her to greet David.

"Hi, David. This is Katie."

"Hey there, Katie O'Shea! How are you tonight?"

"Much better now that my friend is here and staying overnight."

"Excellent! I'm glad you two are becoming friends. My Magpie has needed a friend or two in town to keep her company while I'm not home. So, what's up, Mags?"

"I just wanted to hear your voice, my love. Yeah, I'm staying the night at Katie's and we'll go to church together in the morning. I've got a video call with Abbie, Joy, and Donna set up for tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to be helping Katie prepare for the ACT test in March, plus helping her get through Trigonometry." David chuckled at her words.

"That should help keep you busy when you're not working for Jack and Maeve. I'm just on my way back to my room after spending six hours in the library. I wanted to give Rob and Amanda some couple-time in the room, you know."

"You are so considerate, Davey! I only hope we get considerate roommates next fall." Those words from Maggie sparked an idea in Katie. What if she and Maggie were to be roommates at State? She (Katie) needed to be accepted as a student and she needed all the financial aid she could get. Which, in turn, made scoring well on the ACT so important. Katie tuned out Maggie's chatter with David as she ruminated.

Maggie broke Katie's concentration with, "There! I'll talk with him again tomorrow night."

"Do you two talk every day?" Katie inquired.

"Talk or text, depending on the mood and schedules. I'll often text him while riding home on the bus."

"The bus? You mean you don't drive?" Katie was incredulous at such a travesty.

"I haven't really needed to learn," Maggie explained. "It's only now that it could be useful. While David was home on his break, he was my chauffeur and I loved every minute of it! Besides, there's no extra car for me to use at this time."

Katie countered with, "I've been thinking that your tutoring and test prep mentoring deserved some payback. How about I teach you to drive?"

Maggie blinked in surprise at Katie's suggestion. Reflecting on it, Maggie saw the value in keeping the exchange of services as close to even as possible. "Okay, but only if I pay for the gas!"

The two teenage girls spent the next hour just talking about things teenage girls thought were important. At 10 PM, Katie's parents poked their heads into the room, informing the girls of their safe return from an evening out. "Now don't stay up too late, girls," Mrs. O'Shea admonished. She retreated to a chorus of "Mom!" and "Yes, Mrs. O'Shea" from the girls.

= = =

Sunday, January 31

The scent of brewed coffee woke Julie that morning. She was attached to Tom's left side with her arm thrown over his body and her head on his chest. The sex the night before had been very loving, gentle, and altogether reassuring. She felt much better about their relationship and she was fairly certain Tom also felt better about them. You simply did not have that kind of loving intercourse if something was bugging you.

She was at war with herself that morning. Part of her wanted to remain snuggled up to Tom, breathing him in, listening to his heartbeat. And another part wanted coffee, desperately. She felt like the poor cat, enjoying a bowl of cream while having a toddler pull on its tail. Ultimately, it was her own body that decided things. She simply HAD to get out of bed.

After addressing nature's call, she crept down the stairs and down the hall to find Rose and Alan sitting at the kitchen table enjoying breakfast and holding hands. That sight was reminiscent of many of the suppers she had with Tom. They would clasp hands to ask the blessing and then he would not let go.

With a quiet, "Good morning," to the adults, she went to the coffee pot to find two mugs on the counter, waiting for someone to fill them. One of them even had creamer!

"Thank you to whoever set this up."

"You are most welcome, my darling daughter," Rose answered. "Is there enough in the pot for a warm-up for Alan and myself?"

Julie poured the two mugs about three‑quarters full and replied affirmatively. Taking the coffee pot to the table, she gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and warmed up her coffee. Boldly, she likewise gave Alan a kiss and poured the remainder into his mug. Taking the unclaimed mugs with her, she carefully ascended the stairs to their bedroom. Tom was awake when she entered, and he greeted her with a loving smile.

"Thank you for bringing me coffee, Jules. It's always nice to be on the receiving end of your kindness. I'll have to think up something kind to do for you."

Julie chose to say nothing, instead just sitting on the bed and drinking her coffee in companionship with this man she was so in love with. It wasn't his looks, although he was fairly good‑looking. It wasn't his intelligence, although he was demonstrably very smart. It wasn't his kindness or consideration for others, necessarily. Much of that came from his environment and how he was raised. It wasn't the sex, at least she didn't think it was, but then she had nothing else to compare it to. No, it wasn't any one of those things and it was more than the sum of them. It was simply who he was.

He made her feel special. He was the sunshine in her life, the invisible force that warmed her all over. He genuinely cared about her, and that was something she had only felt previously from her mother. She wanted more of it and she never wanted it to leave her. She knew she needed to change some of her ways, and she vowed to herself that she would begin doing so beginning that very moment. The recollection of a Stevie Wonder song consumed her mind for a moment, and she decided she needed to change her ringtone for Tom's calls. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" was so much more apt for him.

= = =

The four of them were on time, walking in the doors of the church at 9:20 AM. The ladies made their customary pit stop at the restroom while the guys proceeded to the Fellowship Hall. People stood around, socializing, in their usual groups, sipping their morning beverages. Before Rose and Julie arrived, Maggie and Katie appeared in the doorway, both wearing similar dresses. It was as if a breath of fresh air had gusted in. Heads turned and conversations dwindled as almost every eye was upon the two young ladies. The pair sauntered to the coffee urns and fixed their cups of brew. Moving out of the way, they turned to look around and saw Rose and Julie entering along with Rose's friends Maeve Johnson, Susan Larsen, and Mary Henderson.

Julie strode up to Tom to relieve him of the cup of coffee he had prepared for her. Taking a sip and leaving a kiss on his cheek, she spied Maggie and Katie standing not far away, and her face lit with excitement. She hurried over to her sister to give her a big hug but stopped short in surprise. Maggie had been holding her cup in her right hand, and the friendship ring was quite obvious.

"Wow, nice ring, Mags. Lemme see it," Julie insisted, so Maggie cautiously shifted the cup to her left hand and extended her right hand towards her sister, palm down. Julie scrutinized it, commenting, "That's a very nice knotwork design there, Mags. Did you get it from your store with your employee discount?"

"Sorta," Maggie answered, extending the word to multiple syllables. "My store doesn't usually carry non‑gemmed rings. This came from the Johnsons' other jewelry store downtown."

"What aren't you telling me, sister dearest? Is there some meaning to this design?" Julie demanded, her volume increasing slightly, catching the attention of Tom, Rose, and Alan. The three headed over to investigate the beginning commotion. Maggie just sucked her upper lip into her mouth and said nothing while Julie continued to examine her sister's newest piece of jewelry. "Hmmm?"

"Oh, nice friendship ring there, Maggie," Tom observed. Julie's head snapped up and pivoted toward him. Julie's eyes bulged, incredulous at Tom's words, whipping back to look at her sister. "Did David give that to you?" Her volume and pitch were rising, attracting attention.

Before Julie could say anything else, Rose clapped a hand over Julie's mouth and hissed into her ear, "Not... in front... of everybody. We'll talk about this after church. Now smile and hug your sister, gently."

Julie recognized Rose's intense sincerity and complied with her directive. Tom then led Julie away from Maggie and Katie. He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, whispering, "It will be all right, my jewel. I will make it all right."

"Bu- bu- but how?" she stammered.

"It's only a friendship ring, Jules. There's nothing more to it than that. They're not going to be allowed to do anything stupid; not by my dad and not by your mom. So just chill, please. They're not together like we are, day‑in and day‑out. They need this little thing."

"How do you know this, Tom?" Julie inquired, tears threatening to bubble up.

"David and I talk occasionally, Jules. Kinda like I expect you and Maggie do. Sometimes we ask the other to keep things private. So, he told me about what happened last Sunday. Even though he is my 'little' brother, David's got his head squarely on his shoulders. You'll see that when they come to visit us over Spring Break. I gave you those pearls back at Thanksgiving. Maggie got her painting. Believe me, the pearls cost a lot more than the rings did, and I even got the 'pass the baby' discount."

"Rings? Plural?"

"Yeah, David got one with the same design as Maggie's. Someone's got the video of what happened saved somewhere. We can watch it before we have to head out. Now, shush, my love. It will be all right. I will make it all right." Julie burrowed her face into his shoulder, allowing her tears to be soaked up by his shirt. "Come on, let's head up to the worship space." He led her from the Fellowship Hall after they had returned their coffee cups. She had to stop in the Ladies' room to fix her face.

They were early to the worship space and had their choice of seats. Rather than follow the same old routine, Tom chose to go to the left this time. He was unafraid to try something new, to take a road he had not been down before. He delighted in confounding the expectations of others, as long as it was safe. Today, he would not be sitting with his family. Today, he would act like a visitor, trying to see the worship service with fresh eyes.

Other members of the congregation slowly filtered in around them. Many were surprised, but pleased, to see Tom and Julie not sitting in his family's usual seats. It allowed both Tom and Julie the opportunity to make brief connections with others.

Alan and Rose appeared with Maggie and Katie trailing them. Alan looked around the worship space and finally saw Tom and Julie. Shrugging his shoulders, Alan admitted to himself that this was a safe place for Tom to flex his wings of independence. He informed Rose as to Tom and Julie's location, then whispered in her ear what he was thinking about Tom's choice to sit in a different spot. Rose agreed with him and nodded in Julie's direction.

Once worship had ended at 11:15 with a relatively short sermon by Pastor John, Maggie asked if Katie could come over for supper that evening. Maggie wasn't about to detract from Tom and Julie's little remaining time with them, but she wanted to introduce Katie to her posse. After getting Rose's permission, Maggie informed Alan and Rose that Katie would take her home, so no one was squished in Alan's back seat for the short drive home. Katie dutifully followed them home, promised Maggie that she would come back for the video call, and returned to her sad home of indifference.

While she behaved herself during the worship service, the trip back home gave Julie time to build up a head of steam once again. Once everybody had entered the house, Julie exploded in rage and tears.

"It's not FAIR! It's not RIGHT! Why should SHE get a ring first? If it wasn't for me, she never would have met David!" With that, she dashed up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

All anybody could do was look at each other in complete puzzlement. Tom was the first to state what was on their minds: "Where the hell did that come from?"

Neither Alan nor Tom was about to try to deal with the nearly hysterical Julie, and Maggie would only be like adding salt to an open wound. It was going to fall to Rose to try to address this.