Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Inherited Tome
   by Nysidra
   Romantic Fantasy (MF)
Summary:
   <->
   Myra knew all about Jason Bale.  She'd had a crush on him since high
school.  In her mind, he'd been her lover many times over: dark,
mysterious, romantic, enigmatic.  Slight glimpses of him kept her grand
crush fresh and renewed each year.
   It wasn't a healthy obsession.  Anyone who saw her inspiration board
with Jason at the center would say it was down right creepy.  Myra
understood that.  She realized that on some level, she needed to move on or
take a step forward.
   Years later, Jason had only grown more handsome, more alluring, more
fantastic.  She couldn't move on, could not make a move.  She remained in
limbo, holding him high in her heart.
   Her thumb worried the scorched symbol on the spine of the leather bound
book in her lap.  She'd only met her great aunt Casey a few times as a
child, but her family didn't favor the woman.  Casey had never been invited
to family gatherings or had gifts under the wreath at solstice.  Even
still, her great aunt left this book to Myra.  It wasn't until Myra read
the words within that she understood why her family would keep their
distance.
   Her family stuck to kinder, non-violent rules of practice.  Their
patrons were generous, virtuous, forgiving.  All fine and well most of the
time, but the book in her lap spoke to the grittier side of life, stickier
situations, trickier rites.
   The book filled her open mind with new ideas, many of which she couldn't
begin to grasp.  She knew a few people who wouldn't go spreading word of
her book back to her family.  Jason was one of them.
   He worked at his family's lodge in the early evenings.  He, along with
most of the lodge's members, evaluated objects to check them for safety or
help to price them for sale.
   One step in front of the other, Myra approached the object of her
masturbatory fantasies.
   "What can I help you with?"
   He's just a normal person.  No big deal.  Get him to look through the
book, determine its value.  Myra clenched the book tighter.
   Cool.  Calm.  Collected.  "Could you evaluate this for me?  My aunt left
it to me."
   Jason flipped through the book, looked at the binding.  Checked a few
more pages.  "Mike, can you take over for me?"
   "Yeah, sure."
   Jason turned and signaled for her to follow.  He sat down and they were
silent while he continued to thumb through the book.  "Are you looking to
sell it?"
   "Not exactly.  I have some questions, want to know if it's genuine."
   "It is.  I'll answer your questions.  Mind if we walk to Jacob's down
the way?"
   Walking beside him?  What's to mind?  "Not at all."
   "Great."
   At Jacob's coffee house, he paid for the pair of cafe mochas and looked
through her book again, this time with far more care.  He flipped the pages
too quickly to be reading them, but enough to get a good idea of the
contents.  "What did you have questions about?"
   "The validity, for one."
   "You've got that.  Detailed, valuable, better than property or jewelry.
Next question?"
   "Is the type of book you start at the beginning or work to the end or is
it supposed to be a reference?"
   "Reference.  You haven't been taught in this style?"
   "My family is house Gaish."
   "Not the person who left you this."
   She grinned, heat rose to her cheeks.  "No."
   "Gaish is a style that arises from tranquility and ease.  It's a style
of privilege.  Privilege is all fine and well until true adversity
strikes."
   "The patrons mentioned seem heavy handed, and I guess the things they
ask for in return aren't so extreme.  Preparing for war invites yourself
into doing battle."
   "Popular phrase.  Battle happens.  Some are prepares, others are
destroyed.  Where would you rather land?"
   "Where's the best place to start?"
   "How much of it have you read?"
   "First three sections."
   "Keep reading.  Can you meet me again, next week this time?"
   For several seconds Myra forgot how to breathe.  She played the sentence
back several times and each time it sounded more impossible.  "Yes."
   "I'll meet you here."
   For one hour a week, Myra had the pleasure of being in the company of
her crush, asking him about a book that she came to love all the more
because of the connection it provided to him.  Myra grasped every spare
moment in secret to study the lessons within, seeking most to hear his
praise and approval.
   "I was thinking about performing the seventh moon ritual.  How would I
know what an adequate sacrifice is?"
   "Seventh moon?  That's the one you want to try?"
   Myra cringed.  He tone suggested she wasn't ready for such a detailed
rite.  Ordinarily, Myra would have agreed, but she wanted to impress him.
She wanted to prove that she was serious, as serious as she could be
without telling her family.  Myra wanted to prove that the darker stuff
didn't scare her.  "I will be discreet.  I'm not surrounded by people who
can help, but it looks like something I can handle alone."
   "Can and should are two different things."
   Myra stared down into her empty coffee cup.  She didn't have anything to
say to that.  Most of the solitary rites were purely about dedication.
   Why did his criticism hurt so much?  His praise lift her spirits to such
heights?  The more she learned about Jason, the more fervent her attraction
became.
   "I have a spot I prefer to use for longer rites.  It's a short walk from
my cabin.  You'd have to plan to stay the evening.  Seventh Moon isn't the
type of ritual you want to drive after.  I'll assist you where needed."
   His words rattled around in her mind.  His cabin.  Alone.  Overnight. 
Could she do that?  Dare she turn him down?
   "If it's me you have a problem with I could--"
   Myra snapped her head up.  "I don't have a problem with you!" She
blushed and shook her head.  "Sorry, I ...  when should I ...  we meet up?"
   "No worries.  You're just hard to read.  At times I think you're
repulsed by me or something."
   "That is the opposite of the truth."
   "Is it really?"
   Myra met his eyes and her breath turned shallow.  Repulsed?  Well, with
her continued efforts to keep her distance, not to stare at him, not drool
over his every word, she could understand how that might appear.  Perhaps
she had worked a little too hard in the wrong direction.  "I'd like very
much to work with you."
   "Excellent.  I'll give you the directions."
   ***
   They met at the cabin late afternoon.  She spent all that morning
cramped by nerves.  Her palms sweat the entire drive, and she had to roll
the windows down to keep her sweat from soaking her clothes.
   She parked next to his truck and carried her bag inside.  Jason was in
the kitchen, pulling items out of a paper bag.
   "Punctual.  Nice." He pointed toward the hallway.  "Put your bag
anywhere.  Do you mind onions on your pizza?"
   "No." Each step Myra took felt as if lightened by a fluffy cloud. 
Everything inside her wanted to brag about her new friendship with Jason,
but none of her family, none of her friends would understand, must less
approve.
   "I'm getting the pizza prepped.  All I'll have to do is put it in the
oven when we're done."
   Myra looked over the toppings, sausage, onions, peppers, and a liberal
amount of seasoning and cheese.  "Looks good.  How often do you come out
here?"
   "Once or twice a month.  The cabin belongs to my family.  We share it,
rent it out.  We've got a creek on the property, great rock features,
fertile land, good balance of wildlife.  No crops, but my grandmother
maintains an herb garden.  You'll need to bring your book, blanket, tools,
and comfortable walking shoes when we head out."
   It took twenty minutes of walking from the back door until they reached
the clearing in the woods.  Polished tree stumps, large enough to seat two
to four people, a stone pillar large enough to replicate a pedestal and
another flat rock in front of a fire pit.
   Myra recited the lines she needed to speak under her breath as they set
up.  She startled when Jason put his hand on her shoulder.
   "This isn't about memorization.  The right words won't matter if you're
not in the right frame of mind.  True power comes from the heart.  Soul
first, vocabulary second."
   "Okay."
   Jason stepped back and only spoke up to provide advice or assist her
with setting up.  For the most part, he truly allowed her to lead the rite,
and participated as an attendant or observer.  It was an alien place for
Myra.
   It wasn't her first rite, the first one without the house of Gaish for
sure.  She wasn't sure if it was being out here with Jason or the rite
itself, but it felt strange, different.  It was almost like she could feel
the change in the air.
   After she closed, Jason led her to sit on the stump.
   "Take a moment."
   She nodded and they sat in quite meditation.  Smoke rose from the fire
they had put out.  The chill of the air surrounded them.
   They walked back to the cabin and by the time they were out of the
shower, the pizza was out the oven.  Myra expected to feel giddy, nervous,
even unsure around him, but she was mostly exhausted.  She felt like she'd
been working out for the past hour.
   Jason brought the whole pizza out to the table.  Myra sat there with her
legs tucked under and put a slice of pizza onto the plate.  He picked up
the remote and soft music poured from the speaker on the shelf.
   They ate, neither one made much of an effort for conversation.  After
the third slice, she set the plate down and snuggled up to a couch pillow.
   Her eyes widened as Jason then snuggled next to her.  His head lay on
her hips, arm over her thighs.  Seconds passed and nothing more.  Some time
in the night their positions shifted.  He was on his back and her head
rested on his chest.
   Myra got up and went to the bathroom.  By the time she was out, Jason
was up and cleaning up.
   "Is that normal?  The exhaustion?"
   "With under four people?  Yeah."
   "No way I would have been able to drive home.  Thanks." She yawned.  "I
understand the difference between can and should now."
   "Experience is the best teacher.  It was a good rite.  You did well."
   "Thanks."
   ***
   Their meetings at the coffee house continued along with the occasional
trip to his cabin.  By now Myra's crush on Jason had reached a rolling
boil. And yet, the infrequent meetings did not lead to anything personal.
If her book was not involved, Jason never called, never asked her out. 
Being so close only hurt more.
   Doubts rose in volume as she worked from her aunt's book.  Was she still
considered a member of Gaish?  Could she say she was being true to any
faith?  They'd talked about the book, its patrons and ceremonies, but never
about the religion, the companionship, the community.
   She thought about that as she scrubbed the animal blood from under her
fingernails.  Live sacrifice, she would never do that.  When she first read
that section, that was the song she sang.  When Jason asked her to do the
working with him, she didn't hesitate to agree.
   "Use this," Jason entered the bathroom and pulled a brown vial out of
the cabinet.  He poured a few drops into her hand and the dried blood
disappeared.  "Just make sure you moisturize after.  Leaves the skin dry."
   He had dinner set out by her return.
   "You've been quiet since we got back.  Are you okay?  If you want to
drive home, you should be fine."
   Myra walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders.  He leaned
back and she straddled his thighs.  "Jason, this is where I want to be,
since I've known you, about you, since high school.  I've had this
terrible, insane crush on you, long before I knew you."
   "Now?"
   "Worse, stronger."
   He put his arms around her waist, pulled her close to his chest.  Myra
rested her head on his shoulder.  She didn't want to move, explain herself,
or do anything to disturb this moment.  She tried to memorize the feel of
his body, the smell of him, the sensation of being here and now, comforted
by him.  Myra hummed much like a purring cat.  The steady of his breath
relaxed her and comforted her.
   Or was he just humoring a crazy woman?  He wouldn't reject her if he
wanted to make further use of her book.
   Just when she began to sit up, Jason tightened his hold on her.  When
she looked at him, she was surprised to see him smiling.  "If you want to
stay here with me, I'd like that even more."
   ***
   Myra sat up against the headboard worrying her bottom lip.  Beside her,
under the covers, Jason slept.  They'd fallen asleep together before, no
big deal, but he never said he wanted her to stay more than he wanted her
to leave.
   What did she do next?  Myra eased down into the bed, close, but not
touching him.
   Jason mumbled and reached out for her, pulled her tight to him.  She
woke just before dawn with his hand cradling her breast, under her shirt.
Was he always so comfortable with another woman's body?
   "Your tits are so soft," Jason sighed heavily as he adjusted his hand.
   "Thanks, I think."
   "It was a compliment."
   The harsh buzz of a vibrating phone pulled Jason away.  "Hello?" He
yawned and sat up.  "No.  I'm not going to be in town until after noon.  I
guess I could."
   Myra pulled her phone over.  It was six in the morning.  The drive back
into town took less than an hour.
   "I'm not making any promises though.  As long as you know that.  Good
bye, Lisa.  Talk with you this afternoon." Jason ended the call and set his
phone aside.  "Stay." Jason slid out the bed and closed the bathroom door
behind him.
   Myra's heart leapt into hyper drive.  One firm order from him was all it
took to revive the crazy thoughts she'd spent all morning trying to put
aside.
   Jason returned from the bathroom and got back into bed.  "Get over
here."
   She lay down beside him with a confused expression.  He sounded so
brusque, almost irritable.  They usually woke and left at sunrise, so she
knew he was used to waking early.
   "Was that your girlfriend?" Myra finally asked when the silence became
too much.
   "Her name is Lisa, and no.  She's a girl; she's my friend." His words
tickled the side of her neck.  "You're not much of a stalker."
   "I never stalked you ...  like that."
   "I'm free to do whatever I want." He said in the same annoyed tone.  He
reached down and grazed her lower stomach with his fingers.  Myra's belly
jumped at his feather light touch.
   "Myra."
   She turned to looked at him and he kissed her.  Light danced in her
chest.  Having wanted and imagined kissing him for so long, when it finally
happened it was like an extra weight had been place on her fragile psyche.
She forgot about her doubts and worries.  She clung to him, arms and legs
wrapped around him, fearful of what would happen when the moment ended.
   Jason hooked his thumb in her underwear.  Myra lifted her hips and let
him, but when he rolled on top of her, pressed his body to hers, the doubts
outweighed the pleasure.  Fantasies were not the same as reality.  In
reality, he was getting an easy lay.  She'd bared her soul to him and he
took advantage.  He didn't feel nearly the same way about her as she felt
about him.
   "What?" Jason took her hands in his and pinned them beside her head. 
His face held no malice only genuine concern.  "Do you want me to
continue?"
   As a matter of fact, yes.  "Yes, but the attraction is one-sided."
   "You think so?" He rubbed the length of his erection between her thighs.
   The way was slick.  She was wet, soaking wet.  Feeling him slide along
her swollen clitoris sent shudders through her body.  For a few seconds,
she was lost.  "I'm a woman, Jason.  That means nothing."
   "Wow." He let go of her wrists and rolled over.  "Fuck you too, Myra."
   He sat up and she grabbed his arm.  Why was she acting this way? 
"Jason, I like you a lot.  I told you that, but I won't ...  compromise
myself to be with you." Her chest twisted into a painful knot just knowing
she was about to speak those words.
   "You need to go." He shrugged out of her grasp.
   "I'm scared." Myra took off her shirt and kneeled on the bed.  "I'm not
a virgin or anything, but there's no reason for you to like me.  I built
you up in my head, up to something you probably aren't.  You're something I
shouldn't have, something safe only in my dreams."
   Jason huffed and lay across the foot of the bed.  "What is this fantasy
version of me like?"
   "Um," Myra blushed, thinking of all the ways to describe him.  Could she
put words to it?  "Bad, deviant, unrestrained, dark.  Um, ah, a bit violent
or even aggressive." Further words stuck in her throat.  Just before she
could apologize for thinking so low of him, her eyes went to his erection,
just as hard, slightly wet at the tip.
   "Stop staring and do something about it." Jason got up and crawled over
to her, put her on her back and straddled her shoulders.  "Open your
mouth."
   She could allow herself this one pleasure, this one compromise.  No big
deal.  Her lips parted and the head of his erection slipped into her mouth.
She tasted a bit of herself and it struck her how stupid she'd been.
   Months ago she would have given anything to sleep with him, just once,
just for fun.  Now here she was getting all upset because he might have a
girlfriend, he might bring other women here, he might feel nothing for her
but lust.
   "That's good, open up." Jason sighed and brushed her hair back.  "Use
your tongue, Myra.  Yeah," he rolled his hips, gradually working his hips.
"Suck me," he blew air through his lips and the rest of his words were
mumbled praise and grunts of pleasure.
   All of it was music to her ears.  She sucked on him until he came down
her throat.
   Jason tumbled beside her and rest his head on her stomach.  "I hope this
means you're going to stop being a brat now."
   Myra nodded.  When he readjusted and spread her legs, she offered no
resistance.
   "Do you want me, Myra?"
   "I do, even if I don't know you."
   Jason wrapped his hand around her throat and whispered.  "That hurts my
feelings, Myra.  All this time we've spent together?  I think you'll find
you know more about me than anyone else.
   She shivered and warmed at the same time.  A jolt of fear turned into a
poll of desire.  "I want you."
   He hummed and nibbled on her ear lobe.  "What else?"
   "I hope you want me for longer than this morning." She blinked the
threat of tears away and turned her face to the wall.
   He pressed his way inside her and she clung to him, both thankful and
ashamed for getting exactly what she wanted, knowing she coveted a man she
could not have.  She couldn't be with him even if he wanted to be with her.
Her family would forbid it.
   As Jason fucked her in earnest, Myra tossed her head from side to side
and moaned.  He was good, better than she dreamed, and if sex with him was
like this, her obsession was only just beginning.  The possessive way he
clutched thighs, the bites and nibbles along her neck, the deep rumble of
his moans: they all suggested he felt the same way.  For the moment, Myra
lost herself in the fantasy of believing he was in love with her.
   He came with a series of deep grunts, his hips snapped erratically until
he stayed deep, swelling inside her.  He collapsed on her, sighed.  "Am I
too heavy?"
   "Not at all."
   He put his head back down and cupped her breasts.  Once his respiration
normalized he shifted to lay beside her.  "You are my captive for the rest
of the day.  I hope you don't have plans."
   "Hardly.  You're meeting your female friend later."
   He propped himself up and sucked on her nipple.  His free hand eased
down her belly and rubbed her clitoris in large, lazy circles.  Two fingers
eased inside her.  "What has you so wet?"
   "You, thinking of you.  You feel much better than I imagined."
   "You say you're not a virgin, but I'm starting to think you were kidding
me."
   "I'm not.  It felt great."
   "Not that great.  I didn't feel you orgasm."
   "I never do from penetration, but it felt great."
   He hummed again.  "Close your eyes and think of me."
   "Um, you're right here.  Wouldn't that be weird?"
   "Probably.  Do what I say."
   "Sir, yes, sir."
   "Good girl." Myra closed her eyes and let herself drift into fantasy. 
He shifted on the bed and his erection pressed inside her, only half way,
hardly moving.
   He sank his nails into her and set the pace.  Almost like they were in
sync, her madness fell in step with reality.  She screamed out, trembled as
her body clamped down around him.
   The smile on her face was of surprise and satisfaction.  "Okay.  That
was awesome."
   Jason grinned and kissed her.  "Better."
   Each time got better than the last.  By noon they had barely left the
bed.  She ate her sandwich and drank the water he brought to her,
completely naked, on her belly, spread over the bed without a care in the
world.
   Myra lacked the imaginative capacity to dream up a morning like this,
doing all the things she'd done.  She stared at the bench, where he'd
fucked her while she held onto it for support.
   "I know what you're thinking," he teased.
   "I bet you do." She grinned deeply enough to strain her face, but it
fell when his phone buzzed.
   Jason tossed it over to her.  "Answer it."
   Myra shook her head, but lifted the phone anyway.  "Hello?"
   The woman on the other end paused.  Myra imagined she was checking the
caller ID.  "Hi, this is Lisa.  Who is this?"
   "Myra."
   "Oh, Myra.  Hi.  You're the lucky one this week I guess."
   "Excuse me?"
   "At the cabin, right?  Whatever.  If it's not too much trouble, try and
impress upon him the importance of keeping to a schedule.  Everyone doesn't
live in constant pursuit of art." Lisa chuckled.  "You must have something
he wants, yeah?"
   "Uh, yeah, I guess."
   "Yeah.  Tell Jason I'm going to Blue Ridge.  It's too late for him to go
with me, so he might as well take his time getting back."
   "I'll pass the message."
   "Thanks.  Hey!  I hope we can meet some day.  Jason usually casts his
projects aside after a few weeks, but you must be something special.  Come
to a lodge meeting once in a while.  We don't bite." Lisa let loose a high
pitched giggled and made a kissing noise into the phone.  "Ciao."
   "Take care." Myra turned off the phone with a stunned look.
   "Thank you.  That conversation would have been twice as long if I
answered." Jason put the phone back on the nightstand.
   Cast his projects aside after a few weeks?  What did she have that he
still wanted?  He discussed her with his friends?  What did he say?
   "What was the message?" He leaned out from the bathroom.
   "Take your time getting back.  She's going to Blue Ridge."
   "Works for me.  Can I chill at your house for a few hours?"
   Myra thought it over.  What were the chances of someone showing up? 
Low. At least until tomorrow.  "All right."
   ***
   He parked beside her, followed her into the apartment.
   "There's a bathroom midway down the hall.  My bedroom's at the end, and
the other I just store stuff in.  Are you hungry?  I could--"
   Jason took her in her arms, kissed her.  He took hold of her body and
lowered her to the floor.  He opened her up and took her there, hard and
fast.
   That set the mood for the next few hours.  Sex almost every in the
house, any and every position.
   "What are you using me for most?"
   "Excuse me?" Jason finger combed his hair back.
   "I mean, is it more about the sex or my book?  It's okay, I just--"
   Jason struck her.  Her cheek stung, burned.  He backed her into the wall
and put his hand around her throat.  His eyes were blank and he cocked his
head to the side, waiting for her reaction.
   "I apologize."
   "For?"
   "The question.  The attitude.  Even having the thought to begin with."
   "Did you mean it?"
   Myra truly didn't know.  Jason's expression nor his grip had softened
yet.  "Yes."
   "Then I don't want your fucking apology."
   "Then at least answer me."
   He squeezed her throat and smirked as he pressed her harder against the
wall.
   "Before I black out." She gasped for air.  He wasn't going to answer. 
She shouldn't have let him into her house.  Just as her body panicked, he
let her go and stepped back.
   "I'm amused you would ask such a stupid question.  Me?  Using you."
Jason made a harsh, short sound.  "Do your friends know who I am?  Do they
know we've been seeing each other all summer?  I bet you won't tell anyone
that you've spent all day getting fucked by me, the same way you haven't
told a soul what school of sorcery you truly practice.  Who is being used
more?  Who is more honest about it?"
   "You know why I can't say anything.  If it weren't for the book--"
   "The book you approached me to help you with.  The book you used as the
only excuse to be around me.  That book?" Jason put on his clothes. 
"You're a beautiful, talented woman.  One day you might be able to believe
that."
   She thought he would say more, but those were his final words before he
walked out the door.
   Long after her cheek stopped stinging, Myra was still hurting.  She'd
completely fucked up what would have been a great weekend, what had been a
great relationship.  Worse, he was right.  She hadn't told anyone that she
knew that she liked or even knew Jason Bale.
   He never called.  They didn't meet at the coffee shop.  She never
returned to the lodge.  It was over, truly and completely.
   ***
   A month later Myra was at the fall festival, browsing the booths and
food vendors with her friends.
   A dry chuckle a few feet away made her break out in goosebumps.  When
she found the source of the laugh, she understood why.
   Jason had his arm around a lithe, raven-haired woman.  She knew her,
heard of her.  Her mother called her the Princess of Darkness.
   Myra had spent much of her month alone judging the teachings and
platitudes of her family.  Were the other houses really so depraved and
immoral?  Did the House Gaish survive from their privilege?  All the other
houses were not as rich, well-off, or trouble free.  Their patrons worked
hard and demanded hard work in return.  For this, they were evil?
   Jason looked at her as he passed.  His eyes traveled the length of her
body before turning back to the woman beside him.
   That could have been her, if she weren't such a coward.
   Myra broke from her group and walked toward the nearest exit.  She
couldn't stay a moment longer, not with her greatest shame so close by. 
Her heart thundered thinking back over all the rites, rituals, and
ceremonies they shared.  He never invited anyone else, respected her
secrecy, answered every question without forcing her to renounce her house.
   Who had been more honest?  Not her.
   Jason took her hand and led her down a side street to a parking lot. 
Myra was surprised, but said nothing.  Had he left the other woman behind?
Was that his girlfriend now?  He swung her around and pulled her into a
kiss.  A large blue van shielded them from pedestrians.  Jason moved from
her lips to her neck, he bit her, kissed, sucked on a single spot.  Myra
put her arms around him, letting him do whatever he wanted.  She was going
to catch such shit for this ...  later.
   She reached down to his pants and undid his belt.  He helped her with
the rest and spun her around, pulled her dress up and panties aside.  He
took her hips in his hands and pressed inside her in one smooth stroke. 
Jason dove into her body with a fast-paced frenzy that wiped her mind blank
of nothing but pure lust.  He finished within minutes and they put their
clothes back together in silence.
   To her surprise, Jason leaned against the van and pulled her into his
arms.  He sighed deeply and kissed the top of her head.
   She didn't want to talk to him, just curl up and cry.  She'd fucked up,
ruined their friendship.  Jason kissed her one last time and walked away.
   There was a way she could fix it.  Myra held back the tears.  She'd
prove it.
   Driven by her plan, Myra pulled away from her friends.  She chose
different places to hang out.  She withdrew her membership of her house,
bared the ridicule and harassment by her family.  Instead of joining
another house she declared herself an independent practitioner.
   That last bit pissed off the remainder of her friends.
   Her behavior coupled with the fist sized bruise on her neck led to her
isolation and the loss of her job.
   Myra moved to the other side of town, found another job, another place
to live, a single bedroom rental.  She opened the moving van to start
carrying her boxes inside when Jason pulled up in his truck.
   Worse timing.  One look at her and he'd back the truck up and go back to
his life.  She'd missed a few nights of sleep.  A few yelling at her
family, a few more packing her belongings, others dodging her so-called
friends.  It was everything she heard about her late aunt going through,
everything Myra wanted to avoid once.  Now she embraced the chaos and
despair with open arms.
   Jason approached the moving van and grabbed a box.
   The house was tiny, sparse, old, but it was decent for her purposes and
affordable.  She'd spent yesterday doing her own purification, applying her
own wards.  Due to his patient and faithful instruction, she was able to do
it on her own, not the weak, toothless ones used by her family.  Gaish had
no use for true wards when they lived in places where homes were already
safe.
   "You've been busy."
   Myra only managed a nod before heading back for another box.  She didn't
have that much energy left.  Jason stayed the whole time, bringing boxes
in, setting them down.  He even took the keys and said he'd drop the truck
off for her.
   She fell asleep an the couch before the door locked behind him.
   When Myra woke again she had a blanket over her body, the smell of food
filled the house.
   She stirred and rubbed her eyes.
   Jason carried a hot cup of tea over to her.  "Give it a few minutes to
steep then sip it all down as quickly as possible."
   "How long?" Myra sat up and looked around.  Most of the boxes had been
moved, a few open.
   "It's almost midnight.  You need to eat." He brought the two plates of
stir-fried noodles over.  "Did you do it for me or yourself?"
   "Us." Myra pulled the hot cup into her lap.  "I was in the wrong."
   "You were scared, too scared to even admit it.  I would never have
pushed you to do this."
   Myra smiled and sipped from the cup.  "That's why I love you."
   He grinned and winked at her.  "That's why I'm here."
   <->
Written: April 2011
   Contact: nysidra at hot mail dot com
  
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