JM BENAVIDEZ

After we left the cavern we all decided to head to our respective homes and regroup. The guys were going to talk over our new situation, decide what type of jewelry they were going to create with their stone and also give their dads a heads up about the upcoming change in our living arrangements. My job was to prepare my house for their arrival and that meant talking to my dad. 

I looked all over for him and eventually found him alone at the pool with mom. They both waved as I walked up and I waved back. "Hi guys!" They cast each other a curious glance and my mom smiled up at me. "So how did it go with Zuriel? You guys were gone a long time. We were starting to worry that maybe you had killed each other." I snorted and sat down cross-legged by the edge of the pool. "Lael was with us." Mom raised her brows. "Really? How did that go?" My dad looked down at her and then back up at me as I fidgeted with my hands in my lap. "It didn't go as I thought it would, which is kind of why I'm here." I answered truthfully and my dad wrinkled his brows. "Why doesn't that sound good?" 

Mom smiled. "Because you're her dad and the last thing you want to consider is your daughter being interested in two guys, especially Zuriel and Lael." I crossed my arms over my chest. "What's wrong with Zuriel and Lael?" My mom shook her head smiling. "Nothing baby, they are both wonderful guys. Your dad just doesn't want to think about it." I shook my head. "Well you're going to have to think about it because I need your help with my house." All signs of expression left my dad's face as he looked at me and my mom placed her hand on his arm. "What kind of help?" I took a deep breath. "Well, first of all I need a second bedroom. But I also need my house to acknowledge both Lael and Zuriel." 

My parents looked at each other and then my dad looked up at me. "Why do you need a second bedroom?" I scrunched my face. "You probably don't want to know." My dad approached the edge of the pool looking up at me. "Tell me anyway." I frowned. "Because both Lael and Zuriel are moving in and while I don't have a problem sleeping in the same room with them, I don't know if I'm willing to sleep with both of them." I paused wrinkling my face. "Simultaneously." My mom brought the back of her hand up to her mouth as she understood exactly what I meant and my dad just stared at me. Very slowly he turned towards my mom. "Did she just say what I think she did?" My mom smirked, nodding from behind her hand. There was a moment, where for the first time ever, I thought my dad was going to explode. My mom's eyebrows rose so high on her forehead as she watched him that I thought they would pop off her face. My dad took a very deep breath, closing his eyes and exhaled slowly, gathering his composure.

"I'm pretty sure I understand why you want Lael to move in and while I'm not thrilled about it, I get it. But what could possibly make you think it's a good idea to invite a man to move in with you after having just broken your fingers on his face a few hours before?" I hung my head miserably. "It's a long story, but I'll give you the really short condensed version." Mom placed her hand on my knee, leaving a wet handprint as she encouraged me to continue. "Remember that conversation we had when I first told you that I liked Zuriel and Amadeus?" I asked my dad and he nodded. "Do you remember what you said when I told you I didn't think I was good enough for them?" My mom frowned and my dad nodded. "I told you that they had to earn you and not the other way around." 

I sighed. "The short story is that I've been a real jerk to Zuriel and he called me on it. He pretty much begged me to give him the chance to explain himself because I never hear him out. He told me that he knew he could never change my mind but that he just wanted the chance to show me who he was." I shook my head. "Which Lael thought was pretty funny, because that's what I keep telling everyone else. To give all avenues a chance before making your decisions." Mom smiled and I continued. "You should have seen it dad. You know how you helped Lael set up our date?" He nodded and my mom looked at him curiously, obviously hearing about this for the first time. "Yes, he was very intent on making a big impression by appealing to you specifically." I nodded. "Well Zuriel wanted to do the same thing and he worked really hard on it too, but I never let him show me what he did. So today, he took Lael and me out to the date he had created. And you know what he said?" My dad nodded. "That he had to earn you." I nodded. "That's exactly what he said." 

My mom smiled. "So you changed your mind about him then, but what about Lael? How did he feel?" My dad shook his head. "That boy is amazing; he probably took it with a grain of salt. He's just like Abasdarhon; he's really just thrilled she has noticed him." I sighed, leaning back on my palms. "Did you know that Lael has liked me for the past six months or so?" My mom smiled, shaking her head. "Is that what's been wrong with him?" I shook my head, sitting up. "I know it seems impulsive and immature, but it feels right." I pulled the two rocks out of my pocket and held them out to my dad. "Can you help me drill a hole through these?" 

My mom looked down at them. "From Zuriel's date?" I nodded. "Yes, but they are going to be my gift to each of them. They each have also picked out a stone for me." My dad took the stones looking down at them. "How do you want the holes?" I pointed at the stones. "I want to be able to run a piece of leather cord through them. This one is for Lael. I want to put a brown cord through it and turn it into a bracelet. And that one is for Zuriel. I want to put a black cord in it and turn it into a necklace. I think they will both wear them that way." Mom held out her hand. "May I see them?" Dad handed them to her and she inspected each one carefully. "You took time picking these out, they suit them perfectly." She looked up at my dad and then back at me. "You really care about them don't you?" I smiled. "I'd hope so, since I invited them to move in."

My dad took the stones back from my mom, cupping his hands around them and chanting softly. He placed them back in my hands and then chanted again, giving me some black and brown leather cord as well. His eyes met mine. "So how do you want this second bedroom setup? And what should it look like?" I wrinkled my brows. "Can you set it up so that both bedrooms have access to the living room with the bathroom between them?" He nodded. "And style?" I shrugged. "Something masculine in neutrals maybe? Something you'd like. It's hard because they will both be sharing it." My dad shook his head trying not to really think about it and then closed his eyes chanting softly. When he opened his eyes, he nodded. "The second bedroom closet will work for both of them but yours won't. The kitchen and lights, etc will respond to all three of you." 

He wrinkled his brows. "Anything else?" I smiled. "Can I have a small balcony on the roof for stargazing?" My dad laughed and closed his eyes chanting again. "All done." He smiled as he opened them again. I shook my head laughing. "By the way, why is my bathtub so massive? You could fit all six of us girls in there!" He laughed. "Actually you can fit seven, there's room for your mom too." He winked. "Since she wouldn't let me spoil her in her own bathroom, I thought maybe I could spoil you both in yours." Mom placed her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you should do it in your bathroom." He grinned and I shook my head, seeing a glimpse of my guys in his face. I stood up and smiled down at them. "Well, I'll leave you two alone. It's not often you can get the pool to yourself." They nodded and I held up my hand with the leather and stones in it. "Thank you for this." My dad nodded and I headed towards the exit of the pool area. "And Meira..." My dad called after me. I turned towards him and he smiled. "I'm glad you found someone worthy of you." I smiled, fighting the urge to jump into the pool fully dressed to hug him. "Thanks daddy." He nodded and my mom wrapped her arm around his waist hugging him.

I headed back to my apartment, aware that it was the last time that it would be just mine. I was surprised when I returned to see a box sitting on my doorstep. I sat down on the doorstep, placing the box in my lap. There was a note card taped to the top with my name scrawled on the outside. I opened the card and was surprised to find it was from Amadeus. 'I'm glad you found happiness, thank you for helping me find mine. This should fit nicely in any room that you choose. ~ Amadeus' I lifted the lid, smiling down at the vase we had made together. He had painted and fired it. The neck and inside was white. Where it was wavy from our fingerprints it was painted blue like water and the bottom inch was painted pale beige like sand. He was right; it would fit in any of my rooms.

I was still sitting on the doorstep looking down at the vase when Lael and Zuriel came up the path with duffle bags over their shoulders. Zuriel tilted his head smiling down at me. "Are you alright?" I nodded holding up the vase and he smiled. "It turned out good." I nodded and held up the card to Lael. He reached down, helping me to my feet. "That was nice of him." I sighed. "This is what we did on our date. He painted it though." Lael's eyes met mine, knowing I was mixed up about it. "Maybe you should leave it in the box until you aren't tempted to knock it over. Eventually you are going to want to display it." I grinned reminded about something else and looked up at Zuriel. "You know, that night in the kitchen when you ate the ice cream I offered you off my spoon?" Zuriel smiled, caught off guard by my question. "Yeah, what about it?" I giggled. "I almost chucked that sucker on the floor when you had your back turned." He laughed wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "And look at us now." I nodded, poking him in the ribs playfully. "I should have done it then maybe I wouldn't be so addicted to you." 

I tucked the card and vase into the box before putting the lid back on and placing my hand on the doorknob. I looked from Lael to Zuriel and smiled. "Welcome home guys." I opened the door letting them into our home for the first time. Lael kissed me on the forehead as he walked past and Zuriel patted my arm as he kissed me on the cheek. I raised my eyebrows as they walked past me and I followed them inside. I closed the door and set the box on the coffee table. Lael and Zuriel turned towards me hesitantly and I smiled, motioning towards the new door on the far side of the kitchen. "Let's get you guys settled. Your closet is this way." 

I led them over to the door and looked over my shoulder at them. "I haven't seen it yet, so if dad went nuts, it's not my fault." Both guys smiled and I opened the door. I poked my head into the room and then pulled the door closed quickly, leaning back against the door. "Uh, yeah. So no one gets to sleep in this room until after I have a talk to my dad." Lael raised his eyebrows looking down at me. "How bad can it be?" I grinned nervously and looked over at Zuriel. "Could you turn around and plug your ears for a minute?" He raised his eyebrows and did as I asked. I looked up at Lael. "So remember when I freaked out about your room?" He nodded and I opened the door. "It wasn't your room, it was this one." Lael pressed me up against the doorjamb laughing. "Oh, I don't think he'll be changing anything." I squealed and Zuriel turned around as I burst out in laughter. He shook his head laughing as he walked past me into the room. "The room looks fine to me." He raised his eyebrows at Lael. "Guess I'll be sleeping in the other room alone tonight huh?" I covered my face with my hands and then quickly walked away from them, leaving them to inspect the room by themselves.

I walked past the kitchen, through the living room and into the other bedroom. I walked into the closet and opened a drawer, tucking the stuff for the jewelry I was going to make them under a pile of socks. I emptied the rest of the rocks in my pocket into the top of the dresser before I quickly closed the drawer and exited the closet. Lael was leaning casually in the doorway to the bathroom. "Just because we live here doesn't mean it's not your house. You still make the rules." I smiled as Zuriel poked his head in the door behind Lael. "Alright, well rule number one, that closet is mine and the other one is yours. That means if I go in there and close the door, you two have to stay out." They nodded and I shook my head. "There will be absolutely no streaking through the house unless you have permission from the other two occupants." Zuriel laughed. "Damn it. I was looking forward to seeing Lael in all his glory." Lael laughed. "I think you have me confused with Zebulon." Zuriel shuddered. "No one could confuse you for Zebulon." I smiled. "He gets under your skin too huh?" Zuriel smiled. "If I remember correctly, he wanted to do more to you than get under your skin." I cringed. "Yeah well he had to get in line behind his dad." Zuriel crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, so what was up with that anyway?" I shook my head. "Nope, that's rule number three. No talking about dreams you weren't in."

Zuriel nodded. "Alright but I've got rule number four." I nodded. "Ok?" He looked into my eyes. "No leaving or going to bed angry." I nodded. "Then number five should be that you have permission to remind others to listen to your side of the argument." Lael shook his head. "I think if you two are going to fight, the rule should be that you have to lock yourselves in a room together and take off all your clothes. If you can survive that angry, then it must be worth fighting for." We all laughed and Lael looked at me. "I'm serious." I reached a hand out to Zuriel. "Deal?" He took my hand and we shook on it. I reached my hand out to Lael and he smiled. "Honey if you make that deal with me and even growl at me I'm going to take you in there and take off all your clothes." I grinned. "Is that all it will take?" 

Lael stood up, stepping forward and kissing me on the forehead. "Just say the words and I'm all yours." He winked at me as he walked past me. "So are we eating as a family or are we staying in tonight?" Zuriel smiled. "I think Meira should take a shower and relax while you and I make dinner." I think all of the color may have left my face as the implications behind his words echoed through my head. Zuriel stepped forward touching my arm gently. "Easy Meira, it's only dinner. And it's not like I said we'd shower you." He winked at me. "Although we would if you wanted us to." I snorted and he caressed my arm. "Just because there is two of us doesn't mean we set the pace. It's all up to you." He touched my cheek softly. "Go take a shower and relax. We'll leave you alone." He walked past me, towards Lael who nodded and then they both left the room, closing the door behind them.