Trent came awake with a head full of clouds in a darkened room that was only somewhat familiar. He laid still, listening, trying to recall the circumstances under which he'd fallen asleep. Beside him, he knew suddenly, Claire slept, her breathing soft and constant. He heard vague sounds elsewhere in the house, and for a reason he could not name, it gave him an immense, almost overwhelming sense of comfort.

It was likely that it was simply because he knew it was Mae or Ann or Bea, but he knew it could be something as simple as the primal animal comfort of communal living within a shelter that protected one against the elements.

The day and evening came back to him then.

He'd done it all, everything Claire had asked for.

They smoked, ate Taco Buck, and watched Twister. He'd never seen it before, and he'd been a little worried it might suck, but it hadn't. It actually was a really fun movie.

When it was over, they had chatted for awhile, and then the others had cleared out. Bea and Ann went off to spend time with their parents, and Mae disappeared into the basement. They got naked and he spent half an hour massaging her body. All of it, and he tried to do a good job instead of just feeling her up.

Apparently he did, because the sounds she made were almost sexual in nature, and he'd worked a lot of knots out of her back.

After that, they had made out and he'd fingered her until she'd orgasmed. Then he'd gone down on her until she had climaxed twice more. And then he'd fucked, slow and calm, really more sensual lovemaking than fucking, and they'd both orgasmed this time.

From there, they'd had a good, long shower. They'd actually run out the hot water, and they'd taken turns washing each other and she had given him something of a massage as well. When the water had run out, they'd dried off, turned up the heat, then crawled into bed beneath the heavy comforter as well. He had been feeling tired from the sex and weed and relaxation, though he wasn't sure if he'd actually sleep.

Apparently he'd been tired enough for it.

Trent rolled over and groped on the floor for his jeans. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he checked the time and was surprised to see he'd slept for about two and a half hours. Well, that was going to fuck up his sleep schedule, but oh well. He was a successful writer in his early twenties, he could afford to sleep whenever right now.

He rubbed his eyes, sitting there for a moment, and was abruptly struck by the memory of sharing his first kiss with Mae just about right here.

God, that seemed like years ago now, but it was barely half a year at this point. It seemed impossible.

Trent stood up and hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he wanted to do. He knew it was something, but his head was that special kind of cloudy that only came from those midday naps that lasted too long and began during daylight but ended past sunset. It really fucked with his sense of time and reality.

Finally, the urge to piss came to him and he headed upstairs. Looking around on his way to the bathroom, he found Ann laying in bed, working on her laptop.

"Oh, hey you," she said, smiling at him.

"Hey beautiful," he replied.

She giggled. "Someone's sleepy and cute."

"Yeah, uh...how'd your time with your mom go?"

"Good. She's really happy, and more relaxed with her new job. And she can tell that I'm a lot happier. She told me I'm the happiest and most relaxed she's ever seen me in my entire life, which sort of struck me, because it's true. And that's due in large part to you. And Mae and Bea, but you had a very big hand in helping me get here. And I see you doing something similar for Claire. And I love you for that aspect of yourself."

He chuckled awkwardly. "Uh...thanks. I love you, too."

Ann laughed. "It's okay, I can tell you're a little out of it. And I'm okay right now. Claire still needs you, I think. Wake up, put some clothes on, and let me know if you need any help figuring things out with her. Because she's at a point in her life where, I think, a change must happen. And figuring something out might be difficult."

"Yeah...okay. Thanks."

She smiled at him. He went into the bathroom and pissed, then washed his hands and his face, then headed back into the bedroom and pulled on a fresh set of clothes. He walked over and kissed Ann, then headed back downstairs, hoping that Claire was awake, because he didn't quite want to wake her, but he was also a bit eager to continue talking with her.

She stirred as he came into the living room.

"Trent?" she murmured.

"I'm here," he replied. "You're safe."

"Mmm...safe." She laughed softly and rolled over to face him. She looked exceptionally cute with her messy hair and sleepy expression, wrapped up in the comforter. "I believe it. Ann told me one of the things she loves most about you is that she feels genuinely safe with you. She believes you. And that's a really big deal, Trent. For me, but also for women in general...sorry, I'm rambling. I just wanted to say, you're really good at that. Making me feel safe. And I like you a lot." She rubbed one of her eyes. "God, am I still stoned? I feel a little stoned."

"You're tired, probably," Trent said. "Go to the bathroom, wash your face, that'll help."

"Okay...can I spend the night here?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." She flipped back the comforter and looked down at herself. "I'm naked."

"Yes, you are."

"...it doesn't bother me."

"I think that's a good thing."

She snorted. "Duh. But I agree with you." She looked down at herself, frowning a little. "Ugh, I've put on weight this last year. Also," she looked up, "don't compliment me. I appreciate it, but I'm not looking for reassurance. I already know you are really turned on by me. I'm more just...I don't know. Figuring things out."

"I support that."

She regained her smile. "Thank you. That's wonderfully uncomplicated. Anyway, uh, be right back."

"I'll be here."

Claire headed upstairs and he turned on some lights and transferred the contents of his jeans pockets to his new pants, gathered up his clothes and jogged them upstairs, tossed them in the pile, then came back downstairs. He had just grabbed an energy drink and popped it open when Claire came back downstairs. She saw the can in his hand.

"Can I have some?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied, passing it to her.

She took a healthy drink of it and passed it back. "Thank you." She began pulling her clothes back on. "I'm glad you aren't one of those guys who gets really pissed when their girlfriends want some of their food or drink...not that I'm your girlfriend. I mean, I get that it can be annoying and that for some people it's a specific sort of trigger, but it's also nice to just be able to share food and drink. I dunno, there's something about it I love."

"It does feel good," he agreed. "And I usually order more than end up eating, so I've learned I might as well just share it. But I've also learned to speak up when there's something very specific I intend to eat all of, and that I will share it if it's asked, but it is a specific ask."

"That's smart...Bea says you have a lot of emotional intelligence, and I think you'd have to, to successfully navigate three relationships like you do. Especially when they're...who they are."

"I heard that!" Ann called.

Claire sighed heavily as she finished getting her shirt on. "Oh shut it!" she called back, and Ann laughed. "I want some fresh air, can we chill on your back porch?"

"Yeah, definitely," he replied.

"So you can talk more shit on me without me hearing it?" Ann called.

"Oh my-Ann! I'm trying to have a moment with your boyfriend!"

She laughed again, louder. "I know, I'm just fucking with you. You know I love you, Claire."

"Yes! I do! Goddamnit!"

"Well, you're definitely waking up," Trent said as they walked out the back door.

"I am," she agreed. "You were right about washing my face, I feel more awake. I also don't want to look at my phone. I imagine I've got a lot of angry calls."

Trent frowned as that sort of pinged his recent memory. His phone. He'd had a message. But not a text, one through chattrbox, which was interesting, because those were rarer. He'd only set his phone to alert him to chattrbox messages when they were from new contacts. He pulled his phone out as they took a seat on the back patio and opened up his mobile chattrbox app. He paused as he saw the name tied to the new message request: Whitmore93.

He opened the message.

Is my sister at ur place? We can't get ahold of her and were worried.

Jesus, it was Chris. For a moment he wondered how he'd tracked down his profile, but then he realized that it was super easy to do since he was becoming something of a minor celebrity on the Possum Springs chattrbox and he had made it easy to find and interact with him online because, well, he wanted to cultivate a readership.

"Uh...Claire? Your brother reached out to me through chattrbox."

"Oh good fucking lord," she muttered. "Is he threatening you?"

"No, actually, he's asking about you. He's worried."

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, he was there when I lost my shit. I did text him once when we were driving out to that clearing and told him I'm fine, even though I obviously wasn't…"

"So what should I say?"

She thought about it, then shook her head. "I don't care if he knows I'm here," she said. "Tell him I'm here and tell him I'm fine and I'll text him soon."

"All right. So he started working at Telezoft?" Trent asked as he responded.

"Yeah, they snapped him up almost right away because of course they did. He's doing...surprisingly well. I can tell it's sort of fucking with him, though, and he wants a different job, but that's normal."

Trent got a message back pretty quick.

Tell her to call me my parents r freaking and want to call the cops

"Great. He wants you to call, your parents want to call the cops."

"Oh my fucking God!" she cried, getting to her feet. "Fine, I will deal with this. Sorry." She walked back into the house and a moment later walked back out with the phone to her ear. "I'm fine, Chris, seriously...yeah, I know...yeah, just tell mom and dad to fucking chill. I'm not in danger, I'm not hurt, I'm totally, completely safe, I'm just hanging out with Trent." She winced as she said it, like she expected an outburst, but relaxed after a few seconds. "...okay, yeah, that's fair...I don't know. I'm crashing on their couch tonight...that's none of your business, Chris!" She paused, listened, then sighed heavily. "Yeah, fine...it's fine. Just don't worry about me, I'm seriously in safe hands over here. I'll be fine. Okay...bye."

She hung up and sat back down with a heavy sigh.

"That sounded shockingly good for his track record," Trent said.

"It was," she replied, staring up at the sky. "He's been surprisingly better about just about everything."

"You think he's bullshitting?"

"Maybe...but not in the way you're asking. I mean it's possible that it's all just an act, but I'm worried he's more bullshitting himself maybe...whatever, I don't really want to talk about it. I'm all for people bettering themselves, but Chris...isn't my problem. I've got my own shit to worry about."

"Speaking of which…"

"Yeah, I guess I said I wanted to talk about it later, and now it's later...where do I start?"

"How about we start with: what do you want? In a broader sense."

She nodded, getting more settled in her chair. "That makes sense. But, what I want is crazy."

"I don't care, tell me anyway. Don't hold back. It's important that we have a full scope."

She opened her mouth again, then looked over at him. "Wait, so, why are we having this conversation exactly? Are you, like...going to seriously try to help me with...my life, I guess?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Shit. Well. Uh...thanks. All right. I want to quit my jobs. I want to move out of my apartment. I want to not live with my parents. I want to live not alone, but with people I can trust. And I understand that it sounds like I'm asking to move in with you, but I think the point you're going to make, that you're already getting pretty damn crowded, is completely accurate, so this isn't a stealth way of asking to move in with you, hoping that you suggest it. Because I agree. I like crashing at your place, but five people would be crowded."

He nodded. "Yeah, that's...a big problem. What would you do, if all of this came true? If we found you a place to live, and you quit your jobs, and, for a little bit at least, money wasn't a problem?"

"In that fantasy land? Um...I don't know. I'd take some time to just decompress. But beyond that? I mean, I've been talking with Ann about her editing side hustle, although I guess it's her main gig, but I really want that life, of just doing shit from the place I live, online. I'd want to be my own boss. And manage my own fucking life. But...that's basically a fairy tale."

"Hmm," Trent replied.

"Hmm what? How is it not?"

"I'm thinking."

"It's okay, I know I'm asking for something impossible, and I might have fucked myself, although I doubt it. They're so desperate for workers they'll just yell at me for walking out and say 'it's going in my file' and maybe there will be some minor reprimand but they'll slot me right back in. I hate my job but I'm actually good at it."

"It might not be impossible," he replied.

She was right, it was unrealistic to move her into their place as it was right now. It would mean giving something up, and if this was some sort of genuine emergency, he was willing to do that, but he also thought it might be a bit much for her, for all of them.

So, the biggest problem was finding her a place to live rent-free for at least one month, maybe longer, depending on how long it took her to get back on her feet. Or at least very, very low rent. But who could offer that?

Germ's family? No. The house was big, but it was definitely a family house. Although he thought Jacob would actually do it if he seriously asked, it didn't seem like a good fit.

Gregg and Angus? No, he'd seen their apartment, there was simply no room.

Bea's dad? Maybe in Bea's old room?

Or Ann's mom? In Ann's old room?

Both felt off, like he was getting closer to an answer, and he was convinced there was an answer, it was just a matter of-

Trent glanced up, across his yard and into Mae's parent's backyard, at their house…

At the attic.

"Oh," he said. "Duh."

"What?" Claire asked.

"I think I have a solution that would fulfill the criteria."

"What…" She followed his gaze. "Wait-Mae's place? Her parents?"

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I think they wouldn't just let me live there for free."

"I mean, maybe they would, but how much money do you have to your name?"

She sighed. "Not a lot. Well, about three hundred bucks in my account right now, a three hundred dollar or so check coming at the end of the month from Ham Panther, and maybe a four hundred dollar one from Telezoft? But it's going bye-bye at the end of the month thanks to bills."

"All right...tell me, would you be averse to living in their attic, in Mae's old room?" he asked.

"I mean, I guess I'd have to see it...actually, fuck that, I'd do it. I'm fucking desperate. I'm insanely desperate right now. So if they'd somehow let me live there while I figure my shit out, then I'd totally do it. I remember them being pretty cool."

"Okay, first step out of the way. Now we just need-" He paused as he heard a car door shut in front of the house. "Perfect. That's probably Bea. Come on."

They got up and headed back inside. As soon as he saw the front door open and Bea walking inside, he began texting Mae, asking her to come upstairs.

"Hey Claire. You look a lot better," Bea said.

"I feel a lot better," Claire replied. "How about you? You were hanging out with your dad, right?"

"Yeah, that went well-hi, babe," she said as she came into the living room after kicking off her shoes and kissing Trent. "It was fun. We went bowling, had dinner, then just hung out at the apartment, talked for like an hour and a half. He's doing better, but he obviously misses me. I feel like an asshole that I don't miss him as much. I mean, I do miss him just not, you know, anything about our life…"

"I think it's understandable," Trent replied. "We need to have a little house meeting about Claire."

"Okay. I'm ready," Bea replied, taking a seat in one of the recliners.

"Oh gee, a house meeting?" Claire murmured, sitting down on the folded out couch.

"Yep, you hear that, Ann!?" he called.

"I'm coming!" Ann called back, and she began heading downstairs about the same time Mae began heading upstairs. A moment later, they were all gathered in the living room again.

"This feels weird," Claire murmured.

"We do this sometimes," Mae replied. "So what's up?"

"I have a thought and I want to pressure check it for flaws. Claire wants to quit her jobs and live with other people for a bit while she gets back on her feet and tries to make an online side hustle lifestyle work out for her like we do. I think we should approach Mae's parents about working out some kind of deal for Claire to live in Mae's old room. Problems?"

"Hmm, that...actually makes a lot of sense," Mae murmured.

"It wouldn't be weird, me living in your old room?"

"No, although you'll probably want to bring your own bed. Trent and I broke mine fucking."

Bea laughed. "What? Seriously?!"

"Yeah. He was fucking railing me and it actually broke and we fell right off onto the floor. I ended up on top somehow, and we kept going."

"That's amazing," Ann said. "And if all parties involved are cool with it, I can't really see any issues."

"I can," Bea said. "Your brother. Whatever you're doing, I'm worried he'll fuck it up somehow. And I don't want Mae's parents dragged into that."

"No, you scared him," Claire said. "I asked him if he was going to fuck with you all anymore and he said he wasn't, mainly because he thinks Mae is crazy, and also because of your aunt? Molly? She's, like, the Chief of Police now?"

"Yeah, she is," Bea replied. "Well...you believe him?"

"I do. I know he was, like, super shitty to you all, but whatever it was you said to him that day in front of my parent's place it fucking changed him. He's got a job at Telezoft now and he's been trying to reconnect with me and he apologized for a bunch of shit...I don't think he'll be a problem."

"Okay then. That's really my only concern."

"I guess I can't think of anything besides the obvious stuff of: will they let me do it," Claire said.

"So...nothing?" Trent asked. All four women shook their heads. "Well, okay then." He pulled out his phone and fired off a text message to Candy, asking if they could come over and discuss something relating to Claire. It was about eight thirty now. Late, but not too late, hopefully. A moment later he got a response back.

It would be lovely to get a visit from you and Mae and Claire!

"Hmm," he murmured.

"What?" Mae asked. He showed her the text message. "Huh. A little...odd. But that's a yes, at least. Come on, you two, let's see what we can do."

"I guess we're staying here?" Bea asked.

"Yeah, she specified me and Mae and Claire," Trent replied.

"I'm totally cool with that, I need a shower and then I want to just veg out," Bea said.

"Yeah, and I'll be happy to go back to laying in bed editing," Ann replied. "Good luck, you three."

"Thanks," Claire murmured.

The three of them got out and Mae got her shoes on and they headed outside.