"I can't believe we've never actually brought you here...are you sure?" Mae asked as they stared up at the Clik Clak Diner.

"I'm sure," Trent replied.

"This is where it all began," Bea murmured.

"What began?" Mae asked.

"Where we found the arm?"

"Oh, right! Shit, man...that feels like so long ago. It was right there. Like right fucking there, man," she said, pointing to their right. "Like, just an arm."

"Creepy," Trent said.

"As hell," Bea agreed. "So are Gregg and Angus showing up or what?"

"Oh, they should be inside already," Mae said. "Angus texted me."

"I keep forgetting you have a phone," Bea replied.

"Let's go, I'm hungry."

"Yeah! Let's fucking celebrate!" Mae cried.

"Are you, like, sure you wanna celebrate at this place?" Bea asked uncertainly. "I mean, I know it means a lot to Mae, but like...it's your celebration."

"Oh...uh...shit, was I being an asshole? Shit, am I being a steamroller again?" Mae asked.

"No, it's fine, I've been wanting to eat here. I don't mind," Trent said.

"You're being too nice again," Bea murmured.

"If you want to go somewhere else-fuck, I should've asked you. I'm sorry," Mae groaned.

"No, it's really okay. And hey, listen, if I really don't have a good time, we'll just have a second celebration somewhere else. It's really okay. Now come on, let's enjoy ourselves," Trent replied.

"Oh, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Okay...thanks."

They headed inside and went hunting for Gregg and Angus. It had been a few days since he'd spoken with Tabby, and there had been a few more meetings since then, and today he had signed a contract. It had been very straightforward. Tabby was contracting Trent to novelize the four Demontower games, with the possibility for side novels, novellas, and short stories in an expanded universe. He had creative control, but she had final say on all works. She gave Mae the opportunity to create covers, but reserved the right to hire a professional if it didn't work out. She would cover the costs of editing, formatting, and cover art if necessary, and would handle the actual publishing herself.

She had agreed to a two thousand dollar advance for the four novels, and fifty percent royalties after each book had earned out whatever it had cost to produce.

Trent had initially been a little resistant to the idea that she'd have this much control, but ultimately had realized that either he trusted her or he didn't. The contract, which both Bea and Angus had looked over and okay'd, was straightforward, no BS, easy for even him to understand. And finally he'd concluded that he did trust her, so he'd gone ahead with it. And now he had two thousand more dollars in his account, and she was getting everything ready for the first novel to come out next month. And apparently she was going whole hog on it, saying she was going to get paperback, hardback, and audiobook editions ready.

Making her games into books was an idea she'd been toying with for years, so she had a lot of this stuff figured out already.

Trent was still trying to figure out how to feel about it besides 'good'. It still didn't seem entirely real.

He'd be a bit more worried about keeping up his end of the bargain, but he already had finished book one, and was a decent way into book two. And now that he was literally being paid to write fan fiction, well...he had every incentive to work his ass off to get it done. And Mae was already sketching up a lot of concepts for the covers.

"This is the coolest thing ever," Angus said as they sat down at the table he and Gregg had staked out. "I never thought I'd actually be friends with the guy who would end up novelizing one of my favorite game series. And also that it would be good."

"So you think I'm doing a good job?" Trent asked, chuckling awkwardly.

"Yes. I like it. A lot. I have been enjoying it immensely."

"He really has. He's, like, glued to his laptop when he reads it," Gregg said, grinning.

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Although this isn't the only thing we're celebrating," Trent replied.

"Oh yeah, uh...what else?" Gregg asked.

"I'm finally, officially, free. Today was my last day at the Pickaxe. For sure this time. I put my foot down. My dad tried to get me to hang on another week but I could tell he was just looking for help with shit he knew how to do, and could handle, he just didn't really want to. And I got him to see that, too. And he...admitted I was right. So yeah, it's official. I'm done. Got my last paycheck. I am fucking done with working for the next...I dunno. I'll start thinking about something in the fall. But I want this spring, and I want this summer...and I want to move in with you guys," she said, looking at Trent and Mae.

"Yes! Finally!" Mae whispered intensely, pumping her fist. "Roommate Bea!"

"We're on the same wavelength there," Trent agreed.

"What about Ann? Is she coming? I know we've talked about it already…"

"She's cool with it. We'll have to figure something out for space, but whatever. You've basically been living there already," Trent replied. "And she's coming. She had to stop by and catch up with her mom." His phone chimed. He checked it. "And there we go. She says sorry for being late, she's on the way, to order some eggs and bacon and pancakes for her."

"Where you gonna sleep?" Gregg asked. "Do you guys even have a spare bed besides the couch?"

"Not at present, but we could get a truck and move Bea's stuff in," Trent replied.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking of doing. Although it feels like a waste mostly," she murmured, lowering her voice. "It's just for show...and honestly I think it doesn't matter at this point."

"For real?" Mae asked.

"Yeah. My dad is like...he knows something is up. I mean he has for awhile. I think he's mostly made peace with it." She laughed suddenly. "I think he would've had an easier time understanding it if I turned out to be gay."

Gregg laughed. "It is simpler."

"At least in concept," Angus said. "I read this comic once, and the main character was having trouble understanding it when his friend revealed to him that he was gay. And he was like '...so what it's like?', and his friend just said, 'You know how you want to fuck women? It's like that, but instead it's dudes'."

Everyone laughed. "I'm pretty straight, but even I can understand that," Bea said. "But...yeah, I can see how they'd have a harder time with the concept of," she paused and looked around. The Clik Clak was mostly empty, and they were at the far end of it, mostly away from everyone else. "The concept of: so you're dating a guy, but he's also dating two other girls? Who are also dating each other? I can really understand how that's just a '404 file not found' in a lot of older people's brains. Fuck, I still don't fully understand it."

Trent almost added: and also your boyfriend fucked some random girl for fun, but he still didn't really know how Bea felt about that. She seemed cool, but it could be hard to tell with her. Bea had gotten good at hiding her emotions, and they were slowly realizing that this had become something she did unintentionally, or sometimes even intentionally if she thought it wasn't worth getting into, she didn't want to deal with it, or that she was protecting someone's feelings. Sometimes she was right, but sometimes she wasn't and only hurt herself.

On top of that, he still hadn't seen Jen yet. They'd texted a little, but it was clear she was busy catching up with her family and friends, and he'd been pretty busy himself.

The waitress came by and took their order, and not much later Ann showed up.

"Hey, how's your mom?" Trent asked as she slid into the booth.

"Good," Ann replied. She seemed genuinely happy. "She just dropped me off. She got a new job over in Briddle. It's office work of some kind, and it's a bit more of a commute, but it's actually salaried and has some benefits. Nothing crazy, but before she was really riding the line of being able to pay bills, and now she's not. She's making like sixty percent more than what she was making here now. And she's also a lot chiller about me living with you guys. I think she was just scared about the change, but now that a few months have gone by and nothing bad's happened...that she knows about, she's happy, because we're both in better spots."

"That's good," Bea said. "I'm really glad this worked out."

"Same. So...it's officially signed? It's happening?" she asked, looking at Trent.

"Yep, it's officially a signed, legally binding document," he replied.

"That's so awesome." She looked back at Bea. "And you're officially free?"

"Officially," she replied with a tired smile. "Had to spend a few hours there today to wrap up the last loose ends, and tell my dad that he's a big boy now, he can take care of himself, and then I came right over here."

"That's so awesome. Congrats."

"Thanks...we're still cool that I'm moving in right?" Bea asked.

"Totally," Ann replied with a smile. "I've wanted to live in, like, I dunno, some kind of commune for awhile now. Nothing huge, but like four or five people who all have chill, positive energy, and you definitely add to that."

"Bea ain't chill," Gregg said, laughing.

"Shut it," Bea growled.

"Proving his point," Angus murmured.

Bea sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Well...thanks."

"Wow, Bea. I think Selmers is the only person I've ever seen you, like, intimidated by," Mae said.

"I'm not intimidated," Bea replied. "It's more just...I'm not sure. I just want to make sure I'm not stepping on toes. You've been through enough shit as it is."

"I appreciate it," Ann replied, "but I'm happy to have you as a roommate."

"Food!" Mae cried.

Trent glanced over and saw the waitress coming out with a lot of plates. Once everything was put on the table before them, they all dug in. As they ate and talked, Mae and Gregg getting into a playful argument at one point over a memory from high school, Trent noticed Bea seemed to be struggling. With what, he wasn't sure.

Finally, she got to her feet. "Hey, I'm gonna take a smoke break."

"I thought you were quitting," Mae replied.

Bea sighed. "I'm working on it, Mae."

"Oh...okay." Mae seemed to, for the first time, really sense the shift in Bea's mood.

"Care if I join you?" Trent asked.

"For a smoke?" she replied, raising an eyebrow.

"For some fresh air," he replied.

"...yeah, that'd be fine."

"Okay. We'll be back in a bit," Trent said as he got up.

He could tell that Mae was worried now, probably that she'd said or done something to piss one or both of them off, but he could also tell she was in that hyperactive mood where she'd get distracted back into happiness about fifteen seconds after they were out of sight. It was a gift and a curse. Mostly, he was finding, it was a gift.

He and Bea walked outside and sat down on the pavement with their backs to the front of the diner. She lit up a cigarette, inhaled deeply, then let out a long sigh of relief. "Fuck, that's better," she muttered, looking up.

The skies were gray and dim, though seemed uncertain if they wanted to rain or not.

"You doing okay? I thought you'd be less stressed," Trent asked.

She laughed, a little bitterly. "I'm okay, mostly," she replied. "Part of it is just that there was a lot going on at the Pickaxe today. Lots of people in and out all fucking morning. And I didn't get much sleep last night. So I'm sort of peopled out today? I really wanted to just go straight to your place and fucking veg out, quietly. But this was a really big deal for you, and I wanted to celebrate with you, and also I did miss coming here with everyone, so...yeah."

"Sorry," he replied after thinking of something to say and being unable to come up with anything else.

"It's fine. But the other thing is...I'm kinda scared now."

"Of what?"

"The future. My path used to be so...obvious. Up through high school, it was obvious to me that I was going to go to college. When all the shit went down, my path split in two, but both were super obvious. I was going to work at the Pickaxe, because I fucking had to, but the second I didn't have to anymore, back to the first path: college. Only now I don't have to anymore. And I reconnected with Mae. And now I've got you in my life. And...a lot of shit happened. And I'm so fucking broken down by the last two years that I just want to sleep and smoke weed and play video games and read books. And that's not...really a path. I'm scared that I've lost my grip on my life, or I will if I let myself slow down. That the only thing keeping my insane work ethic going is raw focus and determination, and if I chill out, I'll lose it all…" She looked over at him. "I'm so fucking neurotic. How the fuck do you deal with this shit? From me and Mae?"

"You aren't neurotic," Trent replied. "I think you're insanely stressed out, and it's freaking you the hell out, and that's totally normal. And I think you've got damage from everything that happened, and that's also normal. And it's going to be a pain in the ass to work through it, but I also think you're fully capable of doing it. But...most importantly, I think it's okay to slow down and just fuck off for awhile, because if you don't, you're going to be fifty seven by the time you're twenty five."

She stared at him for a long moment, then looked down at the pavement between her feet and took another pull on the cigarette. "Shit," she muttered, "I think that's the best way I've ever heard that put. Damn. That-yeah. Okay. That makes sense." She stuck her cigarette between her teeth suddenly and hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm scared that if I stop, I'll lose my value."

He put an arm around her shoulders. "Bea, don't be scared of that. Please don't be scared of that. You have value. You always will. You're a person. I love you. Mae loves you. Your friends love you. Your value isn't derived from that, but I think more what you're scared of is the love will go away if you stop producing or living the life you currently live."

She looked at him again. "Why are you so fucking good articulating this shit?"

"I mean, I am a writer," he replied.

She laughed. "Okay, yeah. But...I guess you're right. And I hate that I feel this way. Because you and Mae and Ann, Gregg and Angus, you've never given me that vibe, let alone said anything like that. None of you have ever once told me or really made me feel like you'd stop giving a shit about me if I stopped being useful to you. I know our relationship isn't transactional. I know Angus isn't my friend just because I have a car and he doesn't. I know you aren't with me just because I have a job or I'm super fit or whatever. But there's this part of me that's so scared you'll slowly begin detaching, bit by bit, you'll start changing your mind, because I know that shit happens. People get laid off, have trouble finding a job...and suddenly their significant other starts realizing maybe they aren't really as in love with them as they thought. They start noticing things they didn't before, wondering about things…" She sighed.

"That does happen, but I think in almost all of those cases, that isn't truly what's happening."

"What do you mean?"

"I read something about how this woman's husband got a new job that allowed him to work from home. And she lost all respect for him pretty quickly. And she was listing the things that bothered her, and it boiled down to: he didn't do jack shit even though he now had the time to. Because it was the kind of work from home job where he could pretty easily fuck off a lot. Or, at the very least, take ten minutes and take the trash out or do some dishes or change a diaper. They had a kid. And the problem wasn't that he was working from home now and it had 'made him lazy', the truth was that he'd always been lazy, it was just that there was enough of a divide there that it made sense in her mind that it was 'okay' for him to never do anything around the house.

"What you're describing...the difference is that the relationship is already fucked and dysfunctional or incompatible, but there's just enough there to keep it going. But then one thing changes, and it all falls apart. That isn't the case with our relationship, Bea. I already respect you, I trust you, and that respect and trust doesn't hinge on you working or having a specific fitness level. I know what kind of person you are, Bea. That isn't going to change just because you stopped working."

She was looking at him as he said this, and finally she stubbed out her cigarette, dropped it on the pavement, and hugged him tightly. "You're too fucking nice to me," she said.

"Honestly, I'm not," he said.

She laughed. "This is the kind of thing that I've come to realize I really, really value in a relationship," she said, squeezing him and letting go after a bit.

"What?"

"Emotional intelligence and self awareness. Most of the population of this town, and most of the towns in driving distance, would not be able to say that shit. Most people, I'm coming to realize, just do not have the emotional intelligence to figure this stuff out. About themselves, about other people. You're obviously an exception. Angus is, too. I'm working on it. Ann's pretty good about it. Mae and Gregg...are trying. Honestly, they've made really big strides. But this is definitely a part of why I feel so fucking good about this relationship, and the longer time goes on, the more time I spend with you, the less scared I get. Not that I'm, like, scared of you or of us or anything, just…"

"I get it. First real relationship can be scary. Especially when the emotions are this big."

"Yeah. Exactly. Big. Sometimes they feel so vast that I don't even have a perception. Like, sometimes...I love you so much it hurts. But not in a bad way? I still don't understand it."

"I really know how you feel," he said.

She laughed, then picked back up her cigarette and stuffed it in her pocket. "I really should quit...and we should probably get back inside before they worry. Thanks. For this. For listening, and helping me talk this out."

"You're welcome, Bea," he replied. They stood back up.

"Well, lookie who it is."

Two sets of footsteps were getting closer and they both looked over to see Jen and a tall, skinny crow in a pink hoodie.

"Hey, Jen," Bea said.

Jen lost her self-possession and smile for just a moment. "So, like...we're cool, right?" she asked.

Bea laughed. "Yeah, we're cool."

"Oh my God, this is him? And this is his girlfriend?" the crow murmured.

Jen sighed heavily. "Yes, Lisa, this is they. And you have no fucking social awareness."

"No, I have it, I just don't care. He is real cute, but she is...scary. Damn, you have got guts," Lisa murmured.

"I thought you'd be a little more discreet, Jen," Trent said.

"I trust Lisa, but she sorta pried it outta me. Don't worry, Lisa knows to keep her mouth shut. She's from Briddle, we go to college together. I trust her."

Bea sighed. "This is how secrets get out."

"Don't worry, I don't gossip. Well, with anyone but Jen. Also, hi. Nice to meet you."

"You too," Bea said.

"Also, I was mostly talking about the other girlfriend," Jen said.

"Mae? She's inside, if you want to talk to her," Trent said.

"I do but we've also got a place to be. Also, I for real haven't been avoiding you, I just have been busy."

"I believe you," Trent replied.

"Cool. Also...did you tell Gregg we fucked?" she asked, fixing him with a firm stare and crossing her arms.

"Uh…"

"Trent!"

"First of all, you said you didn't care if he knew. Second of all, he asked. He very specifically asked: 'dude did you bang my cousin?'. I told him: do you really wanna know the answer to that? And he said no. But that was kind of an answer in and of itself, so…"

Lisa laughed loudly. "Wow, Jen! Your cousin knows what a fucking ho you are."

"I am not a ho! He's the only person I have fucked in like six months!"

"You're less chill when you aren't stoned," Bea murmured.

Jen sighed. "What's happening? You two just hanging out or?"

"Celebrating. I just signed a contract for a four book deal novelizing Demontower," Trent replied.

"Holy fucking shit, are you for real? You mean that game Angus is always playing?" Jen asked.

"Yeah. The creator of the game reached out to me and we've been talking. She's really cool."

"That's really impressive," Lisa said.

"Yeah, congrats man...okay, we gotta go. We're gonna be late. Uh. We should hang out again at some point," Jen said, a small smile on her face.

"We should," Trent agreed.

"Ho," Lisa said.

"I am not, bitch!" Jen snapped. She stepped up to Trent. "Can I have a hug and a kiss?"

"Uh...yeah."

"He's got that stupid, horny grin boys get sometimes," Lisa murmured.

"It's easy to make happen," Bea said.

"Yep," Jen agreed. She hugged Trent and slipped her tongue quickly into his mouth when they kissed. "Bye bye, cutie."

"Uh...see you later," Trent replied, making Jen and Lisa laugh as they walked away.

Trent looked after them for a bit. Jen's ass looked really amazing in the jeans she was wearing. After a moment, he heard Bea laugh softly and looked over at her. "What?"

"You are becoming a fuckboy," she said.

"What?! No I'm not!"

"You are," she replied, giving him an amused smile.

"I-" His phone buzzed. He sighed and pulled it out, checking it. There was a new text from...Claire. They'd been tentatively texting back and forth over the past few days. She was still down to at least try fucking, but she was easing into it.

Although admittedly this text was spicier than any of their other interactions.

I'm trying to be sexy. Is this sexy?

It was accompanied by a photo of her in the mirror, in a bra and panties, leaning forward, showing off some cleavage.

"Wow," he muttered.

"Holy shit!" Bea cried, looking at his screen. "The universe is proving me right!" She burst out laughing. "Oh my God, you absolute fuckboy!"

"I am not a fuckboy," he said. He fired off a quick holy shit extremely sexy in response and turned to face her. Bea stopped laughing when she realized he wasn't joking.

"Wait, you're seriously offended by that? Shit, I'm sorry, dude, I was just teasing," she replied awkwardly.

"I get that, but I am not a fuckboy. They, by their definition, don't give a shit about women, will flat out lie and say anything necessary to get into women's pants, and abandon them like trash when they're done."

"Okay, you're right. I'm really sorry, I really was just teasing you. You're right. It's just-okay, come on, you have to admit that was perfect timing and hilarious, right?"

He relaxed, then nodded and laughed. "Yeah, it was...sorry."

"Did it really piss you off that much?"

"I...a little, I guess. I know you weren't seriously fucking with me, just...I've been looking into poly relationships online, and how people react to them, over the past few months. And there's a lot of people who have trouble with it, but the general sentiment for people in my situation, one guy dating more than one girl, is that I don't actually care about any of you, I'm just fucking you all and 'putting up' with your wants and needs."

"Okay, I am sorry," Bea said, "I didn't seriously mean to insinuate that. You obviously don't do that at all. If anything, you work your ass off to actually listen to us...but I do like teasing you. Just a little. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's okay," he said. "We all like doing it, and I think it has its value."

She snorted. "You think teasing has its value?"

"When it's understood that feelings aren't being hurt, and it's in good fun. And I mean good fun for everyone, not just for everyone who's doing the teasing. It can help break tension, and also help broach difficult topics," he replied.

"Okay, yeah. I'll give you that. Come on."

They headed back inside.