Lynn moved in two days later. Lark was happy about the decision to let Lynn move in. He thought it would give them both more time to get to know each other better and for him to build up her trust to an extent that she might not be as surprised when he finally told her the truth about his reluctance to kiss her. She might be willing to trust him to the extent that she wouldn’t hesitate to kiss him at all when he told her.
Lark helped Lynn get as settled as possible. She told him she had stored the majority of her belongings with a friend since she was only staying in a room at Lark’s house and her possessions would never fit in the room that Lark had given her.
In truth, Lynn had kept her place. She wasn’t in the financial difficulty she pretended to be in. This was all temporary until Lark trusted her enough to tell her what she needed to know. When he did that, she would be in control. Until then, as long as she lived in Lark’s house, she had the freedom to explore the house and search for the location where he had to be hiding all the knowledge, books, and scrolls she believed he must have amassed over the years.
Living with Lark did make it easier. Their relationship strengthened and began to bloom quickly after Lynn moved in. Lynn had believed it would be hard work for her to get Lark to trust her and for them to strengthen their relationship further. However, she soon realized she was working with someone who wanted to believe. Someone who wanted to know she was the right person, wanted her to be the right person and that made it all so much easier. Nevertheless, she made sure she did not push too hard and let Lark take his time until he was ready.
Sasha returned arrived a few days before she was due to start work. She did not bring many belongings since she would be staying in one of the spare rooms in Lark’s house. She was surprised to find that Lynn had moved in too. Lynn explained that she had no choice because of the temporary financial drain that the attack had caused as a result of her hospitalization before Christmas.
Lynn and Sasha got along well. They had no reason not to. Lark had added a desk in his office for Sasha and the two of them worked in his office most of the day. Lynn sat in the living room or the dining room depending on what she felt like and worked from there.
They all took turns preparing meals and divided the workload. Sasha seemed to sense there was a closeness between Lark and Lynn and tried to give them their space to be alone as far as possible. She couldn’t help but notice though that Lark was often looking at her when she looked up from her computer while working in his office. He would smile distractedly, blush, and then look away or continue working on his novel.
Sasha felt an attraction to Lark as well. She did not wish to make trouble but as time wore on, she wasn’t sure what the nature of the relationship between Lark and Lynn was. They never seemed to hug and she never saw them kiss once. If they were a couple, she thought they had a strange relationship. Maybe they were just close friends. She wondered if she might stand a chance with Lark.
Lark brought out feelings in her she had not felt with anyone except boyfriends she had loved before. She knew there was an attraction to Lark but she also could never shake the feeling that she knew Lark, that she had met him somewhere before but she couldn’t place him. She found herself beginning to watch him as often as he watched her. He noticed much less than she noticed him watching her. In the times that she watched him, his mannerisms seemed very familiar and she even experienced strong feelings of déjà vu often.
One day Lynn entered the office and spoke with Lark. When they were finished, Lark watched Lynn as she left the office. When Sasha was sure Lynn was out of earshot she risked asking the question that had been burning in her mind for ages.
“I don’t mean to pry,” Sasha said, “but can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what is it?” Lark said looking up from his computer.
“Are you and Lynn a couple?” Sasha asked.
Lark was quiet a moment as he considered how to answer the question. “Strictly speaking no.”
“I don’t understand,” Sasha replied.
“It is a bit vague I know,” Lark said. “There is an attraction between us but I’m… I’m not ready to explore deepening it. I prefer not to talk about the reasons.”
“I see,” Sasha said.
“Why do you ask?” Lark said.
“I thought I was sensing that something was going on between the two of you and I wanted to be sure so I don’t cause any problems because of a misunderstanding between you two.”
“It’s that obvious?” asked Lark.
“Obvious enough to make anyone else think twice about approaching you,” Sasha said. She hoped her remark made her interest obvious but she couldn’t be sure. If Lark understood the meaning in her comment, he gave no indication that he did.
“Thank you for that. It’s always good when people share something they see about you that you don’t see yourself.”
“Sure, no problem,” Sasha said. “I’m glad if it helps you.”
Sasha ran into an old school friend in the city a few days later.
“Sasha?”
Sasha turned. She immediately recognized her old friend, Amber.
“Oh my God! What are you doing here Amber?”
“I live and work in New York now. I’ve been here for three years already. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve just moved here. I got a job a few weeks ago.”
They found a coffee shop and furthered their conversation.
“I’m looking for a place to stay,” Sasha said. “My boss has been kind enough to give me a room to stay in while I get settled but I think I need to move as soon as possible.”
“Why?” Amber asked.
“Well, he’s got another friend living in another room as well. It’s kind of crowded. I’m not sure what the deal is. They seem to get along well together and I could swear they’re a couple but they don’t sleep together or even sleep in the same room.”
“That’s odd. Maybe they’re just good friends.”
“Well, she hit a bit of financial speedbump after she got hospitalized last year and she’s now staying there until she can get on her feet.”
“Maybe they’re just good friends,” Amber said again.
“I asked him about their relationship and he said they’re both attracted but he’s not ready to get involved in a relationship. He’s nice but when he said that, I thought it was a bit strange.”
“Do you like him?”
“I do actually,” Sasha replied.
“Well, why don’t you try your luck with him? Maybe the excuse he’s giving about the other woman is rubbish. If you all live in the same house maybe he hasn’t told you the truth either because he’s afraid that you might let something slip.”
“You may be right,” Sasha said. “I’ve caught him looking at me quite a few times. And it’s the kind of look a guy gives a girl when he likes her. At least I think so.”
“And, I’m willing to bet you’re right. Who is your boss? Do I know him?”
“If you read you might. He’s Lark Cursor, the author.”
“The Lark Cursor?” Amber asked shocked.
“The same,” Sasha smiled as people looked around at them. Amber had spoken a bit loud and people that heard were curious at the loud mention of a celebrity’s name. Amber dropped her voice.
“What are you waiting for?” she almost whispered now. “Go for it! If you think you’ve got a chance.”
“I should, shouldn’t I?” Sasha smiled.
“You should,” Amber replied. Amber tossed her long red hair. She said she believed her parents had simply called her Amber because of her hair when she had been born. “I wanted to tell you something else. I had a roommate who moved out a week ago. Transferred to the West Coast. I’ve been looking for someone to share the rent with me. If you’re interested it’s yours.”
“Thanks. It looks like we were supposed to meet today,” Sasha said. “How much is it?”
Amber gave Sasha the figures and Sasha did some numbers in her head. “That can work,” she nodded. “When can I move in?”
“Tomorrow if you want,” Amber replied. “Maybe you want to see it first.”
“Yeah, I would like to,” Sasha said. They finished their coffee and headed to Amber’s apartment.
The apartment was simple and quite central. Sasha looked at the room she would be renting. It was big enough for her and she liked the rest of the apartment. It had a shared swimming pool and gym. The apartment itself had a living room and a kitchen and a small dining space. It was good enough for the two of them and Sasha confirmed that she wanted to move in. They agreed Sasha would move in as soon as she could.
Lark gave Sasha the next day off so she could move her things. He even helped her to pack and load her things in the cab that would take her to her new apartment.
When Sasha left Lark’s house, he felt the familiar itch that he always felt with his transformation. It still hadn’t struck him as strange and he pushed it aside.
He was sorry to see Sasha move out although he would still see her every day except weekends. He enjoyed having her around and he felt an emptiness with her departure that he hadn’t felt before.
On the flip side, the house felt bigger again. He had to admit that it felt crowded with both Lynn and Sasha living with him. Lynn was happy at Sasha’s departure. She seemed happier than she had been in a long time. Lark realized that he had an attraction to Sasha and he wondered then if Lynn had realized it and felt threatened at all. Lynn and Sasha had not fought at all and been quite civil to each other in the time that they had lived under the same roof.