Chapter 7: Moving Out

I woke, with Jules curled up against me, my arms around her and her butt pressed into my groin. I tried to disengage, but she complained sleepily, tightening her hold.

“I need to get up” I whispered gently in her ear, and she sighed, releasing me.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Still early,” I said. “I run in the mornings. Will you be okay to stay here without me?”

“I’m going back to sleep,” she said, “unless you’re kicking me out?”

I laughed and kissed the top of her head. Then realized what I’d done.

“I’m so sorry,” I said hurriedly “I...”

“Caleb,” she said softly, “it’s fine. I liked that. It felt affectionate and right, and I loved sleeping and waking up in your arms.”

“Get some more sleep. I’ll be back in about an hour.”

I went into the bathroom to get dressed. When I emerged, she was asleep again, with a contented look on her face.

Once again, the twins met me at the gate, and we ran.

Amanda glanced across at me and I heard her question. “How was last night?”

“It was fine,” I responded, directing my thoughts to both. Then, when Mary looked confused, I realized that she hadn’t heard the question. I pushed the memory of the question out to her via our bond and her face cleared.

I gave them the memory of mine and Jules’ night, Josh coming back, and finally our conversation this morning. I felt feelings of love from the pair of them as they relived my description of what I loved about each of them.

Amanda grinned. “Josh’s face was a picture when he caught you in bed with another girl.”

I sent the echo of her comment over the bond for Mary’s benefit and saw Mary’s answering grin.

I guesstimated we ran about five miles, and I felt energized rather than tired when I got back to my room. Josh and Jules were both dressed, and they were talking quietly when I entered.

“I’m just going for a quick shower,” I said. “Then how about we go down for breakfast?”

Josh stood up. “Jules told me what you guys did yesterday. You all deserve medals.”

I looked at Jules, and she had tears in her eyes.

“Jules?” I said gently, “are you ok?”

She nodded. “It’s weird,” she began, “but when I was telling Josh what happened, it somehow became real. Up until then, it felt surreal, like a dream. I remember being up on the wall and looking down at the path below; I wondered if it would hurt much.

“I remember talking to you, and you convincing me not to jump, and then I slipped and was falling. In that instant, I really thought that I had just been given the ultimate cosmic ‘fuck you.’ That the universe had decided that I really wasn’t worth saving, and had taken matters into its own hands.

“Then I felt you catch me, felt your strength as you gripped me and pulled me back up, and felt your arms around me, and for the first time in forever, I felt safe.”

I sat beside her and put my arms around her again.

“I’m happy that we were there,” I said, “and I’m even happier that you are here, now, with us.”

I looked at Josh. “Please keep this to yourself,” I said. “Jules doesn’t need the attention just now. Obviously, that doesn’t include Louise, but other than her...”

He nodded. “Sure thing. You best go shower if you want breakfast.”

I did, and we walked down to the cafeteria, where we met up with Mary and Amanda.

I was approaching the table with my tray. Being a gentleman, I had let the girls go in front of me in the queue and so they were all seated by the time I made my selection. I was just about to dig into my breakfast when I found myself being enveloped in a hug, a pair of breasts pressing into my back. I turned my head coming face to face with Louise. She released me and then proceeded to hug Mary and Amanda, and then she moved to Jules.

“Can I give you a hug too?” she asked.

Jules nodded mutely and accepted the hug.

Louise sat down at the end of the table next to Jules.

“Josh told me,” she said, “and I am so proud of you, all of you.” She looked pointedly at Jules.

“You are so brave,” she said quietly. “Trusting a complete stranger and stepping down off that wall must have been the hardest thing to do.”

Jules nodded again, her eyes wet.

“Don’t worry,” she said, handing Jules a tissue, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Josh and Louise sat with us as we ate breakfast and then we all went our separate ways to go to class. Before we left, I asked Josh and Louise to meet us for lunch, as we had something to tell them.

My morning classes went quickly. I realized that, as Dianna had promised, now that my amulet was gone, my memory was much better, and I could understand things more clearly. I wondered how the amulet had affected my younger life. I’d done okay at school, but I wondered if I would have gotten better grades if my amulet had not been interfering with my brain. I made a mental note to ask Dianna about it.

Mary and Amanda were already seated at a table when I reached the cafeteria. They had grabbed a tray of food for me, so I didn’t have to queue. I supposed I could get used to that. I crouched between them, giving each a kiss on the cheek, then settled opposite them.

Amanda waved Jules over as soon as she spotted her entering the cafeteria. “I’m sorry,” Amanda said. “I would have got you a tray too, but I had no idea what you wanted.”

Jules smiled. “It’s fine, I’ll go grab something. I’ll be right back”

The queue wasn’t long, so Jules was back in less than five minutes. She settled into a chair next to me and began eating.

“How was your morning?” I asked her.

She scowled. “Okay, I guess.”

“That scowl says different,” I said. “What’s up?”

“Just some doofus in my class behaving like a child,” she replied.

“His name wouldn’t be Jasper by any chance, would it?” I asked.

Her eyes widened for a moment, but then I saw understanding on her face.

“Yesterday,” I said quietly, “when I asked you if someone had left you, you practically screamed his name.”

She nodded. “Only he thinks he has changed his mind. He keeps asking me to go out with him again. I did like him; we had fun, but then it became all about sex. I think he thinks he can change my mind.”

Mary leaned forward, “Did you tell him you were with someone else now?”

“Well, no,” said Jules.

“Then tell him,” said Amanda. “That should make him back off.”

“But, I thought that you guys...” she stuttered.

Mary reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “We, ” she said emphatically, “are all with Caleb, and that includes you, until you decide otherwise.”

“And each other, of course,” Amanda chipped in.

At that moment, I saw Jules’s eyes flicker to the entrance of the cafeteria. I looked and saw a tall, lanky boy who had just entered. He seemed to be looking for someone.

“Is that him?” I asked, and she nodded.

He spotted Jules and was making his way over. I could see Jules thinking, and then she reached a decision. Jasper was about ten feet from our table when she leaned across, grabbed the front of my shirt and kissed me. It was no affectionate peck; it was a full lip lock, with plenty of tongue thrown in. I was surprised how good she was at it.

As startled as I was, I guessed immediately what she was up to and responded, bringing my hand up to the back of her head, but with no pressure there. It would look like I was holding her in the kiss, but she could back off at any time.

“What the fuck?” I heard Jasper exclaim. Jules broke the kiss and looked up.

“Oh,” she said, sounding surprised. “Hi Jasper, I didn’t see you there.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked, “Who is this asshole?”

I stood and held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Caleb, you must be Jasper. Jules did mention you. She said you broke up.”

“We had a row,” he said, “but I wouldn’t call it breaking up.”

“So,” asked Jules, sounding perplexed “‘Get away from me you frigid little freak, I never want to see you again’ wasn’t breaking up?”

“Sounds like breaking up to me,” said Mary, and Amanda nodded.

“So,” he snarled, “less than a day later and you are shacking up with some dweeb?”

“Am I a dweeb?” I asked Jules.

“You don’t taste like a dweeb,” she answered with a grin,

I looked at Jasper. “It was nice meeting you.” the dismissal was obvious.

“Fine!” he huffed, “keep the whore.” He turned to stomp off and came face to face with Sue.

“In my experience,” Sue said in a very loud voice, “when a little boy like you, calls a pretty girl a whore, he is only doing it to hide his own inadequacies. And looking at you, I would guess that you have a very, very tiny penis.” She held her forefinger and thumb about an inch apart. “Am I right?”

“Get away from me you f...”

“Finish that sentence,” growled all six foot five of Gordon. “I dare you.”

Gordon didn’t have more than a couple of inches on Jasper, but he was much broader. I’d have put the weight advantage at forty or fifty pounds, and almost all of it was muscle.

Jasper gulped, glared at Jules and I, and slunk away.

Sue fronted up to me.

“And you,” she said. “What the hell is going on with you? First, I hear that you are banging a couple of red-hot twins, then I see you with your tongue down Little Miss Pretty’s throat.”

Jules went scarlet, but I interjected. “It’s a long, long story, Sue, and here is not the place. Can we catch up later?”

“Fine,” she said. “Your room, straight after class. You’ll need to be quick, because I have a date tonight. I can spare you half an hour, but it better be good.”

She and Gordon moved off.

Jules looked at me apologetically. “Caleb, I...”

“Jules, it was fine,” I said. “I figured it out almost immediately.”

“Besides,” said Amanda, grinning, “He didn’t seem to be putting up much of a struggle.”

Jules looked across at the twins.

“Don’t say it,” Mary said, “What’s needed is freely given, from any to all. That’s what it means to share.”

At that moment Josh and Louise came over.

“You wanted to talk?” asked Josh.

I sat back down and indicated the two empty chairs at the table. Josh and Louise occupied them.

“Josh,” I said, “I’m sorry, but I have to move out of the dorm room.”

Josh and Louise both looked shocked.

“Why?” he asked, “Was it...”

“It was nothing you did,” I assured him. “It’s just that since Mary, Amanda and I got together, we want to live together. So, we rented a house, just off campus, and we’ll be moving there.”

There were lots of questions regarding the house, which I couldn’t answer, and so I said that we would be going to look at it this evening and they could come along and see it with us.

I texted Dianna to ask for the details. She sent me the address and told me that there was a key safe with a combination lock attached to the wall just outside the main door. There were several more copies of keys in a drawer in the house. She also provided the combination for said key safe, and the code for the alarm.

We agreed we would go after my audience with Sue.

My afternoon was spent in the gym, wrestling. We were running try-outs for the team, and I had several bouts that afternoon, all of which I won convincingly. None of the new aspirants had much of an idea, although there were a couple that I thought would be pretty good with some work.

I showered and was back in my room in time for when Sue came calling.

“Okay, spill,” she said, dropping into my chair. “What’s the deal with all these women suddenly hanging around you?”

“Well,” I began, “you met Mary at my party, so you know her. What I didn’t know at the time was that Mary had a twin sister. I met her over the weekend and we kind of all hit it off sooo.”

“So now,” she interrupted, “you’re in a polyamorous relationship with twins. At least tell me that one of them took your V card?”

“They took mine,” I admitted, “and I took theirs.”

“Holy shit Caleb,” she exclaimed, “when you go, you go with a bang!!”

I grinned. “And what a bang it was.”

Sue laughed.

“So what’s the deal with Jules?” she asked. “She’s a nice kid. I hope you are not screwing with her.”

I raised my eyebrow.

“Sorry Caleb,” she said. “I was forgetting who I was talking to.”

There was a knock on the door, and when I opened it, Jules walked in. She sat on my bed next to me.

“I thought it better for Jules to explain,” I said. “It’s her story.”

“That guy at lunch,” Jules said, “I used to date. We broke up, but he decided he’d changed his mind. He kept pestering me. Caleb was kind enough to pretend to be my boyfriend so he would back off.”

Sue nodded. Then she looked at me. “So, you got Jules to tell me the story, so you wouldn’t have to lie to me?” She shook her head. “Damn Caleb, I thought we were friends.” She stood.

“Wait!” Jules said, “Please, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.”

Sue looked at me, and then sat down again.

“Jasper really was an ex,” Jules began, “and he really was pestering me. It was a spur of the moment thing to kiss Caleb to show Jasper he was my boyfriend.”

“I saw the way you looked at each other,” Sue said. “There’s more there than friendship.”

Jules looked at me. “Tell her.”

I sighed. “Mary, Amanda and I were in the science block when I saw Jules walking up the stairs. For some reason I decided to follow her, and when we caught up with her, she was standing on the parapet of the roof, ready to jump.

“We talked to her, managed to talk her down, and now...”

“Damn Caleb!” Sue said, “She needs to be seen by a medical...”

“Already done,” I interrupted. “She was seen straight away by the university counsellor, and then by a doctor. The doctor released her into my care.” I looked down at Jules. “And I’m caring for her.”

“Do Mary and Amanda know,” Sue asked, “that you have fallen in love with your patient?”

Jules looked at Sue with shock on her face before turning back to me.

“They know,” I said, “and they love her too.”

“You love me?” Jules asked.

“Jules,” Sue said gently, “look at him. Look at the way he looks at you. It’s obvious. Even if I hadn’t seen the way he reacted when you kissed him, I would’ve known. That was the first time, right?”

Jules nodded. “I’m so sorry Caleb. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

Sue looked puzzled. “What do you mean, lead him on?”

“I’m asexual,” Jules said. “I only kissed him to stop Jasper pestering me, I didn’t mean to make him...”

Sue laughed. “You didn’t make him fall in love with the kiss, dummy. He was already there before then. And if I know anything about Caleb, and I do, your sexuality won’t matter to him in the slightest. Besides, I think he’s probably got enough on his plate in that department.”

Jules looked up at me again, and I nodded.

“We already discussed this,” I said to her. “You do still need to tell us what you need, but there’s no rush for that. You decide when you are ready.”

Sue stood up. “Right. My pussy has a date with Gordon’s tongue so I’m going to love you and leave you.”

I stood up also. “I’m sorry I didn’t...”

She punched me in the shoulder. “Shush. Friends forgive.” She pulled me into a hug. “Look after them - all of them.”

She turned to Jules and pulled her into a hug too, whispering something in her ear, before leaving.

Jules turned to me, but before she could say anything the door opened and Josh entered, followed by Louise, Mary and Amanda. Mary and Amanda had already shared the memory of our discussion with Sue, and as they entered, they both went over and hugged Jules, who seemed on the verge of tears again.

“Right,” I said. “Who wants to go and look at our new home?”

We took Amanda’s car, so we four could all travel together. Louise followed with Josh in her car. I put the address into Amanda’s sat-nav and it took us less than ten minutes to get to the house.

It.Was.HUGE.

It was somewhere in the middle of a row of eight or nine single storey houses. They were each set in the middle of a plot of land with a large, paved area at the front and a double garage.

Amanda pulled her car onto the drive, and we all piled out. Josh and Louise pulled up just behind us.

“Fuck me,” said Josh as he got out of Louise’s car. “This must be costing you a fortune!”

I smiled at him and walked to the entrance door. I tapped in the combination to the keysafe and extricated the keys, then unlocked the door itself.

“Give me a sec to go and turn off the alarm,” I said.

The alarm panel was just inside the door, and simply holding up the keyfob was enough to disable it. I sighed with relief; I had had visions of struggling with that.

I pulled the entrance door open and invited everyone inside.

There were five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen/diner, a den and an office. There was also a utility room off the kitchen with a washer and dryer. Out back there was about one quarter acre of grass surrounded by a tall wooden fence without a gate. There was also a deck the width of the house, at one end of which was a hot tub.

The master bedroom was huge; the bed was a Wyoming king, which would have been large enough for everyone present to sleep in if we’d gotten cozy. It had an ensuite shower room with a huge shower that had multiple heads.

I texted Dianna.

_are we in the right place? house is a MANSION. how???

She sent back a smiley face emoji by itself, then followed up. It took a few moments for the giant text to come through.

_Confiscated from drug dealer. We used it occasionally for a safe house. It has been empty for about two years. There is a cleaning service comes in twice a week, but please don’t abuse the place. I’ll have to account for damage, and I WILL come looking for you if that happens.

_Can I offer Josh and Louise a room? I asked.

_Your house – up to you – but re-read my last. If you do, charge nominal rent, what they pay at the dorms. That will give you more income. Obviously do not charge Jules.

_Paperwork for house is in kitchen drawer. If anyone asks, it is your uncle’s house – he is staying in the Hamptons and letting you use it. There is a telephone number on paperwork for people to ring to confirm if required. Only use if LEOs are involved.

I read and re-read the texts in some disbelief before going into the kitchen and hunting out the paperwork mentioned. I went into the garage through the door off the kitchen and found it to be big enough for my truck and Amanda’s car. Mary didn’t have a car of her own, which was just as well. There was a workbench at the back, and I saw a couple of remote door openers sat on top.

I went out back onto the deck where everyone else had congregated. Mary and Amanda came over and hugged me.

“This place is awesome,” Amanda said, then looked around.

Jules was watching from a few feet away. Amanda held her arm out, and Jules came over and joined the hug.

“You never need an invitation,” Mary said to Jules as she snuggled in. “We are together now, ALL of us, unless and until you decide otherwise.”

“This is a beautiful place,” Josh said. “I’m seriously jealous.”

“Yeah,” Louise put in. “Let us know if you need help moving in.” She turned to Josh. “Come on, lets leave them to get acquainted with the house. I’m sure they have stuff to do.”

Josh and Louise left and the rest of us moved into the living room. It was getting dark outside, and a little chilly.

“Okay,” I said, “I guess we have some things to sort out.”

“Such as?” asked Mary.

“Sleeping arrangements, for one thing,” I said. “Who gets what room?”

“Well,” said Amanda, “since the house was technically provided to you...”

“By our grandmother,” Mary interrupted, faking a pout.

“Then you should get the master bedroom,” Amanda finished.

“That’s an awfully big bed for just me,” I said.

“Oh it wont be just you,” said Mary.

I grinned at her.

“Jules?” I asked. “What about you?”

“I can take one of the smaller rooms,” she said.

“Were you not listening outside?” asked Mary.

“What?” Jules asked puzzled.

“You can take whichever room you please,” I said, “But we were hoping that you would want to sleep with us. I really enjoyed cuddling with you last night and I would miss it if you weren’t there.”

“There’s no pressure,” I said. “Pick a room for yourself, but if it isn’t going to be with us, take the second bedroom. Then at least you have an ensuite.”

Jules shook her head. “I would like to share with you guys,” she said timidly. “If that is okay.”

“Of course it is,” said Mary. “As I said outside, we are all together.”

Jules shifted uncomfortably. All three of us stayed quiet, waiting for her to decide what to do or say next. Finally, she sighed.

“You asked me before what being asexual meant for me,” she said. “I guess if we’re all going to be sharing a bed, I should probably do the speech.”

“Well, if you have it on a little note card...” I offered.

She only startled for a split second, then rolled her eyes at me. Mary gave me a feather tap on my arm.

With yet another sigh, Jules psyched herself up. It was obvious she just wanted to get through it. “I have almost no sex drive,” she began, “no libido. Nor do I feel any sexual attraction to anyone, of any gender. Very occasionally, usually just after I finish my period, I get an itch that needs scratching. I masturbate maybe once or twice, and I’m good until the next time.”

All three of us nodded our understanding. I actually tried to de-sync mine from the twins’, just so Jules wouldn’t get thrown. It was clear she had more to say.

“I am attracted to some people,” she continued, “but it is not sexual. It is more about affection, family, and wanting to belong. I love holding and being held. It doesn’t ‘excite’ me in a sexual way, but it does give me a feeling of safety and security, and belonging.

“When I was in your bed last night, it was the first time in so long that I’d felt that. Even this morning, when your ‘autonomic nervous system’ was introducing itself to my butt, I still felt safe and loved. Normally that would scare me. When you kissed me on the head, it felt good. It showed me that you had affection for me. When I kissed you in the cafeteria, to me it felt much the same. It was pleasant contact, warm, comforting, and safe. I felt your hand on the back of my head lightly holding me, but I knew the instant I wanted to, I could break the kiss and you wouldn’t stop me. Even so, there was no sexual excitement with either kiss. My loins didn’t tingle, I didn’t get wet, my nipples didn’t get erect, none of that. It was just pleasant contact.

“But just because I don’t get sexually attracted to people doesn’t mean I am not attracted to some people. I guess in that way I’m like Caleb. I see something I like in someone, and it attracts me to them. Usually, it’s not a physical attribute. Unlike Caleb I’m not an ass girl.” She grinned at me before continuing. We all smiled back, happy she was comfortable enough to crack wise. “Occasionally, though, it does happen. With you girls, it was your eyes. The first time I saw you on the roof, I was captivated by them. Then, as I got to know you, I found other reasons I wanted to be around you.

“With Caleb, it is just him. He just makes me feel safe and loved. I’ll admit I am still a tiny bit frightened by his power, but he has never given me cause to fear him, and each time I have challenged him he has surpassed my expectations.

“I realize that if I share a bed with you guys, I’m going to see you having sex, and that’s fine. The sight of it doesn’t disgust me. As long as I am not scared I will get dragged into it, I will be happy for you guys. I’ll enjoy watching you guys enjoying yourselves, if that makes sense. If it creeps you out, then I can make myself scarce until you are done.”

She sat back and looked at us. I sensed a change in her. Now she had told us, it was like a burden had been lifted from her, and she seemed calmer and more confident.

“Thank you,” I said. “That can’t have been easy.”

“Okay,” said Mary. “Now you finally understand your place in our family. Welcome!” Mary got up, crossed to Jules, and hugged her, kissing her gently on the forehead.

Amanda followed suit, hugging Jules, and placing another tender kiss on her forehead.

Jules looked at me.

I smiled and crossed to her, hugging her, but when I leaned in to give her a kiss on her forehead, she tilted her face up and caught my kiss on her lips.

She smiled at my surprise. “Just because it doesn’t get my motor running doesn’t mean I don’t like the feeling itself, occasionally.”

We settled down, all on the couch now. Mary and Amanda were snuggled up on either side of me while Jules curled up contentedly in my lap, her head on my chest.

“Question,” I said. “Should we offer Josh and Louise a room here?”

“What did Grandmother say?” asked Mary.

“‘Your house, your choice,’” I answered. “‘Don’t trash the place, or it’s your ass.’ She did say we should charge them a nominal rent, something like they currently pay to stay in the dorms.”

“What’s Josh like to live with?” asked Amanda.

“Not too bad,” I said, “He keeps his side of the dorm tidy, and almost always picks up his laundry. Not sure how it would be otherwise. Since we eat at the cafeteria every day, not sure what he would be like in the kitchen.”

“What about Louise?” asked Mary.

“I never lived with her,” I said, “but every time I have been to her room it was clean and tidy, even when she didn’t know I was coming.”

“Would it be too much temptation,” asked Jules, “for them, and for you? If you have been sharing with them, would having them both living here mean you spend too much time playing?”

I thought about that. It was a real possibility. Also, there would be times when Josh was home alone with Jules or one of the twins, or Louise was home alone with me. Would we be risking damaging our relationship by pulling them in so close? Then there was the question of powers. Jules knew about our powers, but Josh and Louise did not. We hadn’t given ourselves away yet, but it had been less than a week. If they lived with us, there was certainly a greater danger of them discovering something they shouldn’t.

I voiced all these concerns to the room.

“Do you think they expect the offer?” asked Amanda. “I mean, we are all close. Given they know we have all the spare rooms, do you think they will be upset if we don’t offer for them to come live with us.?”

“Jules,” I said, “would Josh living here make you nervous? It’s one thing seeing him at PSU, or even in my room, but living in the same house, and if we were to play...”

She considered it. “I didn’t feel threatened by him when you went for your run. He got up, went into the bathroom, and got dressed, then left the room for a few minutes while I got out of bed. He was a gentleman. I don’t think I would like to be in the room if you and he were having sex. Not that I would mind seeing it, I just wouldn’t have the level of trust I have with you guys. Maybe that would build if he lived here.”

“It’s not a decision we need to make tonight,” I said. “Hell, we’re not even moved in yet. I’m in two minds about whether to stay here tonight or go back to the dorms. Do we all have everything we would need to stay overnight if we were going to?”

“If we go back to the dorms,” asked Amanda, “where will Jules sleep?”

“I have a whole double room to myself,” Jules said. “Caleb could stay with me in there.”

“Let’s do that,” said Mary, “but before we do, we should make a list of things we need to do. Tomorrow evening, we can start bringing stuff across. Caleb has his truck, and Amanda her car. We could probably get most of our stuff moved in the evening if we set to.”

Amanda nodded then looked at Jules. “How does that sound?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I noted wryly that nobody had asked my opinion.

Amanda grinned at me. She pushed the memory of Dianna telling me that I would be ‘managed’ by the three women in my house through the bond. Mary laughed.

Jules looked from Mary to Amanda to me. “What?”

Amanda looked contrite.

“Sorry Jules,” she said. “Caleb was whining through our bond that nobody had asked his opinion about the plan. I sent him the memory of when Grandmother told him he would get bossed around by us three.”

Jules laughed, but then sighed.

I put my arms around her. “Jules, do you trust me?” I asked.

“With my life,” she said instantly. I was touched.

“Then relax, and look at me,” I said.

“Caleb,” asked Mary, “are you sure that’s wise?”

“You told her we were all together,” I replied. “If she is excluded, even in part, then she is not going to feel it.”