I murmured in agreement, although the sound was something closer to a dubious grunt. These people had been horrible to Tiel. This evening's phone call only validated my opinion.
But they were still family, and it was Tiel's decision how we proceeded.
Her thumb passed over the screen as she reread the message several times, her brow wrinkled and her lips pressed tight, and I wanted to take it all away for her. I wanted to save her the agony of grappling with a toxic relationship, and I wanted to shield her from the pain that would eventually come from it. I was optimistic about many things, but a sudden about-face from the parents who'd treated Tiel like a second-class citizen her entire life wasn't one of them. Regardless of what she decided, she'd end up hurt.
"What do you want to do, Sunshine?"
She set her phone on the table with a decisive nod. "I want to go upstairs and get out of these clothes, and then I want to listen to some Van Morrison while you do perverted things to me, and I don't want to talk about any of this stuff. Not tonight, and maybe not for a few days. Is that okay?"
"Sweetheart, I am committed to loving you, honoring you, and fucking you senseless any time you want." I nodded toward the staircase. "Be naked when I get up there."
2
Tiel
November
Sam:I'm finished with this. I'm going to sit him down today and tell him he needs to go
Tiel:NO! no no no no no
Sam:I'm serious
Sam:The kid is a fucking menace and him living on his own wouldn't be the worst thing to ever happen
Tiel:You are not kicking Riley out
Sam:Did he or did he not walk in while you were riding me this morning and therefore, see you naked?
Tiel:He didn't see anything
Sam:We need our own space
Tiel:He's like a baby bird. We can't kick him out of the nest
Sam:I'd like to fuck my fiancée without an audience
Tiel:Then get better at locking doors, babe.
Sam:I'm still adjusting to the fact we *have* doors
Sam:Also – it's not like we can just kick that thing shut. It's an actual barn door, sweetheart.
Tiel:If it's too difficult…maybe we shouldn't have sex every morning. We can cut back. Just a thought.
Sam:Okay. All right. We're not kicking Riley out.
Tiel:See? That wasn't so hard.
Tiel:And please stop threatening to make him leave. That makes me really sad.
Tiel:He's always been nice to me and he loves my meatballs
Sam:I love your meatballs too
Tiel:It sounds dirty when you say it
Sam:While that might be true, how long are we supposed to keep him around?
