Lena
Lena here — team dentist (and Alder's partner, hi). So which Fury guy should we set you up with? We've got options
My heart hammers at the speed with which I lost control of this situation. I just wanted someone to have sex with me so I would know what it felt like. And, my traitorous brain reminds me, I kept on having sex with that person because he turned out to be incredible.
Me
Haha, no guys needed! Just here to study for my nursing boards and cheer on my brother. Thanks for the warm welcome though
Cam
Ok, but if you change your mind, we have OPINIONS
Essence
Strong opinions
Emerson
Very strong. Welcome, Ella
I lock my phone, lean against the wall, and breathe. These folks are warm and welcoming and funny, and they just invited me into the inner circle of Fury life, and all I can think is: will my brother’s rules take this from me? These friendly people in my life, paired with the amazing physical stuff I’ve been doing with Bernard…it all feels so vibrant and addictive. I’m worried it will all slip away, like most things I yearn for.
Saturday morning, Aarthi picks me up in the Honda Civic. The READY TO WED bumper sticker now has a sticky note over it that says NOT READY — STOP ASKING, which Aarthi claims her mother hasn't noticed yet.
McKenzie is in the back with coffees and a resistance band she's been using to "pre-game" for silks. "I watched YouTube tutorials all week," she announces. "I can almost do a basic inversion."
"I pulled a muscle brushing my teeth this morning," Aarthi says. "So we're at different levels."
The studio is busier this time — more women, a few regulars who nod at us as we belong. Jules remembers our names. We warm up, stretch, and I feel the familiar burn in my shoulders as I grip the silk and start to climb.
I'm better this week. Stronger. My foot lock clicks into place on the first try, and I hold it, suspended, reaching for the next grip. My body remembers what my brain learned last time, and the muscle memory feels like a revelation, proof that I can learn things when the format is right.
McKenzie nails an inversion and cheers so loud that Jules has to shush her. Aarthi manages a full climb and descends with a controlled grace that surprises all of us, including Aarthi. I work on transitions from the foot lock, leaning back, extending, and finding shapes in the silk that feel like mine.
After class, we sprawl on the mats, sweaty and raw-handed, passing around a water bottle.
"So," McKenzie says. "Are you okay?"
I look at her. "What?"
"You seem off." She rolls onto her side, facing me. "Like your body's here but your brain is in another zip code."
"I'm fine."
Aarthi sits up. "Your ‘fine’ has a very specific look, and it's the same one you had when you failed that practice test."
"I didn't fail anything. I actually scheduled my real boards.” I say this brightly, realizing this is a big deal I should have led with when they picked me up. "February twenty-ninth. Lucky Leap Day, right?”
McKenzie claps. "That's huge! Ella! I love that you’re doing it on Leap Day.”
"We should celebrate," Aarthi says. "That's major."
"It's terrifying, is what it is."
"It's both." McKenzie studies me. "But that's not what's eating you. Is it the roommate situation?"
My throat tightens. "What do you mean?"
