~ Chapter Ten ~ #2
“Nope!” Regan moved over to the desk and picked up the book he found on Elementals.
“I’m not going to do this. I’m a grown ass man and I need to pull my shit together and do what I need to do for me.
” He put the book down and dug around the drawer for a notepad and pen.
He needed to start thinking like himself again.
There were properties he needed to plan on seeing and the money he got from Max to sort out.
Not to mention his own job and what he needed to do for them.
Yes, magic was new and exciting, but that didn’t mean the world outside of magic didn’t continue to move on.
The original thoughts he had when he found out about the money and the properties were still valid.
He would need to go and visit each of the sites on his own and since he didn’t know how to, or if he could, teleport?
Open a gateway? Or whatever it was that magic people did to get to places, he would have to rely on his car, and in the case of the properties out of the area, a plane.
I really should have asked the Twins about doing the swirly travel porthole thing.
Since he didn’t bring his laptop, he made all his notes on the pad he found and started to write down a proper plan. Something that he could make work with or without his magic.
Assuming Volrent and Corcess ever unground me.
The idea of being grounded did make him smile.
When was the last time he was grounded? How old had he been?
Had his parents ever really grounded him?
Had he ever been in a situation to be grounded?
He couldn’t remember. He should probably go and check on their gravesite—he hadn’t been there in quite some time.
Another item for the list. Maybe tomorrow since I took the day off. I don’t feel like sitting around here, and I have a ton of things to do at home.
He moved back to the Elemental book he started reading earlier.
He wanted to learn as much as he could, hoping the knowledge would give him some idea into what more he could expect from Corcess and Volrent.
Despite their excellent tutelage, learning what he could on his own was probably a good idea.
By the time he was tired of reading and his stomach grumbled, he definitely needed a break and something to eat.
Maybe spending some long overdue time on the couch was in order.
There would be a new season of Drag Race he could watch, assuming this place had access to all the same streaming services he had at home.
There were also some home shows he wanted to get caught up on.
There was always something for him to waste his evenings on, especially if he made a bowl of buttery popcorn.
Regan decided to wait until later in the morning before heading home—there was no point in rushing given Monday morning traffic.
He also had the cabin to clean up and secure, because he wasn’t sure when he would be back.
His mind tickled with the temptation of reaching out to the Twins, but thought better given how they left the training.
After a bit of a lay-in, he had a big breakfast before heading for home.
He had a bunch of stuff to get done today so he was ready for the week.
But first he’d follow through on visiting his parents.
Since he waited until later to leave, traffic coming back into the valley wasn’t too bad, and the drive to the cemetery in Santa Clara was easy. Regan made his way to the crypts where his parents were laid to rest. Seeing their names carved into stone with their urns encased behind gave him pause.
They at least had each other.
Frowning at the thought, Regan sighed. He hadn’t given much thought to his own death.
Once he died, there wasn’t anyone to worry about and he didn’t particularly care what happened to the properties or money once he was gone—he wasn’t going to need it anymore.
Still, he supposed he would need to update everything with Sandra.
Max had been so good about ensuring all these details were taken care of.
“I suppose it’s the least I can do to honor him.” He ran a hand over his parents’ names. “I miss you both. I know I don’t come see you often, but I hope you know I miss you and think about you all the time.”
He took a step back and glanced around the cemetery. There wasn’t anyone around. “I guess you both know that I’m some kind of Witch now. I don’t understand the whole magic thing, but I’m learning.” He snorted. “Oh, and I’ve been grounded.”
There were so many things he wanted to share with them and so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know where to start or how to begin.
Not to mention, he wasn’t sure how much he could say as he didn’t know who might be listening.
He figured if anyone heard him, they would think he was insane.
He kept his comments generic and focused on safer topics.
“I thought I met someone nice. He’s a bit strange, but so beautiful and he seemed so genuine.
” He rubbed his stubbly chin. “I mean, I don’t know him that well, but I hoped things might work out.
I know it wouldn’t be like what Max and I had, but I dreamed.
It’s ridiculous, really. I don’t even know him and he’s…
he’s a Fae.” He laughed. “Crazy, right?” He reached out and touched his parents’ tomb.
“Well, I should go. I have a bunch of stuff to do and I probably shouldn’t have taken the day off, but… ”
He stepped away and turned to look at the grave one more time. “I love you both.” He kissed his hand and reached out to his parents. For a moment, he thought he saw them reach out to him, beaming at him. If it was them, they looked at peace and happy and that’s how he needed to remember them.
Back at home, he started laundry and went through the mail and paid bills.
None of his chores were exciting or interesting but the tasks needed to be done.
He checked online for flight details but didn’t make any reservations—he wanted to review his work schedule and see what upcoming projects there were.
If he planned on taking extended time off, he wanted to ensure the time away would be the least disruptive.
No sense in pushing his job anymore than he already had.
Despite not needing the work, he enjoyed the distraction and keeping himself busy.
Plus, he liked his job, for the most part.
Sitting down to either a late lunch or extremely early dinner, he ate a sandwich and some chips.
He’d gotten used to eating like this—his meals were simple and there was no fuss and minimal mess.
By the time his meal was finished, he had everything cleaned up and ready for another quiet night.
He toyed with the idea of going for a walk or jumping on his bike, but soreness from the training with the Twins landed in every part of his body.
Taking the night off wasn’t a bad thing.
Sitting on the sofa and doing nothing quickly lost its appeal. He decided to pull out his stair stepper, flip on the T.V., and went to change into his workout shorts.
Some exercise is better than no exercise.
Once changed, he climbed onto the machine and began his workout.
Quickly, he found his groove and started to zone out.
His mood improved and he found that he wasn’t nearly as sore or as tired as he was before he started.
He figured a lot of that was mental and by pushing himself to get moving, all those mental aches and pains vanished.
Annoyed at all that happened, he also accepted he didn’t help matters, especially with Volrent and Corcess.
By the time he finished, he had sweated through his shirt and needed a shower. Before jumping into the water and cleaning up, he wanted to cool down so he wasn’t a sweaty mess even after getting all tidied.
As he toweled off, he was feeling pretty good.
He was ready to face the rest of the week that lay before him.
He toyed with the idea of checking his texts and email, but figured against it.
Being screen-free for the moment gave him peace, and anything that needed his attention could be handled in the morning when he was ‘back on the clock’.
Slipping on his watch, he saw that the time was only 6 p.m.
“At least now I don’t feel guilty about lounging in front of the TV.” He chuckled and made his way to the living room.
The chime of the door echoed through the house.
Without thought, Regan moved to the door and opened it, expecting to see someone selling something.
Instead Lutin stood at the door, but something appeared off as he shifted from human to Fae.
His face had fading bruises and his forehead was adorned with a cut that appeared to be on the mend.
“My god.” Regan reached out. “Are you okay?”
“May I...” Lutin pointed to the inside of Regan’s home.
Hurriedly stepping aside, Regan allowed Lutin in before closing the door behind them.
“What happened to you?” Regan ushered him to the couch.
“Let’s have a seat.” Lutin collapsed onto the sofa, his glamor only partially covering his true self and his wounds.