Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
“How’s it going?” Roz asked, fluttering to land beside him.
Jonah didn’t startle, mostly because she jingled when she moved so he’d heard her coming, and when he looked up at her, his smile was genuine when he replied, “It’s good so far.
I’ve got two with the firewall up and running, they’re currently downloading updates, and I’m about halfway done with this one. ”
Roz leaned over his shoulder, nodding approvingly at the screen. “Good. You’re faster than I expected for a temp. At this rate, we’ll have the computers set up by the end of the week.”
The thought was bittersweet. Jonah was proud of the work he was doing, but he also wasn’t looking forward to it ending.
He was only a temp, and he’d eventually be sent somewhere else to do regular temp jobs.
Kian wouldn’t keep him here forever. He’d leave Spellbound at one point, too.
Morana didn’t say he’d be here permanently.
There were rotations at the company, and he’d be sent back at one point. The thought was a little sad, honestly.
His phone beeped, and when he pulled it out of his pocket and saw Emmett’s name on the screen, he found himself smiling. Somehow the werewolf always knew when he needed a distraction.
Emmett: What did the werewolf say to the human?
Jonah: What?
Emmett: Food’s here. Come eat.
Jonah’s brows furrowed. What kind of joke was that?
The lights flickered, drawing both their attention to the doorway where Emmett leaned against the frame with a grin on his face. “You two are so cute with your noses pressed to the screen. Come on. I bought everyone lunch.”
Curious, Jonah stood, following Roz as she flitted for the door.
“Was that why you were pestering me about my favorite sandwich?” Roz asked as she passed, somehow flying backward without running into anything so she wouldn’t miss his reply.
“Yup. I wasn’t going to leave you out. That’s rude. We’re set up in the main room.”
The construction on the floor was nearly finished.
Walls had gone up over the weekend and outlets were all working.
They still had to add carpet, paint, that kind of thing, but desks were brought in and tucked against one wall, which was where their friends waited.
Kian was sitting on top of one, one leg crossed underneath him while the other dangled over the edge.
Peri was sitting in his boyfriend’s lap in an office chair they must have dragged from somewhere.
There were a few other chairs pulled in, as well as an array of sandwiches, chips, and drinks laid out over the desk surfaces.
Miguel was poking through them, his tail swishing lightly like he was pleased with the haul.
Emmett clapped his shoulder as he came to join them, grinning at his best friend.
“Don’t worry. I got you the Italian. I know what you like.”
Miguel feigned knuckling a tear from his eye, squeezing Emmett’s shoulder. “You’re a good friend, man.”
Jonah snorted, shaking his head at their antics. Those two were like brothers, even though they were technically cousins, and it was always hilarious to see what kind of stuff they’d come up with in a conversation.
“You two are ridiculous,” Kian pointed out.
“You have no idea,” Tasha agreed as she strode into the room. “They were worse when they were younger if you can believe it. Kian, your mate is on his way up. He got waylaid by the CEO.”
Kian rolled his eyes. “I’m not surprised. I’d be more annoyed if I had to wait to eat.”
“You don’t want to wait for him?” Jonah asked, taking one of the chairs as Emmett handed him a sandwich.
Kian shook his head. “He’s a vampire. He doesn’t eat solid food. His joining us is just because I want to make sure he doesn’t work through his breaks.”
Jonah’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Vampires don’t eat solid food?”
That sounded awful. There were so many good foods in the city alone that Jonah wanted to try. He couldn’t afford it, but on his dates with Emmett, he looked forward to trying new things.
“Neither do liches,” Roz commented. She’d chosen a spot near the wall so she could see everyone and keep up with the conversation. It seemed like Tasha hadn’t seen her before because she did a doubletake when she noticed Roz, and her tail swished slightly when she noticed her.
A slow grin passed over Jonah’s face, and he shot a sidelong look at Emmett to see if he’d noticed. He hadn’t, he was already halfway done with his sandwich, and he cocked his head curiously when he noticed Jonah’s attention on him.
Chuckling, he shook his head. He wasn’t going to say anything if Tasha didn’t. She was nice to him. He’d give her the same courtesy.
As they ate their food, Jonah couldn’t help but compare the meal to the dinner he’d had with his family.
That had been fraught with tension, everyone giving him dirty looks or sneers, and they all had something negative to say, especially when he was the main topic.
In comparison, lunch with his friends was…
easy. Relaxed. No one made any disdainful remarks or judged people’s choices.
Even when Kian scolded his mate for showing up late, it was said with love and affection and his mate didn’t take it any other way.
No one made any comments about Jonah being the only human in the room, nor did they judge him when someone said something about supe behavior and he asked for clarification.
They accepted him as he was. It was both a relief and disheartening at the same time because he couldn’t even imagine his family treating him like his friends did.
A warm hand on his shoulder drew him out of his melancholy. Emmett’s concern was written on his face and Jonah smiled softly at the werewolf to reassure him. “I’m alright. Just thinking.”
“Well, stop thinking so hard,” Roz sassed.
“You’ll burn out and then who will help me?
Do you have any idea how much I dreaded a temp being around until you showed up?
” She turned to Kian and pointed at him.
“He’s mine until I say otherwise. In exchange, I’ll make Medical Innovations’ cyber security my priority after the research floor. ”
“Deal,” Kian agreed immediately.
Jonah felt his heart rate pick up, a smile stretching across his face. Becoming a temp at Charmed Away really was the best decision he’d ever made.
Every day that week, Emmett made sure their entire friend group joined him for lunch, and every day that week he had to convince himself to go home.
He wanted to stay later, to hang out with his friends and with Emmett and keep the good times coming, but to avoid arguments with his parents and the potential of ending up sleeping on the porch, he left when the rest of the company did, arriving home before dinner.
He spent each drive talking to Emmett on the phone and came inside with a smile on his face, the good mood holding him through the night until he could get back to where he was most happy.
His parents were in the kitchen like they were most nights when he got home, his mom at the stove cooking while his dad scrolled on his phone and grumbled under his breath about things Jonah didn’t care to listen to.
Since he had contributed money to groceries, he had access to the fridge again, and he was pulling out ingredients to make himself a sandwich when James marched into the room, a pile of papers held triumphantly over his head.
“You’ll never get what I’ve got!” he crowed, then jabbed a finger at Jonah. “You’re a dead man.”
Jonah felt his chest tighten as he looked between his brother and the papers in his hand. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your so-called job. Stonewell Technologies?”
Jonah’s stomach sank. He couldn’t have figured out that it was a lie. Right?
“What about it?” Dad demanded, shooting Jonah a suspicious look.
“It’s complete bullshit.” He slapped the pictures onto the table in front of their dad, the top most being the abandoned building Jonah had chosen for the location of the fake company.
“The address on the website? It led to an abandoned building. I had a friend who works in the city look into it for me. He’s not working at a human owned company.
He’s working at Spellbound Corps. The biggest supe company in the world. ”
“W-Wait. That’s not–”
“Oh, that’s not even the best part,” James said, cutting him off with a manic grin. Jonah’s heart hammered in his chest, and he felt a little like the rug was being ripped out from underneath him. He was terrified of what else James had to share.
“Not only is he working at a supe company, his little boyfriend isn’t human either. Is he, Jonah?”
He didn’t wait for Jonah to answer, swiping the printed pictures across the table so the ones on the bottom of the pile were exposed.
Several pictures of him and Emmett holding hands as they walked into the building, as they stood hugging in the parking lot, including the most damning one of him pressed up against his truck as Emmett kissed him.
There was no way he could talk his way out of that.
He’d thought to tell his parents about his job and his life slowly so they might not freak out and let him explain himself. Now he wouldn’t get the chance.
His breath froze in his lungs as his dad stared at the picture, his wide eyed stare full of fury as he slowly turned to look at Jonah. “Out… Get out of my house! Now!”
Jonah choked on air, shaking his head. “Dad, wait–”
“You’re no son of mine! You’re a disgrace! Get out!”
When Jonah only stared at him, horror and fear rooting his feet in place, his dad stood so fast his chair shot out and smacked against the wall.
Jonah flinched automatically and raised his hands to protect himself.
He truly worried for a moment that his dad would hit him.
Instead, he grabbed Jonah by the back of his shirt, dragging him out of the house and throwing him into the yard.
His hands and knees got a little scraped landing on the gravel, but the pain was nothing compared to the way his heart felt listening to his dad screaming from inside, calling him everything from monster fucker to a freak and everything in between.
Tears burned his eyes and spilled over his cheeks despite his attempt to hold them back. He sat on the grass, hugging his knees, and only moved when his dad came outside, throwing his clothes at him so hard, Jonah flinched and scrambled to his feet again.
“Get off my property! Don’t ever come back, understand? You’re dead to us!”
Sobbing, Jonah grabbed his clothes and hurried to toss them in the back of his truck.
He reversed so quickly, gravel kicked up and his tires couldn’t get purchase for a moment.
A flash of fear, wondering if he’d be stuck, crossed his mind, but thankfully his truck finally lurched forward and he sped away, his dad still screaming at him from the front porch.
He got as far as the edge of town before he had to pull over.
His body shook with repressed sobs, and he couldn’t see through the tears in his eyes.
He thought he’d gotten away with it. That he’d have time to figure out how to tell his family and get his story straight.
Things were going so well in his life, and he had hope with each passing day that his parents didn’t demand more information from him that he could figure things out and get them to at least accept him.
He should have known better. Things had been good for too long.
He should have known the bottom would drop out eventually.
His phone beeped, and his hands shook as he pulled it out of his pocket.
It felt stupid to hope it was his parents calling to say they didn’t mean it and he could come back once everyone calmed down.
He still hoped, though, and when it turned out to be a message from Emmett, another sob escaped him.
He dropped the phone on the passenger seat, too worried that if he answered Emmett, the perceptive werewolf would figure out he was upset and call him.
If he heard Jonah crying, he might come looking for him, and Jonah didn’t want the sweet werewolf anywhere near his family.
No, it was better for him to figure things out on his own.
He was the one who decided to choose a job over his family. He had to face the consequences.