Chapter 4
∞∞∞
Finn
“So I have some news…” I began warningly. I adjusted my mic and hesitated.
“You’re pregnant,” Wade guessed immediately.
“Again,” Meryl added with a snicker.
“Yes,” I sighed. If only. This felt just as serious.
“We’ll support you, no matter what you want to do,” Saz continued so sincerely that we all busted out laughing.
“Really, I’m moving,” I told them all solemnly.
“Oh shit, where?” Meryl asked and I was hit with a wave of nerves. I was worried about her reaction the most.
“In with me? Finally,” Wade joked and I decided to just be direct and hope for the best.
“To Durham,” I revealed a little too quickly, a little too loudly. I was too aware of my own voice. There was a pause before anyone responded.
“North Carolina?” Saz asked quietly.
“Yeah, for my work,” I replied. It was true.
“That’s awesome,” Meryl said excitedly.
“Aw, man. You’re gonna move in together and make babies,” Wade muttered sourly. They already knew Meryl lived in Durham.
“So many babies,” Saz agreed.
“Maybe we can be gym buddies,” Meryl offered brightly, ignoring them. We’d talked about how we were both trying to be more active. I’d even gotten back into my push-ups all this week. I was on a hot streak.
“That’d be good, yeah,” I agreed and smiled to myself. She wasn’t creeped out, and she wanted to meet me too. In person. It was actually happening.
“You have a place yet?” she continued and I relaxed.
“I’m still deciding between two places,” I replied. I needed to make a decision soon though because the move was coming up quick and the vacancies I’d found could be taken by someone else if I dragged my feet for too long.
“Send them to me,” she said. I hoped she’d pick the one closest to her. I wasn’t sure exactly where she lived, but it’d be nice to be close by. For science.
“Alright,” I grabbed my phone and texted her the links. She knew the area, and I’d hoped she’d have some insight that would help me choose even if I didn’t end up close to her. My brain wanted to plan for the long term, but something else was urging me to just go with it.
“Send them to me too, I want to see where your babies will be made,” Wade demanded and I rolled my eyes, huffing to myself.
“Our babies, you mean,” Saz corrected him.
“So many babies,” Wade whined pitifully and Meryl laughed.
“We’ll have to raise some of them, there’ll be too many for them to handle,” Saz continued and I shook my head at them. I didn’t know what to say to that. This was too awkward. I didn’t usually react this way, I was just feeling so anxious and optimistic about Meryl and meeting her, living close to her.
“Yeah, 101 Dalmatians style, but babies,” I added jokingly. It was always better to join in than to protest. Telling Wade to lay off would only make him go harder and keep doing it a lot longer than he would otherwise.
“I’d never let either of you anywhere near my babies,” Meryl chided.
“Same,” I echoed her sentiments exactly.
“You wound us, sir,” Wade gasped.
“We’re wonderful,” Saz insisted.
“So wonderful,” Wade seconded.
“Right, I forgot,” I returned.
“You can have all of the babies,” Meryl teased apologetically.
“Now that’s just ridiculous,” Wade said, sounding appalled and offended.
“Completely absurd,” Saz agreed again.
“Let’s kill something,” I pleaded.
“Yes, we’ll have time later to prepare for the babies,” Saz murmured low as he sent party invites to all of us.
“About ten months or so,” Wade declared and we all loaded in.
“Try ten years,” Meryl sniped.
“We’ll be ready by then,” Saz sighed wistfully and I laughed again. It was a comical picture to imagine Saz and Wade with arms full of crying babies. I”d watch that tv show. The two of them, living together and trying to raise a dozen babies. It”d be great.
“Who’s going heavy ammo, I’m pinging some here,” I told them, hoping to redirect the boys back to the game.
“Nobody wants your micro-ammo,” Saz rejected sarcastically. He sounded like he was focusing hard. Good, that was exactly what I was hoping for.
“Your mom prefers my micro-ammo, actually,” I quipped and he scoffed.
“That’s not what she toooold us,” Wade sang dramatically, then added “are you hearing this, Mer?”
“Yes. The father of my babies, giving out his micro-ammo for free on the street. Pinging it for everyone,” she pretend sobbed. Oh man. I loved that. She was very funny.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Saz chided.
“I hate you all,” I muttered insincerely and they all laughed at me.
We played for a long while and the jokes kept coming, but I felt good. I needed a change and this move was really exciting for me. And Meryl sounded just as excited as I was that we’d be near each other.
I already liked her a little too much. We could hang out. Gym buddies sounded really promising and it’d been awhile since I’d had close friends nearby. It’d be nice to have someone to get dinner and drinks with, to see movies with, or just explore the city together. I could hardly wait.
Maybe I”d pick the apartment with the soonest move-in date. For convenience.