The Move In

After dragging the girls off without a word, the three now stood before a large iron gate. With the swipe of a card, the gate opened and the three walked towards a rather large home. The questioning gaze coming from Shianne brought a sense of amusement to Laine. Once Joe unlocked and opened the front door, it became impossible for the questions to be held back.

"Why do you have the keys to a house this big? Was it a reward given to you by High General James?"

"He bought this place before coming home for break. It's a lot bigger than I was expecting but knowing about his earnings from the first semester it makes sense that he could afford it. As for the reward he got from the High General, pretty sure he considers that far better than property."

Laine burst into a light fit of laughter seeing the confusion sink even deeper onto Shianne's face. She remembered this stoic instructor from the entrance exam. The difference between the image she had of her back then and now was like night and day.

Walking through the front door, the three were greeted with a few packed boxes in the main hall. All the large items were already put into place by the delivery company. These were simply the small, less important items.

The girls followed the silent back of Joe into a large living are. Three couches sat around a single, short table. After taking a seat on the middle couch, Joe motioned for the two to also sit. As he expected, Shianne quickly took a seat beside him before wrapping his arm around herself.

"As surprising as it is that you'd be acting like this with a woman other than your fiancé I find it more surprising that the battle maniac has this side to her."

"It's a bit of a long story. I wasn't trying to hide this from you, but you know how your mother would have reacted."

Shianne's attention was immediately snapped back to reality at the mention of a fiancé. Quickly her brain painted its own picture of the relationship between these two.

"You two are engaged?"

While Joe was trying to figure out where that conclusion came from, Laine again burst into a fit of laughter. Clenching her own stomach, she nearly slipped off the couch she was seated on as a tear fell down her face.

"Me and this idiot? He's practically my brother so, no, we're not like that. I was talking about Clara James."

A sudden realization dawned on the overly affectionate instructor when the memory of Joe being invited to dinner with the High General flashed through her mind. Seeing the mildly depressed state of the girl, Joe gently placed his palm on her cheek.

"What are you getting upset for? I already told you I'd be treating the two of you equally. That won't change now or down the road. You both mean more to me than you'll ever know."

Joe's word had an immediate effect on the girls. Shianne's spirits immediately elated. All her insecurities vanished in an instant. Laine, however, displayed a look of pure disbelief.

"Hold on, they knew about each other and were okay with having to share you?"

The shock couldn't be hidden within her voice. Essentially, there was nothing to prevent their kind of relationship if all members were willing. Still, it was so rare that she had never met any person that had successfully had more than one spouse.

"You said he was practically your brother so why are you so surprised? If you two are that close, then you should understand the kind of person he is. It honestly wouldn't shock me if he had more women flocking to him in the future."

In the time that she had not spoken to him, just how much had Joe changed? She was always trying to keep her own pride intact which pushed the two apart. Now, she is witnessing firsthand that he was no longer the boy she grew up with.

No, to say he wasn't the same would incorrect. He was still the same Joe she knew. He was just more focused on the things he wanted in life. A focus that gave his life direction and drove him to act more instinctually. He was no longer holding back his thoughts and feelings.

The difference between the Joe she knew and the man he has become saddened her. While she was being stubborn, he grew by leaps and bounds. She felt stagnated without him in her life. She no longer laughed the way she used to.

Her friends quickly grew distant when her personality turned cold. In these last few days, she had begun to feel more like herself than she had in a long time. She decided that later, she would have to talk to Joe in private.

There were things she knew she had to say all this time but never got the chance to. As time went on, it only became more difficult to voice her thoughts and regrets. If she continued to wait, then things would simply return to how they had been the last few years.

With a new sense of resolve found, Laine decided to separate herself from the two. Getting up from the couch she had sat on, she explored the rest of the house. After reaching the second floor and looking into the empty bedrooms, she chose the room directly to the right of the master bedroom.

After a half hour, all her personal belongings from home as well as the items her and Joe bought for the move had accumulated downstairs. Meticulously, she instructed the movers where to place all the large items within her new room. To her surprise, Shianne had left at some point while the movers where present, Leaving her and Joe alone in the large house.

"Joe, we should get some food to fill the kitchen considering it's completely empty."