The day had progressed nicely despite what we all had learned. Someone, or something, quite literally imprisoned my core with runes, at least according to what Thad said. Whoever did it must not have done a very good job if it was breaking down. That, or I was quite literally far too strong for it to contain me, which was crazy to think about since I was already pretty goddamn powerful as it was. Still, I wouldn't say no to becoming stronger in order to keep my loved ones safe.
We had stayed a bit longer, mainly to talk about ideas I could take, but ultimately, since no one truly knew what the hell this was, there wasn't really a solid plan. Thad told me he would look into it, and I trusted his judgement. I wouldn't let this stop me. Whether he was able to help me, or I had to do it myself, I would be getting rid of this goddamn thing. No one controls me or my power.
My girls began to to complain about being starving, and I had to be honest, I could definitely go for something to eat. Thad and Rya said they would skip on that and give us time to ourselves, which led me to to discover that Nadia actually had a very nice car. She had a damn Tesla, and one of the expensive models at that.
"Is everyone rich?" I asked as I got into the back with Liz, and both girls just laughed, "Also, I haven't seen you drive yet. I didn't even know you had a car."
I felt embarrassment leaking through our bond, and the giggle that Liz let out told me there was a reason for that.
"Haha, well, you see babe, our little fox here has a pretty bad temper while she's driving. Road rage doesn't even begin to describe it. I've heard her come up with some pretty funny names for people." Liz laughed, and Nadia's face went crimson.
"People drive like idiots!" Nadia protested, and I pointed at her and nodded.
"She's not wrong. It's really fucking annoying." I said.
"Thank you! I swear people drive like they don't have thumbs! Or they just say, 'hey, I'm gonna do the stupidest thing you've ever seen.'" She said emphatically, and again, I just nodded.
It made sense to me. That's mainly why I hated going out, because I had to drive to get there. You'd swear they just give licenses to just any motherfucker these days. Nadia soon started the car, and we were off shortly there after, with Liz leaning against my shoulder as Nadia began driving. I grinned as the sound system kicked in, and we treated to a healthy dose of Orbit Culture. Truly, Nadia's taste in music was perfect, and even Liz bobbed her head to the beat, clearly not disliking it. How could you?
After not much debate, as I didn't really care what I ate, my girls decided that with all of their money and the vast selection of places we could go, they wanted chinese. Specially, a buffet, and the selection wasn't limited in that regard. We drove to the nearest one, which was only like a 10 minute drive. I didn't even bother looking at the name of the place as we headed for the front, my girls holding on to an arm each. The closer we got, the more I realized that I was actually fucking starving.
Once we got inside, we waited for about 5 minutes in line as the place was absolutely packed. It didn't really bother me, although we got a few strange looks from the people waiting ahead of us. There was a boy in front of us, roughly 12 or 13, that was looking at me like I was the coolest dude he's ever seen, and I had to double check to make sure our illusions we up, which they were. I definitely did not look as cool like this. He then looked at my girls, at how close they were to me, and then back at me again.
"Those are pretty girls. Are they yours?" He asked, and I almost burst out laughing. Liz and Nadia let our little giggles though.
A few more of the people in line turned back to look at us, and there were a few dudes with what I assumed were their girlfriends or wives that actually looked pretty damn curious themselves. I think the boy was with his mother or something, because she shushed him and apologized to me. I held up my hands.
"No apologies needed. He didn't do anything wrong, just a harmless question." I said, but I had long since discarded any weird feelings about my relationships, "But, yeah. They are mine."
Both of them sent me feelings of warmth as they squeezed my arms a little tighter. A couple of the dudes started coughing. One older woman muttered something about degenerates or some shit, I didn't really care to pay attention, while another woman just looked at us like we all had 3 heads. The boy's mom's eyes went wide at my admission, and weirdly enough, this kid had the most normal reaction out of everyone.
"That's nice. How did you do it? I like a girl at school, but I can't talk to her because I don't know how." He said, and now I just felt bad for the kid.
The mom looked worried, but I just gave her a smile, and looked back at the kid.
"Just be yourself. Don't act any different when you're around her, and if she likes you, she'll talk to you. If she doesn't, then she isn't the one for you. I did all of that, and I was lucky enough to attract these two. Just be confident." I told him, and to his credit, he listened to everything I said, taking it all in, before he smiled.
"It's that easy? Wow, thanks mister! I'll try talking to her this weekend." He said, and I smiled back.
"We believe in you." Liz told the boy.
"Good luck and do your best." Nadia added, my heart warming at their kindness.
It wasn't just that though, but both of them were imagining having kids of their own. Raising them, teaching them about life, having similar conversations with them based on if we had boys or girls, doting on them and sending them off to school with hugs and kisses... the whole thing had me feeling pretty emotional. I wouldn't mind having kids one day with them when I was ready, it's just... the fact that they wouldn't hesitate to raise a family with me, and that the thought made them so happy... it almost brought me to tears. I'd treasure these two forever.
The mother looked at us strangely, but I saw a hint of gratitude in her eyes, and she nodded respectfully at us as she was called up next to find a table.
"That was really sweet of you." Liz cooed in my ear, making me smile.
"He was a little cutie. If that girl doesn't like him, then she's dumb." Nadia said, and I chuckled.
"Hey now, they're all just kids. They have plenty of time to find that special someone." I said in defense of them.
"How many?" A female voice asked, interrupting our banter.
"Three." I said, and the lady ushered us forward, and actually led us to a nice table towards the back of the place.
We all thanked her as we took our seats, wifh a server coming to us shortly there after to hand us our silverware wrapped in one of those napkins, as well as taking our drinks. The girls both just got water, but I got a coke. Soda just washed down food a lot better, and I liked the taste. With that being said, we all got up and loaded up a bunch of plates. Well, I did, at any rate. I think I walked back and forth from the buffet like 5 times, grabbing plates of rangoons, egg rolls, various types of chicken, a dish of steamed noodles, beef, and seafood, as well as a plate stacked with sushi.
"Holy shit." Nadia said as I returned with my 6th and final plate.
"You know... we'd still love you even if you got a little chunky." Liz teased, and I laughed.
"This is nothing. I could eat twice this and not gain a thing." I said.
"Yeah but... the fact that you can eat so much at once. I probably couldn't even eat half of that." Nadia muttered.
They both only had one plate each, but it was delicately piled with different things. Nadia had a lot of meats on hers, with some rice and a few sushi rolls on the side, while Liz had mostly seafood, noodles, and rangoons, with a couple of those suger coated pastries on the side. My stomach rumbled in protest to me not fucking eat yet, so I began demolishing the plates in front of me. One by one, I consumed everything in front of me, almost forgetting to chew at various points as my stomach screamed for more.
My girls watched me almost in horror as I scarfed everything down with reckless abandon, and it was only the feeling of my phone buzzing in my pocket that got me to eating. I set down my fork, wiped my hands and mouth clean with a napkin, and fished my phone out of my pocket.
Incoming call from John Mason.
I blinked, and felt like shit as I hadn't even had the time or forethought to speak to him lately. I hoped he was doing okay. Actually, he should be at work right now, so it was odd of him to call me at this hour. I answered the phone.
"John?" I asked, and the phone was silent for a few moments, and then he spoke.
"Sid... man... I'm sorry to call you like this, but I don't know what to do right now..." He said, and it sounded like he was on the verge of tears, or had been doing so already. I sat up immediately.
"Dude, what's wrong?? Are you okay??" I asked, and my worried tone alerted my girls that something was wrong.
"No... no not really. I'm currently at home right now... I just got back from the hospital. I can't even focus on work right now... are you free by chance?" He asked me, and I answered immediately.
"What do you need? Are you at home? I'm with my girls right now, but if you need me, just say the word." I said.
"Oh... I don't want to bother you if-" He said, but I cut him off.
"You're never a bother to me, man. You're my best friend. They understand." I said, and my girls nodded encouragingly at me.
"Well... fuck. I mean, I am at home right now. Hell, maybe this is the distraction I need, and I'd actually like to meet the other girl that you told me about. They're free to come too, but I'm sorry if I'm a mess." He said, surprising me with that, as he liked people about as much as me.
"You're okay with that?" I asked him.
"Any women that make my little Siddy happy is my friend too." He replied, making me both groan and smile. He went for so long without calling me that, and now he starts it up again.
"Loves, would you like to go with me to see my best friend?" I asked, and they both nodded immediately.
"Of course." They both said at the same time, and they were loud enough that John heard them, and he chuckled.
"Well I'll be damned. You really are turning into a harem anime protagonist." He joked, making me laugh.
"We'll be there as soon as possible. We're just finshing lunch." I said.
"No worries. I'll be here. Just text me when you get here." He said.
"Sure thing, man. Whatever is wrong, tell me when I get there, and we can figure it out." I said.
"Yeah... not sure if that's possible, but the visit will help at least. Seen you soon, bud." He said, and we both said our goodbyes, and hung up shortly there after.
"Is this really okay with you girls?" I asked, and they both nodded at me like that was a dumb question.
"Of course, babe. He's your best friend. I can feel that you see him like a brother. As far as I'm concerned, he's your family, and we'll always be there for your family. They're like ours too." Liz said, her heartfelt words touching my heart.
"He's seems like a genuine guy, and he helped you by being your friend and being there for you for years. Of course it's okay." Nadia said, and her words on top of Liz's made my eyes sting a bit.
"Thank you. Love you both." I said, wiping away a stray tear, and they smiled softly at me.
"Love you." They both said in unison.
I had actually forgotten that we were in a public place, and now that I remembered, I saw they we were all being met with odd stares, like we were the weirdest people they've ever seen. My girl's faces turned pink, as did my neck, and we all finished our food in silence after that. Once we were done, we called over the server for our check. It was well below 40 dollars, but I threw a 100 dollar bill on the table, and all three of us got up and headed out.
"Holy shit!" I heard the server yell as we exited the building, making me smirk.
"That was nice of you." Liz said, and I shrugged.
"Money exists to be spent. If I can make someone's day better like that, it's no a brainer." I replied, and both girls hugged my arms tighter.
"And that's why we both fell for you. You're just too sweet." Nadia said, rubbing her face against my shoulder. I smiled as turned towards her and kissed her cheek.
We got into the car, and I programmed John's address into the car's GPS. He lived in an apartment complex about 10 or so minutes away from mine, but that was about a 20 minute drive from where we were, so I just sat back and got comfortable as Slaughter to Prevail viciously assaulted my ears in the best way imaginable.
We were only driving for about 10 minutes before this dumbass in front of us slammed on his brakes to stop at a light that turned yellow. So, one that he could have easily continued through, which would have had Nadia braking normally to wait for the light. Because they were a fucking moron, Nadia to slam on her brakes, jostling Liz and me in the back seat.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE MADE THAT YOU DUMB PIECE OF SHIT!" Nadia screamed, and I blinked rapidly, and then I had to hold back my laughter as my hackles began to rise.
I saw how Nadia's eyes widened in the rearview mirror, and her cheeks turned rosey as hell, and it was at that moment that Liz actually failed before I did, bursting into laughter.
"You see??" Liz asked, laughing the words melodically.
I began to laugh, but I held up my hands at the glare Nadia gave us both.
"Babe I agree with you. That person was a total idiot... but holy shit. That was the funniest damn thing to ever come out your mouth." I said, my ribs beginning to hurt.
Nadia huffed at puffed, but she calmed down and I reached up and began to run my fingers through her hair, and began to gently rub at the ears that I couldn't see, but knew were there. She sighed happily.
"Just take a deep breath, my love. Next time, I can drive. Just let me know." I said gently, and she leaned into my touch.
"Mmm okay." She said breathily, and soon the light turned green, and we were on our way again. Another 15 minutes were spent getting through traffic, and waiting at lights. Nadia cursed out a few people, but nothing at funny as the first time. Liz and I just chuckled softly, but before long, we had arrived. He lived in one of those shared complexes, so I texted him once we got out of the car.
My girls held my hands as we made our way to the front, and just as we did, the door buzzed open. We entered, going up 2 flights of stairs before turning and walking to the end of the hall. His place was on the left, but before I could knock, the door opened, and there was my friend. He looking worn out, disheveled, and exhausted. He also had stains on his face, telling me that he had indeed been crying. I didn't even hesitate as I let my girls go, and gave my friend a hug.
"You look like you haven't slept in days, man." I said, patting him on the back. He chuckled.
"Honestly, I haven't..." He said, returning the hug.
Once we released each other, he looked to my sides, seeing my two beautiful girlfriends standing there with smiles on their faces. He shook his head, but grinned at me.
"You fucking suck, man." He joked, making me laugh.
"Only on the weekends." I quipped, and he laughed right back.
My girls giggled from behind me, and that just made John smile.
"And they like your stupid jokes? Damn, tell me how to get that lucky." He said.
"I don't even know man. Life's just full of surprises." I replied, and he chuckled.
"I'll say. Shit, where are my manners? Come in." He said, moving out of the way, and allowing us inside. We all took off our shoes at the door, and I turned back to John.
"John, you already know Liz." I said, and she smiled at him, and he smiled back.
"Yup. She quit when you did, and let me tell you, the new quality person sucks ass. We've already lost a good amount of profit because he can't see for shit. Don't know why they hired him. Don't blame you though... the place is going downhill." He said, and Liz smiled sympathetically.
"It was just something I was doing for... well, personal reasons, but it's something I didn't need to do anymore, so I moved on." She replied, and he laugh.
"Fair enough. I'm thinking of doing the same. It's not the same without my mans there with me." He said, making both me and my girls laugh.
Once I was done laughing, and grabbed Nadia around the waist, and pulled her forward.
"And this lovely lady is Nadia." I said, and gave him a friendly wave.
"Sid's told me about you. Thank you for treating our man so well." She said, and John just blinked rapidly before he started laughing.
"Holy shit man. Part of me kept thinking this was some kinda joke, but I can see it now. They really care about you, man." John said, smiling at the both of them.
"We love him." Liz said, with Nadia echoing her words. John grinned, and then held out his hands to both of them. They each took a hand each, and he shook them.
"He's like my brother, and if anyone deserves to be happy, it's him. So, thank you for making him happy." He said, and his words were unexpected, and made eye mist a bit.
My girls smiled gently at him.
"You have a good brother, Sid." Liz said.
"Any family of Sid's is like family to us." Nadia said, and John's eyes actually watered, letting me know that he appreciated the words, but his emotions were out of wack.
"What's wrong, man?" I asked, gripping his shoulders, and he gestured towards the living room.
"Lets sit, and I'll tell you." He said, and we followed him.
Walking into his living room, I noticed that while it wasn't necessarily tidy, it was cleaner than I had remembered. He must have been taking my advice to heart about keeping a clear house, as it helped keep a clear mind as well. He plopped down in his recliner that he had for years, and my girls and I took the couch, both of them leaning into me one we seated as I wrapped my arms around both of their slender backs. John looked amused.
"This is really going to take some getting used to. Didn't think this kinda thing happened in real life." He chuckled, and I shrugged.
"Yeah. Neither did I, but here I am. Who knows, maybe you're next." I teased, and he let out a heartier laugh.
"Good one. I can't even find one, man." He chuckled, we all joined in the laughter, before we all settled down.
"So, John, are you gonna tell me what's bothering you?" I asked him, and he took a deep breath.
"So... I've been staying the night at the hospital for the past few days. It's..." He said, his words choking off as tears began to fall.
I sat up, my girls joining me. They were now just as concerned as I was, and my heart swelled at how much they cared, and wanted to help my friend just as much as I did.
"The hospital? Are you okay, or is it someone else?" I asked, and John looked at me, pain in his eyes I'd never seen from him before.
"It's... it's my mom, Sid..." He said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, "She hasn't been feeling good for a while now, but she's stubborn, and just keep soldiering on like nothing was wrong. She did this for months apparently, but the other day, my dad called me, and told me she collapsed, and he rushed her to the hospital." He said, and I took in every word. John's mom was a wonderful woman, but yeah, she was definitely a stubborn one
"What's wrong with her?" I asked, dreading he answer.
Tears streaked down his face as he spoke.
"She has cancer, and it's too far along. She's not gonna last much longer man... my mom's dying."