Carnal House

Deep consideration.-Ryker

I eat in silence while the guys talk about Fox’s fight last night, what new thing each of them has going on. Fox is happy here, at ease, himself. Connor has his first autopsy this week, he keeps glancing at my hand, I know he wants to unwrap it and check it. John has a mock trial coming up that he is cramming for, a murder trial, he is the defense, he drapes his arm over the back of my chair but doesn’t touch me, familiarity but space. Ash doubled the house account with a recent stock payout, putting it in the almost seven figure range. His hand barely left my thigh, grounding me, I appreciated it.

The conversation turns to the pledges, Ash making sure to tell them all about the one that went off script. I couldn’t help my confusion because this didn’t feel like a frat house, but the kept calling it Carnal House.

“What does that mean? Carnal House.” I asked the table, we had moved to better eat together. My plate was almost empty, theirs too.

“It started as my thesis project, blind questionnaires, thousands of them filled out by women both in town and on campus. I consulted with medical,” Connor raised his hand, “legal,” John, “and financial.” Ash.

“As like-minded men Carnal House was born. A solid code of conduct, rules and standards set in place to be the best men. Feeding into our most base needs, to take care of our women, to keep them safe.”

“We have a discretionary fund to aid with medical needs for our female peers. Plan b, birth control, abortions.” Connor said, leaning back in his chair. I can’t lie that I’m not impressed.

“A firm on retainer in case of legal issues they aren’t comfortable taking to the school. Counseling and support groups for everything imaginable available through us.” John said, between their accents and how gorgeous they are I doubt I would be able to hold out very long if I lived here. Connor may not have made the best first impression, but they seemed like good men.

I looked at Fox, really looked at him. It’s like I was truly seeing him for the first time.

“Self-defense.” He said, which to be honest made the most sense, and for the first time I felt like he was truly looking at me the way he always wanted to.

“Where do the pledges come in? This doesn’t feel like a frat house.”

“That’s because it isn’t, there is a campus house that is used as a fraternity, but we don’t live there, it is highly exclusive, and an opposite of what fraternities are known for. Our pledges are the exact opposite of men like Caleb.” Ash said. They genuinely believed in what they were doing, and…I do, too.

“I’ll stay.” Fox grins at me and nods.

I held out my right hand to Connor. “You’ve been eyeing it since I came downstairs, I know you want to check it.”

After we finished lunch Ash handed me a folder and a set of keys, front and side door, as well as a spare for each of their cars, one of which was a stick so I wouldn’t be going anywhere near that one.

I flipped through the folder while Connor poked and prodded at my hand.

“Make a fist.” I did as he asked, wincing because my fingers were swollen and achy. “Nothing is broken, we can go in for an x-ray if you want to be sure there aren’t any hairlines but judging by the damage you did to Caleb, I think we are safe in assuming it is a sprain.”

“Wanna tell me what happened to your hand?” I asked, pulling out the sheet of house rules.

“Felt like releasing a bit of pent-up aggression is all.” He hedged.

CARNAL HOUSE RULES

Women do not sleep alone, or anywhere that is not a bed.

Our spaces are our own, unless expressly invited, housemates will not enter or use each other’s spaces.

Each bathroom will always remain stocked for any eventuality.

Extended stay visitors will provide necessary medical information regarding any conditions including cycles for us to provide safety and plan accordingly.

Housemates will be tested monthly, results of which must be filed accordingly.

Condoms are non-negotiable and must be used, no condom no s*x.

Guests must use some type of birth control, if they are without birth control, they are not to be guests of Carnal House.

House fund is to be accessed by housemates only.

Use of house funds more than $10,000.00 needs a house vote.

Guests must be 100% coherent, alert, and sober to give consent.

“Hey, uh, guys?” Connor looks at me quizzically.

“What is it, love?” All eyes are on me. I hand the paper to him.

“We’ve got a problem with number seven.” I said as Ash walked in with his laptop and sat across from me.

“I mean technically you aren’t a guest.” Connor said as he slid it back into the folder.

“Yeah, but I can’t use any birth control currently on the market, it could literally kill me.”

“They know that, bug.” Fox said, leaning against the kitchen doorframe.

“How do you even know that?” I asked, really annoyed that he had made it common knowledge in this house.

“Who do you think found you bleeding out on the kitchen floor when you were seventeen? I told dad not to tell you, I didn’t want you to be embarrassed.” Yeah, too late for that, my doctor had put me on the pill to try and regulate my horrendous periods, problem was it made them worse, on my third month taking it my flow was so heavy I was bleeding through everything in minutes. I was home alone and passed out on the kitchen floor, hitting my head on the way down. I run my finger along the scar in my hair above my ear.

“I kinda hate you right now.” I said, he gave me a lazy smile.

“It’s ok, bug, I can be your villain.” Connor pulls out another sheet, a medical looking one.

“Since we are on the subject, love, when was your last cycle?”

“Can we not? Please?”

“How are we supposed to be ready if we don’t know when to be? Treasured, remember?” Connor said, pen poised to write everything down. I looked at each of them in turn.

“Fine, started October 5th, ended the 9th. Missed a day of classes because of the cramps and the migraine that came with them. Flow was heavy but normal for me, largest clot was the size of a dime. Is that enough information, doctor?” I asked as Connor scribbled away.

“Is four days normal?”

“Sometimes five. Always the first week of the month.”

“That’s enough, I can fill out the rest.” Fox said pulling the paper away from Connor. I eyed him suspiciously wondering what questions he would be answering, I didn’t get a good enough look at it.

“What more could you possibly know about it?” I asked. He raised his brow at me and snapped the paper in his hands, theatrically clearing his throat.

“Preferred method of comfort and pain management. Heating pad, weighted blanket, alternating ibuprofen, and acetaminophen. Will add that when those don’t work, we will have more potent pain meds available. Preferred snacks and or foods. Milk chocolate chips, normal size not big and not mini, jalapeño kettle chips. Preferred foods are loaded potato soup, chili, and oddly enough stuffed artichokes, which you normally hate.” My jaw drops.

“Absolutely no sad movies, enjoys Kung fu and action movies preferably with half naked men-”

“Okay! I think they get it. Stop, please.”

“But the next one is the best!” Connor protests, Fox raises an eyebrow at me, I just wave my hand at him.

“s*x drive, is heightened during, doubled the few days before.” Fox grins at me as my cheeks flush.

“How do you even know that?” I ask incredulously. He braced his hand on the back of my chair leaning in close to me.

“Because, bug, not only do I have ears, but you radiate need. I could feel it whenever I was near you.”

“I, definitely, can attest to that.” Ash said over his laptop, throwing me a wink. I groan and turn back to the folder. They all just laugh.

I pull out what looks like a bank statement, with a debit card attached with my name on it. “I can’t use your money.”

Ash pulled the statement to him looked at it for a second then handed it back. “That’s your money, you get an allowance from the house account but most of that was courtesy of Fox, and a discussion to have in private and at another time. We will have to go to the bank to add you as a signer on the house account and get you a debit card for it.”

It hit me then that this was real, and Fox had been planning this for a long time, the saddest part for me was the realization that he didn’t hate me at all but made me think he did to push me away. Between the age difference and our parents' marriage our feelings for each other would have caused nothing but issues for the both of us back home, but here, here we were just two consenting adults.

Things hadn’t gotten tense between us until that summer he was home and I was in the hospital, I had watched something shift with him, he didn’t talk about school with me or talk about anything, he hung out and watched movies with me but it had the feel of forced proximity babysitting than anything else. How scared had he been when he found me like that? Is that when he started having feelings for me? It was round that time that the snide comments had started, where he picked on me in a way that just made me feel like he hated me. I clutched the paper in my hand, not really seeing it, lost in my racing thoughts.

“Ryker.” My gaze snaps to John.

“What?” All four of them were staring at me.

“Are you alright, darling?” John asked with concern, his accent really will be the end of me.

“Yeah, why?”

“I’ve said your name twice, where do you want your clothes until we get the attic converted?” Fox asked, also looking a bit concerned.

“Oh. Oh! I, um, have no idea, wherever you think is best, I guess? I don’t have much as far as clothes go, you can just leave it all in the study if that is easier.” Fox frowns at me.

“Is that because you feel like you would be intruding, or you are afraid to choose?” John asked, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I didn’t want to choose, I didn’t want to choose wrong, and I didn’t want to intrude. It was just a week, I didn’t even need to unpack, did I?

“We anticipated your arrival, kitten, each of us has space set aside for some of your things, being that where you sleep is a little up in the air right now, maybe it would be best if you had your things in each room, just in case?” Ash suggested, eyeing me carefully, a softness to his expression, he knew what I had been thinking and saved me. I feel relieved and nod my head at him, he raises an eyebrow at me.

“Yes.” I rush to say, he smirks and winks at me.