Page 37 of Shared By Two Orcs

“Are you feeling sick?”

“No,” I snap, causing Jinnow to recoil in fright. “Sorry, I… I’m just caught up in something right now.”

She looks me up and down, studying me for a moment before glancing around us.

“How about you lay down your pickaxe for a few minutes and talk about it with me?”

A part of me wishes to ignore what’s going on, to say no to Jinnow and get on with my work in hopes of distraction. At the same time, I could barely give a damn about my work anymore. Shrugging, I throw down the tool as Jinnow holds out her hand. Taking it, we retreat into one of the smaller tunnels where no one can see us.

“Talk to me,” she asks as we settle down.

Running a hand over my hair, I take a moment to collect my thoughts before taking. Then, I draw myself up to face her.

“Do you know those guys I’ve been seeing?”

Jinnow nods.

“I have a feeling that something happened with them, like a fight or disagreement.”

“Alright well why do you feel that way?”

“We used to always go on group dates every day,” I say, sighing as if those days are memories long gone. “Then it just came to a screeching halt. They haven’t seen each other in ages, it seems like they’re trying to avoid each other. On top of that, I’m not getting to see either of them as much as a result.”

Jinnow strokes her chin in deep thought.

“Think back, do you recall something happening on one of your group dates that might have caused this?”

I’ve been there all along, surely that couldn’t be… right?

“Maybe… that’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“Think Willo, there has to be something.”

I think back to the last time we were altogether, the night I invited them to mine.

“Well, the last time they were together was when I invited them both into my home…

Nothing really happened though.” That night. “We all went to sleep not long after we went inside.”

“You’ve barely enough room in your house for yourself as is, how the fuck did you fit two others in there?”

“We all slept in my bed.” And I finished them off the next morning. But that’s not something I’m going to share with Jinnow, not knowing how the guys would like others to know.

“Well,” replies Jinnow with raised eyebrows. “Maybe that has something to do with it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps neither of them were into it.”

“It did take a bit of persuading…”

“There you go. It could have just been too uncomfortable for them.”

“Shit,” I sigh. I think I know what was too uncomfortable for them and it’s not just the sleeping arrangements. “You could be right but I don’t know… I always thought they liked each other.”

“As in more than friends?”

“No, not really, but more like they were becoming friends… I don’t know, it just seemed like they were okay with it, like they were getting comfortable with all of this. Maybe I’ve been wrong this entire time, I’m really not sure what to think… Look, we ought to get back before someone notices we’re gone.”

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