Uncompromising (Age Gap, gxg)

Chapter 34

"So, what do you think?" I asked the girls as I wiped the paint off my hands a few weeks later. "Do you like it?" I'd just finished painting the big bedroom down in the cellar for Zee, and I thought the new gold color looked amazing in there. I couldn't wait until the furniture arrived and made the room's look complete. Karma and Swiftie wandered about, sneezing as they got a little close to the wet paint.

The pair exchanged a look before they both smiled. "She's going to love it," Jashanna assured me. "Honestly, we might steal the room once she moves into yours."

I grinned at them but could see their point. It wasn't like Gracie's room was small, but this one would have more room for two people, and the bathroom was still very nice, so they wouldn't lose anything. If Zee did indeed move into my room with me some time in the future, then it would make perfect sense for them to have their own little area down here. The bar near the pool table could hold snacks and drinks so it would be like a mini apartment with walk out access to the pool. There wasn't a stove, but that wouldn't be an issue since I didn't want them cooking unsupervised!

And both couples would have a lot of privacy.

"If that happens, then I'd be fine moving you down here." I fixed them with a glare. "But just because you'd have easy access to come and go doesn't mean you could sneak out or host parties!"

"We wouldn't!" Gracie said quickly. "We don't even go to parties now, we're not in the popular crowd and Hollie told us about the ones she went to, so we're in no hurry."

"Hollie did what?" To the best of my knowledge, Hollie had never been to a party either, so this was news to me. "When did she go to a party?" Their eyes widened, and they shared a panicked look.

"A college party!" Jashanna blurted. "It was up there, like just a few months ago. She told us all about it."

"Really? A college party, eh?" I gave them each a stare, and they couldn't even look at me. "Don't worry about it. I can't say I'm shocked that she did that, I just don't know when. If you do want to go to one, just let me know and we'll do it right. Just based on the story I heard at work, I'm not sure you'd want to go."

"Oh no. Was it that bad?" Gracie asked hesitantly.

"Let's just say that a young girl is having a baby thanks to a party, and she doesn't know who the father is," I told them. "As much as I know that you two would protect each other, I'd want to give you tips about drinks and how to avoid any predators, ok?"

They both nodded quickly. "Okay!"

"Actually, now that you're juniors, if you do find people that you'd like to have a small party with, here might be a good place to host it. I'd prefer no boys, but if you wanted to have a few dozen people over to swim and do movies, that would be fine. Maybe we could do it for New Years if you know some people by then, and the pool heater will keep the water warm. If not, there is no rush."

"We'll think about it," Gracie assured me. I knew that they'd started looking into clubs after school, so maybe that would help meet more people with similar interests. They weren't into sports like Hollie had been, but they could still find their niche.

"Believe me, I'm not in a hurry to have a party here, but I'd trust the people here more than somewhere else. But it isn't a bad thing to go and have the experience, so you understand it later."

Getting the room in order was making me feel guilty though, because it was right next to the big game room, which was then next to the home gym. The same home gym I hadn't used in over a week because I'd been too sore after Elliot messed me up, and then was just supremely unmotivated to use. I really needed to get back into it, because with Hollie gone, I was the only one using it. The younger pair had the lovely high metabolism of youth, whereas I had to keep working at it to keep myself in better shape. A shape that Zee would find desirable.