The Secret Sea - (Chaptered Version)

3*

I meet Eve at her house—a craftsman home not far from the U of O campus. Despite the modest square footage, it must have cost a fortune. Eve brings me inside and presents her idea to Steven. He's enthusiastic about the proposal—absolutely unthreatened. My ego lurches in horror yet again.

"I think you'll like the shed—um—guest house," says Steven. "It's tiny, but that's all the rage right now, right?"

Steven's larger than I remember him—tall and wide-shouldered with a thick chin, thick black hair and thick arms. His head's a little thick too, but he's good with his hands and likely the rest of his chiseled body. He's all surface level and easy to predict, which makes him perfect for a control freak like Eve. I tell myself not to be a jealous prick and show a bit of gratitude. "Thanks for this, I wasn't sure what I was going to do."

My gracious hosts lead me through their small but immaculate home to the backyard. High shrubs and drooping wisteria surround a few hundred square feet of lush green grass. An array of lofty pines jut from a half-acre of protected forest beyond the back fence. The garden shed is much tinier than I expect, leaving me a bit shocked.

"It feels bigger on the inside," says Eve, sensing my hesitation. "The interior is already finished, except for some tile work. There's a twin bed and a dresser in there, and we've just hooked up a shower and toilet behind a partition. There's no room for an oven, but we set up a hotplate and microwave for you. It's a bit cramped, but you're skinny enough to manage."

The place grows on me as I open the door and peer inside. It's small but livable. "Wow, this is great. What can I do to help?"

"Just finish putting up the tile and paint the siding. We have all the materials you'll need. After that, we'd like to put in a stone path and do some landscaping around the place," says Steven.

"I'm on it," I say with a smile. "I can't thank you both enough."

"Happy to have you here, you lousy bum," says Eve. She hugs me and out of the corner of my eye I can tell Steven finds it adorable.

"Oh, one more thing," says Eve. "Steven's become a real gym rat. He's bulked up over the past year and a bunch of his shirts and pants stopped fitting him. I put some of his old clothes on your bed. If they fit, you can have them."

"Oh...thanks," I say. My ego is officially extinguished.

Steven pats my back and his voice booms, "Welcome to the neighborhood."