Ghosted (gxgxgxg)

Chapter 1

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A/N - I hate having to do this, but since NovelHD has already started to pirate some of my books, here we go. These works are mine. My poor little brain came up with the plots and characters, and I'd really prefer you to not steal them. If you're reading this on a site that is NOT Wattpad then it is most certainly stolen.

Thanks!

Loiosh

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Five years ago

Paige Henson placed the heavy moving box on the kitchen counter, and then wiped her sweaty forehead off with the hem of her tee shirt. Feeling a bit better, she grabbed one of the water bottles on the Formica covered island and drank it down. Even in the chill of the fall air, the heavy lifting was quite the workout. Looking around, she wrinkled her nose at the shabby white cabinets, and mentally added a thought about repainting them to her list of things she wanted to update on their rental. The cute little house was perfect for what she and her new wife Amy wanted in terms of location and price, but it did need some work. But that didn't bother them too much.

The landlord, Mr. George, was more than happy to let them make changes if they improved the value of the house, since he wasn't going to pay for them that way. The pair didn't have much money, they were just starting out, but they had enough for a few months of rent before the paychecks from their new jobs kicked in. They also had an emergency reserve, but they didn't want to use it yet. Paige was going to be starting as a firefighter in the local station, and Amy had a job lined up in the town clerk's office. They could do this.

They'd arrived in the little town of Hull, Massachusetts just before dinner and set to unpacking as quickly as they could. It had been a busy day, with a drive over from Albany, New York in the small moving truck while towing the little Honda they shared. Oh, and getting married at the city hall of course, Paige couldn't forget that! They met Mr. George at the house, signed the lease and the house was theirs.

Paige jumped in surprise as Amy lightly slapped her butt on the way past the kitchen with another moving box destined for their bedroom. They didn't even have a bed yet, so the first night would be snuggled together on an air mattress. But they were free, and they were together, that was all they cared about.

They had been dating for seven years, but most of that had been a secret, as both of their parents were incredibly homophobic. When they finally came out to their family just before their senior year of college, all hell had broken loose. Both sets of parents united against them and had kicked them out and then tried to force marriages on them with threats of disinheriting them. They didn't care. They both had college paid for with scholarships and the part time jobs that they had worked, so they were already living in the dorms anyway. Being kicked out only meant that they didn't go home for the holidays, and they were more than happy to spend that time in the empty dorms not worrying about who could hear their love making for a change.

The arrival of Fred and Henry Smithson after spring break had complicated things for a few hours. Evidently, they had been promised the girls' hands in marriage by their parents for a large sum of money. To know just how little they were interested in love, neither brother even cared which girl they married, as long as they ended up with one. They even brought engagement rings that they had almost forced the girls to wear over dinner.

But as soon as dinner was over, phone numbers were blocked, angry texts were sent, and the rings were stuck in a little box as the source of their emergency funds. They had worked hard enough to get the basics for a new house as they scoured thrift stores and yard sales for pots, pans, dishware, and more clothes. They even had a few small pieces of furniture to start with. They had unpacked almost all of it into the house and tomorrow was a new day to start buying more things for their place, with a bed being first on the list!