The next morning

You sleep with Pearl. Nobody bothers you. It's nice, but the bed is small.

In the morning, with Pearl snoring so loudly you can't sleep anymore, you maneuver yourself out of bed so as not to wake her. Then you grab your clothes and tiptoe off to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Thankfully you don't encounter Pearl's sister Macy or her mom, which would complicate things greatly - since you're well familiar with the house, there's no unnecessary wandering around or spending any more time than you explicitly need to.

Freshened up, you text Pearl a note to call you later, and then see yourself out of the house and start up your truck.

--

You're sorting through the under-represented games in your Steam library in your house, feet propped up on the ottoman and reclining deeply into your cushy couch. Yeah, you could claim Lamborghinis and mansions or whatever, but your routine is your routine, and it's nice to just do something familiar after yesterday's wacky turn of fate. Just because you can claim the moon and have NASA recognize the exchange doesn't make video games any less fun.

And for now, you're alone with your thoughts, or your lack thereof.

You're up far earlier than normal. Your family all probably stayed up later than you did, ironically, celebrating having you out of the house more than you celebrated your graduation. After having sex with Pearl, you weren't up for a second round, you were both so exhausted you promptly passed out in one another's arms.

Out of curiosity, you took a second look at the metallic black card and its proclamation of omnipotence. The words were the same, exactly how you remembered them.

Anything you want is now yours, whether physical or immaterial. All you have to do is claim ownership of it.

However, on the back, you spotted an inscription you hadn't noticed before.

Any claim may be relinquished back to its former owner.

Did you just not check the back of the card, or were those words not there before? You'll have to keep an eye on it.

Whatever the case, you're having a lovely, peaceful morning. Game strategies, remembering the heft of Pearl's boobs, and the afterglow of sex are a great combination.

And then there's a knock at the door.

Interrupted from your relaxation, you sigh and get up to go see who it is.

Opening the door, you're surprised to find Jane standing on your front doorstep, dressed in an athletic tank top, sweat pants, and a pair of running shoes. Her red pixie-cut hair almost glows in the sunlight, and her freckles dust the tops of her shoulders and chest the same as they do the tops of her cheeks.

"Morning," says Jane, with a little wave, her green eyes cheery. Then she judges your clothes. You still haven't changed out of your snazzy outfit from last night. "You going running in that?"

"No, uh. Actually, I forgot you might be coming over," you say. What else did you claim last night? All you can think about is Pearl taking off her shirt and oggling her tits in her bra. How did you never realize how hot she was?

Jane's expression is hopeful. "If you skip today, I still go running like normal, right?"

"I'm not skipping," you say, making up your mind right then and there. "Give me a minute, I'll go change."

You disappear into the house to do just that.

While you never realized how hot Pearl was, you've always had a crush on Jane. It's crazy that if you were going to sleep with anyone, you didn't sleep with Jane first, but now that your barriers are down, the idea turns you on more than it makes you nervous.

You return to Jane in an old t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts, and gesture for her to lead the way.

"I'll go a bit slower than usual so you can keep up," says Jane, running effortlessly in front of you. "Usually I go a mile out and a mile back, but if you need to stop let me know."

You're stuck playing catchup for the next several minutes, huffing and puffing for air. Jane 'slowing down' is just regular jogging instead of running, apparently, and she moves with all the grace of a gazel. While you're grateful for the view - Jane's slim body with her tank exposing her shoulders and a lot of her back fascinates you to no end, and while her sweats are formless, her physique beneath them is anything but - you're in cramp city by the time Jane finally hits the endpoint of the run.

You're in a parking lot in a business park - though it's Saturday, there's plenty of cars around. Lots of tech companies here, no rest for computer geeks you guess.

Jane tags a street lamp and waits for you to catch up. "This is exactly a mile and a half out," she says.

"I thought you said it was a mile," you gasp, crashing into the lamp post and simultaneously wishing you had bigger lungs to breathe more and that you had a gargantuate water bottle to drown yourself in.

"I didn't want to overwhelm you on your first run," says Jane, regarding you with sympathy.

Though her sympathy is undercut by the fact her eyes gleam with merry sadism. Jane enjoys your suffering.

"You're enjoying this way too much," you manage, breathless.

"Hey. Right now you're me every time I come back from a vacation," says Jane. "Course I'm enjoying it."

You shake your head and hang low against the light pole. "Can we walk back?" you ask.

Jane frowns and shifts her weight onto one foot. "Is that the new routine standard, or...?"

"I'm just talking," you say, pressing a hand to your uncomfortable side. Every time you breathe, it feels like you're about to split open.

"Then no," Jane says firmly, tugging at your shirt to get you moving. "If you only run half the way, you'll only condition yourself for half a run. C'mon, let's go. Standing around too long's just going to make it worse."

You hold onto the street light for dear life while Jane tries to pry you off it. "I will do literally anything if it means I don't have to run back," you cry. "What do you want? Money? I have money!"

Jane brushes your attempts aside and pries prying your fingers off one by one. "No excuses, c'mon Chase."

But it's not an excuse. You'll die if you take another step!