The Chosen — 2025-12-16 (Patreon)

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Chapter 02: CHECKING IN by Merritt Gray

Hannah reminded me this morning that we are all supposed to do a check-in post. I figured having her in the picture would give my post more curb appeal.

And, now, she insists that I add it wasn’t meant to be a gender-biased remark. “Tell them you were making a joke so they don’t get the wrong idea about you.”

Since coming to NYC, most people would deem my life as being fairly boring in a lot of ways. And I’m not apologizing. I look at it as routine and steady. Three things take up my time in mostly predictable and comfortable ways.

Work takes up the bulk of my waking hours. While each day is different in some ways, they also have a familiar form. As an engineering technician for NYC SysCo, I do a lot of site visits comparing what’s there to what’s on old blueprints or comparing what has been done to what was designed.

I also spend a lot of time at workstations making notes on plans. My boss and mentor is Will Robertson, one of the Senior Partners, and he insists he’s tracking me towards my license, promising that after the holidays, he’ll find parts of projects where I can do the actual design work.

Not to hijack her update post, but Hannah essentially does the same thing I do, and with her degree from Syracuse now complete, she’s no longer an intern, but is also a tech.

Before and after work, most of my time gravitates toward time with Emma. She and Addison, who have later start times and more flexible schedules, almost always coordinate a community breakfast for everyone at Crossroads Apartments (where, I suppose I should have mentioned, I live).

After work, Emma and I almost always hang out—or go out for a casual dinner somewhere. She’s mentioned that we agree our relationship status is beyond the talking stage. We’re holding off saying we’re officially dating, even though anyone looking at it would think we are.

Honestly, I’m not sure why we are holding back. We actually have talked about it.

The rest of this Chapter is exclusive to Patreon.

The best answer we have is that we really, really like how things are and don’t feel like we need to rush forward putting a label on it. We agree that it just feels right, like it is.

Aside from the absolute convenience of living so close to each other and in such a fun, welcoming community, our relationship is very comfortable. It just feels like it’s working.

This is going to seem out of character for me, but I’m going to say it anyway. There is something really wonderful about just sitting beside each other and feeling each other’s presence. Call it cuddling if you will, but just being in close proximity is relaxing and nice.

I know that you could rebut my idea saying anyone sitting with anyone would feel good. All I know is that I sit with Emma and she sits with me, and it’s working. For now, that’s solid and good. We’re pleased.

The third and last thing is The Pay It Forward Society. Paul Charm would say they leave us hanging without much to go on. He’s right, but when they call on us, so far, it’s been good work, well planned, and very much in line with our abilities. So, we stand by, waiting for the next text message, and that feels pretty good, too.

So, that’s about it for me. I’m in my routine, moving forward, and happy. I can say that I don’t imagine much changing in the months to come, except I’d like to find time to share more about my life with you.

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The Storylines are the heart of Ailana Geven Imagines, and they are found in the Collections section of the site.

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