Hey guys, here's Chapter 10! I hope you enjoy it. Sorry it took so long, This is a long one, though! And not very sex-focused, so I hope you're all okay with that! It's a fun-filled chapter because I write slice of life stories. Please enjoy this slice of the characters' lives!
As I've said before, Love in the Balance is its own standalone story/series. I was hoping you could read the entire story without ever having read Birthday Pool Party. Especially since I know Birthday Pool Party has elements some readers might not enjoy. There are definitely crossovers and Easter eggs, but the story should still make sense. I'm curious how that's going, so if you're only reading Love in the Balance, please let me know!
Comments and feedback are always appreciated! I read every single one. Also, please let me know if you spot any mistakes. Errors bug me, and I make sure to upload revised editions whenever I find any. Please note that this story is a work of fiction. I might use parody names for pop culture references: including songs, books, movies, and celebrities. However, they are not meant to accurately represent the real people or media. This is a fictional universe. As always, this is a world without STI's, and everyone involved in sexual activity is at least eighteen years old.
-Witty
~Wednesday July 09, 2025~
The weather forecast was correct, there were nonstop thunderstorms from dawn until dusk. Fortunately, Sphinx treated their employees like people and allowed flexible working. Everyone chose to work from home, including The Gang of Eight and Logan Barrett. Megan was also taking the opportunity to work from her couch in her pajamas. She and Penelope both worked from Megan's place while taking turns playing with Carter.
"I missed you today," Theo said into his phone while laying in bed.
"Of course you did, I'm fuckin' awesome!" Sienna giggled from her own bed.
"Not the response I was hoping for, but I can't argue with that," he chuckled.
"I missed you, dummy," she shifted in bed while putting her auburn hair into a ponytail.
"You're going to the office tomorrow, right?" he wondered.
"Yup!" she confirmed. "I love being able to work from home, but some days it's nice to go in. I was alone all day."
"Did you work in your room?" Theo asked. "Noah and I spent most of the day in the living room."
"I moved around a bit," Sienna answered, pushing a couple of her stuffed animals out of the way so she could get more comfortable. "Kitchen, living room. The best part was not having to wear a bra."
"Mm, what are you wearing now?" he inquired slyly.
"Why do guys ask girls what they're wearing as if they hang around in sexy lingerie all day?" Sienna snorted. "I'm in my giraffe onesie, what are you wearing?"
"Uh, I'm just wearing sweatpants," Theo mumbled. "Is that really what you're wearing?"
"Nah," she laughed. "I have pink pajama bottoms on and a white t-shirt. Oh, and fuzzy pink socks to keep my feet warm."
"Do you have a giraffe onesie?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Maybe, maybe not," she said, turning her body sideways while keeping the phone to her face. "Now, stop being a perv and talk to me. It's not like it would matter even if I was naked; you can't see me!"
"We can switch to a video call," Theo reasoned.
"Keep dreaming, buddy," Sienna giggled, making Theo smile. He loved that giggle. "Ever since the wristy, you've gotten a lot more bold."
"Wristy?" he repeated in confusion.
"It's a slang term for a handjob," the redhead explained. "I'm honestly shocked you've never heard of it."
"Maybe it's actually you who's the perv," he suggested.
"Perhaps," she replied primly. "But I'm a pretty girl, every guy would love it if I was a pervert."
"You pretty girls have it so easy," Theo grumbled. "No hot chick ever had to sit all alone at lunch in high school."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Sienna said sincerely.
"It comes with being the school weirdo," he replied. "I was lucky I found Noah in college. Although, living vicariously through him was its own kind of torture."
"You're not a weirdo," she responded sweetly. "You just think a little different from other people. I, ah, I did some reading on autism."
"Oh yeah?" Theo asked. "What did you find out?"
"A bunch of things, actually," Sienna answered. "I know social interaction is tough for you and you often like being alone. It makes sense. It was never so much what you said that annoyed people, it's that you picked the wrong time. Or didn't know someone well enough to say something."
"I do love my alone time," he chuckled. "But, yeah, I have been working on being more careful, but it'll always be tough for me. Just like eye contact. I suck at job interviews, I can't believe Sphinx ever hired me."
"Ew, I never thought of that. Job interviews must be a special kind of hell for you," Sienna winced in sympathy before continuing. "I found stimming interesting. I know it can be motions or sounds, but you seem to mainly use motions."
"Right, some people even sing as a form of stimming," Theo agreed. "I rock back and forth. I used to do it in the car when I was a kid. My mom complained the entire car was rocking."
"That's actually adorable," Sienna giggled cutely.
"Thank you for not judging me," he suddenly said, overwhelmed that she was treating him so well.
"I would never do that," she insisted. "Yeah, I got annoyed with you when you made everything a joke, but I never hated you or anything. I know this is hard for you, and I appreciate the effort you're putting in."
"Thank you," Theo repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you so much."
"I'll be honest, I was surprised to feel a spark between us, but I did feel it." the redhead explained. "And I still do."
"D-does that mean you might want to, ah, you know, be an official couple?" Theo stammered nervously.
"I think so, but I don't want to get together over the phone, it's not romantic!" Sienna replied, and Theo could practically hear her smiling. "You still owe me another date, mister. Ask me again then."
"I like that plan," he laughed. "When did you wanna go out?"
"Hm, I'm not sure," she mused. "Maybe not this weekend. I'm hanging out with the girls on Saturday and spending Sunday with my parents."
"Okay, we'll see what next weekend looks like then," Theo agreed.
"Shit, next Thursday is Camilla's birthday," Sienna grumbled. "We still haven't planned anything."
"I still have to get her a gift," Theo sighed. "And I have no idea what we're gonna do."
"Just as long as she doesn't want to get male strippers," Sienna laughed.
"Not interested?" he questioned.
"I don't want some strange guy's junk in my face!" she exclaimed. "No, thank you."
"Good to know," he replied.
"Well, we'll figure out our date and Camilla's birthday later," she insisted. "What are you doing this weekend?"
"I'll be spending Saturday with Noah and Conner. Since Steven is going to the zoo with Megan and her son." Theo answered.
"I'd say that's a nice family outing, but apparently a socialite friend of Megan's is going with them," Sienna commented.
"Yeah, Steven's really living the high life now," Theo observed. "He met a ton of famous people at that charity event, and even I can tell Megan wants him bad."
"I'm convinced he already got himself some rich-girl snatch," Sienna said.
