"Thank you," I breathed, leaning in to wrap my arms around his waist. "You're just so big, and I know you could hurt me..."
"Friends," he said again.
So I looked up. "Maybe enough of a friend that if I ask you to unbutton this dress you won't take it wrong?"
"I..." He stepped back. "Callah?"
"I can't reach the buttons behind my shoulders," I explained. "And my friends made this to impress you, but I couldn't tell them this is a ruse. They wanted to make me beautiful so you wouldn't feel cheated at getting a lesser woman."
"No," he said. "Today, I had not only the most beautiful bride, but also the happiest." Then he swallowed. "But if I release those for you..." His jaw clenched. "Callah, I might see things."
"But we're married, so it's okay, right?"
"Yeah?"
This time, I was the one who shrugged. "I don't know how to make this work otherwise. We're now living together, sharing space. We will need to change and wash and do all those things. There's a chance I may see more of you than is proper - "
His laugh cut me off. "But we're married. We're expected to see all of each other."
I nodded. "And if you don't help me, I'll be stuck in this dress forever."
Again, he swallowed. "Turn around."
I did. Slowly, gently, he opened the top button. I felt his fingers move down to the next. The cloth began to sag, but he kept going, focusing on each of the three dozen buttons this stupid dress had.
"Callah?" he asked, his voice deeper than normal, and strange.
"Hm?"
"Men, um..." He cleared his throat. "Sometimes, our bodies do things. It's like how women flower. It is out of our control."
"What is?"
"My penis," he admitted. "It may react. I mean is. Does." And he groaned. "Please don't turn around until I leave the room?"
So men had things that were embarrassing too? Hoping to reassure him, I nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry if I did something wrong."
"Nothing," he promised. "You're just the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Then he released the last button and fled, closing the door hard to prove he was gone.
I turned, confused about his reaction, but his words? He thought I was beautiful? Me? I knew I should not allow vanity to influence me, but hearing him say that?
I liked it.
Six
Ayla
Itook Kanik's plate and set it on the foot of Zasen's bed before passing him the full glass of tea. While he drank his fill, I stacked the utensils on top, checked for any crumbs on the blankets, and cleaned up where I could.
"You know," Kanik said as he passed me the now-empty glass, "Zasen's bed is much too soft."
"It's nice."
He rocked his head to the side, proving he didn't quite agree. "It's not mine, and after a week on that hard hospital bed, and now a week on this one, I think my body will never forgive me."
"Or," I countered, "maybe you had shrapnel hit you in the abdomen, were dragged back by a dog, and bounced the whole way? Kanik, all of that is going to make your body hurt. I don't think it's the bed." And I set the glass and empty plate on the dresser where my clothes had once been stacked.
With a sigh, he scooted down a bit, getting comfortable against the mound of pillows we'd stacked behind him. "Mostly, I just hate not being able to do anything but sit and rest." And he laughed once. "A month ago, I would've thought it would be nice to finally do nothing. Now?" His groan proved how annoyed he was.
