I spared a glance back at him to catch him watching me. He wasn’t even bashful about it. He smiled and waved and I tentatively waved back before turning my attention forward again. Maybe he’d try to talk to me after dinner. I’d like that.
But it wasn’t meant to be. After dinner Ashley looped her arm through mine and led me to our sleeping chamber. It was late and us women had started a tradition we called bonnet and brag where we’d don our bonnets and brag about our accomplishments of the day no matter how small.
Some of the women were having a harder time adjusting to Valo Prime than others and it helped to focus on the positives instead of the negatives.
Our bonnet and brag sessions always ended with the day's gossip of who got caught flirting with whom and peals of laughter that rang throughout the cavern. It was nice. We had quickly become a tight knit group and I felt grateful for every woman here.
Eventually the talking stopped, the candles were blown out, and I was left laying on my furs holding the sewing needle Orsu had given me andwishing it was his hand I was holding instead.
With a sigh, I set the needle down and closed my eyes and prayed for sleep to take me. It did not. One worry after another drifted through my mind, keeping me awake and making me more aggravated by the minute.This is pointless. After a while, I gave up and decided I needed some fresh air.
The ridge wasn’t hard to find and thankfully there were still some lit candles lining the hallway.
Light from the two moons flooded the stairwell leading up to the ledge, making the stones themselves look like they were glowing. I closed my eyes as I turned the corner and let the fresh air blow across my face. The scent of jasmine and pine filled my nose along with a few other fragrances that didn’t exist on Earth. I loved the smell of Valo Prime.
“Julie?” A familiar voice floated through the air and I opened my eyes to see Orsu sitting alone, his blue skin and white horns shimmering under the moonlight.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know anyone was out here.” I turned to leave when I felt a warm hand wrap around my middle, stopping me in my tracks.
“Please stay,” he whispered.
“Okay,” I whispered back. I didn’t want to disturb him if he wanted to be alone, but I was happy he wanted me here.
“Trouble sleeping?” he asked as we sat down together.
“Yeah,” I laughed. “How’d you guess?”
Orsu laughed at my joke and brushed hisshoulder against mine.
“Tell me your worries.” He looked down at me with a soft expression filled with compassion and understanding and something else, something that stirred my soul, something that looked like love.
“I always tell you my worries. I want you to tell me yours,” I replied.
“Alright,” he gave me a wry smile and then his expression turned thoughtful. “I used to worry for my dekes,” he began. “I worried about how we’d live to be old and gray having never known the love of a mate, but now that you’re here, all I worry about is you. If you’re happy, if you’re safe, if you’re well fed.”
He wiggled his eyebrows and I laughed. He had made it his personal mission to make sure I was well fed.
“I worry…” his voice took on a more serious tone. “I worry if you like bears… one bear in particular.”
As he spoke his gaze locked onto mine and as if some outside force was pulling us together, the space between us grew smaller and smaller.
I dared to lean in even further as I confessed, “I like bears.”
“Good,” was his only reply before his lips met mine.
Orsu
With a gentle brush of my lips against Julie’s my entire world faded away. Nothing else existed outside of Julie and the feel of her skin against mine.
To my utter delight she returned my kiss with one of her own. Kissing was a human tradition that I’d witnessed a few times now between Tarak and Gab-bae. It had fascinated me the first time I saw them press their lips together, and I immediately knew it was something I wanted to try with Julie.
I never could have imagined it feeling this good though. A warm tingling sensation radiated throughout my body and something feral deep inside me called out for me to claim her, to take more. It was urgent and unyielding, but I wouldn’t claim her, not yet. I would take my time with Julie. I would treasure every touch she gave me.
To my delighted surprise, Julie deepened the kiss by dragging her tongue along the seam of my mouth. I let out a moan as I opened for her. Her tongue explored me and I explored her mouth in kind.
I wrapped my arms around Julie and cradled her in my lap as we kissed each other over and over again. I wanted to hold her like this for the rest of mylife. I wanted to explore every inch of her soft body and I would have, but our time was cut short when the sound of footsteps interrupted our intimate moment.
I pulled away just in time to see Lumod staring wide-eyed at Julie and me. There was a female behind him but I couldn’t see who it was.
