"Dave said you two were coming back, so I got you towels."Dave said you two were coming back, so I got you towels." "Thanks," I said, taking one to Aaden. He let me dry him off as well as I could, then retrieved the towel and used it himself. There was worry on Ress's face, her usually bright feline eyes seemed strained and tired, and I nodded her over to me while I dried off. "Need to talk?" I asked quietly. She nodded. "Now?" Another nod. "Aaden, excuse me for a second." "Sure thing," he replied. Ress led me downstairs to her quarters. I took a look around - Place still looked pretty much like mine, only the colors were different and the artwork was more personal. She even had the same furniture layout, with the couch along the outside wall. "What's wrong?" I asked. She pulled a high stool out from under the bar and sat down. "Are you going to kick P'nyssa out of the Castle?" I smiled and said, "No." "But she's leaving, isn't she?" "What makes you say that?" "Ken, I've never seen you like this before. That melMeph has got you completely wrapped up." "Being in love does that." "But it's not like you," she said, growling a little. Her tawny gold fur rippled slightly. "You two have been almost joined at the waist since he showed up a week ago." "Ress," I said quietly. I walked over to her and put my hands down on her thighs, pausing to caress her fur before closing my hands around her legs. I looked her in the eyes and said, "P'nyssa's coming home tomorrow. Aaden is an old friend, and an old lover, and somehow something just came together. I needed to spend some time with him, to learn about him. That I love him is pretty clear, but I love you too, you know. What happened to that?" She smiled and said, "It's still there." "Do you remember," I said, "That first night, out on Abornia plain, six centuries ago, when you, well, took my virginity?" She laughed and said, "You were no virgin." "I think twenty years of celibacy was long enough for it to come back, don't you?" She laughed again and said, "Maybe. You know what really bothers me though?" "What?" "I like him. |