"I'm getting emotional."I'm getting emotional." "I like seeing you like that," I said softly. "Well it's true," he said. "I am. They sort of... fade away. Calling again sometime later to tell me how they're doing, are they okay, are they not. They're all great mels, Ken, every last one of them. Happy, achieving. I can't take credit for much of that, Ken, but if I can say I helped them through the most confusing part of their life, I can feel good about myself." I looked up at Aaden. "Do you know M'ress's take on our sadomasochism?" I asked. "Who doesn't?" he grumbled. "She doesn't like it, she doesn't understand it, but she's going to tolerate it... at a distance." "Because she trusts and loves... us." He nodded. "I can't do that." He looked up again. "I can't feel comfortable with something unless I can see it, feel it, and touch it. This is obviously such an important part of you, Aaden, I can't... I can't feel whole unless I understand it." He looked up. "You want... what?" "I want you to move back in. I want my home back, I want my lovers to accept me again. And I want you to bring Khai around more often. This isn't a 'yes,' Aaden. But I've done what everyone has asked of me. I've talked to you. And... you made sense. You made a lot of sense, more than I thought possible." He grinned. "What do I need for a 'yes?'" "Prove it to me. Bring Khai around. Why did you bring him around that first day, anyway?" "I wanted to show him where I lived. And I wanted you to meet him. I wanted you to see this important part of my life." I smiled. "I guess I flew off the handle." "You had the right," he said. "I love you, but ultimately Ken you make your own decisions. You know that." "I know." "I love you," he said, trying to get a response out of me. This time, he succeeded. I smiled and crawled over to him, crawling over him, slowly pushing him down to the sand. "You had better be right about this, Aaden," I said, kissing his muzzle, licking the fur of his cheekruff. "I'm reluctant to give you up." "I'm reluctant to give you up, too, Ken," he said, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. |