Goodbye kiss

About a month after Keyta and Inkesha made their mistake they decided to remain friends, it would have made Inkesha feel uncomfortable to continue building her relationship with the male beyond friendship, moreover she was interested in tightening her bond with Fari. After months of dating on one particular rendezvous, before Inkesha was about to return to her nest, Fari drew near to the female, closer than he had ever been to her. They said their goodbyes then, the white one gave her a kiss on her forehead before their parting. She had never received this form of affection before and found it strange. This kiss made the gorilla lady feel abashed. After a few seconds she turned around and sauntered away still carrying the emotion of embarrassment. As she was on her way back to her nest passing between bushes she wondered if Fari would turn out to be her future soulmate or not. Thoughts of uncertainty also raised their heads about the upcoming levels of their relationship, their being able to manifest or not. A part of her regretted her not kissing him back, another part supported the point of not making this decision without thinking, allowing her feelings to lead her deeds. Soon, the nests of the troop, the males' on the ground, the females' on the boughs, came into view including Kong's and Terk's mutual nest situated on the jungle floor. Inkesha was crawling up to King Kong and Terkina, whilst the silverback was annoying his mate. When the female wasn't looking, he swiftly grabbed her tiara and placed it on her head.
"Hey," shouted Terk while glaring at Kong.
She was reaching to take off her headdress when the male suddenly gripped her by the wrists and pulled her arms down.
"Tiara stays on," he replied strictly.
The female's face displayed greater anger than before, she looked savage and even snarled.
"Okay, tiara comes off," he urgently said while grinning then, lifted the object, which she loathed to wear off of her head and placed it back into the nest. Terk's face became calm again.
Inkesha arrived right at that scene. Her unexpected sight startled her friends.
"Terk, may I ask you something, if the time's convenient for you."
"Yes, you may," replied Terkina.
"Terk, at the end of our date, Fari kissed me on the forehead. What does that mean," wondered Inkesha. "No one has ever done that to me."
The couple widened their eyes out of amazement.
"It means several things. It could mean that he loves you and wants to be more than just your friend. It may mean that you're special to him. It could mean that he views himself as your protector. It may mean that he cares about you. It could mean he honors and respects you. It may also mean malice, some males do this and act really kind towards a female if they lust after her and want to mate with her, some males do this to earn a female's trust and manipulate her into doing his will," she expounded. "So, I don't know what Fari wanted to express, what I know is that you should be careful and be able to say 'no' to him if he tries to coax you into something you don't want to do," she advised seriously. "Try to find out whether he lusts after you or loves you. If he wants to rush things such as mating, tries manipulating you, emotionally blackmails you, is impatient with you and is possessive, it's lust."
"If you want to you can ask him what he meant by kissing you like that. Don't be too shy to ask questions, it won't hurt," suggested King Kong. "Maybe you should enquire about this if your mind is occupied by the mystery of this," he added.
"Thanks for the explanation and advice. I hope it's not lust. If I am courageous enough I'll ask him," responded Inkesha.
The next day when she was with Fari, she enquired about the meaning of the kiss. He told her that she means a lot to him and wants to be more than friends with her. Inkesha let him know that she wants a stronger bond too and is ready to take their relationship to the next level, but she must confess something. She informed him about her fall with Keyta and that this was a bad choice, which she regretted to a great extent. His heart sunk a little having heard this and he admitted that she will be her first and last if they make it to that kind of serious relationship. She also told him that she doesn't want any children, just a very close bond with a male. This lifted his spirits, knowing she won't be divided between him and an offspring and will fully be his, but sadness caused by her private personal state still lingered. His glumness aroused feelings of regret in her and she began burning from shame. She tried consoling him by telling him that she wishes he would be the only one to claim her if they get to that point and that she's sorry. He expressed that it will take time for him to feel better. They agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend. The troop accepted Fari as a member, the male built his nest next to the trunk of the tree, on which Inkesha's resting place was built. Inkesha kept Terk's and Kong's information in mind and looked for signs which indicated lust rather than love.