***************************Chapter 16
************************************
The door chime sounded just as I finished dressing. Kahlen was sitting on the couch, reading one of the books I had brought along. She looked up at me and sighed. She marked her place in the book and returned it to the pile.
"Come on in." I called out. The door opened and Shannon stepped in. She smiled and started to greet me but stopped when she noticed Kahlen.
She frowned for a moment, probably wondering why Kahlen was here this early. Then she noticed that Kahlen had on the same clothes from the night before. She threw me a startled glance and shot a quick look at the bed. Seeing the rumpled state of the blankets confirmed what she had already guessed.
Shannon got control of her face as Kahlen stood up and came to my side. I wrapped one of my arms around her should, and she slid one of hers around my back.
Though she had no eyebrows, Shannon was able to move her facial muscles in a manner that would have raised her eyebrows. A slight crinkling in the skin over her left eye was the only visual sign of the adopted human gesture.
"Well. I see." she seemed to struggle for a moment with her voice. "I came to find you Davdan. It's almost time to meet you parents for breakfast. I tried to contact you Kahlen, but you were not in you quarters and your link
was deactivated." She gave us a good once over and I felt my cheeks redden. "Now I see why."
"Shannon, I -" Kahlen began but Shannon cut her off.
"Do not worry Kahlen." She smiled. "I am not being judgmental. I am happy. For both of you." She glanced at me. "And later, you can tell me all about last night." Even though the words she spoke were upbeat and positive, you could tell that something was bothering her.
"It's a deal." Kahlen said, walking away from me and hugging Shannon.
"Hey, now. Wait a minute here. I thought-" Kahlen and Shannon glared at me and I stopped.
"You have no say in this, Davdan." Shannon stated. "It is a girl's prerogative to speak of these matters with their closest friends."
"Does than mean I can tell Marcel?" I teased.
They stared at me for a moment before regaining their composure. "Of course not! Men always turn such things into boastful accounts of their prowess." Shannon said.
"And how do you know that, Shannon?" I asked. Her eyes widened and she clapped both hands over her mouth.
She mumbled something into her hands that I couldn't hear.
"Could you speak up, Shannon? I didn't hear you."
"I said: With my better hearing, I used to be able to hear the boys discussing their conquests in the change room at the high school I went to back home."
I snorted. "Do you really think that I would do that?" I asked. "Last night wasn't a conquest. It was a sharing."
Shannon shook her head. "I guess you wouldn't. And neither would Marcel." She grinned. "Besides, Marcel will figure it out just as I did. There's just something of a glow about the two of you. Like you had shared something immensely private and pleasurable."
Kahlen smirked. "It WAS extremely pleasurable. In fact, I've never felt as much pleasure as I did last night."
I felt a surge of foolish male pride shoot through me at her words. I felt my own lips curling up in a contented grin.
"Really?" asked Shannon, her voice filled with doubt.
"It was the best I've ever felt in my entire life." Kahlen stated, grinning up at me. The memories of last night seemed to be affecting her for she was now floating nearly a foot off the ground. "Except of course, for this morning."
Shannon frowned again. "But if last night was so special, what could have been better this morning?"
Kahlen didn't answer, just come over and squirmed even deeper into my embrace. I felt a tingling as she replaced her arm around my waist.
You have to give it to Shannon, she got the message in record time. "Oh. OH. Oh my." she said. She blushed and turned her eyes away. Shyly, she raised her eyes back to Kahlen's face. "Was it really THAT good?" she asked in a tiny voice.
Kahlen smiled. "Even better." She floated closer and kissed me.
"Wow." Shannon said in an even smaller voice. She shook her head and spoke louder. "We really do have to get going. We're supposed to meet your parents at the officers mess."
"Sure." I replied, releasing Kahlen who pouted prettily. I was tempted to skip the schedule and ask Shannon to tell my parents I was busy for a few hours. Gathering my strength, I picked up my link, pike, and credit slip. "What time are we supposed to meet again? I seem to have forgotten the schedule."
"We have until 09:30." Shannon stated. "After breakfast, we need to go over
to security to give our statements about the attack last night. Mr. Allan already figured out that it was us who were attacked."
I whistled. "That was fast. I wonder what gave it away."
"The types of wounds the thugs sustained, I would imagine." replied Shannon, her eyes still avoiding my face. "Fighting pikes leave very distinguishing bruises."
"As do Marcel's hands, I guess." stated Kahlen. "It's not like there are a lot of giant supermen around. Very few people, from any race, could have done what Marcel did to those scumballs."
"There is also Marcel's size. Few humans get to be much over 6'. Marcel is more than 7. When Mr. Allan talked to a few of the less . . . damaged individuals, it was easy for him to guess what had happened." Shannon stated.
"You've got that right, Shannon." Kahlen frowned. "I have to change. 0930? Good, that gives me about an hour." She gave me another kiss and left, leaving me and Shannon alone.
We stood there for a few uncomfortable minutes, not sure what to say.
"Well?" I asked.
Shannon looked thoughtful. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "You had better be careful, Davdan. Kahlen is my friend. I don't want to see her get hurt."
"She's my friend too." I reminded her. "We've been friends a lot longer than we . . . than whatever we are now. Whatever happens will happen because we both want it too. Just like last night. It happened because we both wanted it to happen."
Shannon smiled. "I realize that, probably better than you do. Can you keep a secret?"
I looked at her incredulously. "Of course."
She leaned closer to me and lowered her voice. "Kahlen's been in love with you for a long time Davdan. But she cared too much about your friendship too risk losing it by pushing anything on you that you might not be willing to accept. Don't blow it."
I looked at her in frustration. "I would never do anything to hurt her. I care about her a great deal."
"Just don't play with her." she pleaded. "Kahlen may act all strong and put together, but she's had a very difficult life. She's hundreds of years and a whole other dimension away from all the people and things she cares about. The only thing she has is our friendship."
I looked her straight in the eyes and nodded. "I would never do anything to risk losing Kahlen's friendship."
Shannon studied me for a moment, thinking. After a few seconds, she nodded. "I know. I AM happy for you, Davdan. You and Kahlen have always seemed to so alone. Even with Marcel and me."
"She has reason to feel like she's all alone." I pointed out. "There is no one like her in our universe."
Shannon smiled tolerantly. "And as you keep forgetting, the same goes for you, David Sheridan." Her hand made a gesture towards my head.
Self-consciously, I rubbed my neck at the base of my crest. "Yeah, well. At least I have my mother around. Kahlen has no one. Except for the three of us."
"And now, most especially, you." she added, a grin breaking out on her face. "Look, we still have a lot of time. Why don't you wait here for Kahlen, while I try to see if I can find Marcel. He wasn't in his room either."
I chuckled. "Try the food vendors on the next level. I noticed on the map that there's a few of them on Blue 4."
She nodded. "Leave it to Marcel to go for food before we're supposed to get together for a meal. He never stops eating."
I finished the familiar complaint with her. "And he never gains any weight!" Laughing, Shannon left while I picked up my book and picked up where I had left off.
The door chime sounded just as I finished dressing. Kahlen was sitting on the couch, reading one of the books I had brought along. She looked up at me and sighed. She marked her place in the book and returned it to the pile.
"Come on in." I called out. The door opened and Shannon stepped in. She smiled and started to greet me but stopped when she noticed Kahlen.
She frowned for a moment, probably wondering why Kahlen was here this early. Then she noticed that Kahlen had on the same clothes from the night before. She threw me a startled glance and shot a quick look at the bed. Seeing the rumpled state of the blankets confirmed what she had already guessed.
Shannon got control of her face as Kahlen stood up and came to my side. I wrapped one of my arms around her should, and she slid one of hers around my back.
Though she had no eyebrows, Shannon was able to move her facial muscles in a manner that would have raised her eyebrows. A slight crinkling in the skin over her left eye was the only visual sign of the adopted human gesture.
"Well. I see." she seemed to struggle for a moment with her voice. "I came to find you Davdan. It's almost time to meet you parents for breakfast. I tried to contact you Kahlen, but you were not in you quarters and your link
was deactivated." She gave us a good once over and I felt my cheeks redden. "Now I see why."
"Shannon, I -" Kahlen began but Shannon cut her off.
"Do not worry Kahlen." She smiled. "I am not being judgmental. I am happy. For both of you." She glanced at me. "And later, you can tell me all about last night." Even though the words she spoke were upbeat and positive, you could tell that something was bothering her.
"It's a deal." Kahlen said, walking away from me and hugging Shannon.
"Hey, now. Wait a minute here. I thought-" Kahlen and Shannon glared at me and I stopped.
"You have no say in this, Davdan." Shannon stated. "It is a girl's prerogative to speak of these matters with their closest friends."
"Does than mean I can tell Marcel?" I teased.
They stared at me for a moment before regaining their composure. "Of course not! Men always turn such things into boastful accounts of their prowess." Shannon said.
"And how do you know that, Shannon?" I asked. Her eyes widened and she clapped both hands over her mouth.
She mumbled something into her hands that I couldn't hear.
"Could you speak up, Shannon? I didn't hear you."
"I said: With my better hearing, I used to be able to hear the boys discussing their conquests in the change room at the high school I went to back home."
I snorted. "Do you really think that I would do that?" I asked. "Last night wasn't a conquest. It was a sharing."
Shannon shook her head. "I guess you wouldn't. And neither would Marcel." She grinned. "Besides, Marcel will figure it out just as I did. There's just something of a glow about the two of you. Like you had shared something immensely private and pleasurable."
Kahlen smirked. "It WAS extremely pleasurable. In fact, I've never felt as much pleasure as I did last night."
I felt a surge of foolish male pride shoot through me at her words. I felt my own lips curling up in a contented grin.
"Really?" asked Shannon, her voice filled with doubt.
"It was the best I've ever felt in my entire life." Kahlen stated, grinning up at me. The memories of last night seemed to be affecting her for she was now floating nearly a foot off the ground. "Except of course, for this morning."
Shannon frowned again. "But if last night was so special, what could have been better this morning?"
Kahlen didn't answer, just come over and squirmed even deeper into my embrace. I felt a tingling as she replaced her arm around my waist.
You have to give it to Shannon, she got the message in record time. "Oh. OH. Oh my." she said. She blushed and turned her eyes away. Shyly, she raised her eyes back to Kahlen's face. "Was it really THAT good?" she asked in a tiny voice.
Kahlen smiled. "Even better." She floated closer and kissed me.
"Wow." Shannon said in an even smaller voice. She shook her head and spoke louder. "We really do have to get going. We're supposed to meet your parents at the officers mess."
"Sure." I replied, releasing Kahlen who pouted prettily. I was tempted to skip the schedule and ask Shannon to tell my parents I was busy for a few hours. Gathering my strength, I picked up my link, pike, and credit slip. "What time are we supposed to meet again? I seem to have forgotten the schedule."
"We have until 09:30." Shannon stated. "After breakfast, we need to go over
to security to give our statements about the attack last night. Mr. Allan already figured out that it was us who were attacked."
I whistled. "That was fast. I wonder what gave it away."
"The types of wounds the thugs sustained, I would imagine." replied Shannon, her eyes still avoiding my face. "Fighting pikes leave very distinguishing bruises."
"As do Marcel's hands, I guess." stated Kahlen. "It's not like there are a lot of giant supermen around. Very few people, from any race, could have done what Marcel did to those scumballs."
"There is also Marcel's size. Few humans get to be much over 6'. Marcel is more than 7. When Mr. Allan talked to a few of the less . . . damaged individuals, it was easy for him to guess what had happened." Shannon stated.
"You've got that right, Shannon." Kahlen frowned. "I have to change. 0930? Good, that gives me about an hour." She gave me another kiss and left, leaving me and Shannon alone.
We stood there for a few uncomfortable minutes, not sure what to say.
"Well?" I asked.
Shannon looked thoughtful. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "You had better be careful, Davdan. Kahlen is my friend. I don't want to see her get hurt."
"She's my friend too." I reminded her. "We've been friends a lot longer than we . . . than whatever we are now. Whatever happens will happen because we both want it too. Just like last night. It happened because we both wanted it to happen."
Shannon smiled. "I realize that, probably better than you do. Can you keep a secret?"
I looked at her incredulously. "Of course."
She leaned closer to me and lowered her voice. "Kahlen's been in love with you for a long time Davdan. But she cared too much about your friendship too risk losing it by pushing anything on you that you might not be willing to accept. Don't blow it."
I looked at her in frustration. "I would never do anything to hurt her. I care about her a great deal."
"Just don't play with her." she pleaded. "Kahlen may act all strong and put together, but she's had a very difficult life. She's hundreds of years and a whole other dimension away from all the people and things she cares about. The only thing she has is our friendship."
I looked her straight in the eyes and nodded. "I would never do anything to risk losing Kahlen's friendship."
Shannon studied me for a moment, thinking. After a few seconds, she nodded. "I know. I AM happy for you, Davdan. You and Kahlen have always seemed to so alone. Even with Marcel and me."
"She has reason to feel like she's all alone." I pointed out. "There is no one like her in our universe."
Shannon smiled tolerantly. "And as you keep forgetting, the same goes for you, David Sheridan." Her hand made a gesture towards my head.
Self-consciously, I rubbed my neck at the base of my crest. "Yeah, well. At least I have my mother around. Kahlen has no one. Except for the three of us."
"And now, most especially, you." she added, a grin breaking out on her face. "Look, we still have a lot of time. Why don't you wait here for Kahlen, while I try to see if I can find Marcel. He wasn't in his room either."
I chuckled. "Try the food vendors on the next level. I noticed on the map that there's a few of them on Blue 4."
She nodded. "Leave it to Marcel to go for food before we're supposed to get together for a meal. He never stops eating."
I finished the familiar complaint with her. "And he never gains any weight!" Laughing, Shannon left while I picked up my book and picked up where I had left off.
