AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Can you tell me again what happened, Anver?" she asked. "Nariana, please don't interrupt."
I nodded to show I heard, and then Anver let out a heavy sigh. "They don't understand when I say that I'm not interested," he told Saval. "They think I'm ashamed, or maybe shy. Well, not everyone. My friends get it. But that's always been the problem. Girls try to get me to kiss them and then think I'm a jerk when I say I don't want to. It's not like Iowethem!" He groaned. "But Ciella has been messing with us. The four of us, I mean. Me, Wraythe, Nariana, and Eladehl. First, a boy tried to get Nari to make out with him and 'cheat' on us. When she said it wasn't cheating, he kinda gave up."
"Is that so?" Saval asked me.
"I told him that I don't see how any of us can cheat. Not with what our future holds. I also told him I was tired, which was true. He kinda just said ok and walked off."
She nodded. "And what else?"
"A girl tried to pressure Wraythe into making out with her," Anver said. "She was alone with him in the bath and begged for a kiss. Said it would be her first. He said he'd pass, but she kept trying, you know? Like she was on a mission. So he got out of there."
Saval nodded, pulling out a pad to make notes. "That was smart of him. And then Eladehl?"
"No one's messed with him yet," Anver admitted. "They will, but today it was me."
"And can you tell me what happened? It's ok if you aren't ready."
"I'm fine," he promised. "Ciella just pushed me against the wall and started kissing me. I tried to turn my head away, but she just followed. Like bending around me to find my mouth again. And when I told her I wasn't into her like that, she laughed and grabbed me down there."
"Hard?" Saval asked.
Anver shook his head. "Not to hurt. She was trying to get a reaction. I couldn't back up because of the wall, and she wouldn't let me leave, so I told her to stop. I asked her to get her hand off my dick - " He snapped his mouth closed. "Penis."
"Dick is fine," Saval assured him.
"Well, I told her to take her hand off," he continued, "so she started rubbing. It's... weird. Not good. Everyone else might like it, but I justdon't.I tried to bat her hand away, but she ignored me, so I pushed her back, intending to leave. I'm not sure if I pushed too hard, she wasn't expecting it, or if she slipped, but the next thing I knew, she was on the ground, and I told her to keep her hands off me."
With a heavy sigh, Saval laid her pen down. "What punishment for her would make you feel safe, Anver? I can't promise to make it happen, but I do promise to listen."
"A year of private courses on consent," he replied without hesitation. "I know that girl said she was trying to rape me, but it wasn't. It was assault, sure, and she should've known better. I mean, every time Wraythe touches - " Again, he stopped hard.
"Go on," Saval told him. "I'm not taking notes, and I'm also not a fool. I know you kids are growing up and experimenting. Our job is to make sure that you all do it safely."
"When Wraythe is with Nari," Anver finished meekly.
Saval's eyes jumped over to me. "And how does he know this?"
"Because we kiss in front of him," I explained. "Just because Anver doesn't want to make out with us doesn't mean he needs to hide from it. Eladehl uses consent of body, but Wraythe always asks if it's ok. If he can kiss here, if he can touch there. It's kinda cute."
"It really is," Anver agreed.
"And you aren't uncomfortable with them doing that in front of you?" Saval asked.
He shook his head. "They kinda include me. I mean, like, I think it's beautiful, and sometimes I stare - most times. They tell me it's ok. Sometimes, Eladehl and Nariana will turn so I can see. It's just... It's them being my friends."
"He tells us when it's weird," I assured her. "And we respect that."
"And they make me feel like I belong. Like I don't have to make out with someone to be a real person." Anver smiled at me. "We're kinda hoping that we'll get assigned together since we work so good."
"I can't do anything about that," Saval told him. "It's entirely up to Zeal's design. I can, however, make sure that Ciella gets not only two hours every day with a private instructor on consent, but that she's also taught about asexuality. Will that make you feel safe, or would you prefer I remove her from the class?"
He shook his head. "Unless you kicked her out of the temple, I think removing her from our class would only make it worse. No, I think that's ok."
"Well, if she does anything else, or if you think about it for a while and change your mind, my door is always open. You know that, right?"
"I do, Priestess Saval," he said. "Thank you for believing me."
"I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't." She stood and gestured to the door. "I'd prefer if you two stick together."
