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“I couldn’t agree more. You know Harlen from work, don’t you?” she asks.
“Hi, yes,” I say, smiling at the tall Kiphian woman.
“And this is Dorian,” she adds, introducing me to another human woman. “She lives just down the street from me.”
She smiles at me shyly. I’ve seen her before in the village but never actually spoken to her.
“Hi, pleased to meet you,” I say, sitting down next to her.
“Okay, let’s get the drinks flowing,” says Trish, putting up a hand to attract the waiter.
It feels good to get out of my head for a while, and being with the girls is great fun. Harlen is one of those people who is larger than life, and she soon has everyone playing drinking games.
Even the quiet Dorian comes out of her shell after one too many fire blasters, Harlen’s drink of choice as she seems to keep winning the games.
Harlen slams her shot glass down on the table. “My uncle has got a lodge in Plume Valley. We should go away for the weekend together, just the four of us. It’ll be a fun girl's weekend,” she says.
“Is that where the hot springs are?” Trish asks. Like me, she didn’t grow up in the mountains.
“Yep, that’s the one,” says Harlen. “You’ll love it if you’ve never been to one.”
“Wow, that sounds fantastic,” I say enthusiastically. The alcohol has loosened me up a bit and getting away for a few days sounds like the perfect thing to look forward to. “I’d have to ask for time off. When were you thinking?”
“Maybe in a couple of weeks?” Harlen suggests.
I’m thrilled at the prospect, and I love these new friends. I’ve met a few people since I’ve been here, but this is the first timeI’ve felt part of a group in a long time. Maybe since I was part of the human settlement as a child. I like it.
14
RENXEL
This hurts more than I thought it would.
When I started avoiding Mira last week, I had no idea I would feel this way. I wish I could cheapen it, and compare it to the ‘can’t eat, can’t sleep’ I’ve seen in movies a thousand times.
But this is next level.
I've been in relationships before, and I accepted there would be some degree of discomfort in cutting things off with her. A day or two of losing my mind would be adequate. She’s my fated mate, after all, so there’d be some sense of loss.
A day passed, two days, three. When I got to five and still couldn't stomach the idea of food, still couldn't sleep without tossing and turning all night, I knew.
This isn’t going to go away overnight.
But this isn’t my first uphill climb, either. I’m trained for strength, more even than the average Kiphian, and if I want to push myself, then it's just to test my endurance. My resolve is untouched. All I need is focus, drive, and direction, and I’ll be back on top in no time. Easy.
My room looks a mess. My ropes and gear litter the floor like my mood. After extending my stay another day, then three, I have to admit I’m running out of excuses to stick around. Yet the idea of leaving makes my stomach turn. I just can't bring myself to do it.
Throwing my pack onto my back, I sigh heavily before I reach for the door button. Catching a glimpse of myself in the entry mirror before I leave makes me shudder. Do I even know the Kiphian staring back at me?
As the lock clicks behind me, it’s time for the fresh torture of the day. Renewing my checkout is the only communication we have these days.
Stepping back into the lobby, I’m hit with the fresh memory of her naked flesh in my hands. Her breath sounding in my ears with every push of my hips into hers. I have to fight the thoughts away as I step up to the counter.
She’s not exactly happy to see me.
“Mr. Garome, enjoying your stay?” It kills me. The routine of it, it’s so forced and cold. And so what I deserve.
“I’ll need to extend another day, please.” I fall in line, as I should. It was me who pushed her away, after all. But even I wish there was a world in which I could explain it to her. She just wouldn’t understand.
