| "The Adventures of Kat and Clara" Part IX: The Conversation That night, Kat, Clara, and Salem all were given sleeping quarters in the village of the nudists. All was well for the next day; Tiaro and Mithea's flying machine had been prepared for use, ready to fly. Late into the night, as Kat and Clara slept naked on either side of a large, square room in one of the huts, Salem awoke disturbed, lying between the girls, with Kat to his left. He lay awake, also naked, staring up at the ceiling. He kept thinking of the scene at the pool not only hours earlier, how uncomfortable he felt about Clara undressing him. Salem turned his head on his pillow to admire Clara; she slept soundly, facing him. She's so beautiful, he thought, smiling. Such a wonderful girl like her deserves so much. But what could she think of me? After all, she saw me in my stimulated state; could that have offended her? Salem tried to put the thought out of his mind; he turned over to face Kat, who was in a deep slumber. But he tossed and turned in his sleep, his mind discomforted by the thought of the lady he fancied undressing him, only to be nearly unnerved by his erect manhood. I cannot sleep, Salem thought, facing Clara again. Her concern is also mine. How I embarrassed her and myself this afternoon; I must make amends. Salem slid out of his blankets and crawled toward Clara on his hands and knees. He looked down upon her, admiring her face. I must tell her how I feel, Salem thought, moving his hand slowly toward Clara's right shoulder. Otherwise, I will lie awake all night. Salem put his hand on Clara's shoulder gently and shook it softly. Clara's expressionless face soon turned to a smile; she began to writhe and purr in her sleep. Salem shook a little harder, beginning to feel stimulated again. Wake up, please! he thought, desperate to awaken Clara before his pantherhood became blatantly stiff. After a painful minute of shaking and jostling Clara's shoulder, Clara was awoken from her slumber. She slowly opened her eyes. "What's happening?" she whispered, looking around. Her vision was severly blurred; she could not even tell where the walls were. "Clara, it's me," Salem whispered back, hoping he wouldn't wake up Kat. "Wake up." Clara rubbed her eyes; her vision soon returned. She lifted her head to see what woke her up. Her eyes soon widened as she noticed a pair of arms and a pair of legs near her body, then a great bulge between the same pair of legs. The once docile Clara suddenly sprang to life, noticing that it was indeed Salem hovering over her. She shuffled in her sheets. "Salem!" she whispered, angrily, gasping again at his groin. "Get away from me!" "Shhh!" Salem replied, putting his index finger to his mouth. "You'll wake up Kat!" "What in the world are you doing?!" Clara asked, furiously. "Why did you wake me up?" "I needed to tell you something," Salem said. "It's important to me." "Why now? Did you come to violate me in my sleep? What kind of disgusting individual are you?" "No, Clara," Salem whispered. "I'm not going to do anything to you; I just want to talk to you." "What about? Why don't you cover yourself up first? Don't you have any control over yourself at all?" Salem was intensely worried. Clara was horribly angry with him; she did not appreciate his sexual stimulation, much less the fact that he woke her up in the middle of the night. Salem knelt in front of Clara. "I just wanted to tell you," he began, his eyes downcast, "that...that I'm sorry that I make you feel uncomfortable." Clara sat up in her bed, holding a sheet over her breasts. "You do?" she asked, quitely. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?" "I hope you understand," Salem said, trying to smile. "I never wanted to offend you at all." Clara smiled. "It's all right," she whispered. "I suppose I am to blame for your unhappiness; I have become so overly assertive in my self-rightiousness that I have let it blind our friendship." Salem's eyes widened. "You consider me your friend?" he asked. "Of course, I do." "Would you ever consider me more than just a 'friend?'" Salem asked, eager to hear her answer. Clara was taken somewhat by surprise. "More?" she asked. "Do you mean a person that I may love?" "Well, that's sort of--" Salem stuttered. He fumbled for words. "Well, that is to say--I--" Clara raised her index finger to his mouth. "Stop, Salem," she whispered. "I understand." "You do?" Salem asked, smiling wide. "Salem, it's not that easy," Clara sighed. He stopped smiling. "You're a great person, but I don't even know you all that well. You have been traveling with Kat and I for only a little over a day; I only know you through someone else." Salem's head sunk. "I knew it," he sighed. "It's difficult for you to see me." "What do mean by that?" Clara asked, intently. "Well, you have so much. You are on a quest of S'Allumer with your lifelong best friend; surely you have no time for people like me." Clara reached out for his left hand. "Maybe you aren't sure of how I feel," she whispered. "There is so much you do not know about me." "Can you explain?" Salem asked. Clara took a deep breath. "You don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation I am in," she said. "We were all just innocent people until we were all thrown into this worldly mess. Suddenly, we are the chosen ones. I cannot carry on a romantic relationship with you and save the world at once." Next page >> |