| Salem was disturbed; he frowned accordingly. "If that is true," he sighed, "then why does it seem as though you carry on such a relationship with Kat?" "I must explain to you," Clara began, "that the bond between Kat and I is a unique one, one that is absolutely unconditional, one that transcends all worldly and celestial boundaries. We have been locked in a friendship that has existed since we have been able to walk." "It is beautiful," Salem said, "but to me, it seems as though you share love on two different levels." "That we do. Our friendship between each other has sometimes been more than just friendship; we may seem so much alike, but we are distinctly opposite in many respects. Kat has always been a very impulsive individual, while I have always been cautious of my ways. Kat is relatively liberal and dynamic; I tend towards the conservative. I seem very apathetic and reserved; Kat is distinctly more emotional. There are so many more things I could say about us both, but I feel that for the moment, I should mention the emotional aspect of our friendship. "Growing up with Kat in the same house has been a great adventure in itself. Every day we have cooked for each other, prayed together, laughed together, cried together, and so forth. But in more recent years, I have been a witness to a great change of behaviors between the both of us. "Kat is a few months younger than me; she is 21 years old, and I am 22. Affection exists between us all the time, despite our age. We have different ways of communicating our love to each other. I like to hold Kat's hand, either the left or the right; Kat, however, will hold both of my hands with both of hers. My embraces are gentle and soft; Kat's are much more strong and emotional. I will sometimes kiss Kat on the cheek or on the forehead; Kat would rather kiss me on my mouth, sometimes moving her tongue into it." "It seems to me that Kat would rather be romantic towards you than I," Salem said. "It sometimes seems that way," Clara answered. "Sometimes such gestures seem unwelcome to me, but I find it difficult to resist her, almost impossible, in fact. There was once a time when she came into my room when I was just removing my cape; it was late and I wanted to sleep. She came up from behind me and placed her hands on my hips; she was wearing her gloves, as she always does, and I wore mine. I felt her touch me, and I moved my hands back to hold her wrists. She turned me around to face her; Kat smiled warmly as she put one hand on my shoulder and used the other to remove her cape; it fell to the floor, laying at our bare feet. I smiled back, accepting her greeting to me. But it was more than that; she let go of my hips and took my hands; her fingers slipped between mine and she bent her knees. I knelt down on the floor with her, with our knees in contact. She still held my hands; now they were at my sides. She looked down at my chest, and ran her arms around me to hold me, placing my hands behind me. Never had I ever been held so tightly, not even by one of her less sensuous embraces. She then began to recline on her side, and we slowly came to rest on the cold wood floor. Kat lay on top of me, now holding my hands behind my head, maintaining a gentle but strangly restrictive grasp on my wrists. She smiled, then kissed me on my mouth; she put her tongue inside me. I could not help but submit to her; how could I resist my best friend's love for me? Her intentions were not bad, so I allowed her to do this to me. I did not want her to do it, but I was strangely moved by her, even as she probed my tongue with her own tongue. We laid there for a while; while kissing me like this, she cradled by head with both hands, and every so often she would pause to express herself in words. She would quietly tell me how beautiful I was, and how she was so lucky to know me. Even though I felt uncomfortable, I was not resistant; instead, I accepted her for who she was, regardless of how she would express her affection to me." "Did this happen again to you?" Salem asked, intently. "It did," Clara answered, "quite a bit, I might add. When Kat was 18, she reached a period in her lifetime in which she experienced a great deal of terrible nightmares, some so horrible I bear not to tell you. Like a little child, she would awake in the middle of the night, then come to my quarters for comfort. Most children would rather just seek consolation from their mother and father, but not Kat. Instead, she felt it more comforting to lie down in bed with me and embrace me, not to mention to also kiss me overaffectionately. This went on for almost two months, before she had finally stopped having such horrible dreams. I still worry about her quite a bit from that time; I even wondered if these advances on me in the night and the subsequent periods of touching, kissing, and romantic words would bring on a new wave of dreams, some that would be more erotic and sensuous than horrifying and gory. That never happened, at least to me; otherwise, Kat would have come to me over and over again." Salem felt enchanted. "Is she always this emotional?" he asked, quietly. "Very often, yes," Clara answered. "She is a very emotional young woman. She cries quite a bit, either in physical or mental pain or in joy, sometimes over even the most insignificant happenings. She feels very threatened when she feels she has wronged someone, even if the wrong was as forgiveable as stepping on someone else's foot. Sometimes she finds it hard to smile or to laugh; this is always disturbing." "It seems to me," Salem said, "that Kat needs you more than I need you." Clara's eyes widened. "You what?" she whispered. "I cannot hide it from you, Clara," Salem sighed. "I have found you to be what I am looking for in a young woman: someone who is understanding, someone who is gentle, someone who is beautiful." Clara smiled. "I am flattered that you feel this way, Salem," she said, "but I know not if it is time for me to decide if I would like to submit to courtship with you." "Why is that, Clara?" Salem asked, desperate to understand. "It's about Kat, Salem," Clara answered. "I would need to talk with her about this matter." "But you seem like such an independent individual. Would you not be able to let this be your own decision?" "It is difficult to say. Kat loves me very much, far more than just an ordinary friend or an ordinary lover, as I have mentioned to you. I sometimes believe she is overprotective; sometimes I think that she wants to be married to me. I am unsure of how she would react to you courting me; it may dishearten her. And I do not want to disappoint Kat; we have spent our lives together, rarely even temporarily parting ways. I'm sorry, Salem, but I can't decide right now." Salem smiled. "That is fine with me," he said, "so long that you are sincere of declaring me a friend." "I am sincere," Clara said. "I cannot lie to you, much less anyone else. I will not put your question out of my mind. I will consider you; after all, I can't say a person like you can be disregarded, certainly not after you saved my life on the mountain." "You're very welcome," Salem said. "I will protect you and Kat equally on this journey. We will all be safe and sound." "Absolutely," Clara said. "Now, let's go back to sleep. Another great day of adventure awaits." Clara laid down in her blankets and covered herself up; Salem crawled back to bed at the same time. Within moments, they were both fast asleep. Salem could now rest easier, as now his heart could rest easier. Back to Stories Back to "TAOK&C" Back to Home |