Chapter 16

Taylor

After I’d eaten the last bite of my oatmeal, Brexl and I got up to put our dishes away. Tarak and Gabby were chatting with Orsu and Julie around the barrel, where we deposited our dirty dishes for cleaning.

Everyone looked so good together, so comfortable, so themselves. Tarak and Gabby were holding hands and his tail was wrapped around her waist. Julie was leaning against Orsu, who was rubbing her arm as they talked. Then Kayla and Drovo walked up hand-in-hand as well, smiling and laughing.

None of them changed who they were to be in a relationship. Gabby was our nerdy but sweet, strong leader before she met Tarak, and she hadn’t changed a bit. She’s just happier now.

Julie had changed, though. She was more relaxed now, but she was still herself. Kayla hasn’t changed one bit. She was the same strong-spirited woman as before.

I wanted that. I wanted to fall in love and still be myself. I looked over at Brexl, who was quietly observing everyone like he always did, and I wondered if I could learn to be myself while also being mated to him. Right now, none of this was real, so it was easy to not fall into those old habits, but what would happen if we ever crossed that line?

“Should we go ahead and announce it before people start leaving?” Gabby asks while looking up at her mate.

“Announce what?” Talia asked as she placed her dishes in the barrel as well.

“Everyone, may I have your attention?” Tarak’s voice boomed throughout the cave.

The entire dekes stopped talking and gave their leader their undivided attention.

“My mate has come up with a grand idea.” He looked down at Gabby before he continued. “Go ahead, it was your idea. You should tell them.”

“Alright,” she smiled up at him, then faced the group to address us.

“Well, since you all have welcomed us with open arms and have shared so much of your culture and traditions with us, I thought it would be fun for us to share some of our culture and traditions with you. We all come from a variety of cultures, and we’ll have to discuss which human holidays we should share and at what times of year, but I thought we’d start off with one that almost everyone from every culture might like.”

“Which one? Which one?!” Talia shouted, excitement flooding her face.

“Valentine’s day!” Gabby announced, and all the women cheered.

“Girl, you messy,” Kayla chuckled. “You know most of them aren’t mated yet.”

“And I thought this might speed things along...” She gave Kayla a mischievous smile, which made Kayla throw her head back and laugh.

“What is this day of Valentine?” Axon asked.

“It’s a holiday where you celebrate love.” Talia had a whimsical look on her face.

“It’s where couples give each other gifts that show how much they love and appreciate each other,” Ashley added.

“Or if you like someone romantically, you can surprise them with a gift or maybe even a date,” Gabby continued.

“What is a date?” Lumod asked while glancing over at Hai.

“It’s where you make a fancy dinner for your partner,” Julie supplied.

“A fancy dinner, you say?” Orsu looked down at his mate. “I could do that.”

“Or you can take them somewhere interesting where the two of you can have fun together.”

“Why don’t we set up some activities like miniature golf, or a slow canoe ride in the stream?” Fatima added.

Everyone liked that idea and seemed excited about the whole thing. That was everyone except for Rhaz, which was expected, but what I didn’t expect was how downcast Ashley looked. Whatever happened between her and Axon must have made a big impact on her. She’d usually be the one volunteering to put together activities like what Fatima had suggested, but instead she was looking at the floor with a frown on her face. Axon didn’t look much better as he glanced her way to find her ignoring him.

“When are we celebrating the day of Valentine?” Karo, Drondia’s mate, asked.

“I was thinking we could celebrate it the day after tomorrow,” Gabby smiled. “We can spend today finding a gift for our loved ones. Tomorrow we can set up activities like Fatima suggested, and the day after that could be Valentine’s Day!”

“Can we give gifts to our friends too?” Sarah asked. I’m still getting used to the sight of her in pants. She had a nice athletic build, like she could have been a track star in another life.

“I grew up making cards and things for my sisters,” she added as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

“Of course!” Gabby agreed. “That’s a great idea!”

All the couples were hugging and excitedly making plans for the special day. It was nice to see everyone so happy. There had been a dark cloud looming over us for the past month as we searched for food, only to keep coming short of what we’d need to last for the winter after the offering.

“Do you two even like each other?” Talia’s pointed comment caught me off guard.

She was looking directly at Brexl and I, the only couple who weren’t currently holding each other and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears.

“Of course we do!” I argued as I slipped my hand into Brexl’s. “We just aren’t into PDA, that’s all.”

“Right.” she eyed us suspiciously as she drew out the word.

“They are just as in love as the rest of us.” Kayla came to our rescue. “In fact, why don’t you two go ahead to the bathing chamber while the rest of us clean up here?”

I let out a sigh of relief. Kayla was giving us an out, and I would be eternally grateful for that.

However, I didn’t think about how this “out” was going to lead us to being naked in the bathing pool together until we were both in the humid, hot-tub-like room facing away from each other getting undressed.

We both desperately needed a bath, and we couldn’t not spend time in here together after being accused of not even liking each other. Any of the other couples would have jumped at the chance to spend some alone time in the bathing chamber together. It would have looked suspicious if we didn’t.