The Star Chronicles, City Of Stars

Chapter 5

Leo

I had woken up before her and watched as she slept. Her head was on my chest and her arm slung across my body.
She looked so tiny and vulnerable and I had a sudden desire to protect her from everyone and anything that would try to harm her.
Not that she needed any protection. She is far stronger than I am.
My hand was in her long hair and my thoughts drifted to the previous night.
I thought of her soft supple skin, the taste of her lips, how it had felt to be inside of her. It had felt like I had finally made it back home from a long day of work that lasted years. It had felt like a house and kids. It felt like I could clearly see my future now.
She was my future. Before, I had thought I was going to be a Guardsmen and that was it; the entirety of my existence.
I looked down at the slow rising and falling of her body as she breathed and knew that I would stay by her side until our sun was no more.
She began to stir and I suddenly had every single insecurity every teenage boy has.
Now was the moment I find out if she had enjoyed it as much as I had, if I had performed adequately, and if she had liked what she had seen.
Above all, I had a fear that what I felt was unrequited. Could I be imagining all of this? It felt too strong to be so.
Her eyes fluttered open then. She hadn't noticed I was awake yet and I saw her smile to herself. My stomach eased a bit. That was a good thing, wasn't it?
She lifted her head and looked up at me, "Good morning, my princess" I said.
She blushed at the word and I noted it for future reference. I caressed her cheek and she leaned into it.
"Good morning, handsome," she said, teasing me.
"So you do think I'm handsome," I grinned.
"I have a couple other adjectives I'd use as well," she said and I laughed. She crawled onto my lap, the shorts falling away, revealing her breasts. I leaned in and kissed each.
Her eyes closed, enjoying the touch, and I suddenly became very aware of lack of fabric between my crouch and hers.
But she interrupted my train of thought, "How tall are you," she said.
I blinked at her. It was such an odd timing I thought and chuckled.
"6'5", why?" I responded. She looked down cast and I furrowed my brows.
"I'm only five feet," she said sadly.
"Why do you sound so sad?" I said. Cupping her face in my hand.
"Because all the women are so tall here. I feel like that's the standard of beauty here and I dont know I guess I felt like you didn't like how short I am" she said as she drew circles on my chest.
I looked at her in horror. Why would she ever think that? Did I do something to provoke this thought?
"Nyla Gildrtitch, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I would bed you all day if I could and worship ever inch of you if you'd let me," the words flew out of my mouth and her jaw dropped.
"I love you," she said and my heart stopped. The grin vanished off my face. But her face looked mortified and she said, " I'm sorry. I dont know why I said that," and she tried to get off my lap.
I grabbed her and held her there, "Don't ever be sorry for how you feel. I've been in love with you the moment I saw you, " I said. And her face soften her lip quivered and my heart filled with tenderness for her.
Her lips crushed against mine suddenly and I wrapped my arms around her.
She broke away, "How can we feel this way already?"she said.
"We are bonded," I said, "Half my heart lies within you, and half of yours in me" I said touching where her heart would be.
She looked at me, "How do we stop?"
My heart dropped, "what do you mean?" I said, thinking she meant stop loving each other.
But she said, "This," and gyrated her hips against me. My body reacted to the movement and she laughed, shifting slightly to accommodate me.
"We dont I said," my hands clutching her thighs on either side of me.
"I mean, I wasn't tired when we stopped," she said running her hands down my arms.
"Neither was I. What I said earlier is true. I could do it all day. But I thought you wanted some rest," I said recalling how I had drew away reluctantly.
She seemed to be weighing her next words then said, "Was it good?"
I looked at her as if she were out of her mind
"Last night was the best night of my life. No words could describe how I felt emotionally or physically. But I hate that, that what's on your mind; my pleasure, when yours is equally important."
She blushed then sprouted a devilish smile, " I mean it was good for my first time. Just, I expected more from a man of your size. You were more gentle than I expected."
My eyebrows soared up high on my forehead and I burst out into a laugh.
"Don't you think I took your size into account? You are.....very small" I said, recalling the tight fit. "I was worried of hurting you, especially since you were a virgin."
Her face fell, "Were you not?"
And I realized my error. "Yes I was," I amended, "and I'm perfectly happy with just the one woman". Her smile stretched across her face and my heart thumped in my chest with happiness.
"But I mean, if you want me to be rough, I can be," I whispered in her ear and her face reddened.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, "Nyla, Leo, get up already. There is a lot to still discuss today....you guys kept the rest of us up all night, the least you can do is say good morning," came Aris' voice.
Nyla gasped and her hands covered her face in embarrassment.
"They could hear us? I didnt realize we had been so loud," she said.
"We? That was all you, screaming my name like a banshee," I teased her. Her face reddened even further. It was adorable how shy she was.
"Did I really say your name?" She asked.
I recalled the moment she said my name in pleasure and how ravenous it had made me.
"Yes," I said, a bit smugly. She rolled her eyes and got off the bed taking her warmth with her, to my dismay.
"I'll start the shower " she said, heading for the bathroom.
"No, the tub," I said. I saw her look back and smile.
I jumped out of bed and ran a hand through my hair. It was knotted from her running her hands through it. I smiled at the memory.
I walked into the bathroom and found Nyla bent over the tub testing the water.
I walked over and took out a bath bomb from the cabinet and threw it in. It immediately began fizzing and dientergrating.
"You have bath bombs here?" She said, shocked.
"We're aliens not savages," I protested. She laughed. I'll never get tired of hearing her laugh.
I climbed into the tub and pulled her gently down on top of me. I handed her the shampoo, she went to wash my hair and I stopped her.
"Before you begin, I want to explain how Bonding works," I said. She lowered her hands and listened.
"Bonding has three stages, in order from least intimate to the most. We just initated the first stage," I said, indicating the room.
Her eyebrows rose. "Sex is the least intimate?" she said, shocked and I realized where her surprised stemmed from.
"On Earth, things are a bit backwards. To humans the physical connection is the most intimate. Here it is not. The most intimate is the Soul. First is Body, then the Mind, then the Soul. Body, Mind, Soul."
She nodded in understanding, "It's like courting until we get married?"
"Marriage is a human sacrament that we do not partake in," I said.
Her face fell and I cursed myself for being so insensitive. To her, marriage was very special and something she probably was looking forward to. I recalled from my many trips to Earth how women would dream of their wedding day. There were certainly many movies dedicated to the event.
"However," I added quickly, "There is a Bonding ceremony once all three rages are complete. I suppose that is a form of a wedding. We dress formally and swear an oath to eachother."
She seemed content with that.
"So, in order to complete the first stage, Body, we must wash each other's hair," I said.
She looked confused, "Why?"
"Our hair is very sacred to us. Only our Pair touches it or ourselves. In fact, it's so sacred, cutting someone's hair is forbidden."
"Wow," she said, "That's intense."
"Indeed", I nodded
"Well then, may I?" She said raising her hands.
"You may," I said as her fingers combed through my hair, lathering it up.

I still wasn't used to the touch, but I sat back and enjoyed it, vaguely aware that this moment wouldn't last forever. That I would soon have to prepare both myself and her for what is to come.

But for now, we washed each other's hair.