Towards Love

20.second thoughts

Lola woke up in her human body. She sighed thinking about how the evening before had turned out. Neteyam and her were now linked. A smile stretched her lips when she thought of their two embracing bodies that she was about to join thanks to the mind transfer. After eating something to satify her stomach, the young woman lied down on the transfer machine. It was at this moment that Jake decided to enter the lab. "Ah Lola, there you are. Where is Neteyam? You need to help us with the preparations for tonight's ceremony." Lola looked at him hesitantly. She could obviously tell him that Neteyam had surprised her to celebrate the news, but wouldn't she give herself away by talking about the boy? "We fell asleep in a place he wanted to show me in the mountains. I'm just about to join him. I'll tell him we need to get back as soon as possible."

"You fell asleep? Together?"

"Hum ... Yes ..." Jake examined her, suspicious. It reminded him all too well of his relationship with his wife. His intuition told him that his son might have taken a little too much cues from him. "Lola, nothing special happened last night, did it?" The young woman's legs began to shake nervously. She didn't know what to do. Jake had obviously found her out, but she didn't know whether to let Neteyam break the news and lie to her father or to let it go now. "I ... Like what?" Jake gave her a disapproving look. That's all it took to make her give in. She wanted to have as many people on her side as possible when Neytiri would find out. The woman would more than likely be furious. "Okay ... we became mates." Jake ran a face over his face, sighing. "And you couldn't wait until after the last transfer to do it?

"We didn't think of that. At the time it was just... natural. It was the right time." 

"Right. And have you thought about the consequenses if anything goes wrong with the transfer? How it would affect Neteyam?" 

"No. I haven't." Lola felt bad. She was the one who had initiated the bonding. Neteyam may not have even thought about it. Maybe he had agreed under the pressure of the moment. And if something happened, he would be alone. Would he be able to mate with someone else if she died? She didn't know if that was something possible among the Omatikaya. She looked at Jake blankly, her gaze now full of regret. What would it have cost them to wait one more night? When he spoke again, his voice was harder than usual. Even though he liked her, Lola had disappointed him because she was somehow putting Neteyam in danger. "What's done is done. Go get Neteyam and come back here for the preparations."

"Yes sir. On that words, she lied down and closed her eyes, wondering how she was going to tell her mate about this conversation."

***

The young woman opened her eyes again to find herself in the crack where they had spent such a pleasant time the evening before. Neteyam was no longer next to her but she could hear some noise not far from where she was lying. The girl sat up to find him busily preparing breakfast. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, the boy turned his head in her direction, a big smile appearing on his face. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty."

"You know this tale?"

"My father was human, remember? He passed on some stories from your planet." While saying that, Neteyam had come closer to Lola, placing fruits in front of her. He went to kiss her but the young woman stepped back slightly. Surprised, he froze. "What's wrong?"

"I just had a conversation with your father." Now curious, the boy sat down in front of Lola, a serious expression on his face. "About what?" The young woman, not really knowing how to approach the subject, decided to go straight to the point. "Last night, did you mate with me because we were caught up in the moment or because you really wanted to?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Neteyam was at a loss for words. He was so happy to be with Lola, especially after what was said and what had happened between them. He could not understand her behavior. What had his father told her that she was now in such doubt? "It's just ... You're dad made a very good point." 

"Wait. He knows about the bonding??" Lola gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do, he cam into the lab and started wondering what happened last night and I couldn't lie." Feeling the panic rise in her, the boy took the hand of the young woman to reassure her. "Okay. He would have found out eventually anyway. What did he tell you?"

"He said waiting one more night for the final transfer to be done would not have been a bad idea in case something went wrong." She moved a little closer to him, grabbing his forearms. "He's right Neteyam. We should have waited. I dragged you into this, it was selfish of me."

It is true that the boy had not thought about the potential danger of tonight's transfer either. If by misfortune Eywa decided not to grant it to Lola, she could die. If her human body refused to make the transfer completely, she could also die. There were a lot of possible scenarios where the ceremony would go wrong. Then Neteyam would be heartbroken. Worse, he would physically feel the loss of Lola because of their bond. Bonding with someone else would then never be the same. You don't forget the first mate. 
But he refused to think negatively. The feelings he had for Lola were so strong that there was no other way for him. He had to make her his mate.

"Hey, look at me." Neteyam lifted Lola's chin so she could look him in the eye. "You didn't force me, if I did it, it was because I wanted to. No matter what happens tonight, I'm glad it happened." Lola smiled gently. The boy kissed her tenderly to support his words. "I see you." The young woman wrapped her face in her hands and rested her forehead on his. "I see you."

They stayed like that for a few moments before Lola remembered that they had to get home as soon as possible. "We've got to go! Your dad is already mad at me, if we get there late for the preparations, he is going to kill me." Neteyam laughed getting up and wrapping their stuffs. "Okay, let's go. We have a ceremony to prepare!" 

Author's note
The big moment is coming! What do you think of this chapter? Don't forget to vote and  comment :)