Living on Borealis-9: The Story Of A Reincarnated Human

Chapter 4, Part 5: Cuddling

It...was sort of nice, having Luna cuddle me. I mean, I didn't expect to wake up and find her like this with me. But she looked really at-ease...relaxed, that's the word. She looked very comforted by my presence and body heat. I shifted slightly, not wanting to wake her up, but also wanting to get a better look at her. Luna's face was calm, and her breathing was slow and steady. She smelled like wet dirt...I liked it.

I found it a little interesting that she was the little spoon. The way that she had draped my arms over her, as though I offered protection...Maybe she was just looking for comfort after a bad dream, or maybe she was feeling lonely. Yeah. But I did think a little bit about what Ogher said...how he referred to her as a 'Loved One', and similar. Hm...Perhaps there was a bit of something between us...But as Ogher also said...I am not ready for her. I thought about Ogher's words again, about how he had referred to Luna as a 'Loved One'. Was there something going on between them that I didn't know about? Or was it just a term of endearment, used by the people of this strange land to refer to their friends and family? You know, how in different cultures, different things here mean WAY different things over there?

As I lay there with Luna in my arms, my mind wandered, trying to piece together the strange puzzle that was her. So, she seemed to like Elves, or at least sympathise with them. Based on how almost all of them seemed to have an addiction, and some thought about food or violence, I guess they were not doing too well as a people. And she did have a lot of contempt for the Dryads. Could she have been in trouble for helping the Elves...I dunno, overthrow the Dryads, and exiled herself? Maybe that was why the Elves seemed all downtrodden; they must have earned it somehow. Or maybe I'm going at this from the wrong angle. I had to rethink a little bit...

Perhaps...I am overthinking it some. Maybe there was romance between us, or similar. Perhaps I should test it? You know, how people test the waters to see how they feel, with hand holding, spending time together, experimental kissing, all that stuff? Maybe it'd be wise for me to do so also. So, slowly, I reached towards Luna's chest, where her hands rested, and took them in mine. I held them delicately, not wanting to wake her up. Luna stirred a little, but didn't wake up completely. Ok, that's it. I'm done. I quickly set her hands down, retracted mine, and tried to scooch away from her. Pushed my luck too far. I should at least have asked.

"You're awfully afraid." She suddenly said, still keeping her eyes closed.

"Yeah, sorry. Sorry. Sorry." I apologised, over and over.

"You could have just asked, if you wanted to feel me up." She said.

That...What? No. That wasn't-

"Agh, dude. You're getting all sweaty. It was a joke." She said, suddenly flipping around to look at me. How did she execute that flip?

"I-"

Luna shushed me. "It's okay. You don't have to apologise. I was just enjoying the moment." She opened her eyes and turned to face me, a small smile on her face.

I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. "I just didn't want to overstep any boundaries or make you uncomfortable," I explained. Never overstep boundaries, kids. Bad stuff happens to you, the person involved, and you generally look like a scumbag. Make sure you know them. Of course, do as I say, not as I do.

Luna's smile widened. "You're sweet, you know that? But you don't have to be so cautious around me. I trust you."

"...Can I-"

"Yes." Luna said, grabbing my hands again. "Mmmm...Nice hands, man. Pretty big. Strong."

Feeling a bit daring, I decided to pop the question.

"Hey, I was just wondering...what exactly is going on between us? I mean, I know we've been through a lot together, and we seem to get along well, but I'm not sure if we're just friends or if there's something more there."

"Aren't you sweet, huh? I mean...Yeah, we are more than friends, but we haven't known each other for long enough. I'm just kinda...testin' things out, you know?" She said, making a sort of wave motion. Well, if we were standing, it would have been a wave. Instead, it was a lot more suspicious looking. "Why else would I ask you to pretend to be my betrothed last night, eh?"

"I...That was a ruse?" I asked. A ruse in a ruse!

"Heck yeah. I wanted to experiment, test things out a bit, and...well, perfect opportunity reared its head, I had to take it. Plus...I got called a Sylvan-Bitch by Meredith. 'Das pretty good too."

I sat there for a moment, trying to process what Luna had just said. So, we were more than friends, but not quite in a relationship yet. Ok then. Yeah. I can work with this. Wait, no, that sounded bad. I mean...I can understand her, and work WITH her. That's what I meant. I couldn't blame her for wanting to take things slow, especially considering we haven't known each other for more than a few months. And by a few, I mean less than three, at best. Taking it chill, man. And I respect that, a lot of good relationships are founded on getting to know each other BEFORE going into the relationship. Ok...yes...This was all so new to me. I had never been in a situation like this before, where I was unsure of what exactly was going on between me and another person.

I mean, I suck at reading other people's emotions, beyond a cursory 'Angry' or 'Happy'. I can't really read others feeling hurt because of 'X', or why they feel a certain way, or-

"Oi! Matt. Don't worry about it too much," she said. "We'll figure it out together. For now, let's just enjoy the moment, ok? Don't look into the future, that's how you get executed. Future seers get executed. People who live in the now don't."

I mean...I GUESS that's kind of flirting...

So, I just enjoyed the two of us laying there. And eventually, we had to break camp and get on the move again. But this time, I felt a lot more...springy, so to say. Like things are looking a bit up.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked.

"Village. Can't say much more, to be honest. All I know is that they exi-"

Luna was promptly cut off by her looking through a patch in the treeline. There, a column of black smoke was visible, rising from the distance. Even I knew what it meant.

"There's a raid."