YOU HAVE ME ~ JAKE SULLY

27

The entire party went by smoothly. No fights, no nerves, and certainly no Canan.

I could tell people had so many questions: How're doing? Why did you and Canan break up? When did you start dating Jake? How did you start dating Jake? How good is he in bed?

The last one mostly came from the women, obviously. Some people had the questions written all over their faces, and others were brave enough to actually ask them.

Jake or Sienna shut them down every time, and if they weren't around, I acted like something caught my eye, or I changed the subject. Or I pretended to have a bad realization and needed to find Jake.

By the third time I appeared beside Jake in an attempt to escape questions, he decided I was staying with him the rest of the night. Keeping an arm wrapped around me, his fingers tucked in the band of my loincloth at my hip. Not in any sexual way, more like protection.

Besides escaping questions about Canan and Jake's sexual abilities, the night was nice. Really nice.

It was the first party I've been to where I felt entirely me. I wasn't Canan's girlfriend, or the chiefs daughter, or some shell of myself playing a part for the happiness of others.

Not the old Nessa either.

I was me.

This new me. I didn't know exactly who that was yet but I liked how it was going. It felt like I was introducing myself to... myself again. Not only were other people learning who this new Li'Nessa was, but I was too. And for the first time, that didn't scare me.

By the time we headed out, it was around midnight and the bulk of the party moved from inside home tree to around home tree. Dancing, drinking, and partying had moved outside onto the steps.

As Jake and I mounted back onto Toruk to take off, we had an entire ant farm of eyes on us. They might as well be drooling.

Jake turned me so I was in front of him, straddling his waist. His hand was on my thigh as he leaned for a slow, soft kiss.

"Gotta let 'em know you're taken," He whispered on my lips after he pulled back.

I smiled up at him before pecking his lips once more and resting my head in the center of his chest.

We're now an hour into our two hour ride home, we've sat in silence the entire time. I was completely exhausted and tired, my body definitely had some re-training to do when it came to parties because I wasn't keeping up with Jake, that's for sure.

I would've fallen asleep already if I wasn't enjoying the view and peace that being so high up brought me.

The soft whipping of the air as we flew, and the stillness of the forest this late at night brought a sense of calm over my entire body.

The pads of Jake's fingers gently tickled up and down my spine, eventually settling his hand flat between my shoulder blades. I felt his lips press against my head in a gentle kiss.

"You should get some rest," He whispered as his thumb made gentle circles in my back.

I lifted my chin to look up at him, head still on his chest. My pointer finger coming up to trace the sharp edges of his jaw, "I'm enjoying this moment too much to pass it up for some rest," I responded, my hand coming back down to his chest.

Jake's deep chuckle rattled into my ear drums, his free hand coming to my chin and lifting my head away from his chest to look back up at him.

"Hey, I was comfy there," I whined, eyes narrowing at him.