Nobles

Ch. 22: I was the jetset easy lay

She closed the door to her suite and quietly walked through the halls to another part of the palace. She was in a dark place, she needed to talk. Needed to clear her head and get some advice, and it was not something she could do over the phone.

Nervously, she knocked on the door when she reached her destination, and hoped she would find the safe haven she needed on the other side.

"Octavia?" Skylar looked at her with surprise when she opened the door. Octavia had expected as much, she never came to visit unannounced. It was not something she liked to do.

"I'm not feeling so good. Is Philo home yet? Do you have time to talk?"

"He'll be home tomorrow. I was about to have lunch. Come in, you look a mess." Urging Octavia inside, Skylar gestured wildly and moved to let her sister-in-law past her.

Skylar did not like what she saw. Octavia was usually a bubbly and sweet woman, she looked like she had some pressing issues. If she would be able to help, that was the question, she could listen and take it from there. Sometime, just being istened to helped even if no solutions to the problem was found.

They walked to the balcony and sat down.

"Ok, what's going on. I've never seen you like this. Shouldn't you be on cloud nine?"

Skylar worried with  that pained look in Octavia's eyes and her whole face was a mask of sadness. After the news of her and Reki, she would have thought Octavia would be floating in bliss.

Sitting there, hunching a bit and looking down, Octavia mumbled, "I am. Well, I try."

"It's not how you expected it? You don't love him now that you got him?"

"Oh, no. It's nothing like that. I love him. More than he'll ever understand," Octavia defended her feelings with determination and strength to her voice.

"Then what, sweetie? Nobody who just found out that the love of their life feels the same about them should be this miserable."

Octavia's green eyes were flooding with tears as she looked at Skylar. "I invited him to my place last night. He's never been to my rooms before. I think he saw it as an invitation to... Well, that." She made a tiny gesture with her hand to emphasize what she meant.

"He might have, but in all honesty. Wasn't it?"

"Maybe it was," Octavia admitted.

Skylar poured Octavia a glass of wine, she did not look to be in a lemonade mood. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Most unladylike, Octavia downed the entire glass of wine and closed her eyes.

"He came over. Brought flowers and he was so wonderful. He looked great and smelled so good. He was dressed to impress though he knows I don't need that. We ate dinner, drank some wine, and had a few drinks. We weren't drunk or anything."

"Go on." It did not seem like Octavia wad ready to tell her exactly what had happened.

"We were on the couch, kissing. He's such a good kisser and I get jealous thinking of the women that taught him how. I haven't said anything to him if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't Octavia. I'm just listening. I don't judge."

"Thank you." Octavia smiled a small, sad smile. "Well, he began to touch me. Nothing crazy, just naturally holding me and letting his hands caress me. It felt perfect. Nothing with him felt wrong. I wanted him to. I wanted him to go further, go there."

That sounded exactly like Reki. Nothing Octavia had said raised any flags for Skylar, she knew Reki would be overly attentive and careful with Octavia.