Varna Ch. 03

Glasha had to know that I was there, but she let me look at her for as long as I liked. It's fairly rare that you can simply stare at someone without making them feel uncomfortable.

It was also the moment when I fully understood that my childhood friend had become a woman. Not just a young woman, or some other euphemism for an adolescent. We had parted as children, and came together with more than just the passage of time between us.

I had thought of her every day - and from her brief letters, I knew that she'd done the same. She'd grown into a beautiful woman. Intelligent, and wise beyond her years, but most definitely lovely as well.

I still had much to learn, and I was certainly not infallible, but I had no doubts about my own intelligence. But was I a man? Males mature later than females, it seems to me. Had I fallen behind? Would Glasha be disappointed, when the reality didn't match her memory or her imagination?

She finally turned to face me. I stayed still, to return the favour and let her gaze upon me. Glasha wasn't shy; she let her eyes roam over me, taking in every detail. She took plenty of time (as I had) to satisfy her curiosity. Finally, she smiled.

When she took two steps towards me, I began to move forward as well.

Glasha held out her hands, and I took them in mine. She kept me at arm's length, looking into my eyes at close range. Once again, she smiled.

With that, she stepped closer, and flowed into my arms. I held her tight as she pressed the whole length of her supple body against mine. We held each other, neither of us feeling the need to say a word.

Finally, Glasha drew back. She led me to her favourite rock, and had me sit on it. She reached up with one hand to touch my cheek.

- "I didn't think that I would miss you this much. Or that you would miss me as you did." she said.

- "I told you I would."

- "You did. But I thought that after a few months, with so many things to see... but instead you wrote of them, as if you were sharing the experiences with me."

I nodded. "I tried to."

- "I received twenty-one letters, Tauma. Twenty-one. And I could tell, from the gaps, that there were at least two more that never arrived."

- "Three more." I'd sent her twenty-four.

- "You see? And most of the letters weren't written in one sitting. You would describe one place, and then another, with different people, so that I knew you'd moved on. Do you have any idea what that meant to me?"

- "I was thinking of you, all the time."

- "And I was reminded of it every time one of your packages arrived. Each one was a gift -"

- "And a pledge."

She smiled, softly. "I know. I came to understand, after a while. And sometimes I regretted that I hadn't gone with you. But... I finally came to see that time apart was just what we needed. For me to appreciate what we have..."

I had to swallow.

- "I love you, Glasha." I managed to get out.

- "And I love you, Tauma." Glasha took hold of my hand again. She looked down, at our intertwined fingers.

"I think that we've been in love from the very beginning." she said. "I didn't trust those emotions. But this separation has taught me a great deal. I don't want to be apart any more. In fact, I don't want to be apart ever again. I'll understand if we have to..."

Glasha lifted her head, and met my eyes. "I'm ready to be your mistress, Lord Tauma."

I could only shake my head. "Not my mistress. My lover, yes - I've been dreaming of that for over a year. My lover, and my companion. For life."

- "You'll have to marry, one day."

- "Perhaps. Perhaps not. That's a bridge we'll cross when we get there. Together."

She squeezed my hand. "Together."

*****