Page 49 of Right Next Door
“You know what, I’m not surprised,” she sighed. “You're a love virgin, if not a sex virgin then.”
He frowned at her, unsure what to say. Still rather confused. “I suppose…”
“Well, you have movies and books and stuff, right? You could at least understand romantic relationships shown there, couldn’t you?”
“Romance is not a genre my species produces or enjoys.”
“You- Wait, huh? Like, at all?”
“We discourage mating, and that is easiest done if all romantic relationships are discouraged.”
She blinked at him. “Well… you saw your parents or someone…”
Her voice trailed off even before he could say, “Kits are raised in kit centers, including myself. I did not meet those who sired me until later in life. They certainly didn't have a romantic relationship in order to produce me.”
“T-Then friends…”
“Most of those in leadership positions are unmated, as is proper. Boktare is one of the rare exceptions, and you see how he advocates against mating and romance.”
“You… really don’t have a single idea of what romance is, do you?”
He hesitated for just a moment before admitting, “I do not. As I said, I don’t know what mating is like.”
Chapter 19
Misty
He didn't know. He genuinely had no idea.
Misty considered the possibility that he didn't know, but she had been so absolutely sure that hehadto have some kind of notion of romance. Some type of source that would tell him to at leasttalkto the object of his affections.
But no. He didn't. No parental examples, no friends exchanging stories, no movies to fantasize relationships – he didn't even have his own experience. She certainly didn't count scheduled liaisons to be some kind of romantic entanglement. Even just the way he spoke of them sounded so dry, like he was taking his car to the cleaner or discussing a dental appointment. It was just something he did to satisfy a need, but now that he had her, he had ended all of those appointments – to borrow his word.
Misty had to just stare at Tsok’s furry, feline face, digesting the understanding that he had no idea, at all, of what he was doing. He brought her flowers as a traditional courting gift – which sounded exactly like the sort of language she read in her pamphlets about the kreecharma.
She tried to think of it like handing a middle schooler advanced calculus. Something he had no concept of understanding, or even trying to understand because he had never seen it before. That, except about love and romance.
So, if he knew absolutely nothing, then she couldn’t just expect him to figure out even the most basic of things. Only what he had been told, and what he had learned from his own people – as scant as that knowledge clearly was.
And what she knew of his people…
The kreecharma lost their minds when they mated. It was scent based – that was why they all wore nasal filters. The males took one whiff of their mate and they became a mindless, rutting, breeding machine determined to claim their female no matter what. A fate that his people actively fought against because, in that scenario, it was impossible to get consent from either party – because the females weren’t immune to the insane rush of sex hormones either. As far as Misty understood, it didn't make the females primitive and thoughtless like the males, but it did make them so horny that all sense just flew out the window. In both cases, you could make the argument that they were incapable of providing consent. And since no consent could be given, it was better to fight against it.
Do it for Her – they said, reminding themselves that they needed to protect their females from their own, terrible, base urges.
And Tsok had been waiting, patiently, for her consent to approach this entire time, without once pushing or questioning her – not including the messages to attend the parties with him. Something that was work related, absolutely not romantic.
In that light, she could just blink at him, stunned at the realization.
“You’ve been waiting… this entire time?”
He looked confused by the sudden change in her, by the seemingly random question, but he inclined his head once, in a rough mimic of her nodding. “I have.”
“That’s so… sweet…”
“What?” He blinked.
Misty laughed, a smile pulling at her face. “I can’t believe you’ve been waiting this entire time just to make sure you have consent to approach me.”
