"I wanted to say... I like you a lot and..."
"But, I know that already, Clara."
"No, no... Oreo. Listen..."
"But, I do."
Under the blankets, well hidden from the world, Oreo and I finally found time to talk quietly without being pressured by time or people. Now, it was just a matter for me to find a way to convey my message so that Oreo wouldn't think I was weird or threatening. I also wanted to hear what she had to say in return.
When I showed up at the pethouse earlier with Asha and Vix, Oreo and Trixie were rummaging through my things in the bedroom, but shortly after that, Trixie left the room like a hurricane, motivated by the opportunity to annoy her friends because I gave her a special gift. At that moment, against all odds, I ended up alone with Oreo.
I had no idea how it had happened, but we ended up kissing for a few minutes, and nobody ever came back to the room. My theory was that when Asha and Vix saw Trixie exiting the bedroom, they decided to give us some alone time. Or maybe they were only filling Trixie in with their dating master plan.
So my pretty friend and I decided to slide under the blanket and isolate ourselves further from this chaotic world that made our life so much more complicated. We weren't naked, but it felt just right anyway.
"You... you know... I find you very cute."
"Yes. You tell me all the time at the café."
"True. But... outside the café... you are cute too."
"Oh, you told me that as well before."
Why was it so hard? What was I trying to tell her exactly? I had never used the words I attempted to articulate before, and it was incredibly hard to put them together in an orderly manner. It was obvious that Oreo knew that I found her cute already. Every time I fed her and rubbed her warm rubber belly at the café, I told her how much I liked her. Unfortunately, I told all the other petgirls the same thing. So how was I supposed to make her understand that I liked her differently?
Transferring part of this burden to her shoulders seemed like a spineless move, but that was all I could think of doing before I hyperventilated.
"Oreo... How much... Do you like me?"
"Oh... a whole lot."
"..."
And what was that supposed to mean? That was an instant backfire. I only ended up killing the conversation and my quest didn't advance any further.
"Do... Do you like... other petgirls?"
"Of course. All of them. Except for Savannah because I don't know her at all. She spends all her time with Meeka like a leech."
"..."
Yes. Why was it so hard? Couldn't Oreo see what I was trying to tell her? And how was I supposed to know if she was missing my point or just tried to deflect the topic so as not to hurt me? How did ordinary people manage to communicate so easily while I couldn't? They didn't seem to bump into these kinds of issues.
"But... Oreo... When I saw you... out of costume..."
"I know. It was weird. I'm sure it scared you."
"When you were all tied up? Yes, but..."
"Awww... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It was just easier for me to meet you that way. I'm weird like that."
"No, no. Oreo! You are not weird. It was okay. It's not what I'm trying to say..."
Poor Oreo. I didn't know she felt that bad about what she had done on that day when I met her for the first time, when she was all tied up on the bed. I thought things had gone very well. Sure, it had surprised me a little at first, but it was no big deal. After untying her, we had plenty of time for kissing, and I thought it was great. I had even found her bondage outfit intriguing. But the way she was talking, it was as if she had stayed with an impression that she had done something wrong.
"You... you didn't think I was weird, Clara?"
"No. I thought you were pretty. And I liked your little harness."
"You did?"
"Yes. Hehe."
"Awww... I love to wear it. It makes me feel safe."
"Safe?"
"Yes. It's like... when someone hugs you. I don't know... But when I wear it, I feel... stronger."
"Oh, then I will have to try it because I'm not very strong. Haha."
"..."
"..."
What did I just say? That I wanted to try... bondage? There was an awkward moment of silence. Knowing how important bondage was to Oreo, it was probably not a good idea to joke about this as I did. She just looked at me with her big black eyes as if I had perhaps demonstrated a willingness that she had not expected, and I didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing.
"Clara? Were you serious?"
"Oh... Mmm..."
Bondage? What did I get myself into this time? I finally had an opportunity to share my feelings with Oreo, but now, this clumsiness of mine made me turn red like a lobster in boiling water. I didn't want to say anything that would have offended her. I knew how important her bondage gears were to her, so I didn't want to say that I didn't like it not to make her feel like she was odd, and I didn't want to say that I liked it out of fear of what could happen next. Yet, telling her that I didn't know would show her my indifference, and she would take it as a no.
Why was I so talented at painting myself in a corner?
"I would be... willing to try... one day."
What had started as a poor attempt at being funny had turned into a commitment to try something that I had never considered before, and frankly, that was a bit uncomfortable.
Oreo's next words would be significant for my future. Her little mouth opened to expel a sound, but just as she was going to, the bedroom door slammed open.
"CLARA!"
Thank you, Trixie. You just saved my life without realizing it.
"Clara? Where are you?"
"Here."
Oreo and I crawled out from under the blanket and stared at Trixie.
"Uh? Were you guys having sex? How come you are not naked?"
"... We weren't. We were... talking."
"Talking? What a waste. If I were under the blanket with Oreo, I would totally have sex with her."
"..."
Oreo and I looked at each other, puzzled by how bold our blonde rabbit friend could be at times. But at the same time, we couldn't really say she was wrong.
"Anyway! Clara! We need to talk."
