Bonded: Gaja and Kitra Wes and Harper

A sleek young woman entered the grocery store, looking as if she were in no rush. She casually grabbed a shopping basket and took her time to scan the entire store. Her brunette hair hung gently over her shoulders and her brown eyes seemed filled with excitement. One might believe her shining eyes, along with her cunning smile and blushed cheeks, were just indicators of the life she was growing inside her. Her stomach had become quite large but her slim figure still remained in all other aspects. The woman seemed to struggle with getting around people, particularly small sections of the store, but otherwise she was unfazed by the new size she now had to account for. It was odd, the woman didn't seem to be looking for a particular item on the shelf but she rather looked around at the people and different rows of grocery items. She didn't pay much attention to any patrons that passed by her or gave her a knowing smile. She simply continued to pace the store, small, black, basket in the crook of her arm. Alas, she reached the bread, jelly, honey, and coffee aisle. Her eyes turned to slim half crescent moons when the corners of her mouth rose and wrinkled the smooth skin on her face with a smile. She made her way past a patron or two before finding herself in front of the honey. She glanced from side to side, to see if there was a crowd nearby but quickly turned back to the task at hand. There were plenty of options at her eye level but the woman seemed dissatisfied with any of the available choices. She slowly scanned the shelf of honey before her eyes landed on a single jar that precariously sat on the very top. She frowned a bit as she considered the difficulty in reaching the top jar. Determined, she attempted to tippy toe reach for the jar but was still quite short in distance. She huffed to herself and scanned the lower shelves, looking for any way to gain extra height. She nuzzled her foot between a few peanut butter jars before deciding it was firm enough to put more weight on it. She then picked up her right foot to try and find a new foothold a few shelves above. Her hand stretched as far as she felt she could and just barely stroked the cool glass of the jar. She was so close. She couldn't quit now. The woman glanced left and right, momentarily, before pressing upward on the ball of the left foot to find a new height but clamored backward, almost smashing the bread display behind her. "Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" Harper asked stepping over to the woman. "I am so sorry for all the inconvenience! I was just trying to get that jar at the top but I guess I just can't with the extra weight in my front end." The woman giggled softly, hiding the blush that was creeping over her cheeks. "That jar?" Harper pointed to the envied honey jar that sat alone on the very top. "Yes, ma'am." The younger woman said with a bit of defeat. "I know the ones at the top haven't been tampered or touched as much. Trying to keep as many germs away to keep this little one safe." She gently rubbed her bump with a thoughtful sigh. "I will gladly grab that for you. Hold on." Harper turned to the shelf and attempted to grab it from the main floor but found herself a bit short for the reach as well. "Oh, that's alright. I appreciate your help but I can just ask someone to come grab it for me. It's no big deal." "That's silly. I am right here and I am sure I can reach it." Harper responded with a new found confidence in her height. The more she reached the more she felt the jar had been moved back between each attempt. Still, she was determined to reach the jar of honey. She took a step in a lower shelf as her extended arm reached closer to the jar. Her fingertips were just slightly caressing the smooth glass and easing it toward the side. "I almost have it!" She announced to the young, expectant, mother, below. The jar slowly spun and she willed it closer to the side. The scraping of the jar on the metal was just loud enough for the two women to hear but it sounded like victory to Harper. Just another centimeter and she would have the jar to help the mother below. Crash. The jar of honey tipped on it's side and began pouring honey all over Harper. Before she could move an inch, the jar seemed to soak through every hair and fiber of her shirt. Harper moved away from the side and tried to wipe the sticky substance off her shirt but to no avail. She had only succeeded in deepening the damage the golden sugar had done. "Oh!" Harper exclaimed holding her arms up in defeat. The liquid drooped off her fingertips slowly onto the floor below. The brown haired woman had her hands over her mouth in an embarrassed gasp. "I am so sorry! This is all my fault." She raved toward Harper but stopped short, considering the sticky substance and her own hands and clothes. "Oh...umm...." She looked around and then back at Harper. "I apologize. I feel so awful. Let me, uh, well," she frantically looked for some aid but then turned to Harper in distress. "Please, let me repay your kindness and help you clean up. I don't live very far from here. Come with me, mess and all, and we will get you cleaned up and in new clothes. I would hate for you to get this all over your car on my account. Please let me help you." Harper didn't feel comfortable going with a stranger in her car and to her home but she also didn't feel comfortable dripping in honey, which only seemed to get worse by the second. The young woman seemed so upset over the entire incident and she was at least 6 months pregnant. What harm could be done by going to wash up in her home? "Sure, that'd be great." Harper said a bit flatly. She didn't necessarily blame the woman for the honey all over but she also didn't NOT blame the woman. Besides, she was only reaching for it on the young mother's account. The brunette woman lead Harper out to a sleek black SUV with leather seats. She held the door open for Harper and then slid in after on a different row. "Home, please. And quick. I have caused quite the scene at the grocery store and my friend needs to get cleaned up!" "Right away, ma'am." An older gentleman nodded as he began to pull out. "I am so very sorry. I hadn't even had the chance to ask you for your name." "Harper." She said looking around the vehicle. It seemed entirely new. She didn't want to mess up the interior of her own vehicle but she felt guilty for dripping the sticky substance in what seemed to be a brand new SUV. "Harper, I am so very glad to make your acquaintance. I am Letti." She began to stick out her hand for a hand shake and then thought better of herself. Her hand retracted on her lap and she shamed herself silently for even considering the action. Letti had been honest. The drive to her home wasn't far away. The large SUV had taken turns Harper didn't even know were there. They opened to a quite section of town. Not many houses seemed to be in the area and Harper couldn't help but wonder which house they would eventually turn into. The fact she was pregnant, alone, had a driver, and a new seeming car, made Harper wonder at the costs of the houses they passed. It wasn't until the turned on a private road that they were able to see a large iron wrought gate. The driver reached out and entered a few numbers on a keypad to open the gates. They creaked but just slightly. They were not old or rusting but rather new and shining. How long had these gates been sitting here? Was this a new property of hers? Or was everything just so well matinenced in her care? The building didn't seem as foreboding at first but the closer the car inched toward the grand entrance, the more Harper felt herself staring. Letti instantly jumped from her seat and out of the car so she could open Harper's door. "Here! I told you I lived close." She waved for Harper to follow her toward the front door. Harper's head was tilted back, taking in the grandeur of the place. "Wow." She breathed out. "What was that?" Letti turned back to see Harper stopped in the middle of the drive, looking up at the house. Letti smiled to her and took a place next to her, looking in the same direction as Harper. Letti continued to smile as she looked over the intricate designs that seemed to cover every inch of the manor. It had both the architect of an older home with the clean stone of a modern living space. "I know. I forget what it's like to see it for the first time. It took my breath away when I first saw it too. " She lowered her head to examine her hands and then lifted her eyes once more to Harper. "I know it probably seems quite excessive but it's really not more than any other CEO has, especially those who work from home." Harper finally turned her attention back the the young Letti would seemed so childish. A CEO? The woman scaling the side of the store shelves for honey? Her eyebrow slightly raised as she considered this. "You're a CEO? Of what company?" Letti laughed, finding something amusing about something Harper had said or done. After a moment she stopped and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Not me, silly. I couldn't possibly keep up with the work he does!" She titled her head toward the front door, leading Harper inside. The inside was just as luxurious as the outside indicated it would be. Original hardwood floors, shining from every room. The multilevel home looked even more grand with the inside bridge connecting different sides of the house with side rails that allowed one to look over and below. Letti kept pushing Harper to follow her down a few halls, which Harper noted would be difficult to navigate if she needed to flee for her life at a later time. They found themselves in a large bedroom. The bed was ornate, decorated with a sheer canopy and wide windows that were shut. "If this isn't your house...." Harper trailed off, still taking in the sights of the magnificent home. "Then.....?" Letti was already in the attached bathroom, starting water, presumably for Harper. "Oh!" She turned back and stood by Harper. "This is my fiance's home." She held up her hand and wiggled her left hand to show the diamond she sported on her left hand. Harper didn't dared touch her hand with her own sticky hand but she was taken aback at the chosen setting. The simple yet detailed setting was something she herself had onced dreamed to have, many years ago. "I know, please don't say what everyone says. I know I am young, I am still in my twenties, but my fiance is older. He's established, has dreams and savings. We aren't jumping into things." She rubbed her stomach softly and thoughtfully. "He wants a family, a big one. It's always been important to him. He's going to be such an amazing father. I love him and I know what I am getting into." She lifted her eyes to Harper again who was still dripping in honey. "Oh my, I am so sorry, sweetie. I am just blabbing away while you are getting stickier by the minute!" She ushered Harper to the large bathroom that had already begun to fill with hot steam. The marbled, stone, walls of the shower dripped with condensation. The white towels laying out were new and not yet damp. "I laid out some towels for you here and there's plenty of shampoo and stuff in there." She motioned toward the shower. "This is the guest bathroom so don't worry about making a mess or using something you're not sure about. It's just our extra room and stuff. I have tons of clothes in the closet right there." She pointed to the walk in closet off the large bathroom. "Seriously, take whatever you'd like in there! I owe you that. Those are sort of my 'might get rid of clothes'. I know I need to thin out before the baby and my body will change but...I still have a closet that big and full in our bedroom upstairs. " She bit her lip, guilt like. "Anyway, make yourself at home!" She began to walk away but a realization set over her. "Crap!" She turned on her heel and looked at Harper with a horror on her face. "I completely forgot about the things I needed from the store!!! I needed them for dinner. I am going to run and grab those things and do a couple more errands. That'll give you plenty of time to clean up, pick out clothes, and relax. I will be back in...like two hours and I can have Jeremy take you back to your car." Harper didn't have time to respond for Letti blew a kiss and was off again. Harper had so many questions about the young woman. The first came about the house she was currently standing in. She looked around at the stone wall, considering what sort of man must her fiance be. She closed the bathroom door behind her and locked it, just to be safe. Letti did mention that her fiance worked from home. As awkward as Harper felt about the entire situation, Letti seemed harmless enough and she really could use a shower. She shed her clothes and stepped into the roomy shower. The steam seemed to roll around her face, relaxing the stress and anxiety from the past hour. How had she found herself in such a position that she now stood in a stranger's home, scrubbing honey from her hair? The towels were still warm from the heat of the shower and soft as if they recently came out of a warehouse before landing on the counter. No used towel could possibly be so soft and white. Harper relished in the feel of the towel against her skin as she wrapped the small stack of hair above her head. She opened the door and made her way to the walk in closet that was open to the bathroom and bedroom. Letti wasn't kidding when she said she had too much. Everything was so well organized but filled to the brim. Harper wasn't even sure where to start. Her eyes darted from the dresses, to the designer jeans, and back to the side that held some of the softest blouses. "My god..." She said under her breath. A set of footsteps seemed to be approaching from the hallway. Harper glanced at the door to the closet realizing she hadn't locked the bedroom door. She didn't want the woman's fiance to wonder in, expecting to find Letti, and instead find a half naked stranger taking clothes from Letti's closet. "It's not Letti!" Harper called out as a warning from the closet. She wasn't sure if her voice would be heard over the thick clothes and wall but it was better than poking her head out and facing the awkwardness that was sure to follow. Harper turned around to see what had happened to the footsteps when her heart sank into her chest. The sound had stopped because the feet stopped at the open door to the closet. Harper hung on tightly to the towel tucked into her arm, heat rising in her cheeks. Neither said a word, but just stared at one another for what seemed like forever. The world could have stopped spinning and neither would have noticed. In that moment, it was just the two of them. Harper hadn't seen Wes in nearly twenty years. despite their bond as Kitra and Gaja, they had parted ways, unable to forgive one another for their past sins. Both hurt the other in ways words could not heal. Wes had been without his Kitra, surviving on supplements, all this time. Harper's towel from her head finally gave way and slipped off her head. She turned to grab it with her free hand but it awkwardly slipped through her fingers and landed as a large pile on the floor. She turned back to the man standing before her, Wes, her hair disheveled in her face. Wes brought his hand to her face and gently ran a hand through her hair. The urge to hide and coware in the bathroom was just slightly less than the urge to run forward and lock her lips with his. She stood cemented in her place, unable to read the man's own thoughts or expressions. He didn't say anything. He didn't make a move either way, but his body language seemed to match Harper's, both ready to run toward and away from Harper. Harper opened her mouth to speak but found her feet taking control and racing toward him, Wes, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him close. Wes didn't hesitate a moment. His hands wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer and tight against his own body. Her lips were sweeter than he could remember and just as hungry as his own. It's true, their deep connection was only made strong by the blood relationship they shared as Gaja and Kitra, but this was faster, stronger, and more passionate than just a desire to drink. Wes' hands twisted into Harper's newly washed hair, begging her to find a way closer to him, a way deeper into the new space she had broken in him. He was a twenty year old again, finding love for the first time. He was back to the first night they met when they locked eyes after he had just had a shower. It was just a few short days before they were bonded and tangled against the blankets on the floor in front of the fireplace. The past twenty years disappeared and it was just two lovers, finding their way about one another, once more.