CHAPTER 16 #5
Aw. My smile grows bigger, and I imagine what my own wedding feast would look like.
Flor and I'rec's was a raucous affair. We didn't attend for long since we resonated, but it could be heard all over the beach.
Dawn told me so many stories the next day of people acting silly, too, and we ate leftovers for days.
The food was incredible, even if it was unfamiliar.
"My people like a good feast," I say to him.
"We call it a luau, and there's hula dancing and storytelling and a whole animal is smoked in a pit for hours on end. "
He sits up in the furs, gazing down at me. "A luau? You do love a celebration."
My brain is orgasm-addled, so it takes a moment for me to realize what I just said. Luau. Hula.
"Oh," I say softly. "I'm Hawaiian."
It feels like a revelation. Like the last missing pieces of the puzzle have slid into place.
I want to weep and shout and run about in circles, all at once.
I laugh with delighted surprise, pressing my hands to my face.
Of course I'm Hawaiian. The words flitting through my mind aren't in the translator, but it doesn't mean they're not real words.
It's the language of my people — the 'ōlelo Hawai'i.
"Did you remember something?" Valmir asks me, excited.
I ache with how much I'm feeling in this moment. "I think I remembered everything."
"Tell me."
So I do. I tell him all I can think of about my people.
About how I come from the Big Island, Moku o Keawe, and how it's warm and wonderful and laid back.
How I am descended from a culture of warriors who were almost wiped out, but we've fought hard to keep our culture alive.
How it's an obligation to Hawaiians to carry on our ways and share them with others so they can experience the beauty of our culture.
I tell him about everything I can think of, from the language of my people, to what hula is, to what foods we eat.
"I even remember my name. My Hawaiian name. 'Apelila."
"It's beautiful," he says. "Should I call you that now? Would you rather?"
I suddenly feel settled in my own skin. Like the parts that were causing friction in my brain have smoothed out.
'Apelila knows who she is, but 'Apelila isn't all that I am anymore.
I'm April, too, because April is part of the community here on Icehome.
It's my future. "You can still call me April.
It's enough that we know all of my names. "
"I am so glad for you, April. My 'Apelila," Valmir says, and he reaches for my hand again.
"We have at least one culture to share with our child.
" His expression is full of genuine enthusiasm, and I realize that Valmir gets it.
No one else knows what it means for me to finally figure out that I'm Hawaiian.
Dawn would be happy that I'm happy, because she's my friend.
But Valmir truly understands it and it makes me so happy to share this with him.
No one else needs to "get" it. That he does is enough.
"It feels like I finally have an answer."
"If there's anything I can do to help you remember more, tell me."
I'm filled with love for him, because he celebrates my wins. He knows how important this is to me and his happiness for me is evident. It makes me want to do something for him. Well, for both of us really. "You know what helps me?"
"What?"
"I find that spanking the hell out of you really clears my mind."
His cat ears flick, and his tail lashes the bedding. I recognize that tail slam. It's the one he does when he's excited about something. "It does, huh?"
"Absolutely." I wiggle my eyebrows at him. "I promise I'll be gentle."
Valmir snorts. He rolls over onto his stomach and presents me with his ass, even as he eyes me with skepticism. "This helps you clear your head, huh?"
"Smacking the hell out of a juicy butt? It really does." And he does have a nice juicy butt. It's round and full and bounces delightfully when I spank him.
"If I must," he says in a grudging tone, but his tail is practically spinning like a propeller. Oh, he likes this. He likes this a lot. My pussycat loves a good spanking.
I lean over him and run my hand down his flank, trailing my fingers over his lightly furred body. I give his ass a quick smack just to watch it jiggle, and Valmir sucks in a breath.
"If I'm too rough with you, tell me to go easier," I coo at him. "I won't judge you."
"I'll judge me. Do what you will." He gives me a firm nod, and when my hand lands on his ass again, he grunts and his hips arch up to meet my touch.
I give his ass a few more smacks, more noise than pain. "I remember another word now — pa'i. It's the sound a food called poi makes when you're slapping it. Reminds me of this." I smack him again, harder. "Delicious."
Valmir hisses on the last spank. He grabs me and pulls me in for a fierce kiss, and when I reach for his cock, it's hard as a rock and dripping with pre-cum.
"Sex clears my mind, too," I pant.
"Good." He rolls me onto my belly and slides me under him, and takes me from behind, his bigger body stretched over mine. I whimper with pleasure as he pounds into me, pinning my hips in place as he fucks me. This time, when I collapse, it's with an orgasm that shakes me from head to toe.
After that, I'm not sure either one of us is thinking about anything at all.
As it should be.