The White Room

ALL CHARACTERS ARE ABOVE THE AGE OF 18

——————————————————-

I awoke to a whiteness so blinding that it took several moments before I could do anything but squint. My eyes eventually adjusted to the pain enough to open fully, but the brightness never dimmed.

I was lying prone, looking up at what should have been a ceiling, or the sky, or something, anything. Instead, all I could see was an unbroken field of white.

Was I awake? Maybe I was dead. I felt disembodied, and there were several failed attempts by my brain to send signals to my limbs before I could finally recognize the existence of them.

Ok, so I’m not dead. I’m still in my body. And I don’t think I’m dreaming. But that doesn’t mean anything. You always think a dream is real until you wake up.

I tried to sit up and couldn’t. Pins and needles crept throughout my body. Slowly, my nerve endings came back to life, once more providing sensations.

I managed to move my head with some effort. The whiteness where a ceiling or sky should have been seemed to continue on forever. There were no curves, no edges, no corners that I could see. There was not a single crack or flaw to provide any sense of depth or scale. It was so unnerving it made me nauseous. My head swam with dizziness, and suddenly the blinding white went black as I slipped into unconsciousness.

I have no idea how long I was out. When I awoke, I felt more in my body, more solid and whole, no longer floating in nothingness. But when I opened my eyes, I saw the same endless white space.

Feeling less dizzy, I tried to move. I was lying on some kind of flat platform, like a bunk or a shelf. It was just as white as the ceiling, but, as my eyes focused, I could make out its edges.

I cautiously lifted myself into a sitting position, easing my legs over the edge of the platform, not even sure there would be a floor until my feet touched it. It was as white as everything else. I couldn’t see where the floor met a wall, or a wall made way to a ceiling. It was utterly disorienting, and I again felt my head spin.

I put my head between my knees and took several deep breaths, trying not to hyperventilate. When the spell had passed, I sat up and again tried to comprehend my surroundings.

I was in a physical space, that much I could decipher. I could feel a floor under my feet, and the platform I was sitting on. Putting out a tentative hand, it made contact with a wall behind me that my platform connected to. The seam where the platform met the wall was the only thing that gave me any sense of solidity. My eyes slowly traced the seam to where it ended in a rounded corner.

Looking down, I could see my feet, and could feel a solid surface beneath them. But my mind still couldn’t grasp that there was a floor, and I could not see where the floor ended and the wall behind me began.

I tried to stand up and felt yet another wave of nausea. As solid as the floor felt, my mind refused to acknowledge its existence. I sat back down on the only surface I trusted to exist, the platform.

It was only then that I realized I was completely naked.

“Where…the hell…am I?” My voice was a shaky rasp.

That’s when the screaming started.

——————————————————-

I was so startled by the high pitched screams that I instinctively covered my ears and closed my eyes. It took me several moments to realize they were not my own.

Opening my eyes, I was shocked to find a young woman lying prone directly across from me. She appeared to be floating magically, then my eyes made out the shape of a platform under her, exactly like the one I’d woken up on.

Had she been there earlier? Had she just appeared? I had no answer. But she was there now, solid and whole, a physical thing my mind could focus on and help ground me to reality.

She was as naked as I was.

“Hey! Hey!” I tried to speak, to get her attention, to calm her cries despite my own sense of panic.

Suddenly her shrieks ended. She, as did I upon waking to this madness, had blacked out.

The room was now deafening in it’s silence. I listened for a sound, any sound; a creak, a rustle, the hum of electricity, anything. But the only sounds were of my breathing, and that of the young woman.

I focused on her to get a better grasp of the room. She appeared to be only several feet away. It would be impossible to judge the scale of the all white space without her as a focal point.

Carefully, I tried my feet again. Keeping one hand against the wall that supported my platform, I slowly started to traverse the space. There were no corners, only the gentle slope of the surface guiding me in an eventual half circle, where I paused near the unconscious woman’s side.

Looking down at her, she appeared to be in her late teens, perhaps early twenties. Her long hair fell in random strands around her expressionless face. It was only the gentle rise and fall of her chest that told me she was still alive, her breath slow but steady. I felt a slight embarrassment when I again noticed her nudity, and instinctively averted my eyes.

Not yet having the guts to move without a grip on the wall, I continued my journey, moving past her along the surface of the space, eventually coming back around towards the other side. I’d pause every few steps, feeling for a door or seam or anything that might hint at a way out, but there was nothing.

Arriving back at my original starting point, I collapsed on my platform, exhausted. I estimated what I now understood to be a circular, enclosed space at about ten, maybe fifteen feet in diameter. Not very big at all. Still, I felt like I’d just run a marathon.

Now having some sense of scale, I found it easier to look more closely around the room. There were no lighting fixtures. Whatever was lighting it seemed to be coming directly from the solid surfaces of the room itself. There were no power outlets, no switches, no air vents.

Every surface I touched felt the same; solid, yet soft. I pushed against the wall and felt a slight give. I hit it, gently at first, then several more times with increasing effort. The surface withstood the pounding with no damage. With a sudden rage I punched the wall with all my strength. If it had been any other surface I’d probably have broken my hand, but there was barely a sound and I felt no pain.

I tested the floor the same way, stomping my feet with all my might, only to have both the energy and sound absorbed by the strange surface. I sat back down, trying to shake off the fear I felt gripping me.

Then I heard her voice. “Hello?” It was timid, meek, barely above a whisper.

The young woman had lifted herself into a seated position. Her face was a mask of confusion and horror, and she had her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, hugging herself. It didn’t appear to be out of a sense of modesty, but from fright.

She was looking directly at me. “Hello? Who…who are you? Where am I? What’s going on???” Her voice trembled, rising higher with each question.

I took a deep breath, steadying my own nerves. I tried to speak calmly. “My name’s Nick. I have no idea where we are or what’s happening either.”

Her body started shaking uncontrollably. “Did…did you bring me here? Why are you naked?” She looked down at herself, finally realizing her own nudity, and let out a wail. Curling up into a fetal position on the platform, she futilely attempted to cover herself as she cried.

I tried to reassure her fears. “Listen, I didn’t bring you here. And I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just as confused and afraid as you are, okay? But I’m not going to hurt you,” I stressed.

She gave no indication of hearing me, just laying there, holding herself and weeping uncontrollably.

I had no idea what to do. Going over to try and comfort her would probably only make things worse, especially given my nakedness. She’d probably think I was attacking her. She was just going to have to come to grips with this like I had.

I lay back down on my platform, and fell asleep to the sound of her sobs.

——————————————————-

I awoke to find the young woman again sitting up, looking at me.

Her face still looked scared, but she made no move to cover her body, even as I sat up to face her.

“Where…are we?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I have no idea. This is the most impossible room I’ve ever seen. If you can even call it a room.”

“It…hurts my brain,” she said, “I can barely look at it. If you weren’t here to focus on I think I’d go mad trying to comprehend it.”

We sat in silence for several moments before she spoke again. “I’m Chloe.”

“Hello, Chloe, I’m Nick. I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but…” I gestured at our surroundings.

That brought a small smile to her face. “How did we get here?”

“I have no idea. The last thing I remember is…” I paused, struggling to actually recall my last memory before waking up here.

It came back to me slowly, in fragments. “I was…home. Cooking dinner. A steak, I think. I remember hearing a humming noise coming from my yard, and saw a bright light through my kitchen window. I thought maybe a power line had gone down or something. I remember stepping out on my patio to investigate, and then…and then I woke up here.”

Chloe nodded slowly. “I was…just getting home from shopping. I was struggling to open my front door with an arm full of groceries when I heard the noise. A loud humming. I remember seeing a light coming from behind me, which was strange because it was very sunny. I thought something odd may be happening to the neighbor’s house across the street. I turned around to look, and…and then I woke up screaming.”

I’ve always been a rational, logical thinker. Our stories were both very similar, and I put my mind to work, trying to figure it out. “So neither of us recall being attacked or abducted. We were both alone, saw and heard the same thing. Where are you from?” I asked her.

“Sacramento. You?”

“Philadelphia. Opposite end of the country. It’s not like we were close enough to be taken by the same person. This may seem odd to ask, but do you remember what day it was? The date and time?”

Her face twisted in thought. “It was…Friday. September 10th. I don’t remember the exact time, maybe 4pm, 4:15? Why?”

My mind did some quick math. “That sounds about right. Same day for me, somewhere around 7pm. It’s a three hour time zone difference.”

Her eyes went wide with comprehension. “We were taken at the same time.”

“Yeah, but that’s impossible. Unless…”

I stood and looked up, shouting at white nothingness. “Hello? Is there anybody out there? Can you hear me? Where are we? HELLO?” There was no echo, and silence filled the room as my voice trailed off.

Then a voice from nowhere spoke. “WE ARE HERE.”

The pure shock of it sent me reeling, my head hitting the platform as I collapsed in a heap on the floor. I felt no pain; both the platform and floor had cushioned my fall, and I sustained no injury at all.

At least to my body. My mind, however, was a different story. The voice had seemed to come from everywhere, yet nowhere. My brain felt like it was swelling.

Chloe was screaming again.

Suddenly there was a hum, and a wave of warm energy enveloped my body. I immediately felt a sense of peaceful calm flow through me, erasing all fear and panic. Chloe’s screams had stopped, and the room was quiet now except for the hum.

My body started to move, lifting itself up off the floor, although not under my control. I felt like a puppet, someone pulling my strings.

Arriving at my feet, I saw Chloe, also standing and enveloped in a beam of soft blue light. Whether it was projected from the ceiling or the floor I could not tell. I was bathed in a similar luminescence.

I felt an energy surging through every cell of my body. It was calming, relaxing, peaceful, yet also giving me a sense of vigor I’d never known before. It felt like being reborn. I felt my blood flowing through my body, could feel every molecule of oxygen pass through my lungs and into my bloodstream. It was intoxicating.

Every nerve ending in my skin, from head to toe, tingled with a mix of sensations. I felt the warmth of the sun, the coolness of a gentle breeze, and the comforting pleasure of a gentle caress all at once.

Across from me, Chloe’s eyes were closed, her face no longer terrified, but relaxed and peaceful in pure bliss.

The Voice came again from nowhere and everywhere. “We are here. Do not fear. You will not be harmed. We will care for you. We are here.”

The Voice was softer this time. There was no gender to it. It wasn’t exactly human, nor did it sound robotic or computerized. It spoke in static tones that weren’t quite emotionless.

I wanted to question it, but found myself unable to speak. Whoever was behind The Voice must have been able to read my mind, because it answered my unspoken thoughts.

“We are from elsewhere. We are to observe. We are to help you. You are to help us.”

My voice finally came back to me, and although apparently I didn’t need to physically speak, I did so anyway. “Why…us?”

“You are compatible.” The Voice answered simply.

“Compatible? What…what does that mean?” I asked.

“You are compatible,” The Voice repeated.

Before I could question anything else, the wave of light energy shifted from blue to red. The pleasure level in my body increased tenfold. It felt like multiple soft hands caressing my skin. I would have been shaking uncontrollably if my body could actually move.

Waves of sexual stimulation built within me, beginning in my loins. I couldn’t look down at it, but I could feel my erection growing. It was my only body part free to move, and it swelled to a hardness I’d not known since my youth.

Imagine receiving a blowjob, a handjob, and being deep inside the warmest, wettest, tightest vagina you’ve ever felt, all at once. Meanwhile, the rest of you is being massaged erotically by a dozen pairs of sensual hands. It still won’t come close to the sensations I was feeling.

My eyes went to Chloe. Her light had also changed, and she seemed to be taken control of by the same pleasure waves.

Now I could not help but focus on her nudity. Her breasts were heaving in time with her heavy breaths. Her hips were gyrating slightly.

Her legs were slightly apart, enough to expose her vulva. It looked swollen and slick under her patch of soft pubic hair, and I could see a sheen of moisture glistening on her thighs.

Her low gasps were becoming moans of lust, and her eyes now fixed on me intently.

But not at my face. She was focused on my cock. And she was drooling.

I could feel my orgasm building, slowly but steadily. My cock stopped twitching and went fully rigid as my climax hit. My semen shot out in long thick ropes, in what felt like an endless stream.

It was the most intense orgasm I’d ever felt.

I heard Chloe’s moans match my own in intensity, enthralled in her own orgasm. The scent of her sex was strong in my nose, and I saw the trickle of moisture from her pussy had become a stream, leaving small puddles on the floor. She squealed as another wave took her, then went silent as her head dropped towards her chest. I wasn’t sure if she was still conscious or not.

My own orgasmic waves were subsiding as well, my still erect penis forcing the final drops of cum from the tip to join the mess I’d already left beneath me.

The lights went blue again. My breathing slowed, my body relaxed. Chloe and I were both guided by invisible hands back to our platforms, laying us down gently. Then the lights went out, and the humming ceased.

Now able to move, I turned my head and saw Chloe lying on her platform, relaxed and peaceful. I found her incredibly beautiful.

I watched as her hand caressed her inner thigh, feeling the wetness that lingered there. Gathering some on her fingers, she brought them to her nose and inhaled, sighing contentedly. She lay back down, turned to face me, and smiled. Her eyes closed as she drifted off to sleep.

I smiled back at her sleeping form, then fell into slumber myself.

‐——————————————————————

I awoke, energized and alert, to find Chloe up and about, exploring the walls in much the same way I had earlier.

When she saw that I was awake, she smiled. “Good…morning? Evening? I have no idea what time it is,” she laughed. “How are you feeling?”

Sitting up, I felt none of my earlier nausea. “Fine,” I said, “great in fact. I’ve never woken up feeling this refreshed or energized before.”

“I know, it’s crazy, right? I should be terrified after…that, but all I feel is…” Chloe paused in her thoughts, then shrugged. “Great. I feel great.”

Chloe sat beside me on the platform. She seemed completely comfortable and uninhibited by our mutual nudity. I suppose after our experience under the lights, it would be ridiculous to feel embarrassed about it at this point.

Still, as she sat beside me, our hips brushing together, I felt a warm flush through my body and a stirring down below that I struggled not to focus on, lest things get out of control.

It took a moment to realize she was talking. “So I’m assuming you heard the voice too, and felt…what we felt, right? It’s not just a case of me dreaming, or going mad?”

“No, you’re…not mad. That, or we both are. But yeah, that…happened.” Looking at the floor, I saw that the mess of cum I’d left was gone. How, I had no idea. But I could smell Chloe’s scent still strong on her, and I could see the sticky remnants of her climax now dried on her thighs.

Noticing my gaze, Chloe flushed, but made no move to cover herself up. “This is crazy,” she said, “I should feel embarrassed, ashamed, humiliated. I should feel violated, raped. But I don’t. All I know is that was the most incredible pleasure I’ve ever felt, and…I want…I want to feel that again.”

“Me…me too,” I stammered. “Jesus, what did they DO to us?”

Chloe’s hand found mine, and we sat in silent wonder.

——————————————————-

Time was impossible to gage in the White Room, but we passed it by sharing each other’s story.

I learned Chloe was 21, a sophomore in college, and hoping to someday become a pediatrician. She was single, sharing a rented house with her best friend Lily. She enjoyed yoga, cheesy romance novels, and preferred beer over wine.

She learned I was 42, divorced and living alone. I told her about my career as a commercial voice actor; mostly radio commercials for various businesses in the Philadelphia market, but occasionally branching out with a few nationally run spots for big name clients. It didn’t pay as much as people thought it did, but I lived comfortably enough, and it sometimes allowed me to travel around the country, although I’d never been to Sacramento. I made a promise to come visit if we ever got out of this.

That led our conversation towards our predicament. “So, you think we WILL get out of here?” Chloe asked.

“Well, sure,” I said, “I mean, we have to believe that, right?” She nodded without conviction.

“It’s…it’s gotta be aliens, right?” She looked almost embarrassed to say it. “I mean, what else could it be?”

“Well, perhaps hypnosis, or mind altering drugs, or…” My voice trailed off, not really believing my words. “…but yeah, probably aliens. Or some interdimensional beings. Or one of us is dreaming. But none of this feels like a dream. Plus, normally…” I paused, laughed, and shook my head, “…no, nevermind.”

“What? Come on, finish your thought,” said Chloe.

“Ok, but it’s kinda embarrassing,” I said. “Normally, when I have a, you know, a sex dream, I wake up before…before the good part,” I finished sheepishly.

Chloe burst into peals of laughter. “So…so that’s how you know this is real???” Her laughter wasn’t cruel or mocking, just finding humor in the absurdity of our situation. I grinned at her and shrugged.

“Sorry,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye as she caught her breath, “I wasn’t laughing AT you, just…”

“It’s ok,” I broke in, “I get it. I’m happy you CAN laugh. Better to laugh than…”

“Scream,” she finished for me.

We sat quietly for a while. My arm instinctively went around her, and she didn’t shrug it off. Instead, she rested her head on my shoulder. In a less bizarre situation I may have felt inclined to make a move, but I wasn’t about to make a sexual advance on a young woman who had woken up to find herself naked and trapped in some mind bending alien cell with a strange, naked man twice her age. No matter how attractive she was, or how much she currently smelled like sex.

“What do you think they meant by ‘compatible’?” Chloe asked.

“No idea,” I said. “Maybe something to do with DNA? Or they just wanted a male and female of our species? I don’t know.”

“I suppose we could ask them,” she said, “but I don’t think they’re here right now.”

“Me either,” I said. “They feel…absent, somehow.”

Chloe sniffed, then sighed. “God, I need a shower. I smell like…” Her voice trailed off, as if too embarrassed to finish.

Dammit. She HAD to go and point it out. I’d always had a sensitive nose, and especially loved the scent of a woman’s vagina. I’d convinced many a past lover to share their panties with me, and of course I truly enjoyed giving them oral, basking in their unique smells and tastes.

I’d been trying not to focus on the intoxicating aroma currently wafting up from Chloe’s thighs, but now it was all I could think about.

Chloe sat up with a startled jerk. “I…I guess you smell it too,” she said in a bemused tone.

She was looking down at my lap with a crooked grin. Because of course, I’d gotten an erection.

I removed my arm from around her and tried to cover myself up, which only made things worse, as the simplest contact to my throbbing penis sent shockwaves of pleasure through it and my body, causing me to shudder.

“Shit. Chloe, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for…”

Her soft voice stopped me. “It’s…okay, it’s not your fault. Or mine. None of this is our fault. We didn’t ask to be here.”

She gestured around the room. “This whole thing is crazy. I don’t know what they did to us with those lights. But they changed something. I should be curled up on the floor, sucking my thumb and drooling. But it’s like they altered my brain. All my fear, my confusion, my…inhibitions. Gone. And that’s nothing compared to what they did to my body.”

Chloe took a long, deep breath, held it, then released. “I’m just as…aroused…as you are. Have been since that thing with the lights. Just been trying not to focus on it. But seeing your…” her eyes flicked towards my cock, “…seeing it like that, it’s like somebody threw a switch or something.” Her voice trembled, and I noticed her legs rocking, thighs gently squeezing and releasing unconsciously.

Several awkward moments passed. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on anything else but my pulsing erection, when the fresh scent of aroused pussy filled my nose so suddenly that I gasped with surprise and pleasure.

Chloe let out a gasp to echo my own, and opening my eyes, I saw her, leaning back against the wall, legs fully parted. She was masturbating.

Her eyes met mine, and her face flushed. “I…I can’t help it,” she stammered. “I…I just need…release.” She bit her lip as her eyes once again went to my cock. “You…you can…too. If you want. I won’t mind.”

I needed no further encouragement. The hand that had been making a vain attempt to cover up my erection now gripped it firmly and began the familiar motions.

I’d been masturbating since the day I’d found a Playboy magazine in my dad’s nightstand, but this felt like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Somehow, every nerve ending in my penis felt heightened tenfold. I could feel the blood pulsing inside the sponge-like flesh of it; absorbing it, stretching, expanding my erection to its limits and beyond. It couldn’t possibly be growing in my hand, but it certainly felt that way.

My eyes found Chloe. Her left hand was caressing her breasts, alternating between them, twisting and pulling swollen pink nipples. Her right hand was furiously fingering her cunt, and I could hear the wet squelching sounds as her fingers slid in and out repeatedly.

Her face glowed radiantly, full of lust and pleasure and pure joy. I watched her bright eyes wander over my body, never straying their attention too far from my cock as I jerked at a strong, steady pace.

Sensing my need, Chloe twisted her body, bracing her weight on one arm as she lifted her right leg up onto the platform, her foot coming to rest on my hip, giving me a much more intimate view of her pussy as her other hand continued its explorations.

Slender fingers parted her delicate labia, exposing the slick pink opening of her vagina. She then inserted two finger tips and closed her fingers around her swollen clitoral hood, teasing her hole while stimulating her clit. Her pubic hair was wet and matted, and large dollops of thick cream were oozing from between her fingers, running down her ass crack. Her scent was overpowering.

I managed to turn myself towards her as well, our legs intertwined, our genitals now merely inches apart as we pleasured ourselves.

Chloe’s moans suddenly went quiet as her mouth formed a silent O. Every muscle in her body tensed, then released in spasms as her orgasm took her. She found her voice again, letting out squeals of pleasure, her hips rocking uncontrollably, and I watched in fascination as her juices gushed from her in clear little streams that left a puddle on the platform under her.

Without thinking, my hand found the puddle and scooped it up, bringing it to my nose, then my lips. Her taste was sweet and I savored it on my tongue. Gathering up more, I slathered her warm juices on my impossibly hard cock and began jerking again in earnest.

Chloe continued to masturbate, grinning wickedly at me, but was now solely focused on her clit, rubbing it in circles at an ever increasing pace. Thick strands of her cum dripped from her cunt like honey. “I’ve…never been…this wet,” she gasped, “I’m…gonna..cum…again.”

Her teeth clenched and her face twisted, as she was again racked in wave after wave of orgasmic pleasure. Her pussy was once again gushing, the puddle now becoming a lake, and I immediately gathered up more of her hot fresh ejaculate to lube my own throbbing organ.

I felt my orgasm approaching, but instead of speeding up, I slowed my pace to long, steady strokes, drawing out the pleasure, increasing the build up, until my cock felt like it would explode and I could hold back no longer.

I let out an animalistic growl as my first blast burst from me, splattering across Chloe’s lower stomach and crotch, coating the hand working her still needy cunt. Without missing a beat, Chloe rubbed my hot cum into her, mixing it with her own lubrication. My second blast added to it, as hot and strong as the first. Chloe gathered my continuing cum storm into her hand, adding it to the growing mess between her legs. Her head rocked back and her eyes rolled up as another orgasm took her. Our groans of passion filled each other’s ears and the smell of sweat and cum filled the air, making us drunk with lust.

Finally, we collapsed into each other, exhausted and gasping for breath as our orgasms subsided.

I could feel Chloe’s warm breath on my neck, her soft breast pushing up against my arm. Her hand landed on my thigh; it was sticky with our mixed juices.

We sat in silence. There were no words to say. How does one even begin to talk about such and intense and erotic experience?

Suddenly, I felt a strange tingling sensation. At first I thought it was random, then realized it was coming from wherever my cum was still on my body.

Chloe must have felt it too, because she sat up quickly, and her hands instinctively went to cover her vagina. She let out a soft gasp, of surprise or pleasure I could not be sure.

We both watched, awestruck, as the sticky mix of cum that was on both of us slowly dissolved, becoming little points of glowing gold light that drifted up towards the ceiling, (if there was, in fact, a ceiling. We’d never determined how high up the room went) and gradually disappeared.

“What…the…hell?” I whispered. Chloe remained silent, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

I stood, looking upwards. “Hey!” I shouted towards the unknown. “Hey! You there? What was that? What are you doing to us? Answer me, damn it!”

There was not even the echo of my own voice in reply.

I sat back down, confused and frustrated. Chloe wrapped her arms around me and we lay down together on the platform, our bodies still warm and flushed and sweaty from our exertions. It only took minutes for an exhausted sleep to fall over us both.

——————————————————-

I awoke to find myself alone. I had a moment of panic until I saw Chloe, still sleeping peacefully, on her own platform.

I sat up, feeling as fresh and energetic as before, but there was now another sensation: hunger.

How long had we been here? When did I last eat? I couldn’t recall.

Chloe awoke, and I could not help but admire her lithe, feminine form as she sat up with a stretch. Her face looked slightly confused. “Did…did you move, or did I?” she asked.

“Dunno,” I shrugged. “Maybe THEY moved us while we slept.”

“We seem to sleep a lot since we’ve been here,” she mused, “but the upside is I feel amazingly refreshed and energized afterwards. I also feel…starving.” Her stomach grumbled as if to emphasize her point.

“Yeah, me too,” I said. “Wonder what they got to eat around this joint? Think Uber Eats delivers here?”

Her grin from my joke became a frown when her stomach growled again. “Well I hope THEY remember us carbon based lifeforms need sustenance once in a while.”

As if on cue, the humming noise began, and we were both once again enveloped in the pale blue lights.

We were gently lifted to our feet as the calming, peaceful sensations of the beams flowed through us.

The color then changed to green, and now I felt something new: a sense of being nourished, replenished. My hunger pangs immediately subsided.

But it was more than just some strange, alien version of intravenous feeding. Because I was also TASTING things. I could sense the flavors of various foods flooding my taste buds; most I recognized, several I did not, but all of them were delicious. My body felt the way it would after a satisfying meal of several courses, but without the discomforts or sense of lethargy one often has after eating too much.

There was the slightest shift in the frequency of the hum, and now another new sensation; a feeling of hydration. I tasted the coolest, cleanest water I’d ever had flowing through my mouth and down my throat, the illusion so real I swallowed regularly despite the fact there was no real liquid.

Another frequency shift, another sensation. A tingling feeling similar to the one I felt earlier started deep within my bowels, slowly spreading throughout my body. It was an odd but not unpleasant feeling, almost like a burning that didn’t cause pain.

Once the tingling wave had reached every part of my body, small particles began emanating from my pores and transforming into the same tiny glowing gold points of light we’d seen before, drifting slowly up and away, gradually fading from view.

Looking over, Chloe was enveloped in the same glowing gold cloud that had come streaming from her pores.

I can’t even begin to describe how ALIVE I felt in that moment.

The lights changed from green to blue as the last of the golden lights flickered away, and we were again gently guided back down on our platforms, then released.

I sat up immediately, as did Chloe. “Holy shit,” she said. “That was…amazing.”

I stood up and addressed the ceiling. “Hey! Whoever you are! Can we talk? What WAS that?” I asked, not truly expecting an answer.

But I got one. “Nourishment. Purification.” The Voice said simply.

“Purification?” I asked. I was beginning to grasp it, but wanted clarification.

“Purification.” The Voice repeated. “Impurities must be removed for optimal life form function. Optimal life form function must be reached in order to achieve objective.”

“Objective?” I asked, “What exactly is the objective here?”

“Optimal compatibility,” The Voice answered.

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND!” I yelled at our invisible captor.

“Impurities must be removed for optimal life form function,” The Voice repeated. “Removal of impurities will be completed in several stages to compensate for life form fragility. Once optimal life form function has been reached, optimal compatibility will be achievable.”

“What happens when optimal compatibility is achieved?” I asked, calmer this time.

“Conjoining,” said The Voice.

“What the hell does that mean?” I asked, although I had my suspicions.

I received no answer.

I looked over to see Chloe crying. I went to comfort her. “Hey, it’s okay, don’t be afraid, we’ll be alright,” I said, holding her.

She looked up at me, wiping away her tears. “No, you don’t understand,” she said, her voice still hitching with sobs, “I think…no, I know…they…they CURED me.”

I looked at her, confused. When she’d calmed herself somewhat, she explained. “I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age fifteen. The symptoms have varied in severity over the years, and I’ve actually been in remission for a while. I haven’t experienced any symptoms since I’ve been here, but somehow, during that…purifying…I FELT it. I can’t explain how I know, but I KNOW. They cured me. Just…purged it from my body somehow. Oh my God…” Her voice trailed off in wonder, and her tears began anew.

I simply sat there, stunned, and held her.

——————————————————-

While I waited for Chloe to deal with her emotions, my thoughts turned towards my own body, and how I was feeling since the “Nourishment and Purification” process.

My initial thoughts had been that “purification” simply meant the removal of bodily wastes. It would explain why I’d felt no urges to relieve myself since I’d been here.

But if Chloe’s revelation was true, and I had no reason to doubt her, then it was much more than just cleaning out our waste systems.

Looking at myself, I noticed that several small moles I’d had on my chest and shoulders were gone. A scar I’d had on the back of my hand from a bike accident I’d had as a kid was no longer there. I looked at my hand in wonder, looking for any trace of it, but saw only smooth, fresh skin.

My stomach looked flatter, like I’d lost a few pounds. Although that could simply be from not actually eating any solid food for, well, however long we’d been here.

I was in decent shape for 42, but had developed certain things all middle aged men experience as time and age slowly takes its toll. A bit of a paunch from unhealthy eating, aches and pains in various areas that one learns to simply live with.

I felt none of those pains now. My legs, always so tight, now felt loose and flexible. My back had no stiffness; there was no crick in my neck.

I wondered briefly about my eyesight. I had been using reading glasses for the past several years, and now I was curious if I’d still need them. I couldn’t be sure without something to focus on better, like a book or computer screen, but I FELT like I could see better in general.

I felt less bloated than usual, like I’d been given an enema or something, my colon completely cleaned of any built up waste.

Overall, I felt healthier than I had in at least a decade.

Chloe had finally composed herself, and we started to discuss the similar changes we both felt in our bodies. Being much younger than I, Chloe was in much better shape generally, but her Crohns did leave her with general discomforts and pains she had just gotten used to dealing with over the years, things she said were now completely gone.

“What else can you see or feel that’s different?” I asked her. “Think about it. Do you have any scars or birthmarks missing? Something like that?”

Chloe looked at herself. “My appendectomy scar is gone,” she said, looking at her stomach. “I don’t have any birthmarks or moles, except…” she paused, and flushed a little, “…I have this…mole. On my ass. It’s low down, I can only see it in a mirror. I’ve always felt a little self conscious about it,” she said, blushing. “I guess…I guess I have to know. Could you…take a look for me?”

Without waiting for an answer, Chloe stood and turned, giving me a full view of her round young ass.

I couldn’t help blushing myself, but leaned in to inspect it, looking for the mole in question. I saw nothing but her pale, smooth skin, and said so.

“Are you sure?” Chloe asked. “It’s kinda low and between, just on the underside of my left butt cheek.” She bent forward slightly and reached around with her hand to spread herself open.

I still saw no mole, but I certainly could see her plump vulva and delicate pink labia, as well as her tight little anus, winking at me as she pulled her ass cheeks open wider. Once again my nose smelled her special scent wafting from between her legs. It was all I could do to keep myself from leaning in closer to inhale her.

Instead, I stammered, “Um, no, no mole. I guess it’s gone.”

Chloe spun and sat back down. “So strange,” she said, “I wonder why they’re fixing us like this? And I wonder what they meant by…” her voice trailed off, then giggled. “Sorry. Guess I should have expected that with the view I just gave you.”

I didn’t understand what she meant at first, then saw her looking at the erection I’d gotten without even realizing it.

“Sorry, I really was trying to keep my inspection…professional,” I said with an embarrassed grin.

Chloe’s smile was warm and kind. “I know. But you’re a man, you can’t help but look. And I’m okay with the idea of you being aroused by that. It’s…flattering. With all we’ve been through so far, it’s only natural that you’d want me.”

“Look, Chloe, I’d never presume to…”

Chloe cut me off. “I know. You’ve been nothing but a gentleman since we woke up here. Even with the sexual stimulation from the lights, even when we…masturbated together, you’ve never tried to touch me inappropriately, or force yourself on me. And I truly appreciate that. Because I know it can’t be easy for you.”

“Actually, it’s very easy for me,” I said firmly, “because I’d never touch a woman who didn’t want to be touched. Period.”

Chloe nodded appreciatively. “Thank you.”

Her eyes met mine, and she smiled nervously. “Being honest, I’m actually not that horny myself at the moment, still kind of reeling from the idea of having been miraculously healed, but I’d be more than happy to, well…give you a hand. If you want it.”

My eyes lit up. “I’d love that, but only if you’re sure,” I said, hoping desperately that she was indeed sure.

Chloe answered by taking my hard cock in her soft hand. It jumped at her touch. She began pleasuring me with long, slow, gentle strokes.

Chloe nuzzled into me. My arm slipped naturally around her as she rested her head on my shoulder, looking down at her ministrations. I could feel her warm left breast pressing against my chest. My hand was dangerously close to her right breast, fingers just barely grazing the side.

“You can touch it if you’d like,” Chloe said softly. I was more than happy to take her soft, firm flesh in my hand. I held her breast lightly, my fingers gently squeezing and massaging her, and I felt her sigh contentedly next to me.

We had no lubrication, but Chloe’s hand was soft and smooth on my shaft, her touch gentle and caring. She seemed to know instinctively how I liked to be touched, applying just the right pressure on the upstrokes, with a slight twist of the wrist that sent shivers through me with each stroke.

“This is nice,” Chloe purred, “I don’t often get to take my time doing this. Most times it’s just a prelude to…other things.”

“I’m more than happy with just this,” I said. “You’re very good at it. It feels amazing.”

Chloe smiled. “I’m glad you like it. I’m happy to do this for you.” Her face turned upwards towards mine, and we shared our first, tender kiss.

Chloe’s grip on my cock changed. Taking my shaft between her thumb and forefinger at the base, she squeezed gently, pulling the loose flesh upwards towards my swollen head. Her remaining three fingers gently brushed across my balls in a light, almost ticklish touch. She continued this movement with each upstroke, stimulating the sensitive nerve endings of my scrotum.

I broke our kiss with a gasp. “How did you know I like to be touched like that? That feels incredible.”

Chloe smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know. It just…felt right.”

She rested her head back on my shoulder, her eyes flickering back and forth between watching her hand stroke my cock and checking my face to enjoy my reaction.

Chloe chatted while she continued the handjob. “It’s so strange. I don’t consider myself a prude, but I certainly don’t sleep around a lot. I’d normally have to date a guy several weeks before we went this far. Even if I wanted him long before that. You start worrying and overthinking it. If I move too fast, will he think I’m a slut and dump me? If I wait too long, will he think I’m not interested? Do I make the first move, or wait for him? You can drive yourself crazy with it,” she laughed. “Maybe it’s whatever they did to us with the lights, maybe it’s just this situation as a whole, I don’t know. I just know all that is gone, and it’s nice to be able to do something sexual without guilt or anxiety or overthinking everything.”

“Guys deal with that as well, but probably not to the same extent,” I said. “I’ve always felt a little guilty while getting a handjob or a blowjob. Like I was supposed to be doing something to please my partner too; that if I wasn’t, I was being selfish. Or I’d worry that she wasn’t really into it and only doing it out of obligation because she wasn’t in the mood for sex.”

Chloe looked up at me. “I want and expect nothing else from you but to enjoy this, freely given. Because I want to.”

“I know,” I said, “and it’s…liberating.”

“It is,” said Chloe, “and fun.” Her hand continued to work my cock playfully, teasingly, exploring different touches, different grips. She’d run her fingers lightly up the underside of my shaft, then linger to tease the sensitive part just under the tip, then back down the shaft, continuing to my balls, which she handled with a feathery touch. She’d grip it firmly and stroke for a while, feeling it swell close to exploding, and back off just before the point of no return, going back to her more delicate touches.

Just as my penis was becoming a bit sensitive from all the stimulation, Chloe spit in her palm; once, twice, three times, then rubbed the warm saliva over my head and shaft, lubricating it.

I was beginning to think she was literally reading my mind. She seemed to know what I needed before I did, knew exactly how I liked to be touched, knew when to slow down, speed up, and back off when I was close to cumming.

It was the most pleasurable torture I’d ever endured.

Sensing I needed release, Chloe’s hand began long, steady, full strokes up and down my shaft, adding the little twist and squeeze at the top over the tip with each upstroke. “Relax,” she whispered in my ear, “let it happen. I know you want to, I can feel it. I want it too.”

My cock swelled in her hand, and my testicles drew up tight, ready to release their load. I felt the orgasmic wave building, slowly but inevitably towards climax. My body tensed and I began to groan uncontrollably.

My cum erupted in hot thick streams that shot straight up, coming back down to coat Chloe’s hand over my cock. Her pace never changed, my cum now added lubrication that increased the intensity of her touch. Chloe leaned in and kissed me behind my ear, her warm lips and tongue causing my body to shudder with delight as she continued to milk my cock. Her grip relaxed and gradually slowed in time with the final spurts of cum that continued to bubble up from the tip.

I stayed hard for several minutes afterwards, but knowing how sensitive it now was, Chloe’s touch was very soft, her fingers stroking it back and forth tenderly as it continued to twitch.

She removed her hand just before it became too much to bear.

“Chloe,” I said softly, catching my breath, “Thank you. That was wonderful.”

“It was.” Her face had a content, satisfied look to it. “I enjoyed that very much as well.”

I held her close, and was just about to kiss her again when I felt the tingling begin.

Again I saw, and felt, my ejaculate slowly dissolving from my skin, turning into the little gold particles of light, and disappearing.

“Why do you think they do that?” wondered Chloe.

“I don’t know,” I answered. I had my suspicions, but decided to keep them to myself for now.

Chloe plopped herself down on her back, her head resting on my thigh. She stared thoughtfully up at the white nothingness above us.

My sexual appetite sated for the moment, I still could not help but admire her beauty as she lay unselfconscious below me, her nude body openly displayed.

Chloe saw me admiring her, and grinned. “I’m no exhibitionist, but it’s funny how fast I got used to being naked. It certainly is comfortable. If our captors beamed in clothes for us right now, I don’t think I’d bother putting them on.”

“I suppose the lights may have had something to do with that as well,” I mused. “Do you think they’re controlling our minds?”

Chloe frowned, then sighed. “I don’t think so. I mean, I know they’ve ALTERED our minds. Took away our fears. Made us less inhibited. But I don’t feel like I’m being controlled. Everything I’ve done with you since waking up here has been my choice. Or at least it feels like it is.”

I decided to tell her my suspicions. “Chloe, look, I need to tell you something. Something you may not like hearing. I’ve been thinking about why we’re here. I think our captors want us to, well…breed. I’ve been trying to piece it together from everything that’s happened, and the few things they’ve said. I’m not entirely sure, but it makes sense. They capture two humans, male and female, and cage us together. They use their technology to sexually stimulate us and remove our inhibitions and fears, bringing us closer together. They’re purifying our bodies to remove imperfections. They’re collecting DNA samples. They talked about ‘optimal life form function’ and ‘optimal compatibility,’ and I think they’re trying to create the best conditions in which to…conceive.”

Chloe’s eyes went wide. “Conjoining. That’s what they said, right? Oh my God, they want us to make a baby.”

I nodded. “That’s the only thing that makes sense. Although why us, and for what reason, I haven’t a clue.”

Chloe looked thoughtful, but didn’t speak.

I continued, calmly, “I’m telling you this because I thought you should know, but I also want you to understand something else. I think you’re absolutely beautiful, and of course I’m sexually attracted to you. And I…well, I know we don’t know each other very well yet, but I…care about you.

“I don’t know if you feel the same way, or find me attractive at all, and it’s okay if you don’t. Just know that while yes, I’d be interested in making love with you, I’d never, NEVER want it if you’re not willing. And I’d certainly never force a pregnancy on you. I don’t give a fuck what these alien assholes want, they can’t make me rape you. I’d rather die first. I’ll fight them tooth and nail on that, I promise you.”

“I don’t think it will come to that,” Chloe said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because, when the time is right, I…I think I’ll want to.”

I looked down at her, stunned.

“Don’t ask me how I know this, because I can’t explain it, at least not yet,” she continued, her voice calm but serious. “I think you’re right. But I also think we’re supposed to wait for, well…the right moment. I think we’ll just know. I don’t know how we’ll know, but we will.

“And I know they won’t make you force me, that when the moment comes, I’ll give myself to you willingly.”

My mouth opened, but she raised a finger to my lips, stopping me. “Like I said, don’t ask. I don’t know. It’s just…instinct.”

“Oh, and by the way, I do, you know,” Chloe added.

“Do…what?” I asked, confused.

“Care about you. Find you attractive.”

Chloe smiled up at me, then yawned. She folded her hands across her stomach, and, closing her eyes, drifted off to sleep.

I sat there, caressing her hair, my mind racing with her final words, and the mystery of it all.

Sleep didn’t take me until much later.

——————————————————-

I awoke in the same position, and was happy to find Chloe still dozing peacefully in my lap.

Normally, I’d be stiff and sore from sleeping upright for, well, however long I’d been asleep, but my now alien altered body felt perfectly fine. I wondered if They used the beams on us while we were sleeping as well, because every time I woke, I felt fresher and stronger than before.

Chloe stirred beneath me, stretching her arms out above her head. Intentionally or not, she was giving me a wonderful view of her nude, lithe body; her curved breasts, flat, toned stomach, her defined muscles pointing their way down towards her rounded pubic mound, with it’s soft patch of neatly trimmed hair.

Her eyes opened, and she greeted me cheerfully. “Hey, you. Did you sleep?”

“I did. Surprisingly well, considering.”

“I’m glad they didn’t separate us this time. It’s nice waking up next to you,” Chloe said. She smiled warmly, then sat up and gave me a tender kiss.

The kiss may have led to more, but we were interrupted by the humming sound as the lights enveloped us again.

We were carefully separated and lifted into standing positions, facing each other. Neither of us tried to fight it, there was no point in it and besides, we knew that whatever they would do to us this time, it would be a positive experience.

The lights went through several cycles, starting with the usual blue, calm and relaxing, preparing us for whatever came next.

Then came the nourishing and purification processes, feeding our green lit bodies and purging them of wastes and toxins. The room was filled with little gold lights drifting upwards.

Then came a new sensation as the lights turned orange. I felt my muscles stimulated, flexing and vibrating under my skin. It felt like getting a workout and a deep muscle massage at the same time. As with the other processes we’d been put through, there was nothing painful about it, other than those good aches you get when a knot in a particularly tight muscle gets worked out.

“This is new,” I heard Chloe say.

“Sure beats going to the gym,” I joked.

How long this went on I couldn’t say; it could have continued forever as far as I was concerned. But then the lights and frequency changed, bringing on yet another new sensation.

This one, in my mind. I saw memories, long since forgotten, now clear and vivid. Random memories, tracing backwards through my life:

The name of the band on a flyer hanging in the mens room at a bar I got plastered at on my 40th birthday.

The shirt color of the guy who held the door for me the day I showed up at the studio to do my first voice commercial.

The name of that cute girl I had a crush on in 5th grade.

Suckling at my mother’s breast as an infant.

Memories ebbed and flowed through my mind, some good, some bad, but even the traumatic ones were somehow comforting. They were parts of my life, long buried, now returned to me.

But it wasn’t just personal memories returning. It was facts and knowledge. Things I’d been taught in school, long since unused, were now fresh in my brain. I’d always been terrible at math, barely passed it back in high school. But I could see math equations, algebra, geometry, things I’d struggled to comprehend, now plain and clear in their simple truths.

They were making us smarter. Or at the very least, unlocking things in our brains that were already there, just simply forgotten.

Just when it became a bit too overwhelming, the lights shifted again. Red.

Chloe was already grinning at me. “Here we go,” she moaned, “I was hoping for this again.”

The now familiar sexual stimulation once again worked it’s magic on our bodies and minds. The first time we’d experienced this, I’d had no actual mental fantasies, my mind too preoccupied with simply trying to understand what was happening.

But now I was not just feeling the physical pleasure, but playing out the scenarios that would create such exstacy in my mind.

And in my visions, I saw Chloe.

The sexual fantasy played out more vividly than any dream I’d ever had.

The images flashed and changed randomly: Chloe and I, our bodies entwined, caressing and touching either other intimately. Chloe before me, on her knees, performing an enthusiastic blowjob. Then she was on top of me, riding my cock, her breasts bouncing to the rhythm of her movements.

I envisioned my body over hers, her long legs wrapped around my back, fingernails dug into my back as I thrust into her over and over.

My eyes opened to see Chloe, the real Chloe, across from me. She met my gaze and smiled.

And I knew. She was imagining being with me too.

We both orgasmed at the same time as the red lights brought us to climax, the comforting blue then brought us back down gently to normalcy.

Chloe ran over to me as soon as she was released. Straddling my lap, she kissed me urgently. I was taken aback only a moment before my arms wrapped around her, holding and supporting her weight.

She broke the kiss, her eyes a wild fire of passion. “I need you to fuck me. Right now. How fast can you recover?”

My cock was already hard. She felt it beneath her and without hesitation reached down and guided it towards her already slick cunt. Moments later I was inside her. “Fuck, that’s deep,” she moaned.

We exchanged no further words. Chloe leaned into me, her face slightly above mine, almost nose to nose. Her long hair hung down around my face, and our eyes locked.

Chloe didn’t ride my shaft so much as rock back and forth on it, my cock remaining deep inside her but stimulated from her movements.

My hands went to her ass, partly to enjoy the feel of it, but also to keep her from slipping off of me.

Her vaginal walls tightened and contracted with each motion, and I could feel the heat of her radiate along my swollen shaft.

She was cumming within moments, her juices running down my balls, pooling under me, hot and sticky. The scent of her arousal flooded my nostrils, making me lightheaded with it.

She never slowed her pace even as her second orgasm took her, then a third and a fourth. She fucked me like woman possessed.

Hands gripping my shoulders, she leaned the full weight of her body back, and now she was riding me, working her hips, her cunt moving fully up and down on my cock in long, quick thrusts, leaving my shaft glistening with her cream.

She let go of one shoulder, trusting my strong arms to support her weight. Her free hand found her clit, attacking it viciously.

Her breasts bounced freely, soaked with sweat. Her eyes never broke contact with mine and I her face twisted as yet another climax approached.

Chloe squealed as her vaginal muscles spasmed around me, and I felt the hot spray of her ejaculate forcing it’s way past my cock, coating my thighs, stomach and chest. She let out a wail of pleasure, then pushed herself off me collapsing to the floor, panting for breath.

She looked up at me, my cock still hard, throbbing, and dripping with her cum. “I’m…sorry, I’m just…spent.”

I answered by taking my cock in hand and stroking steadily. Her multiple orgasms had left it slick with natural lubrication, and I could feel my own climax approaching quickly.

Chloe sat up and positioned her face just under my cock, then slipped her lips around the head just as my first blast of cum escaped.

Her lips formed a tight seal around my glans and she sucked greedily as I continued to jerk my spunk into her eager mouth, swallowing every drop.

Finished, I slid down to the floor beside her. Our exertions had left us hot, sweaty, and exhausted, but also satisfied and content. We lay together, cuddling.

That was fucking incredible,” gasped Chloe, still catching her breath.

“It was,” I agreed, “but I’m a bit surprised. I thought you said we were supposed to wait.”

“I did,” she said. “But I realized during this session that it wasn’t about waiting to have sex. It’s not like I’m a virgin. I think we’re waiting to…conceive.”

“Well I don’t think what you did there at the end is the way to go about it,” I joked.

She didn’t laugh. “I suppose I need to tell you something,” Chloe said, turning serious. “You’re the first man I’ve let fuck me without a condom. And…I’ve never let anyone cum inside me before.”

My eyes were wide with surprise as I listened to her explain.

“My mother raised me to be more than a little paranoid about getting pregnant or catching a disease. Maybe because she had me at an early age. But now, with my head so clear and free from my doubts and fears, I think I truly understand the real reason.

“I think I was afraid of intimacy, and letting a guy cum inside me is about the most intimate act I can imagine. So I always made my boyfriends wear condoms, and made them pull out before they came.

“Oh I made good excuses for it, and got good at swallowing or encouraging them to cum on my face. And none of my few relationships lasted long enough for it to ever really become an issue anyway.

“During that part under the lights, when They opened up our minds, brought back old memories, I saw my past relationships in a totally different light. And I realized I was responsible for their failures, because my fear wasn’t really physical intimacy, but emotional intimacy.”

“We can’t put all the blame on ourselves for past failures when it comes to relationships,” I said. “I know enough about my personal flaws even before all of this to understand I’m not perfect, but my divorce wasn’t entirely my fault either.”

“Oh, I’m not laying all the blame on myself either,” she said. “Just, I don’t know. I think I understand myself a little better now. I mean, even with us, just now, I pulled you out at the last second, right? Not because I thought you were supposed to wait to cum in me, but because I still just wasn’t ready for it yet.”

“I get it,” I said, “and I’m not upset or disappointed about it. We’re still getting to know and trust each other. It’s okay if you’re not comfortable enough with me yet for that.”

“It’s not you, it’s me,” she said, then laughed at how cliché that sounded. “I guess I still need to work through some things. But don’t think I don’t have feelings for you, because I do.”

“I care about you too, very much,” I said, “we can wait, it’s okay. If and when you’re ready, you can let me know. And if not, that’s okay too. I’d understand. Cumming inside you isn’t important to me; your comfort and feelings are.”

Chloe smiled appreciatively. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

We lay quietly, side by side for a few minutes. Then a question popped into my head that I felt compelled to ask.

“So you never had a guy inside you without a condom until just now? Never, you know, played ‘Just The Tip’ or let him enter you for a while, then put the condom on?”

“Nope. Never,” she said, matter of factly.

“So…how do you feel now that you’ve done it?” I asked tentatively.