Wednesday, 13th of September

When I opened my sleepy eyes the next morning, I couldn't help but smile at the memory of the best night of my life. Although it had been the first time for both of us, we managed to make each other feel good, and that's the point after all.

I lifted my head slightly and saw Alma sitting on her knees on my right side, still naked. She was looking away from me, her back and feet facing me, seemingly deep in thought. It appeared that she had not noticed me being awake, so I just kept lying there without moving an inch of my being. I couldn't help but admire my girlfriend's beautiful body; her slim waist, her soft and smooth skin, and her cute little feet. The scars that covered parts of her back contrasted her perfection, making her beauty stand out even more in comparison.

While I kept tracing her curvaceous body with my eyes, I felt the need to use this opportunity to tickle Alma. I didn't think about it for too long, Alma could turn around at any moment after all. I lifted my arms silently, stretching them forward to her waist. Only moments before my fingertips reached her skin, she swiftly turned around and pushed herself on top of me. I landed on my back and was looking directly into a pair of deep blue eyes, while our naked bodies were tightly connected.

"Good mor-" I started but didn't get to finish my sentence. I felt Alma's hands on both sides of my waist, as her fingers instantly started to tickle me mercilessly. I began to laugh uncontrollably, my body squirming while trying to remove Alma's hands from my sides. After a while of violent tickling, she put her hands away and crossed them, placing them on my chest. She rested her chin on her arms, looking at me with her beautiful eyes and a satisfied grin on her blushing face while lying on top of me.

"G-Good morning to you too, my Love," spoke Alma with her adorably shy voice. Hearing her call me "her Love" made something deep inside me light up, I felt a lot happier than I should by something this simple. Now Alma had a small smile on her face, and I could see her tail move around happily, while one of her fingers was circling my breast. I ran my hand through Alma's hair and started playing with the blue strands, enjoying the fluffy sensation.

"How did you notice that I was about to tickle you?" I questioned. I was sure that I had been silent enough so that she wouldn't have heard my moves.

"Look," replied Alma while lifting herself up, sitting back down on her knees like before. She was again sitting in the same position, looking away from me while covering her boobs with her right arm. I also lifted my upper body and followed Alma's gaze and noticed my big mirror that was standing against the wall beside the bed.

"Oh, I see... That's what you have been looking at," I replied while looking at the scars on Alma's back. I started gently tracing them with my right index finger, feeling the rough lines dividing her smooth skin.

"I still don't like this. I think it looks horrible. I... I just can't believe you would like me like this..." said Alma while looking in the mirror and touching the big scar on her chest. I moved closer to her and pushed my leg to the side, hugging Alma from behind with her sitting between my numb legs, her tail slowly moving between us. Her experiences made her protectively press her hand against her breasts for a moment, but she calmed back down and loosened her grip again. My right hand slowly started to trace the big scar on her left breast, which made Alma shiver. I kissed Alma's cheek and placed my chin on her shoulder, now also looking into the mirror.

"You better start believing me soon because when I look into this mirror, I see the most beautiful, adorable, and perfect girl I could imagine. And I am lucky enough to hold her like this and be called 'her Love.' I love you, my little Kitten. More than anything," I spoke genuinely.

"I love you too, my Love," returned a blushing but smiling Alma. We kissed and then kept sitting like that, hugging in comfortable silence.

After quite some time I broke the quiet moment by asking, "Alma, I'm really curious... why did you become so bold after I woke up in the hospital? You still are adorably shy in many aspects, and I love that side of you, but you initiated our kisses and asked me to be your girlfriend. To me, it seemed like you would never do something like that."

"W-When you were unconscious, the girls from your cheer squad came over to look after you. At that point, the girls already made me open up a bit, so I was ready to tell them what happened. After I told them that you got injured because you saved my life, they asked me if I was just your friend o-or if there was more between us. I told them that I would want there to be more, but I didn't know how to do that and if you would accept me. Then Ida responded, and said that it was obvious that you liked me because of what you had done. But she also said that this accident showed that you could never know what happens next, so I should just go for it because waiting won't help me," explained Alma.

Of course, it was Ida who changed the shy Alma and made her become this forward. Who else would manage to do that? Alma's story made me think about my friends again, who didn't call nor text at all. It seemed understandable, there was no room for a hindrance like me in the lives of athletic cheerleaders... I tried not to think about them, I had Alma and she wasn't going anywhere, so I was happy. Right... I was... happy...

After a moment I responded to her story, trying to act as cheerful as before, "You know, I'm actually glad you became like this because I would have never known how to start things between us. But there is one thing I don't ever want to change."

I turned Alma around and pushed her down, bringing our nude bodies together. Our faces were close enough that our noses were touching, and I could see Alma blush with her ears moving nervously. Then I spoke, "This. I never want this shyness to disappear. I love my shy little Kitten."

Suddenly I heard my mom calling us from downstairs, "Girls, are you awake? You should get up soon, lunch will be ready in an hour."

"Time to get up, huh? Could you help me get into the bathtub? I want to take a bath," I said while lifting myself off Alma. Alma nodded and stood up to get me my wheelchair. She went into the bathroom, and I heard that she started to let the water into the tub.

I pushed myself into the bathroom and saw Alma as she was standing in front of the tub, nervously playing with her hair while holding a towel against her chest, hiding her private parts. Then she stuttered, "B-Brea? Want to... t-take a bath together?"

I could feel my face heat up, and my mouth formed a smile at the thought of Alma and me bathing together. My bathtub was more than big enough to fit two people, especially if the rather short Alma was one of them.

"As if I could turn that invitation down. But let me get something first," I replied and rolled back into my room. I took a candle and matches from my table and returned to the bathroom. After placing the candle beside the tub and lighting it, Alma helped me to get in.

"Now before you get in, take one of those little balls from that bowl over there," I ordered while pointing at a small wooden bowl near the sink, "Those are bath bombs; if you put them in the tub, they will form bubbles and color the water while also releasing a nice scent. Take whichever color you like."

It didn't take long for Alma to decide which one to pick; she immediately came back with a blue bomb in her hands. She placed it in the tub and watched as blue bubbles rose from the bottom of the water, filling the room with a minty scent. Her choice surprised me, so I asked, "Why blue? I thought you hated that color..."

Alma fidgeted with her hair and replied, "How could I hate it after looking into your beautiful blue eyes?"

"T-Thank you..." I stuttered after a moment of silence that followed that surprising compliment. No matter how often Alma complimented me, I could feel warmth spread from my heart up to my face every single time. It just made me unbelievably happy being called "beautiful" or "cute" by this girl.

It didn't take long for the bath bomb to fully dissolve, filling the whole tub with light blue bubbles. Alma put her towel down and started getting in, covering her private parts until the bubble bath took over that job.

I instructed Alma to sit down between my legs, and she followed my commands, slowly laying down against my body. I felt Alma's back on my tummy, her skin feeling cold in comparison to the warm water. Thanks to our height difference, Alma's neck was resting exactly between my breasts. Although it was embarrassing, I was sure it felt nice to her, and I liked the intimacy between us.

We didn't speak for a while, me silently stroking Alma's stomach and her holding my other hand with hers. Time seemed to pass slower than usual, and I liked to imagine that it did. If I could have stayed in that position with Alma forever, I'd have been fine with that. Just sitting in the warm water, my arms around her. Holding your significant other like that is a relaxing feeling unlike any other.

"That is a beautiful candle," said Alma after a few minutes of comfortable silence. The color of the candle's flame was changing every few minutes, from green to blue to red and so on. We were taught in school that flames can be colored by adding metals, but I had no idea how someone made a candle with that.

"I know, I also like it a lot," I replied, before kissing Alma on the top of her head. I was still hugging Alma from behind, holding her hands on her belly. After relaxing in the warm bath a little while longer, I offered, "Lift yourself a bit, I'll wash your back."

Alma did as I said, and I started washing her back, gently sliding my hands over her skin after applying some showering gel. I rinsed off the soap and repeated the process for her shoulders and sides. Then I moved my hands to her front, washing her tummy at first, then massaging her breasts sensually.

I started kissing the side of her neck and slid my fingers over her skin, slowly bringing them closer to her core. When they entered, Alma's voice slipped, filled with pleasure and need.

After we were done bathing, we started getting out of the tub. After Alma helped me out and dry myself off, I took the big towel Alma was holding before and started drying her off in exchange before wrapping her in it. Then she said blushing, "I can do that myself, you know?"

"Of course, you can," I replied smiling, "but you can let me spoil you sometimes, right? Now let me dry your hair."

We went back to my room, and Alma sat down sideways on the corner of the bed so I could position myself behind her without leaving my wheelchair. I took a hairdryer and started drying Alma's hair in silence, while she turned her phone on and started playing that cute cat game. The blue strands of her hair were soft and smelled like blueberries while falling on her scarred back.

"Your hair is gorgeous, like the rest of you," I spoke while leaning closer to her. I kissed her shoulder and said, "All done. Get dressed now, I'll dry my hair first."

Alma rejected that idea and insisted on drying my hair for me. Of course, I knew that I couldn't reject that, and let her do as she pleased. We got dressed after and made our way downstairs, where I rolled off the lift and was pushed by Alma in the direction of the dining table.

"Good morning girls. I'm guessing you slept well after your audibly exciting evening?" greeted us my mom from the kitchen laughing. Alma stopped pushing me and was standing still with her face just as red as mine. She looked like she was about to run away and hide but then my mom continued, "Oh don't be embarrassed. Intimacy is something natural in a relationship, and you are adults. I was starting to wonder why nothing kept happening."

Alma was covering her face with her hands but took them away when Mom suddenly petted her head. Then Mom said with a warm smile, "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, Honey. You really shouldn't be ashamed, sleeping with the person you love is human. Now sit down both of you, lunch is almost ready."

Alma still looked unsure but pushed me to the dining table. After chatting with my parents for a while, the embarrassment from before was forgotten, and we enjoyed the delicious meal. When we were done, we kept sitting at the table, talking with my parents about random things. Alma fitted into our family so well, it was as if she had been a part of it all along. Seeing that made me very happy.

"Can we go play Mario Kart?" asked a cheerful Alma. We had been chatting for a long time, it was late afternoon already. I nodded, and Alma pushed me on the lift to go upstairs into our living room. The little Lucy came running towards us from her bed and followed us upstairs.

I moved from the wheelchair to the sofa and Alma laid down, her head in my lap. When we started the game, Alma once again chose Rosalina as her character, just like every single time. I looked down at Alma and began stroking her hair before asking, "Why do you always take Rosalina?"

"Because her blue eyes and light blonde hair remind me of you..." answered Alma shyly. Her reply made me let out an "aww" and kiss her forehead.

A long time passed, and we ended up playing through the whole rest of the day. It was late at night already, and we were getting into bed. Alma snuggled up to me, and it didn't take her long to fall asleep. Her breathing was calm and relaxed, little purrs escaping from her mouth now and then.

I, on the other hand, couldn't seem to fall asleep. The picture frame on my bedside table, which had a photo of Quinn, Ida, and me in it, reminded me of my friends, and the fact that none of them cared to visit or even to contact me.

There was also no reason for me to contact them, it was apparent that they didn't want to meet up.

And it was understandable of course... all my friends were cheerleaders. They were very active and worked out all the time... which I couldn't take part in anymore. I was nothing than a hindrance for them; that would be as if they were carrying a bag of potatoes wherever they went.

'But I also don't need them... right?' spoke my inner voice. I had Alma, and if she was by my side, I would be happy. And I truly was, I was genuinely happy. However, if I was happy, why didn't the tears stop coming from my eyes? Why wouldn't my happiness cover up the sadness of being forgotten?

It was at that moment of my life when I was lying there, crying myself to sleep in the arms of the girl I loved, that I realized something fundamental:

Being happy doesn't mean you can't be sad as well.