Текст книги "Fraternizing"
Автор книги: C. Brown
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Текущая страница: 23 (всего у книги 26 страниц)
Chapter 30
Cassie
I went to class just like any other day.
Shock hit me as I stood in formation and saw Allen standing there. Were they not going to do anything about him? I’d been warned when I mentioned joining the Marine Corps that it was a boys club. If Allen got away with what he’d said to me, then I knew it to be true.
We walked into the classroom. Alex looking stellar and enticing as he always did. Jensen and Newsome updated us on our standings for the challenge, and to my surprise, the partner radio systems activity was factored in to our scores. I was still sitting in first place, but Allen had made up ground, and was trailing behind in a close second. I noticed the instructors making a concerted effort to keep us as far away from one another as possible. Even though I didn’t sit near him, they moved him even farther away, making sure that it would take an effort on our parts to get to each other, and even then, Alex would not allow that to happen.
I spent lunch with Dalton, Lane, and Hutchins. Both of them had received orders to Camp Pendleton, just different units. They were excited since they were now an unofficial couple. It was nice to see them so happy.
After lunch, Newsome escorted me down to First Sergeant O’Hara’s office. My stomach knotted up, even though I was well aware that I was in the right and had nothing to hide. Well, as far as the Allen situation was concerned. In other areas in my life I had plenty to hide, and it was always on the forefront of my mind.
Newsome walked with me, making awkward small talk, but really not having much to say. Just as we approached First Sergeant’s door, he turned to me and said, “You just need to tell him exactly what’s been going on. Don’t hide anything if you want your problem fixed. You understand that?”
“Yes, Sergeant,” I replied, feeling the weight of his words. I had more problems than he knew about, and even though he wasn’t referring to my other problem, my guilty conscience was playing tricks on me.
He knocked on the door, listened for the okay from First Sergeant O’Hara, then opened the door and led me in. I removed my cover from my head and nervously held it in my hands, feeling overly intimidated by the bull of a man that was First Sergeant O’Hara.
“Private First Class Bennett is here, First Sergeant.”
“Thank you, Sergeant Newsome. That’ll be all.”
Newsome nodded his head and walked out, leaving the door partially open. First Sergeant O’Hara signaled for me to take a seat.
“How are you this afternoon, Pfc. Bennett?”
“I’m doing well, First Sergeant.”
He sat up in his chair, his stocky frame filling the seat. His dark, beady eyes stared down on me as his face went tight. My stomach clenched, twisting and aching the longer I sat in his presence.
“I spoke to your lead instructor, Sergeant Cruz, and he seems to think there is more to the sexual harassment claims that transpired yesterday. You do understand that the Marine Corps is pushing hard to eradicate sexual harassment from our ranks, and while we cannot scrape it all away, we are taking claims very seriously, and will handle such occurrences with an iron fist.”
He sat up in his seat even more, those dark eyes growing more and more threatening by the second. His arms rested on the desk, his hands intertwined with one another as he stared into my soul.
“We also take false accusations very seriously. I will not destroy a career without due diligence. So what I am about to ask you, you need to think long and hard about your answers. Do you understand me?” His voice was low and gruff, almost accusing.
“Yes, First Sergeant,” I said, putting on a show of confidence so as not to allow him the pleasure of knowing that his intimidating techniques were working on me. I had nothing to lie about, but he made it seem as if he could will a lie out of me.
“Alright then. How did you first come in contact with Private Allen?”
I cleared my throat, readying myself to dig through the filth that he had been shoveling my way from the very beginning.
“It turns out he is in my class, but I learned who he was after our first day of class. Another Pfc. in the barracks had some people over for a video game match and pizza, and I met Private Allen there.”
“Was it a friendly meeting?”
“No. He had apparently been drinking, and he was intoxicated. I went against him in Mortal Kombat, and he wagered me. He said if he won, I could blow him, and if I won, I could still blow him.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“And then what happened?”
“I told him I wasn’t interested. I went on to play him, and I beat him. He became irate, yelling obscenities until some of the guys had to restrain him.”
“Who are the names of these guys? I will need to speak to them.”
I gave him the names of Dalton, Pete, and a few others who were there that night. They would definitely be able to verify my story and hopefully get Allen away from me for good.
“Anymore instances that you can think of?”
“Yes. He’s told me that I must be a lesbian if I didn’t want him. He’s told me I needed to be taught how to be a lady, and that he’d put me in my place. Then recently, he told me he’d shove his–“ I stopped, feeling embarrassed to say the word in front of First Sergeant O’Hara. He nodded, signaling that he understood. “His private down my throat to shut my mouth.”
He face softened a bit, and his eyes briefly closed as he scratched the back of his neck and sat back in his seat. I watched him take a pen and notepad from his desk and start writing down names of people I had given him. He seemed to believe me, which made me feel so much better than when I had first stepped into his office.
“Are there any more people I should be speaking to?” he asked, his head still down, writing.
“Yes, a few of his friends that are always around when he says these things.”
“I’ll need their names as well.”
I gave him the names of a couple of guys who I knew ran in Allen’s circle. I couldn’t remember them all, but the ones I did give him, I was sure they would talk. They didn’t seem loyal. Just seemed like a couple of followers who found humor in the antics of a supreme asshole. When First Sergeant O’Hara was finished writing, he placed his pen down on his notepad and looked up to me.
“We will be digging further into these claims. In the meantime, you are to have no contact, whatsoever, with Private Allen. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, First Sergeant.”
“Good to go.”
He stood, and I followed. I walked to the door, blowing out a heavy and deep breath that had filled me the entire time I sat in the chair. My conscience felt lighter, knowing that I was finally able to get all of my irritation for Allen out in the open. I went walking down the hallway when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out to find a text from Alex.
Alex: How did it go? Damn this, I hate being away from you. I want to see you.
Me: It went okay. I want to see you, too. But we do need to lay low. They are digging through everything.
Alex: I want to dig through something… My tongue is more than willing.
Me: Perv. I will call you later.
It was hard being so close to Alex, but unable to be with him, especially after everything that we had been through together. I felt like time was slipping away from us. In a very short amount of time, I’d be packed, orders in hand, and on an airplane, taking me three thousand miles away from him.
It was gut wrenching to even think about it.
My heart felt like it shattered into a million pieces every time I thought about being without him. And although the prospect had been discussed, it didn’t take the sting out of it. Even if I had been given orders to Camp Pendleton, weekend trips would have erased the distance that separated us. But with me being on the opposite coast, I’d have to settle for once a month flights, and pray that time would even allow for that to happen.
I went to bed that night with it on my mind, and even when I talked to Alex later that evening, sitting on the cement barricade framing the parking lot, it didn’t make things any easier. Alex, for as strong as he was trying to be, was anything but. It was bothering him just as much as it was bothering me. We’d had—or at least I’d had—no intention of ever falling this far when I took the bait and jumped in head first for him. I thought this was hot, casual sex at its finest. I’d never thought that we’d get to where we stood, and be faced with such a depressing situation. The more we talked about it, the more I wished time would just stand still, and I could stay in this hot, barren, good for nothing desert. It didn’t have much going for it, but it had Alex, and that was enough for me.
When I woke up the next morning, I found a text from Alex stating that the investigation into Allen was moving along quickly. First Sergeant O’Hara decided to give Allen an NJP—non-judicial punishment—and was pushing for an expedited administrative discharge. I couldn’t recall ever experiencing such early morning jubilation that didn’t involve Alex and his body mingling with mine. The news was quick and unexpected. My initial reaction to First Sergeant O’Hara was that he wasn’t taking any of this too seriously, but to get confirmation that it was handled swiftly and forcefully made me happy.
I walked down to the schoolhouse with Dalton, gleefully explaining to him what went down and that Allen would no longer be a threat to me. He commented, letting me know that First Sergeant grilled him, wanting to know everything, and was trying to see if any of the encounters were made up on my behalf.
Newsome, Alex, and Jensen stood before us in the classroom, going through their spiel about how proud of us they were, and how we’d make fine fleet Marines once we made it to our destinations. Alex gave subliminal messages, saying he’d miss seeing some of us around the schoolhouse, but that he knew our new units were gaining great, new additions. His words tugged at my heart at another reminder that we would be split apart. A part of me wanted to cry because the thought and the reality of it was just too much. Another part of me wanted to see as it yet another challenge in my life that I would have to work extra hard to overcome.
No matter which way it was sliced, the fact that I would be in North Carolina by this time next week was a hard pill to swallow, and I didn’t want to spend another second thinking about it.
Newsome took over the speech, standing with a clipboard in his hands.
“So without further ado, the winner of the seventy-two challenge—and it came down to the wire—is Pfc. Bennett.”
The class broke out in applause, with even a few “oorahs” thrown in for good measure. I nervously smiled, looking around the room. Even Angelica was clapping for me. When my eyes landed on Alex’s, salacious smirks were thrown back at me, making me blush and sweat under the intensity of his stare. I found myself tingling in between my legs because I knew the hidden message in his golden flecked eyes. If I didn’t turn away from it, I would need to make a swift exit for the nearest restroom.
“Pfc. Bennett, enjoy having Monday off,” Newsome said, nodding his head and then giving the floor to Alex.
“Your last order of business before you graduate is to pass the final exam. Today, we will cover the last bit of material, and then you will work in study groups, quizzing one another on everything you can think of. If you fail it, you will be recycled. You will have to take the course again, and you’ll be stuck here in Twentynine. For those of you leaving, I’m not so sure if you want to do that.”
His eyes landed on me as he spoke, making my insides swirl. I was on a double edged sword. Staying in Twentynine, while it would mean not being separated from Alex, would be detrimental for my career. I had to remember that, above all else, my career needed to come first.
The morning was filled with instruction, then splitting up into our study teams of four. It seemed that since I had been announced as the winner, everyone wanted to work with me. To my shock, Angelica even came my way, but I bypassed her. There was no way I was about to work with her when she had done nothing but try and make my life a living nightmare since we’d arrived here.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was absolutely starving. I walked out into the courtyard to meet up with Dalton, Lane, and Hutchins, when I got a buzz on my phone.
Alex: Jensen is out with Gunny Chavez for the lunch hour and the rest of the guys left too. Come to my office NOW. I need to EAT!
I knew exactly what that meant. And the heat of my body and the flush of my skin told Dalton exactly what it was as well.
“I have to go and take care of something, guys. I’ll see you all later.”
Dalton smiled and patted my shoulder.
“Enjoy!” he said, smirking at me and making me blush with embarrassment. He knew exactly where I was headed, and even though he’d known about Alex and me for quite some time, I still couldn’t erase the guilt behind it. I smiled anyway, then turned in the opposite direction and walked off before Lane or Hutchins could pick up on anything.
I looked around before knocking on Alex’s office door, then turned the knob and found him sitting at his desk, waiting for me. He stood and walked over, closing and locking the door behind him. When he turned around, he didn’t even say anything. Instead, he took my face in his hands and planted the deepest, most passion-filled kiss on my lips. I allowed him in, and he took advantage, dominating me with his powerful, and commanding tongue. I wrapped my arms around his neck, slightly tilting my head to the side as I attempted to gain some ground on him. He was hungry, indeed, but it wasn’t food he was after—it was me.
We pulled away, breathing hard and lusting after one another. He wiped his lips and pulled me over to his desk. I sat in between his legs, facing him as those sensual golden eyes flared out at me, drawing me even further into him.
“I’m so pissed you’re leaving me,” he said in a low whisper, my heart ached at the longing look encasing his face.
I didn’t want to go, but we both knew that this would be a very real possibility.
“I know. I wish I were staying here. They could have given Angelica my orders and given me hers.”
“Just our fucking luck, right?”
I nodded my head then focused on the black box that he pulled out of his pocket. My eyes narrowed as I pondered exactly what he had in there, and what he was planning to do with it.
“Our beach trip was so fucking eye opening for me. I knew that there was so much about you that I loved, but hearing about what brought you here—what brought you to me—I knew I needed to do something to always have a piece of me with you.”
“You already did that, Alex. I have your dog tags. They mean more to me than anything else in the world.”
“Well this can be a close second. Because I saw it and instantly thought of you.”
He opened the box and a silver necklace lay inside with a small, sparkling butterfly dangling from the end. No amount of willpower could stop the tears that immediately coated my eyes and fell down my cheeks. The butterfly was my symbol, my way of expressing freedom, and here was Alex, recognizing it in the most meaningful way.
He turned me around and placed it around my neck, clasping the ends in the back, then running his hand over my shoulder and down my chest, stopping on the butterfly. He moved closer, his lips on my neck as his other hand held firmly to my waist.
“I’m going to miss the hell out of you. But like the butterfly, you are free to go wherever you choose, so make sure you make your way back to me, or I’ll have to play catcher and go after you.”
I giggled. Tears fell down my face in slow trickles. I needed to look at him, to see the face of the one person who had made me feel whole again. I turned around and watched sadness float through his eyes. I kissed him long and hard, pressing him down on the desk and climbing on top of him. It was hard, and it kind of hurt—I knew that from experience—but it was all we had and I wasn’t about to waste a second not enjoying him.
“I want you, Alex. All of you.”
“You’ve got me, Blondie.”
“Then take me. Take me right now. I don’t want to lose another second with you.”
A spark went off in his eyes and he sat up, removing my blouse, my t-shirt underneath, then my bra. He nuzzled his face in my breasts as I held on to the back of his head. I could feel his erection, jabbing through his pants, longing to be set free, to snake its way into me and leave me breathless.
“I want you.”
I leaned back and unbuttoned his blouse, helping him out of it, then pulled his t-shirt over his head. His hardened and sculpted chest sat before me, and my hands glided down to it, stopping on his pectorals and squeezing as he unfastened my belt and unbuttoned my pants. An ache settled between my legs, desperately longing for his attention in just the right spot. My hands slid down to his pants, where I did the same to him as I leaned in and kissed him passionately. Every ounce of our touch hit me, like a powerful wave crashing on the shore. My heart ached with the thought of having to leave him, and I wanted—no, needed—all of him that I could get.
He stood us up, holding me by my ass as he turned us around and now lay me down on the desk. He pushed his pants and boxers down, his large, thick, cock standing at attention as he gently pulled my pants and panties down, smiling at the sight.
“I’ll say it again. I don’t know how I got so fucking lucky.”
“Ditto,” I replied, then motioned with my index finger for him to come down to me.
He hovered above me, his erection sitting at my entrance, deepening the ache that lay beating away at me.
“I don’t have a condom with me.”
I swallowed as I shut my eyes, the pain from his absence beginning to own me.
“I don’t care. I need you—now!”
He lightly closed his eyes and sunk into me, blowing out a long, deep breath as he did so.
“You’re even more fucking amazing with nothing on.”
He began to move, slow, in and out movements as my walls clung tightly to his cock. The absence of the condom intensified the sensual feel of him, sending me into a euphoric state of bliss. It didn’t matter that we were fucking on a desk, hidden behind a locked door, shrouded in secrecy. To me, it was perfect. It was everything I had ever wanted—me, Alex, no inhibitions, and our true souls locking on to one another and holding on for dear life.
He continued at the slow, leisurely pace, one of his arms wrapped around my neck as his other steadied on my backside. I wanted so badly to look up into his eyes. The feel of him was overpowering me, shutting my eyes against my will, and sending me to a faraway land—a place where we were free to have one another in the open, any and everywhere that we saw fit.
“As deep into you as I am right now, it will never be enough for me,” he whispered as he began to circulate his hips.
The touch of his skin on mine, warm and damp, drew me in even further. I latched on to him, my hands holding on to his back like my life depended on it as he slightly picked up the pace, alternating between the circular, and in and out movements. He was hitting my spot, causing small whimpers to come pouring out of me. He moved harder and harder, turning my whimpers into moans that were no longer for our ears only. He removed his arm from around my neck, placing his hand over my mouth and whispering, “Bite down if you have to.”
I did because the more he moved in and out of me, the stronger the sensations grew, ricocheting off my walls, leaving me in a daze. Alex tried hard to stifle his grunts, but was failing to do so. I took one of my hands and placed it over his mouth, only he didn’t bite down, he kissed and sucked it as he continued his onslaught.
“I want you to come,” he mumbled, my hand still over his lips.
I nodded, even though my bite had strengthened on the side of his index finger. He pounded into me, breaking me down further and further until I could no longer feel my legs and I came, the orgasm ripping through me like claws on a sheet. Alex came at that very moment, still inside of me and releasing, the spurts of him, intermingling with me, solidifying that what we had was something real, and the emotional toll of it sent tears careening down my cheeks.
Alex sat up, looking down on me, wiping away my tears.
“I love you, Cassie Bennett,” he said, his voice low and soft. “I’m pretty sure I loved you even before I truly realized it.”
I sniffled and closed my eyes, trying to keep anymore tears from spilling out.
“I love you, too, Alex Cruz. And I knew it the moment I realized it.”
He leaned down and kissed me again, soft and sensual, making me feel like we had finally solidified our status and become one.
A knock rattled the door, startling us where we lay. My eyes shot open as fear coursed through me that we’d be caught, right here in the office, with our pants down. Another knock hit the door, then a voice came barreling through the wall.
“It’s me, man. Riley. Open up.”
My heart settled a bit, knowing it was someone who wasn’t going to send everything crashing down. Alex pulled his pants up, then hurried to the door, opening it slightly.
“Hey, hurry up and get out of there. Everyone is on their way back.”
“Why didn’t you call or text me, man?”
“I did. You didn’t answer.”
Alex stood still, then nodded his head and shut the door. I stood, snapping on my bra, then throwing my t-shirt on over my head. I tried smoothing down my loose hairs that had made their way out of my bun, but Alex walked over to me and took my hands, slowing me down.
“Stop rushing. We’ve got time.”
“I just don’t want to be found out like this.”
He smiled at me, seemingly enjoying my frantic state. He dropped down and took my panties in his hands, pulling them back up and tapping my ass just as he finished. He went back down and pulled up my pants, buttoning and fastening my belt for me. When he finished, he stood in front of me, his eyes resting on the butterfly hanging from my neck.
“It’s almost as beautiful as you are,” he said, taking it in his hands and kissing me, before tugging on the neckline of my t-shirt and dropping it inside. I placed my hand over it and smiled, then kissed him again, before turning and walking to the door.
“I love you,” I whispered over my shoulder, before slightly opening the door, looking around and then slipping out.
Before I could take three good steps, I heard a voice call out, “Pfc. Bennett.” My heart skipped a beat as I flushed red, lost control of my breathing, and slowly turned around, coming face to face with First Sergeant O’Hara. He briskly walked in my direction, his eyes curiously studying me, then glancing at the door that I was only a few steps away from.
“Good afternoon, First Sergeant,” I greeted him, hoping that my wild expression wouldn’t tip him off to anything. He continued to stare at me strangely, his eyes narrowing as he looked me over.
“Did you need something with one of the instructors?”
“Um—“ I swallowed, trying to quickly formulate a lie. I was never any good at thinking on my toes. “I needed to see Sergeant Jensen, but I see no one is in right now.”
“Hmmmm,” he moaned, his eyes never leaving mine. I was afraid to look away for fear that it would be a definite giveaway that something was up and that he would sniff around long enough to actually find it. “Well, I’d suggest you wait to speak to him until you get back into class. This could easily be misconstrued. And after everything you’ve already been through, we wouldn’t that, now would we?”
I swallowed again, my chest heaving as I stood there, swallowed up in all of my guilt, hoping and praying that First Sergeant couldn’t hear the erratic, bone breaking, beats of my heart. The longer he stood glaring at me, those dark, beady eyes penetrating my soul, the more I felt like this was it; all of the walls would come crashing down on top of me, leaving me begging for mercy as the truth came spilling out.
“Go on and enjoy some chow, Pfc. Bennett. Whatever this is, it can wait.” He eyed me suspiciously.
“Yes, First Sergeant,” I weakly answered, cracking my knuckles at my sides before turning and walking away as fast as my boot clad feet would carry me. I wanted to turn around, but I knew better. There was no doubt in my mind that First Sergeant O’Hara was watching me and that turning around would only solidify his suspicions. I walked on down the corridor and turned the corner. I threw my hands behind my head and took long, deep breaths, desperately needing fresh air to once again cycle through my pain ridden and suffocating lungs.
Thursday night field day went without a glitch. It was the last one we’d be subjected to here at the schoolhouse, and Alex didn’t stop by my room, making me wonder where he had gone. The next morning in class, he was quiet…cold… distant. I didn’t know what was bothering him. The day before had been so beautiful, so meaningful, and I wondered if it was all too much for him. If he was having a hard time dealing with the reality of what we were faced with.
He had been in the office when I had my run in with First Sergeant O’Hara, so I thought maybe that was too close for comfort and he needed to put distance between us. Whatever it was, it sent sadness and pain piercing through me, leaving me wondering what would actually become of us. I tried to forget about it as I took my final exam, well aware that passing this had to be my one and only concern at the moment.
The day ended with only a few empty glances here and there. When I looked deep enough, I could see sadness behind the dark cloud surrounding his eyes—that very sadness filling me. I didn’t want to leave on this note. I wanted to leave with us excited for the prospect that lay before us, but the longer I thought about it, the more I realized that it would probably not happen that way. I wanted to rewind, take things back to the very beginning and start all over. I wanted more time. I wanted anything I could get to bring me and Alex back together. More than anything, I wanted the love that we’d expressed to one another to trump everything.
And right now, I wasn’t so sure that it could.
Later that evening, I sat with Dalton in the barracks courtyard, quietly festering in my own self-pity as he went on and on about the excitement of his new unit. He stopped talking when he noticed that I wasn’t contributing to the conversation.
“Hey. What’s got you so down? Things are looking up for you. Allen is out of your hair, we’re graduating, and you’ve got the love of your life. Why are you so down?”
I smiled weakly. “I wish it were that simple. But Alex and I are in a complicated state right now. He’s been so distant since yesterday. It hurts.”
He pulled me in for a hug, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
“I’m sure he’s hurting, too. He probably just doesn’t know how to handle it.”
“I don’t either. But I’m not backing away from him like he’s doing to me.”
“Don’t be so hard on him. He seems like a hard ass, and I think these feelings are new for him, so he doesn’t really know how to deal with them.”
“I guess,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.
“Hey, let’s go to the gym and play some basketball—get your mind off things for a bit.”
I contemplated saying no, but Dalton stood and grabbed my hand, yanking me up with him.
“Go get your shoes on and meet me in five minutes.”
I nodded, then took off for my room, looking into the duty room on my way by and finding Riley sitting inside. I stopped, backtracked, then knocked on the door.
“Pfc. Bennett,” he formally said, looking up from his Hot Rodsmagazine.
“Hi, Sergeant Riley.” No one was in the room with him, but I looked around anyway, before moving farther inside and asking my question. “Um—is Alex okay? He’s been a little off today.”
He sat his magazine down and straightened up in his chair.
“Alex is fine,” he replied. “He just needs a minute to adjust to everything. He’s hurting a little, that’s all.”
My heart fluttered at the confirmation. He wasn’t distancing himself from me for the sake of distancing himself. I smiled and thanked him, then headed up the stairs to put on my sneakers and play some ball with Dalton.
We played over an hour of basketball, one on one, then two on two with a couple of other students. I was decent at basketball, but Dalton was exceptional. I wondered why he hadn’t pursued it further since he obviously had talent, but he said it was just a hobby for him and nothing he wanted to devote his life to. I envied him because if I’d been blessed with that talent, I would have used it to my advantage.
The walk home was slow and quiet. The desert air was still warm, but the few gusts of wind here and there were welcomed, cooling down my sweat covered body from the hot and humid gym. When we reached the barracks, I looked inside the duty room again, seeing Riley sitting inside with his A-duty—a young, but built Private. He gave me a slight wave, putting a smile on my face. I loved how loyal he was to Alex, and in turn, how accepting he was of me.
“Hey, maybe tomorrow we can go swim or something,” Dalton said, holding on to my shoulder.
“Yeah, I’ll text you in the morning.”
I gave him a hug, then turned and jogged up the stairs. The music coming from inside my room was loud and thunderous, assaulting my ears the closer that I got. Angelica was in there, and it would be an almighty fight to try and get her to show a little consideration and turn it down now that I was home. I just figured I’d shower, then head off to grab a bite to eat and hopefully stay away from her until it was time for quiet hours.
I fiddled with my keys, my sweaty hands slipping as I tried to get a solid grip. When I finally did, I placed the key inside the hole, turned the knob and pushed the door open. Just my luck, Angelica was in the shower already, so I’d have to wait until she was done. I exhaled a breath of frustration and started to walk inside when a large, thick hand flew around my mouth, the accompanying body equally large and pressing hard up against me, sending me crashing down to the floor. I tried to scream, but it was in vain. My sounds were completely muffled by the hand covering my mouth.
