“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“How’s your head?”
I narrow my eyes and rub my temples. “Why are you asking? Did you hit me on the head or something?”
“No, no. Nothing like that.” He slowly nods. “You don’t remember, do you?”
“That depends on what you think I should be remembering.”
He grimaces. “You told me everything about your past.”
“That doesn’t sound like me.”
“Well, you more or less shouted it at me because you were furious.”
“That does sound more like me.”
“I still want to hunt down that fucker.”
I gape at him, shocked.
“Paul,” he clarifies unnecessarily.
“I told you about Paul?” My voice cracks.
Rix nods. “And that was before we went to the bar.”
“The bar…” I mumble.
I rub my forehead and groan. My memory’s slowly coming back to me. “You cried.”
“One tear—”
“Isn’t crying,” we say at the same time.
Rix grins, his smile a bit lopsided, and my stomach does a little flip that also nauseates me.
“I… I’m sorry for all the things I said after we left the bar. The drinking… It took a bit to hit me, and it hit all at once. I didn’t mean any of it. I… I don’t drink much anymore,” she mumbles.
“It’s all right, Ava. I understand. You and I talked about things you would rather forget. It’s understandable.”
“No. It’s not. I didn’t mean any of it. Not one word.”
He nods a few times and then looks away but not before I see a flash of something flickering on his face.
“You were there for me when I was vulnerable, and I… I appreciate that, Rix. I really do. No one else would’ve stuck around after what I said.”
“Not all of what you said was mean or hurtful,” he mumbles.
I furrow my brow, reflecting, thinking back, and then I gasp and try to burrow myself into, well, me. Turtles have it made, considering they have shells they can hide inside. Plus, it serves as their house. It's a better setup than what I have.
"You mean, when, ah, I said…" I clear my throat. "I called you an alien explorer. Not a bad title, huh? Can be your nickname."
"Yes." He grins, his eyes light but a bit wary. He's walking on eggshells around me. "I do recall you saying a bit more than just alien explorer. What was it?"
I scowl, but it’s more for show than being annoyed. “Enchanted,” I mumble.
“Was that true too?” he asks a bit eagerly, earnestly. “Or was that just a line.”
“I don’t have pickup lines. I… Maybe. Maybe it’s true. I don’t know.”
“I know trust doesn’t come easy for you,” Rix says. “Given your history, it’s perfectly understandable, and I honestly thought that giving you space was what you needed. If I thought that you wanted me to come around earlier, I… I like to think I would’ve, but I’ll be honest. You really know how to push people away.”
“Excuse me? You wanted to sleep with me before I was ready. I… We kissed.”
He bursts out laughing. “Yes.”
“I threw myself at you. You rejected me. Oh my God. You really were there for me. You could’ve… You could’ve just gone with it, and your mom deserves all the medals. She really did teach you about what it means to be an Earthling, about how drinking affects us because you had as much or even more to drink than I did, and you weren’t even buzzed, were you?”
“No. Alcohol doesn’t really affect us for whatever reason.”
"Maybe you have a lot more of the enzymes that break it down faster, so it doesn't reach your bloodstream." I shrug.
“You remember the kiss?” he asks, his eyes dancing.
“Yes.”
“And how was it?”
“I was drunk.”
He grimaces. “Can I—”
“Can I make what happened up to you?” I blurt out. “You really shouldn’t have had any of that happen to you, and there’s this one restaurant whose owner owes me a fancy meal. Not that I really have anything up to dress code standards, but he should let us in anyhow. What do you say?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?” he asks.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Can you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make it official.” He leans back and crosses his long legs, causing the blanket to get entangled in them.
"You're ridiculous," I huff as I stand. "Besides, I guess it would make more sense for us to go tonight, for dinner, than to go for breakfast. You go and do what you need to do to get ready and come back here around… five? Six? Do you have a watch or clock to know what time it is?"
“I do, yes, but I make use of military time. You mean seventeen hundred? Eighteen hundred?”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t want to spend the rest of the day until then together.”
“Do you want a real date, the whole nine yards, all of it?”
“I don’t have to have nine yards. I just have to have you. Err, I don’t mean sexually. Not yet at least. When you’re ready. If you’re ever ready.” He shakes his head and then hangs it. “I should go now, shouldn’t I?”
I giggle. Giggle. When’s the last time I giggled? Oh, yeah, when I was a happy drunk before I turned angry drunk. Ugh.
Quickly, before I can change my mind, I reach over and peck Rix’s cheek. “Yes, you should go now.”
He slowly stands, and I do the same. It’s a little awkward, but he gives me a hug, and when his arms are around me, I feel… protected.
I never felt that before. I don’t need protection, but it’s still so very nice.
Rix walks away, and I watch him go before I head to the pond and wash up as thoroughly as I can. Then, I make my way into town.
A woman walks right up to me. I have no idea who she is, but she seems to know me, and I draw up short as she halts in front of me.
“You’re with that Kurian, aren’t you?” she asks boldly.
I grimace. “I guess
