by Zara Zenia
"Egrix, come take a picture with me." She beckoned to him and he carefully made his way to her side. She turned the camera lens to face her and smiled, showing her teeth. Egrix leaned his face in close to her and grinned. With a click, Cara snapped the picture and turned the camera to review the shot. The two of them looked happy and relaxed, standing side by side in the picture.
As the sun lowered in the sky, the pair made their way out of the glittering waters. Cara set out two towels from her extra bag for Egrix and her to rest on. It was nearly three o'clock and the sky was clear of clouds allowing them to dry off in the sunlight. Egrix watched as she lifted a handful of sand into the air, only to let the fine grains trickle back onto the beach. It was soft and warm in her hand and she enjoyed the feel of it as it slid through her fingers.
"You said you've been coming here since you were a child?"
Cara nodded, looking up at the blue sky overhead. "My parents and I used to come here all the time when I was little. Their house isn't that far from here." She turned and looked at Egrix, closing her eyes to give him a big, heartfelt smile. "This is the place that made me want to become a photographer."
"So you take pictures of places like this a lot, then?"
Cara smiled sadly. "No, not usually. I have a studio back in Oakland, where I live, but I don't really display my own work. I mostly do family portraits and specialized holiday cards, stuff like that. It's hard being a landscape photographer and actually practicing the craft for a living, although I would love to."
"Oh." He looked uncomfortable, as though he was the cause of her sadness, but that wasn't the case. Before she could assure him, he changed the topic. "Well, it is beautiful here. It must have been nice to grow up around all this. Were you born here?"
"No." Cara's eyes wandered out to ocean, watching the waves rise and fall in the distance. "I don't actually know where I was born. My parents adopted me, and I've never asked."
"Oh." This revelation rendered Egrix speechless for a moment.
"It's okay," she assured him, used to people pitying her situation, "I'm very thankful for my parents and all they've done for me. Sometimes I think I was the luckiest kid in the world for them to have chosen me."
Egrix's face grew soft, as he watched her twisting her toes in the sand next to him. "What are they like?"
Cara was happy to talk about her parents whom she loved more than anything else in the world.
"They're… eccentric." She laughed. "My mom, Bonnie, runs an online store where she sells little crafty things she makes at home like stuffed animals, doll's clothes, and knitted goods. They're really cute and Mom actually sells a lot honestly. She can be nosey but it's always from a place of love. She's really goofy too and jokes around a lot, but she's actually funny so she makes people laugh all the time. Dennis is my dad. He used to be a physics professor but when he retired he started writing science fiction novels."
"So he writes alien books." Egrix laughed at the thought.
Cara laughed along with him. "Yeah, he does. That's actually probably why I didn't freak out when we first met. My dad and I have been talking about that kind of stuff since I started high school, so I've always felt it was a distinct possibility that aliens are out there. He and I spent a lot of time in our backyard using telescopes to look up at the night sky. He would probably lose his mind if I told him about you."
"They sound amazing."
Cara smiled, squinting her eyes and laughing as she spoke, "They really are. They're my absolute favorite people in the world. They love each other so much and they love me even more." She could feel happy tears coming to her eyes as she spoke about her mom and dad. She blinked a few times, trying to clear away the little water droplets.
"You're so interesting." Egrix murmured, and she could hear a tone of admiration his his voice, drawing her attention to him. "I never would have guessed I'd get along with a human like this."
"Thanks," Cara smiled brightly listening to the ocean splashing onto the sand of the beach, "you too. You may be one of the nicest men I've ever met, and I really appreciate you putting up with me. Being here with you the past few days has been amazing."
"Really, even with me being such a grouch? You must not know very many nice men then."
The smile melted away from Cara's face.
Egrix looked surprise and then he knitted his disguised, dark eyebrows together. "Did I say something wrong?"
Cara took in his worried expression, shaking her head lightly and trying to give him a small smile again. "No. You are right though, I haven't met very many nice men." She laughed humorlessly at her misfortune. "I'm not very lucky in that department. I tend to get into relationships with people who take advantage of me because I'm naive I guess." Her eyes fell to the ground where she twisted a corner of the towel between her fingers. "Maybe gullible is more accurate. My last boyfriend tried to steal jewelry from my parents when I brought him here."
Egrix's hand wrapped around her small chin, gently lifting it until their eyes met.
"I'm sorry, Cara, you don't deserve that. No one should treat someone as sweet as you like that."
His nice, heartfelt words mixed with the closeness of his face caused her to flush, her cheeks had to be bright pink, she figured. Egrix stared into her eyes for a breathless moment and Cara could have sworn that he was going to kiss her, but then he quickly dropped his hand away, putting some space back between them.
Looking out at the water, he continued speaking, "You should find someone who appreciates your kindness and wants to return it to you. I know we don't know each other very well, but I genuinely believe that."
The two sat in silence for a while as the sun continued to lower, enjoying each other's company even as they wrestled with the strong magnetic feelings they were developing for each other.
7
Cara dreamed of her house covered from ceiling to floor with ornaments for Christmas day. When she'd returned home from the beach, her parents had the tree set up in the living room. They'd spent hours hanging ornaments on it and finishing up with the decorations in the rest of the house. The activities of the previous evening now permeated into her subconscious while she slept. In her dream her parents sat in front of the dancing flames in the fireplace discussing the visitor that would be arriving soon. Cara sat on the couch between her parents and fidgeted excitedly, anticipating the arrival of the fabled Santa Claus. A knock on the door caused the trio to jump up and race to the foyer to emphatically greet their visitor. Her dad pulled open the big, oak door, but the man standing there wasn't wearing a jolly red suit. Instead, Cara was delighted to find Egrix standing there.
He greeted her family as if he knew them well, laughing with them in a way that brought a smile to Cara's face. Her parents parted out of the way and allowed him to stroll casually into the house. He walked right up to her wrapping an arm around her small waist so that she could feel each of his six fingers pressing against her skin through the fabric of her shirt. Heat rose in her cheeks at the sudden proximity and she looked for her parents, wide-eyed and worried that they would be upset at the stranger's forwardness. Her parents were no longer there, in fact she was now completely surrounded by darkness, and holding onto her was the only light source. Glowing like the sun, Egrix called her name, pulling her attention to his pale face as he leaned closer to her. Her surprise grew as she took in his sunflower yellow eyes, golden blushing cheeks, and pursed lips that moved closer to her own. Her eyes flitted around, not sure where to look as the heat in her body continued to rise. She turned her gaze back to the approaching face of the alien man that now completely encapsulated her vision and could feel her eyes instinctively closing. Her heart pounded furiously with anticipation for Egrix's kiss, but instead she felt his grip around her hips disappear.
She sat up in bed, the feeling of falling pulling her instantly from sleep. Her heart continued to pound in her chest as she tried to collect her thoughts. Watching the morning sunlight fall through her window
she could feel the heat of excitement and embarrassment through her whole body like an electric current. When the image of Egrix popped back into her head, confirming the dream she had just imagined, she jumped from her bed without hesitation to take a quick, cold shower.
Cara sat in her Jeep at the state park, checking her reflection as she adjusted a burnt orange beanie perched on her hair. She had stumbled through her morning after her strange dream last night, drawing the concerned attention of both her parents while the three shared breakfast. She excused her flustered actions as excitement to get out and capture some photos of the early morning sun. This was good enough for the curious couple, who only asked when she'd be home.
Now that she was here, she couldn't work up the nerve to leave the car. Instead she stared at herself, fidgeting with her appearance. She wore her braid over her shoulder today where it dangled down to her hip. Since the morning air was bitter with a winter chill, she'd donned a pair of jeans with some stockings underneath. A tight fitting long sleeve shirt and knee length coat kept her arms warm. As if to add insult to the already tragic fantasy she'd created, she'd decided to put on makeup and some simple jewelry today.
"Who are you trying to impress?" she demanded to know, but her mirrored self could only blush in response. She sighed, annoyed that her simple relationship with her alien friend had been tainted by her rude imagination. The image of Egrix's face so close to hers, his penetrating eyes, golden cheeks, and beckoning lips, had turned Cara into a bundle of nerves. How was she meant to face him in this condition? Despite her discomfort, she was dying to see him, so she decided to make her way to their little beach, hoping she could manage some level of composure throughout the day.
She took a deep breath, forcefully closing the sun visor to cut off her view of the mirror. Swiftly, she climbed out of the car and grabbed her equipment, not giving herself time to second guess her confused feelings anymore. She didn't waste any time making her way to Egrix's campsite, so by the time she arrived on the beach the sun had just crested the distant trees on the ridge behind the secret cavern. She set up her long exposure shot, targeting the trees as the focal point so the sunlight could halo around them effectively as it was captured in its travels. She could feel the rays of sun filling her with energy before she walked into the mouth of the ocean side cave.
Cara realized, as she came to the cave incline, that she hadn't ever met Egrix this early in the day. She worried that he might not be awake. The memory of her tour yesterday reminded her of his strange glowing bed, and she was relieved to recall that the Daxians didn't sleep like humans. She peered into the camp in search of him, but the pale alien man was nowhere in sight.
"Egrix?" she called out meekly into the cave, her small voice reverberating around her. She approached the sealed structure, each step becoming more hesitant. Before she could escape, she forced herself to knock on the cold surface, wincing with regret as she wondered if she could handle seeing his handsome face.
Egrix heard the light tapping sound, drawing his attention away from the consumer reports he had been pouring over. Through the opaque walls he could see Cara standing outside his pod with her eyes closed and her face flushed. She had her hands clasped together, fiddling with her fingers as she waited to see if he would respond.
He checked the time on his Earth computer, surprised to find that it was still early morning. He quickly crossed to the door, feeling an unexpected sense of relief upon seeing her standing just in front of him. With a flutter of his hand, the door slid up, removing the barrier between them.
Cara's eyes widened for a moment before a smile grew on her face. "Good morning!" she sang, all traces of concern lifting from her face. The worried expression was gone and she seemed happy to see him.
Egrix was entranced by the small woman smiling so warmly up at him. "Good morning. You're here early." He was very pleased to see her.
Cara ducked her head, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink. "Sorry, I didn't even think about it until I got here," she admitted. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, of course not." Egrix felt a tug on his heart, considering what she had said. "I guess you really wanted to see me, huh?"
Cara's face turned an even brighter red, almost glowing in the alien lights as she looked up to him, wide-eyed. She seemed completely at a loss for words with him calling her so obviously, which hadn't been his intention. Egrix was thrown off by her intensely honest reaction, and he could feel his own face heating up with the delighted realization that she had rushed there to be with him. He hid his joyful reaction by stepping back into the doorway and clearing his throat, gesturing for Cara to come inside while he did his best to hide his face. She appeared thankful that he was ignoring her response and seemed happy to pretend that she hadn't just unintentionally given away her innermost thoughts.
Egrix had moved the table from the cave into his house where he had been working before inviting Cara in. It had papers spread over its entire surface. Cara sat down, careful not to jostle any of the table's contents.
"It seems like I was interrupting something. Is this more research?" Cara looked over her shoulder, her cheeks still slightly pink. "Do you want me to look at it?"
"It's nothing important. I was translating these consumer reports I've been able to access from different companies and writing some notes to help the Spacing Guild understand some of the foreign concepts."
"Oh." Cara nodded, scanning her eyes across the documents in front of her. She traced her finger over the strange alien writing on one page. She appeared to be deep in thought.
Egrix cocked his head to one side, watching her. "You're quiet."
Cara looked up at him in surprise. "Oh, yeah. I was just thinking." She turned her body to face him, folding her hands into her lap. "When we first met, you told me about the Guild and why you were here, but I had a lot of questions. You were upset about being here which I didn't understand. You don't like humans, but you were sent here. I feel like there's a lot I don't know about you." She looked into his eyes through the lenses of her glasses, her beautiful, blue irises sparkling in the light of the pod, and bit her lip before continuing her thought. "I want to know more about you."
Egrix's heart throbbed at her words. She was really testing his ability to control his emotions today. He moved to the seat next to her, sitting and facing her, their knees almost touching.
"My planet has multiple intelligent species on it and we all cohabitate mostly peacefully. Because of that, when the Spacing Guild first began seeking members across the cosmos they came to Braxis first. Our technology was far advanced, but we hadn't made any efforts toward extended space travel, so the Guild helped us. I really looked up to the Spacing Guild, so as soon I was old enough, I joined and spent all of my adult years on one space station or another under their jurisdiction."
"Did you get to go back and visit your home?" Cara asked with a sad look in her eyes.
Egrix remembered how attached she was to her family and tried to figure out how to explain the cultural differences. "Yeah, I could go back pretty regularly if I wanted. My people don't really have families like here on Earth, though, and a lot of my friends went with me to the Spacing Guild. I didn't have a lot of reason to visit often, especially since the Guild became more like a family to me. That's one reason I was picked to come here, because a lot of people struggled to understand some of Earth's cultural concepts like family."
"Oh, I guess I never considered that." Cara nodded her head to corroborate her understanding of the foreign perspective Egrix was introducing to her. "What other reasons did they send you here, though? You said you didn't want to come, and they sent you anyway, right?"
Egrix grimaced, looking away from Cara. "Yeah, something else happened that put me on bad terms with my superior."
"Oh no, so it was out of spite." She frowned.
"Yes. Twenty years of my life have been dedicated to this aspect of my job that I don't want to do, all because I made my boss mad. T
hat's the reality of the situation."
"I'm so sorry, Egrix." She wrapped his hand in hers, trying to comfort him as he grew suddenly agitated.
He looked at their hands, then at her face full of worry and sympathy. After months of wallowing in the anger and depression he had landed on this planet with, he felt a warmth from Cara in that moment that pushed it all away. He could feel his sudden aggression disappear, combated by her soft touch.
"It's okay," he said, squeezing her hand to reassure her of his honesty before admitting sheepishly, "It hasn't been so bad since I met you. Even saying that though, the simple truth is that I deserved his reaction, even though I've been refusing to admit it."
Cara looked confused, searching his yellow eyes for some amount of understanding.
Egrix wrestled with whether he should tell her the truth or not. He was genuinely worried about her opinion of him at this point. He wanted to confide in her, but he didn't want her to see him differently because of it. His face was pained and confused, but he decided she deserved the truth.
"It's a long and regretful story, but I'll sum it up as best as I can." He looked down at their clasped hands as he explained his transgression to Cara. "I fell in love with someone I shouldn't have, and I made matters worse by following my urges even though I knew they were wrong. The woman I fell for was my boss' life partner. She and I had an extended affair, and when we were caught he sent me here."
Egrix was embarrassed to have to explain that he had done something so clearly wrong. He kept staring at Cara's hands wrapped around his, refusing to look at her and have to face her judgement. After a few seconds, Cara pulled one of her hands away and lifted it under Egrix's chin, pulling his attention to her. She smiled at him gently, understanding shone in her pretty blue eyes.
"Egrix, that must have been really hard for you."
His eyes surveyed the Earth woman's face in disbelief, knowing he didn't deserve her kind words.
