by Zara Zenia
"I'll see you tomorrow then, my dove." He hung up.
Cara bit her lip nervously, holding a stack of recently printed photographs in her hands. She could feel sweat breaking out around her hairline as she entered the dining room where her parents were eating.
"What's up, Cara Bear?" Her father smiled at her. "Is everything okay?"
"Uh, yeah." She knew she was being incredibly awkward. "I just… Have to talk to you guys about something, but it's a bit hard to explain."
Her mom gave her an inquisitive look. "Did something happen? What do you need to tell us about?"
"It's about Egrix." She looked back and forth between her parents, her mother wearing a concerned expression and her father looking angry. "He accepted the invitation to dinner tomorrow, but there's something you should know before you meet him."
She sat down at the table, looking at the photos in her hands anxiously.
"I just don't know how you're going to take this. It's pretty much the strangest thing I'm ever going to tell you and I'm not sure how to say it."
Both her parent's faces looked alarmed. Her mom placed a hand on Cara's arm to get her attention. "Just start from the beginning, honey."
"I met Egrix on the beach the day I got here, like I said. He was in a cave where I'd set up my camera and he asked me to leave. I was too stubborn and refused, but he lives in that cave and really didn't want me there, so he confronted me. He interested me after our introduction, so I followed him to his house that's set up in a cavern inside. He's working there to avoid people while he finishes a job and I've gone to visit him there every day. I've been helping him learn about trading and sales practices around here whenever I go out to take pictures."
She looked up at her parents who were staring at her with their mouths open.
"The reason I found Egrix interesting is the same reason he is living in a cave, avoiding people, and learning about local trade." She told herself she just had to say it and closed her eyes tight. "That's because he's an alien."
At the same time that she blurted this out she set the photos on the table and spread them out for her parents to see, closing her eyes to avoid any accusing glances. When she opened her eyes cautiously to gauge their reactions Her dad was investigating three of her pictures with a smile plastered on his face and his eyes sparkling excitedly as they flitted across each, taking in all of the details. Beside him she found her mother eyeing her, the skepticism apparent on her face.
"If this is Egrix then whose picture did you show us before?" she asked matter-of-factly.
"Those were probably him in disguise, dear," her father answered before Cara could open her mouth, drawing his wife's annoyed glare.
"Yes," Cara confirmed, "he had to cloak his alien features for us to spend time on the beach together that day. He doesn't prefer to do it though, so usually he's in his regular form with me. He wants to meet you guys tomorrow as himself, so he asked me to tell you about him."
"So we'll get to see him for ourselves tomorrow?"
"Yeah, Mom. Egrix really wants to meet you guys."
16
Christmas Eve dinner was one of Cara's fondest memories from growing up with her family. Her parents had adopted her just before she started elementary school, so she didn't have many memories from before they were a family. They worked hard to be good parents, trying to balance letting her be free to learn on her own and teaching her what they valued. One lesson she'd learned from her parents was how having people around you who love you was very healing. The holidays with her family were incredibly precious to Cara.
Now she was going to share that with Egrix. She didn't want to feel nervous about that, but there was the smallest crack of fear in her mind as she laid in bed that morning. She hadn't brought many people home to see her parents. She'd known Oscar for a year before he met them, and that had been a disaster. Was it okay for her to introduce Egrix, someone with an obvious disdain for the holiday and who she'd only known for a few days, to the people she cared most for in the world?
She got up to get ready for the day, playing over in her head the conversation she'd had with her parents the day before. She still couldn't believe the calm that they'd maintained, although she wasn't sure what she'd expected otherwise. Her mind was a mess of emotions as she showered for the day, straying through a rollercoaster of thoughts. She wanted the water to wash away all of her confusion, but there was no denying that the situation was complicated. She stepped out to dry off, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Today will be good. My new boyfriend is meeting my parents. Why does it have to be more complicated than that?" She smiled, realizing that it wasn't. She was just introducing the people she cared about to each other. Nothing else mattered. She put on some pajamas and braided her hair like usual, then went to check on the state of setup since it was still too early to pick her alien up.
The family spent the morning getting the house ready while her mom tried to plan out the cooking preparations. Her dad ran to the store for last minute supplies while Cara and her mother closed themselves in the kitchen to get started. By midday, the meal was underway and both Cara's parents were dancing around each other in the kitchen. Cara excused herself to get dressed for the evening. She did some simple makeup and twisted her hair into a braided bun on the back of her head. Slipping into the little red dress she had bought for the occasion, she admired how it hugged her body in the mirror. With the addition of a pair of strappy, red heels and a flowing lace cover she was ready for the night.
When she left her bedroom she nearly bumped into her mother in the hallway.
"Oh my! Cara, you look stunning!" she gushed, looking down at Cara. "Where did you get that dress?"
"I bought it a few months ago for this dinner because the red made me think of Christmas. It feels a bit simple minded explaining it now." She giggled nervously.
"Don't be ridiculous, darling, it was a good choice. You look anxious though. Are you worried about us meeting your boyfriend?"
She asked the obvious question, but she didn't wait for Cara's answer. Instead she took Cara's arm and led her, without a word, to her parent's bedroom. Her mom sat her down at the family's antique vanity, pulling out her grandmother's priceless jewelry box. Delicately her mom lifted a small, circular locket from within and beckoned for Cara to lean forward. She clasped the dainty chain around her daughter's neck, admiring how the gold looked against her skin.
"Open it." She gestured to the small gift.
Cara released the latch and the two halves split away from each other. Hanging in between the two sides was a small sapphire gemstone. It sparkled, reflected roughly in the polished gold surface of the locket. Within the doors of the locket was an opening for a portrait on either side, and carved behind where the photo would sit, one side said "Sky" and the other said "Sea".
"I don't know the story behind this locket," her mother admitted. "It's been in this jewelry box for as long as I can remember, but it was always one of my favorites. It's like a hidden treasure that looks so simple on the outside but can be filled with something so pure and complex. I really wanted to give this to you for your wedding day as your "something blue", but I think you should have it now."
Cara smiled happily, not feeling nervous anymore.
She told her parents that she'd be back soon and headed to her car, still hyper aware of her surroundings after what had happened a few nights before. Before making her way to the beach trail she texted Egrix to let him know she was on her way, then she pulled down the driveway as the radio played happy Christmas carols. When she arrived, she called Egrix, who answered right away.
"Hello, lovely." His deep voice filled her with pleasure.
"Hello!" she replied cheerfully. "I just parked, so I'll be there soon!"
"Don't move, I'd rather you stay safe in your car," he commanded, making her freeze up. "I'm coming to you."
Just as he said this, she noticed his familiar, human-looking appearance walking toward
her. He wore a pair of dark grey dress pants and shoes. His shirt was a white button up, with the two top buttons loose, leaving his collar hanging open. The sleeves of the shirt were also unbuttoned and rolled up to reveal his muscled forearm. He made his way around the Jeep and climbed in next to Cara.
"Let's go." He smiled warmly, his yellow eyes glinting at her.
The two secretly admired each other as Cara took them back to her parents. Egrix eyed her tight red dress that stopped halfway down her thigh. She felt his gaze on the arched collar of the dress which revealed the smallest taste of her cleavage and the long, laced sleeves made it look like someone had painted dainty floral patterns on her skin. His gaze landed on her bare neck and she recalled him kissing her there which sent a wave of pleasure over her. Cara glanced at her partner from the driver's seat, admiring the gentle curve of his pecks, visible through his unbutton collar. She wasn't used to his human form and her eyes couldn't stop drifting to look him up and down.
When they finally arrived, the two were equally flustered and trying to calm themselves before entering her parents' home.
"Cara," Egrix murmured, his voice so low and husky it was nearly a whisper.
Their eyes met, and he lifted his hand as calmly as he could to rest on her shoulder. He leaned closer to her, pulling her in gently with his hand. When their faces were only an inch apart, he slid his hand up to the back of her neck before placing a kiss on her pursed lips. Despite their efforts, the kiss deepened quickly. Cara wrapped her arms around Egrix's torso, lost in the moment. Egrix was the first to pull back, breaking his mouth away and turning to face the dashboard of the car, trying to cool off his burning face.
"You look really beautiful, my dove."
Cara's own attempts at calming down were ruined by his words. Her heart beat furiously and she knew she was bright red. She bunched the skirt of her dress up in her fists and took a deep breath. The two stepped out of the Jeep, allowing Cara to get away from Egrix's intoxicating pheromones. When they met in front of the car both of them had leveled out their heavy breathing enough to head inside. They smiled at each other knowingly and Egrix reached for her hand.
"Don't be nervous. They're excited to meet you." She squeezed his hand back, reassuring him.
"Then, should we go in?"
Cara knocked on the door even though it was surely unlocked still. Egrix let go of her hand, stepping back while they waited. The doorknob turned, pulling the big oak door in with it to show Her father's smiling face. Her mom stood just behind him looking quizzically at the couple. Cara almost giggled at their complete role reversal but managed to keep a serious face as she led Egrix inside.
Her parents studied him for a moment, still in his human form, before she realized he should change, so she nodded to him.
Egrix seemed hesitant, but he reached for the point of his ear, hidden by the cloaking technology, and pressed the button to reveal his real self. The disguise released slowly, starting at his head and moving down. It looked almost as if his skin and hair drained of color as they took on their usual white complexion. His pointed ears stuck out of his loose white waves of hair and his hands revealed a sixth finger. His piercing yellow eyes remained on her parents as they reacted to his change. Cara was equally entranced, having never seen him uncloak before.
When the process was finished, he looked at the family of three to find all of them gawking at him. An anxious sounding, but genuine laugh escaped his mouth at their duplicated reaction before he finally spoke up to greet everyone.
"Hello. I'm Egrix." He stuck out his hand as he obviously remembered Cara doing when they first met.
Her father grabbed his hand enthusiastically, shaking it with fervor.
"Wow!" he stated simply, making Egrix smile more comfortably. "I'm Dennis, Cara's father, and this is her mother, Bonnie."
Bonnie nodded, taking the hand he'd extended to her. "I'm nearly finished with dinner, so I think you all should go make yourselves comfortable at the table and get to know each other." Her words sounded a little cold to Cara, until she added jokingly, "Dennis is going to talk your ears off, good luck!"
Her parents led the way out of the room with Egrix and Cara following right behind. When she looked at the previously worried alien's face he was beaming at her parents, a huge smile plastered on his face. She was so happy that her eyes welled up with tears.
Her dad had never held a more captive and captivated audience than he did that night. He talked at length about the novel he was working on and Egrix listened attentively. He commented on some of the realism from his experience in the Space Guild and her dad, in turn, asked a lot of questions.
Egrix explained to them that he specialized in engineering when he was staying on base and had been responsible for teaching new recruits. This reminded Cara's father of being a professor, which he also spoke about. Egrix and he could have talked for hours about all of her dad's theories and all of her boyfriend's experiences. Cara watched gleefully at the exchange, happy to observe the excited interaction.
Her mom began carrying serving dishes into the room, causing everyone at the table to race into the kitchen to help. The congregation took several trips with dishes, utensils, and food, layering the table with the annual feast. Cara's stomach growled as she looked at the food and the whole group laughed before sitting down at the table.
Her mom took the lead, passing plates around and dishing out the variety of food. Once everyone had a portion, they began to eat happily, mostly discussing Egrix and his world that seemed so wondrous and strange compared to Earth. Cara couldn't even remember why she'd been concerned that morning.
After dinner, Cara's dad dragged Egrix into the living room. Cara and her mom took the empty dishes to the kitchen and worked together washing and drying them.
"An alien," her mother said. "That was unexpected."
Cara giggled at the bluntness of the statement.
"Yeah, I can't say I anticipated it either."
"He's still very attractive, though, isn't he?" her mother said jokingly. "Good work!"
She gave her daughter a goofy thumbs up, making the two of them laugh. The back door closed, and the women looked in the direction of the sound.
"Uh oh, I believe my husband is running away with your boyfriend. Maybe you should go help him out?"
Cara shook her head.
"No way, this is Dad's dream come true. Besides, I can tell Egrix is enjoying it." Cara smiled brightly.
"Well, since the dishes are done maybe we should set out presents and get the movie ready?"
The family and their guest gathered in the living room talking and laughing with each other as they moved to find a seat for the next activity. Egrix seemed a bit lost, walking over to Cara to sit with her.
"What are we doing?" he asked, his eyes bright after his animated discussion with her dad.
Seeing that he was having fun tugged at her heart delightfully. She reached for his hand, holding it gently between them and smiling gratefully at him.
"We have some Christmas traditions that we do every year. Mom and I just set out the presents under the tree. We're going to turn on some movies, play some games, and then we're each going to open a gift before bed."
When Cara had called him the day before, Egrix had told her that he'd made the decision to drop all of his notions on the holiday. He had firmly insisted that he didn't like Christmas, but for Cara's sake he wanted to try. It was true that a lot of humans were stressed and suicidal during this time of year. It was true that a lot of resources were used on holiday specific merchandise that weren't beneficial in any way on their own. It was true that gift giving, in any sense, could be shallow. He'd said that he didn't feel that his reasons were wrong, but after getting to know Cara, he'd realized that even with everything else being true, there could be reasons to like the holiday despite the negatives. Focusing only on his point of view had made him cynical and angry, but through Cara's eyes, Christmas was special. He had said he wanted to s
ee what her Christmas looked like, which had thrilled her.
"That sounds fun." He smiled genuinely, a slight golden gleam growing across his cheeks.
Cara's mother turned on a Christmas movie and introduced the stack of card games and board games she and Cara had selected. For hours into the night the four played games. Egrix fumbled through the rules while everyone tried to teach him what to do. With each mishap there would be a chorus of laughter. By the time all the stars had blinked into the sky, they were all worn out from the commotion. Her mom picked up game pieces to sort and pack into their places in the box.
"I think I'll sleep like a baby tonight." She giggled, getting an echoed response from everyone else lounging around on the living room floor. A small snore escaped from the corner of her dad's mouth.
"Dennis, wake up." Her mom nudged her dad's foot with her own.
"Let me sleep! I'm getting too old for these late nights." He crossed his arms across his chest and pouted, his eyes still closed.
"Oh hush, or I'll put you in a nursing home if you want to act like an old man."
He opened his eyes, looking offended, and her mom snickered at him.
"How could you, Bonbon." He feigned a pain stricken glance and the couple burst out laughing at each other.
Egrix watched them, a look of admiration in his eyes. His arm wrapped around Cara and she snuggled into him.
"This is why I love Christmas," Cara said quietly to him. "It's easy to be sad, or lonely, or miserable if you want. Lots of people are overwhelmed by the preparations, and it can bring out bitterness and selfishness at times. Every human has the capability to be a real jerk when they want to, and Christmas time can't escape from that. Still, look at how carefree they are right now."
Cara's eyes were teary, but she was smiling while looking at her parents. She could see he understood what she was saying. No matter how bad things were, Christmas was an excuse that people could rely on to try to be happy.
"Alright, kiddos!" Dennis called to the two curled up with each other. "Let's each open a present so this old man can rest his bones."
