Unexpected Liasons

[Cptn Corizon 0]

The last rays of sun began to slip beneath the orange-red oceans of Citrus. Somehow, without someone to snuggle up with on a blanket, the twin disks' warmth seemed empty. Taking a deep breath, Keri Thomas finished putting her beach-gear in a tan bag and slung it over her shoulders.

 

Walking towards the transport site, she wondered just how she'd managed to find herself unable to enjoy a day on the shores of an exotic alien locale. It occurred to her that Eli Tamoris was the problem.

 

How she'd managed to fall for the geeky, awkward and socially hopeless Argosian was beyond her—except that description left out his better qualities. His warm personality filled her with a joy that even both suns of Citrus had failed to do. His laughter was a bubbly mix of a giggle and a cough, and it made her laugh just thinking about the sound. And his eyes. Oh his eyes. They were the most... unusual things she'd ever seen, like two opalescent gem stones surrounded by jade ovals, they carried such depth to them that she found herself lost at times.

 

It was the seemingly unattainable prize though; that was what she'd never experienced before. Growing up, in prep school, she'd had any of the guys she sat her eyes on. At Pepperdine, in college, she'd been homecoming queen, and the object of desire for all the boys. On her first tour of duty aboard the Maryland she’d practically had to fight off the advances of the junior officers.

 

Now though, she wanted something more than just a hurried night. She wanted someone she could just be happy being around, even when they weren't intimate. She wanted someone who was comfortable just letting the silence of a room do the talking. Eli was that man, she was sure...but why didn't he see it too?

 

Making her way to the beam-back coordinates she sighed again to herself. Another night alone in her quarters—which was even more sickening since her bunk mates were either camping, spending the night on a beach somewhere, or otherwise engaged in shore leave activities.

 

She half-heartedly tapped her communicator and signaled for transport. One last look at the twin-suns reaching their final grasping rays from beneath the horizon caused a sigh as the tale-tale tingle of a transporter beam enveloped her.

 

Deposited on the cool surface on the transporter, she felt a chill in the air. She must have gotten more sun than she thought, because goose flesh started to form.

 

“Welcome back,” the chipper voice of the transporter officer broke her out of her momentary lapse in presence.

 

“Thanks,” she said with a half-smile, and headed off for her quarters.

 

After a few delays in getting a lift, then waiting as other officers got on and off, the turbolift finally deposited her on Deck 2-B in the catamaran section. Tapping her code in, the doors swished open. She'd expected darkness, but candle light emanated from the far end—apparently one of her bunkmates had left some burning, which wasn't all that strange. She dropped her bag on the small table in the commons area to unpack later and headed down over to her bed for a much needed nap.

 

That was when her eyes saw him. Her heart raced. Each breath seemed to take forever. Thump. Thump. Was this really happening? This wasn’t just a sun-induced hallucination, was it? Gods let it be true.

 

“What kept you so long,” Eli’s voice was rich, textured like silk. His eyes glittered in the candle light and she found herself simply starring, heart racing.

 

Despite herself, she mumbled something incoherent. She gave up and ran towards his naked embrace, pressing her body against his warm skin. He embraced her with a deep, longing kiss and pulled her into him.

 

She found herself in a world of pleasure. She’d wanted this for so long, and now it was coming true. Like a treasure hunter who’d spent years searching for lost gold and finally found it, she embraced the joy that was coming to her.

 

Time seem to pass without end. Some hours later, they lay together in the twisted mass of sheets and her clothing. Her head lay upon his chest and she sighed lightly, wondering what had come over him.

 

“Well, darling,” Eli said finally. “I should go get a shower and get dressed… we have a dinner date in a few hours…”

 

“Dinner,” she looked up at him, a mix of surprise and excitement. “Oh… Eli…”

 

Grinning he kissed her and moved towards his clothing that lie on the floor a few feet away. “Meet me at the observation lounge on Deck 5… don’t be late!”

 

“I won’t!”

 

The door closed and she found herself alone again, wondering if she’d been dreaming. The mass of sheets, and her own body, told her she hadn’t. Dinner! She couldn’t believe how romantic he’d been…it was as if he’d been hiding this side of him forever.

 

Moving to the small vanity in the corner, she wrapped herself in a blanket and began brushing her hair. It’d been so long since she’d had a formal date… what would she wear?

 

Then the bell rang. Maybe he forgot something?

 

“Come,” she said, not looking away from the mirror.

 

The door slid open. “Uhh.. I didn’t mean too…”

 

She turned. It was Eli, but in his uniform. Hadn’t he just been wearing civilian clothing? “Did you forget something?”

 

He looked perplexed. “What are you talking about…I’ve never even been to your quarters.”

 

She blinked. “You were just here… we… we… have a dinner date…”

 

This was clearly the first he had heard of it. “Dinner?” he said. “I was coming to see if you wanted to get some coffee or something and…”

 

She struggled with the notion. Suddenly more conflicted than ever. “Eli… I…. I…”