Chapter 31

Lily

Holy shit.

My mind is a chaotic whirlwind as I watch Ravok review his report. The alien script means nothing to me, and I don't want to distract him as he works, so I sit silently and stew in my juices. Terrible phrasing – but not entirely inaccurate. There is no question that my panties are currently damp.

I don't know that I've ever been kissed like that – like I'm the very air he needs to breathe. I could easily get addicted to kisses like that. Which is a very, very bad idea. Ravok can't stay on Earth. It's too dangerous. He will never pass as human, even if I covered him in convincing make-up and got him to wear contacts. He'd have to spend the rest of his life in disguise, hidden away from the public. That wouldn't be fair to him.

Getting attached would be a terrible, terrible idea. Although I suspect a part of me already is. Ravok is not a stray I can adopt from the shelter. He has a home. He has people who will miss him. My job is to help get him safely off this planet and to let him go.

I kinda want to puke at the thought, but I ruthlessly shove those feelings down. This isn't about what I want; it's about Ravok and what he needs. When I fantasize about finding a way for him to stay, I ruthlessly remind myself about the scars littering his body.

Knowing that we can now talk, I want to ask him a million and one questions. But I hold my tongue because I don't want to distract Ravok while he works. I have to physically bite my lips to keep the words that want to spill out inside my mouth. I'm practically vibrating out of my skin but give myself a stern lecture about not being a distraction.

After reviewing the report, Ravok rises from his seat in the ship's cockpit. Stepping back, I follow him out of the tight space. His broad shoulders almost graze against the narrow walls as he heads to the back of the ship. His stride is confident and sure as if he's spent a lot of time in this tiny space. It makes me feel claustrophobic to imagine spending more than 30 minutes in here and I'm half Ravok's size.

He pauses at an interior panel that, until now, seemed no different than the rest of the smooth metallic spaceship wall. His silvered fingers dance across its surface, pressing down in a mesmerizing rhythm. I blink in disbelief as a panel opens and slides to the side, revealing a small compartment. "My nanites interface with the ship to give me access. The human scientists didn't figure this out."

His words confirm some of my worst fears, but I can't bring myself to ask about what happened with the ‘human scientists'.

My mouth opens, ready to ask what nanites are, but I close it and swallow back my words. This isn't the time to bombard him with questions. Maybe that'll come later, in the safety of my borrowed cabin, over lunch and firelight.

Inside the panel, an array of tools and items are laid out in meticulous order, shining oddly under the spaceship's dim lights. Ravok plucks out an elongated device with a pensive air. It reminds me of an ultrasound wand scanner, but it is sleeker and more futuristic-looking than anything I've seen.

Ravok gives me a preoccupied smile and starts to exit the ship, so I follow him. He begins to pull away some of the branches that cover his crashed ship.

"Here, let me help," I call out, hurriedly rushing to his side. I grab one of the branches, dragging it away. After a few minutes, we clear away most of the camouflage, sending small clouds of dirt and leaves into the air.

As soon as our task is complete, I step back, giving Ravok space. His graphite skin glows under the sunlight, making him look even more like a futuristic android than usual.

Ravok pries open a panel on its side. Inside the opening is a complex network of wires and tubes, all looped and intertwined in a way that makes my head spin. The wires are unlike anything I've ever seen, some pulsing with lights, others making noises that remind me of purring kittens. It's mesmerizing, if not a little daunting.

With a firm grip on his alien wand, Ravok runs it over the wires and tubes. A soft hum fills the air, growing louder with every passing second. As the wand skims over the inscrutable maze of technology, it emits a light that dances over the intricacies of the alien tech. It makes me think of the PKE meter from Ghostbusters, almost bringing a grin to my face.

As Ravok reaches deep into the guts of his ship, I can't help but take a quick peek at his beefy ass hanging out of the open hatch. It's not my fault that his hindquarters look like a master sculptor created them.

He pulls out of the hatch and stares unseeingly into the opening. I watch as he lets out a slow, worried breath, his usually composed features creased with concern. In that moment, with the tension evident in his strong shoulders, he seems entirely human. A very worried human.

"Ravok, how is your ship?" I ask, breaking the silence that had settled over us.

He turns to look at me, his eyes meeting mine. "A few of the mechanical systems are damaged," he starts slowly as if struggling to find the right words in English. "The energy storage system, my communication systems, and the navigation array."

Oh, is that all?

"That sounds like a lot of repairs…" I mutter, observing his downcast face. "How long do you think it will take? To fix everything?"

He scratches along his jaw, a sign of deep thinking. "I'm not sure yet," he admits finally as worry knots his brow. "Thankfully, the main hull is still space-worthy, otherwise this would be hopeless. I'm going to need more tools and supplies than I have onboard."

"There's a garage next to the cabin and it has some tools," I respond, a faint glimmer of hope lighting up in my chest. "It's got a workshop area and I saw some pretty big toolboxes. It belongs to the cabin's owner, who is letting me stay here, so maybe we'll luck out, and it'll have what you need. If not, there is also a mechanic in town that I might be able to borrow tools from or something. I also remember seeing a hardware store that carries all kinds of equipment. We'll figure it out," I promise him, even though I don't know if that's true.

Ravok's eyes meet mine again. This time, they're bright, shining with newfound hope. It makes my heart flutter in a way I can't deny, and I find myself praying that we'll find what we need in that garage – just so Ravok will keep looking at me like that.

"Leelee… Thank you. Once I take a look at the systems, I would appreciate it if you could show me this garage." His eyes lock with mine, deep and full of promise, making my heart tango in my chest. He looks back at the ship with a thoughtful look. "Leelee… do you think your garage is large enough to house my vessel? It would be preferable to get it out of the open and hidden somewhere – where I can work on it without fear of discovery."

I look over the ship and try to remember what I saw of the garage. Both times I was inside the space, I'd been in a rush to find supplies to either rescue an alien or pull a bullet out of his shoulder.

I shrug. "I think so. Either way, we should take it back to the cabin and find a way to hide it there. You can't keep it out here. There's too big a chance that someone stumbles upon it accidentally."

"Then we should take it back to your home," Ravok agrees nonchalantly, like hauling around spaceships through the woods is no biggie.

When Ravok sees my face, he breaks into a big joyful laugh that does funny things to my ability to breathe or think.

"I am hopeful that the systems are still functional enough that we can hover the ship a few feet off the ground and push it to your garage," Ravok explains. Luminescence skitters across his skin as he holds up the Ghostbusters wand and runs it over the hull.

"Let me check a few more systems, and then I'll be able to tell if this will work."

This fuels my optimism that his ship is repairable, and if we manage to get it to the garage, it can still be saved.

When he turns and walks around the side of the ship, I follow him, drawn in, like an eager lamb after her shepherd.

Ravok begins to pry open more panels on the ship's exterior, revealing more complicated-looking alien technology. It's a riot of vibrant colors and pulsating lights, wires snaking around like some sort of entrancing, futuristic engine. I imagine it's a warp drive or quantum reactor or something equally futuristic, but I don't pry since Ravok seems like he needs to concentrate.

The glow from the circuitry illuminates him, making him look like a statue carved from hematite, highlighting his other-worldly features as his hands move with swift precision over the wires and circuits.

While he works with technology that is utterly foreign to me, I make myself useful in other ways. I scan the surrounding area, looking for any unwelcome intruders in our secluded corner of the forest.

The sharp click of a metal panel catching in place resonates in the air as Ravok steps back, his glowing eyes meeting mine. He's trying to play it cool, but the worry etched into the hardened lines of his face tells a different tale. I swallow, curling my fingers into the hem of my t-shirt.

"Is there anything else we can do right now to help fix the ship?" I ask. My heart drums loudly in my ears as he shakes his head.

"No, Leelee, I've done what I can with the supplies I have," he says, a deep sigh tumbling from his lips. "I think we should try to move the ship to your garage if you are still amenable to this plan."

"Yes, of course," I reply, fumbling over my answer. The strangeness of Ravok being able to speak my language is still strange and wondrous. I'm glad I no longer have to do interstellar charades, but the switch to being able to speak English is so abrupt that my head is spinning.

"Leelee, maybe you should back away as I power up the ship – just in case," Ravok commands.

With a nod, I scurry away, slipping behind the protective cover of a thick tree trunk. My heart pounds against my ribs like a battlefield drum as I watch Ravok re-enter the ship.

As the minutes tick away, the forest's silence is suddenly pierced by a deep, subsonic hum. Startled, I peek from my hiding spot, my eyes widening as the vessel levitates, rising several feet above the ground. The last bits of leaves and branches that once covered the alien ship shake loose, raining down on the clearing.

With the low hum still reverberating through the quiet of the forest, Ravok emerges from the open hatch of his ship. His silhouette against the dark opening, limned almost golden in the sunlight, makes him look like a statue, a beautiful golden mirage, adding an extraordinary, otherworldly aura about him. In a swift, graceful move, he jumps several feet from the ship's opening onto the soft earth below, landing with ease.

His eyes find mine from across the clearing, and a triumphant smile graces his alien features. I step out from behind the tree, slowly approaching him with my eyes locked on his face. Relief and pride radiate from him. It sears my heart, replacing my fear with a warmth that lingers. His smile alone is enough to tell me the ship worked how he wanted it to, a step towards getting Ravok back into space.

"We'll be able to push the ship? It won't be too heavy?" I ask, giving the ship that probably weighs a literal ton a doubtful look.

"It should be as easy to push as a leaf on the wind, Leelee. The anti-gravity thrusters remove all friction making it a simple task." He starts to explain how the science and technology make this possible using a lot of strange, complicated words that I do not understand, but I manage to piece it together. I liken it to placing a car in neutral – the ship is powered up so that it hovers but isn't ‘in gear' so we can easily push it in any direction.

When I move to help him push, he stops me with a gentle hand on my shoulder. Without a word, he lifts me, his hands spanning my waist with ease as if I weigh nothing. He sets me on one of the wings of his spaceship. I find myself sitting on the cold, smooth surface, stunned into silence. Ravok steps into the space between my thighs, our faces on the same level for once. If I weren't so shocked – and turned on – by the display of strength, I would relish being able to look him directly in his face. His eyes capture mine, and we share a breathless moment. A tsunami of emotions crash like waves together in the depths of his gaze.

I find myself leaning in, my heart pounding, wanting Ravok to kiss me again. His eyes blaze with white-hot heat. However, he seems to shake himself out of it, stepping back abruptly before turning towards the spaceship. He places his hands on its side, ready to push.

"Leelee, just relax and I'll get us back to your home," he tells me with a determined look.

I lean back, resting my hands against the sun-warmed metal of the spaceship, looking up at the vast sky. I let out a laugh, thinking of Koko on her float, "I feel like Cleopatra on her barge on the Nile River." I then jokingly add, "Where are my peeled grapes? I demand the princess treatment."

Ravok turns his head towards me, his eyes meeting mine with a perplexed expression. This makes me burst into uncontrollable giggles, clutching my stomach. His confusion fades into an amused smile – even though I'm sure he doesn't understand why I find it so funny. But the laughter feels good, lightening the air between us.

I can feel the quiet hum from the spaceship under my butt as I sit and watch the scenery as I float past. Ravok is right, he looks like he is barely pushing the ship to get it to move forward. It reminds me of the air hockey table at the local arcade from when I was a kid. Whenever I put in my quarters and the table activated, the plastic puck would float like a cushion of air between the table and the puck, making it hover and glide like magic.

My fingers twitch with nerves as we head back towards the cabin, the crunching of Ravok's footsteps echoing through the quiet forest. Now that we can talk, I have so much I want to ask him, but I can't seem to gather my thoughts into any semblance of order – the memory of our kiss is consuming most of my brain power. But I veer away from talking about that since I can't decide how I feel about it. Is it unethical to kiss a stranded alien? Even if he seemed as into it as I was, maybe even more so.

I keep stealing hesitant glances at him as we glide along the path. His towering figure next to my petite one seems almost unreal. It's as if I'm stuck in some vivid dream and reality is waiting to wash over me any second, reining in my racing heart.

"If we find all the tools and supplies you need, how long do you think it will take to fix your ship?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

Silence stretches for a moment before I watch his eyes narrow, deep in thought. "Hmmm…a week perhaps."

Just a week, and then he'll be gone. I nod to myself, my mind racing ahead. Under my breath, I murmur, "I'll have to see if Koko will let me rent the cabin for the rest of the month, just to be safe." I hope he doesn't hear the uncertainty creeping into my voice. A week with Ravok, and then he'll be gone forever.

Ravok turns his glowing eyes upon me, that strange, piercing gaze sends nerves crawling up my spine. "Koko?" he asks.

"Yeah, the cabin belongs to her. She is letting me stay in her cabin while they fix my car. I don't live here. I'm just visiting," I say, nervously tracing the edge of my shirt's hem. I force a chuckle, an awkward sound in the muted light of the forest. "It's a funny story really. Koko – she's the town's mayor – she sort of… accidentally trashed my car. So, I gotta stay put until it's repaired."

Ravok's eyebrows shoot up slightly and his eyes narrow, confusion rolling off him.

"I mean, I was just passing through town. I was on my way to move in with my aunt when I stopped in this area to check out the local festival," I add. I tangle my fingers into my messy bun, my eyes flitting everywhere but his intense stare. "My Aunt Zizi… she lives a couple hours north and she's taking me in while I get my feet back under me after a breakup. But well, Koko's little accident set my plans awry, so here we are."

Ravok tilts his head slightly, the gesture somehow making him both intimidating and endearing. "Leelee, what is a breakup? Are you injured?" he asks, his brows knitted in concern. I grin at his misunderstanding. How cute is he?

"Oh no, I'm fine. I just broke off a romantic relationship because I realized he wasn't a very good boyfriend, and I deserved a better partner in my life. My Aunt Zinnia offered to let me stay with her as I make a fresh start." I let out a breath and chuckle, shaking off my nerves as I realize I am explaining my rather mundane human issues to a stranded alien.

Ravok and I are two beings lost, in different ways, stirring in the same pot of unexpected troubles.

Silence seeps in between us like an uninvited guest. My mind keeps dwelling on the memory of our shared kiss. The touch of Ravok's lips, alien but gentle, stays branded in my memory. My lips still tingle and feel kiss swollen. I want to touch them but manage to refrain. His lips had been firm against mine, but surprisingly plush.

In a week, he'll be gone. Once that spaceship roars back to life, it'll carry away the alien – my alien – I'd nursed back to health… the one who kissed me with more tenderness than I could comprehend. He'll disappear into the infinite cosmos beyond the edges of my galaxy, and I suspect I'll never see him again.

And I'll be here, left behind, nursing yet another void within me. I can't leave Earth. For one thing, there is no way that I could leave Aunt Zizi behind. Maybe Ravok would be willing to take me out on a quick jaunt to Orion's Belt and back. I shake my head at myself. I'm inviting myself on an outer space vacation. Who would take care of Mango? There's no way I could take my cat on a spaceship, that wouldn't be fair to him. Besides, that's not a real relationship, that's just a weekend trip situation. Nothing long term could come of something like that. I instinctively know that Ravok can't take me with him – I suspect he has a mission or something.

But today, right now, he's here. We're together. Maybe it's horribly wrong to wish the hands of time stall, to slow the repairs on Ravok's spaceship. Perhaps it's shameless, hoping for another kiss… but I can't deny wanting one.

Ravok is my guest here, and our time together has an expiration date. We could keep it light; have some fun and make some memories together. Why not, right? Life is a medley of stories, some hilarious, some sad, some romantic – all of them a blend of heartache and joy. I wonder what Ravok would think of my idea. Based on that kiss, I don't think he'd be repulsed. But he's an alien so who knows. I don't want him to feel pressured.

He'll have to leave, sooner rather than later and I know instinctively that I will miss him. Who wouldn't? He can be a bit arrogant, but he's also been so kind and has tried so hard to bridge the gap of our language barrier. He never got snippy or gave me attitude for not understanding him. It's the chance of a lifetime to get to know a being from another planet. I would be a moron not to take this opportunity. And he seems so sweet to me. He's also gruff and somewhat haughty, but that almost adds to his appeal. I will miss him, I realize. Even so, I wouldn't change a thing. For now, I return my gaze to his luminescent eyes. Enjoy it while it lasts, I remind myself.

The birds of the forest sing around us as we emerge from the woods and skirt around the lake. Looking up, I can see a few white fluffy clouds scattered above head. I'm accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life and am unused to the peace and quiet. It's so beautiful here. The sun reflecting off the lake catches against his silvery skin, and the look in his eyes makes me feel like the only star in the galaxy.

We continue our trek with pleasant, nonsensical banter, keeping my worries at bay. By the time we leave the lake behind and head back into the woods, I'm inordinately aware of his presence, his form a solid comfort beside me.

"I am indebted to you, Leelee," Ravok says, pulling me from my reverie. "You could have ignored the crash, the disturbance, and yet you did not. You chose to save me, a stranger from an unknown world. I still can't figure out how you managed to get me from the crash site to your dwelling without help. It was a truly impressive feat, and I am thankful."

"I'm so glad that I happened to be out watching the fireworks and saw the crash. It was just pure luck. If I hadn't happened to see a sign for the town festival and decided to stop by, I would've never been anywhere near here. The same thing if Koko hadn't offered me the cabin after breaking the back window of my car. Then, if she hadn't told me that the view of fireworks over the lake behind the cabin was breathtaking, I would've never seen the crash when it happened. It was all luck. But I'm glad I saw the crash and got to meet you."

I look at his alien form in the shadow under the canopy of trees overhead, more beautiful and enticing than anyone or anything I've ever laid eyes on. The dewy chill of the late spring morning can't reach me – his warmth, both physical and emotional, wraps me up.

"Well, then, I'm thankful for luck," he murmurs.

"Me too, Ravok."

Our eyes meet, and something unspoken passes between us, a connection deeper than I could have ever expected when I left my old apartment and got on the road to Aunt Zizi's place.