Chapter 45

Ravok

My ship has been fully operational for two days.

And yet, I continue the charade of working on my vessel rather than face the fact that my time with Leelee is coming to an end. I should've left days ago, but I linger, wanting to savor every moment with my Leelee.

Each night, with her in my arms as we lay in bed together, I vow to tell her the next day. However, each morning when she wakes, smiling at me so sweetly, I can't force the words past my lips. I can't say them knowing that they will wipe that happy look off her face. So, again, I silently vow that I'll leave the next day. That I just need one more day.

I have a lifetime I need to fill with memories of her, after all.

My tool clinks against my ship's hull. The sounds disguise my unnecessary fixes – I'm down to tightening bolts and nuts at this point. I fiddle with my navigation array, running yet another unnecessary diagnostic report. This ship is ready to traverse galaxies yet again, but I cannot bear the thought of flying away from the Earth and leaving Leelee behind.

I find myself consumed with thoughts of Leelee. Just this morning, we'd had another bout of incredible, intense sex and had been sprawled together on her mattress catching our breath. Leelee had sprawled across my chest, flushed and quivering from our shared passion, her eyes half-lidded and cheeks flushed a lovely pink. I had frozen in shock and trepidation when she had started to trail her fingers down the scar marring my sternum. She ran her fingers slowly over the worst of my scars, given to me by her people. I stiffened, filled with a warrior's shame of my failure to stop my captors, but when I looked at Leelee's face, it had shone with understanding and compassion. Then Leelee had pressed her lips so softly against the scar.

Then she slowly kissed each and every one of my scars, somehow washing away any lingering shame I'd felt about the scars like a balm.

Never has anyone shown such tenderness and understanding.

Shaking away the distracting, enticing memories, I step inside my ship, double-checking that no messages were sent to me from my people. The screen displays nothing – as expected. My home planet would only contact me if my directive had changed, and I cannot imagine a situation in which it would.

I now solidly reject the duty I had once vowed before my peers – to serve my species by expanding the Cryzor's reach past our galaxy. My lifelong mission has been erased, and only pure determination is left. Now, my sacred duty is to keep my sweet Leelee safe.

I have been thinking about the cautionary tales of other Outriders' failures to complete their missions and how ‘space sickness' caused them to desert their duties, and I have wondered… Did those males truly go insane under the pressure and isolation, or, like me, had they discovered the folly of our people? Perhaps other Cryzorians have found their true selves on other strange planets filled with strange but lovely species. I hold it as a hope in my heart that they did.

From the corner of my eyes, through one of the several windows that face the cabin, I spot Leelee emerging from the back door and heading my way. I hear her call my name in an excited tone. A thrill courses through me at the sound of her voice. I drop my scanner on a workbench, forgotten before it even touches the wooden surface, and hurry toward the door to greet Leelee.

The sight of her, flushed with excitement and with that irresistible smile aimed my way, makes my heart pulse with a strange and fantastic rhythm. When we reach the doorway at the same time, I scoop her into my arms. She squeals and laughs as I swing her around.

"Ravok!" Leelee exclaims, her voice breathless and filled with giggles and joy. "Oh my gosh, put me down!"

I kiss her smiling lips briefly before I loosen my grip and gently lower her to her feet. "Leelee…" My voice trails off into the still air, and I consider whether she'd be interested in joining me in bed for a bit. But then I remember that she'd seemed to have a purpose when she came out here. "Do you need something, Leelee?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah. You distracted me," Leelee accuses in a playful voice. She's got this energy about her that I adore. "I just remembered that today is the last day of the spring love festival they're having in town. Koko said that everyone dresses up in costumes. Sooo, I thought maybe we could go and have some fun."

"What kind of costumes?"

"Probably every kind of costume. I have some clothes I could repurpose to make me look like a pirate. And for you… I have a couple of ideas. There are some comic book characters that resemble you a bit, so we might be able to play into that. There's the Silver Surfer or maybe even the Terminator. I can show you what they look like on my computer."

"If you want to attend this party, I would be honored to accompany you."

After some researchon Leelee's computer, we dressed me up as Doctor Manhattan from a ‘comic' book series called Watchmen. Leelee dusted my exposed skin with a sparkly blue powder she called eye shadow and then drew a black circle with a large dot in the middle of my forehead. The research we did stated that the symbol represented a hydrogen atom. After much debate, we decided that I should wear my flight suit, which made the costume look more realistic than my hoodie and sweatpants.

I look over at Leelee as she drives us toward town. She is dressed in a long, flowing skirt and a loose white shirt. A scarf is tied around her waist, and another is over her hair.

As we turn onto the town's main thoroughfare, the sunset baths the streets in an ethereal glow. Once again, revelers crowd the area, all dressed in brightly colored, strange outfits. Many of the humans have transformed themselves into beasts and other unidentifiable creatures. Each costume is more outlandish than the last. I had been unsure of Leelee's plan – it felt like I would be easily recognized as non-human. However, my nerves settle as I stare at the assortment of costumes on display. A tension uncoils within me, and I look over at Leelee with a grin. Some costumes are so realistic that I would believe I was looking at a monster, not a man disguised as one. I will fit in just fine amongst this crowd.

Once she finds an open parking spot, we leave the car and stroll toward where most of the crowd also seems to be heading. I can hear music in the distance. Leelee has been introducing me to human music for the last few days. Some human music sounds like nothing more than rhythmic racket to my ears, but Leelee has introduced me to several genres that I enjoy more than I could've predicted. My favorite thing about music is how the musicians and singers encapsulate so many deeply felt emotions in the songs. Happiness, anger, sadness, longing… love. Oh, the love songs – how I've become obsessed. The songs are better at expressing how I feel about Leelee better than any words I could dredge up.

Walking toward the grassy park we visited last time we were in town, the music gets louder and clearer. The beat has a lovely swing, and I automatically find my stride matching. I find myself swaying, my fingers tapping a matching rhythm on the back of Leelee's hand.

A man as tall as myself joins the crowd just a few steps ahead of us. The man appears to be half-canine and half-human; Leelee whispers to me that he is dressed as a creature of legend called a werewolf. A torn and shredded red checkered shirt hangs from his large shoulders, displaying a fur-covered chest. A couple with pale skin walks past us, their fangs protruding from their lips. Leelee tells me that they are vampires. They are compelling yet unnerving in their beauty.

Leelee whispers, "Don't forget, if anyone comments on your eyes, thank them but then tell them the contacts are starting to bother your eyes. It'll make them seem more fake." I give her a nod of understanding, my mind racing to memorize this new information. We have forgone the sunglasses on this trip, and my glowing, luminescent eyes are on full display to the gathered crowd.

A large white canine wearing realistic-looking wings, brushes past, bumping into Leelee. She scratches the dog behind his ear while his tongue lolls out in enjoyment. "Sema, where is your owner? Does no one follow leash laws in this town?"

Sema gives Leelee's hand a lick before bounding off into the crowd.

We enter the park and head towards a stage where a group of musicians are performing. A young male bumps into me and when he turns to apologize, he takes one look at me, his eyes widening in surprise. My heart starts to pound, but before I can truly begin to panic that I've been discovered, the man says, "Cool costume, dude."

"Thank you. Although I am starting to regret the contacts. They are bothering my eyes."

"Nah, you gotta keep ‘em. They're badass, man." Before I can thank the young male, he hurries off, calling out to his companions.

After that interaction, any lingering uncertainties trickle away. I never should've doubted Leelee. The woman confounds me and impresses me in equal doses. Tonight, amid the chaos of fairytale characters, superheroes, and monsters, we blend in perfectly. Just another pair adding to the fantastical madness of the festival. One thing is clear: Leelee outshines everyone else, even among a horde of fantastical beings.

We join the crowd milling about the grassy field in front of the performing musicians. The music is joyous, and the fast beat soon has me tapping my feet and swaying to the rhythm. I particularly enjoy how the performers interact with the crowd, stirring up everyone's excitement.

Many members of the crowd start to pair up, pressed close and moving together to the beat of the music. The sight surprises me – the humans move with such abandon, their bodies swaying together.

The rhythm inches its way through my veins and I cannot deny the euphoria that sweeps over me. I look over and find Leelee mirroring my movements, her smile blooming like a full moon in the night sky above us. "Ravok, would you like to dance?" Her question pulls me back from the intoxicating enjoyment of the music.

"I do not know how," I try to warn her.

"That's okay," she reassures me, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "I am not a good dancer either, I just want an excuse to be in your arms."

Her bold pronouncement catches me off guard. Yet, before I fully comprehend her words and intent, I find myself acting. I pull her into my arms.

I hesitate, with my arms encircling her back. I look over the couples near us trying to take note of how they are moving. "I don't want to do it wrong," I explain to Leelee when I notice her watching me.

"There is no wrong way to do it. Well… as long as you don't step on my toes too much," Leelee says with a chuckle. "Here, put your hands on my hips."

Leelee grabs both my hands and slides them down her lush curves until they rest on her hips. She presses her body firmly to my front and places her hands on my hips in a mirror to mine. "Just feel the rhythm of the music and follow my movements."

My body tenses, feeling stiff and awkward as I try to follow Leelee's movements. The vibrant music echoes through the night air, thrumming against my skin. Humans dance all around us, but I feel alone with Leelee as if we are in our own little bubble. She traces her thumbs over my hipbones, almost distracting me from counting the beats of the music. She shoots me a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Ravok," she says. "Just feel the music."

Her hips sway rhythmically as if her body instinctively knows the unconscious ebb and flow of the music's rhythm. Her hands on my hips guide me, and my body starts to sync to her rhythm. Hesitantly, I start swiveling my hips like Leelee does, finding the music within the human chaos, feeling the beat throbbing under my skin, driving me to move.

I glance around. Humans are spinning under twinkling strands of lights. Laughter and jovial shouts fill the air.

There's an intoxicating freedom to the way these humans dance, a release of energy and expression that starts to seep into my rigid Cryzorian soul. I look at Leelee, her sparkling eyes, flushed cheeks, and the way her laugh rings through the air. Now I understand her words: There is no wrong way to dance, not when lost in the sheer joy of the moment.

And so, I let myself get swept up in the strange, rhythmic ritual, the distance between me and Leelee diminishing, our movements becoming synchronized. I can't remember a time when I felt so carefree, so… human.

Time loses its grip as we dance, hectically at times and slowly at others. We pause only to hydrate and occasionally rest, panting through shared laughter. The night becomes a blur of rhythm, colors, sound, and Leelee.

It is a glorious night.