Invited

Eighteen - Wicken

Chevelle and I ran through a corridor of a spaceship. It didn't look like the Achlivan ship, but it also didn't make me think of Persistence either. This was a new spacecraft, and we had to escape. Of those two things I was certain. When I glanced over at her, making sure she was able to keep up with me, I noticed she wasn't pregnant. I could hear the crying of an infant, but no baby was around. Yet, I knew she was holding one because every so often she would try to calm and quiet the child with soft coos.

We came upon a door with a giant red triangle on it and foreign letters scribbled across the symbol.

"This is it," I said.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" she asked.

I laughed. "No, but if we don't do this, we're going to die. Why not give it a try?"

She gazed up at me with wide teary eyes.

Then the ship started to fade away, and I started to return to reality.

For the first time in a long time I had had a dream. I tend to not remember my dreams, but when I do, they're always the intense ones. At least there I could be close to Chevelle. Too bad it had to be a nightmare.

I felt a soft stroking against my thigh – under the blankets. When I opened my eyes, and my vision finally came into focus, I saw Layla sitting on my bed and concluded the hand belonged to her. Immediately, I pulled away and jumped out of the bed. Unfortunately for me, I was sleeping in just my boxers. Not the kind of free show I wanted her to see. All of the essential bits were covered, thank God. With boxers you just never know. It didn't change the fact that she was still seeing me in my underwear.

"Did I startle you?" she asked, smirking ever so slightly.

I faced away from her, glad my jeans were within arm's reach. Quickly, I threw them on. "More or less."

"I'm sorry. I was trying to be as gentle as possible." She stood from the bed and walked into my kitchen. Sitting on my counter were a few new appliances I did not remember purchasing, like a microwave and a fancy coffee machine. "Do you want something?"

"Sure," I mumbled, moving to my dresser to get some clothes to put on. I threw on the first t-shirt I could fin:, a plain, black undershirt, but it served its purpose of covering me. Not like I'm a prude, by any means. If I was going to keep my relationship with Layla at a professional level, it was probably best to not walk around half-dressed too often. Temptation could only be avoided for so long.

Layla turned on the machine and filled the top with beans. She grabbed a glass jug of milk from my refrigerator - another thing I didn't buy - and poured it into a metal pitcher. "Cappuccinos are a common drink on your planet, correct? You like them, I mean?"

Not really, but to spare her feelings I decided to keep my mouth shut. "I'll take one, if that's what you're asking."

"Yes, love. That is what I am asking." She smiled back at me, and I realized I'd probably just made her entire day.

"Go for it," I said, watching from the other side of the counter. This was going to be amusing.

She put the steam wand into the pitcher and turned it on. Milk exploded all over the place, covering her entire head. Wet hair fell in front of her eyes, and I tried hard to not laugh because I noticed her starting to tear up. But man, it was funny.

Deciding to be nice, I went to get a towel from my bathroom. "Here, clean up. I'll do it."

"I was trying to do something nice for you."

"Yeah, I get that. It's not quite as easy as it looks," I said. "So go ahead and clean up, and relax."

It took a moment of my holding a stern gaze on her, but she moved out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. The door closed and not long after, I heard the shower start running. Not what I had in mind, but she was out of my hair for the time being.