Species XD-63

A couple

"Ah, Egris! Take a seat, please." Captain Nix seemed particularly chirpy that morning. It could any mean bad news was to follow.

Lola and Egris had managed to escape the debris storm relatively unscathed two days earlier. He had cursed himself for planning something like that considering the possibility of disused parts clouding Earth. 

He was desperate to make up for the dance and thought that her fascination for space would be a good icebreaker. It broke the pod and that was about it. Lola laughed it off after being sick when they safely boarded and said it was the most excitement she's had for ages. He doubted that.

Now, two days later, he found himself stuck in the stuffy office with Captain Nix's disturbingly happy face to stare into. 

"You called me, sir?" He asked warily.

"I want to discuss how your coupling is going?"

"Its...good. Good, sir." He tried to make this sound confident but it came out more questioning.

"Just good?" Nix pressed.

"Yes, sir. Why?"

"I can't help but notice, Egris, that you and Lola seem more like strangers compared to the others. Many couples are getting on well."

"Well, sir, it has only been almost a month. I'm sure we have time to get closer." he chuckled lightly and a desperate attempt to lighter the sinking atmosphere.

"The way you're going, month won't be long enough. You need to start working harder, you understand? You two are the perfect match, express that."

"I am trying sir. I've taken her out like humans do but it always ends in some sort of disaster. What else can I do, sir?" 

When those words escaped his mouth, it was intended to be a rhetorical question. Of course, Captain Nix had an answer.

"Many couples are now doing 'dates' inside their rooms. You don't have to go out of your way, Egris."

"Inside their rooms?" He questioned in confusion.

Every book he read said that many couples left their homes to flirt. Staying at home seemed so.....lazy?

"Yes. Now, I've booked a couple's meeting for just you two to attend-"

"Sir? I don' know if-"

"It's compulsory," Nix interjected in a stern tone to remind Egris of his place, "Anyway, you might enjoy it."

xxx

Lola stood awkwardly in the middle of the empty hall on the only mat laid out. The 'trainer', if that's what you called call him, had said that since it was just two participants, a hologram would lead the session. 

Egris stood at the front of the room next to the mirrors trying to turn on the hologram. He cursed under his angered breath and typed furiously on the keyboard. Despite being a modern ship, some of the technology was increasingly outdated.

"Done yet?"

"Almost." he huffed and jammed the cable into a port at the back of the machine.

For a few seconds, it was just static but then a small ray of blue light projected a few meters above. It fanned out and revealed the face of a computer-generated woman.

"There!" He exclaimed triumphantly and went to stand beside Lola.

"Welcome to this bonding session. By command of Captain Nix, this session will allow the couple to gain intimate knowledge of each other. Do you wish to proceed?"

Her head turned to Egris in shock at the thought of 'intimate knowledge' the hologram had planned. He didn't look back at her and told the projection to continue with the session instead.

"Okay. Now, I want one person to lay flat on their back on the mat. Say continue when completed."

"I'll lie down." He said and stretched his long body out on the purple yoga mat.

Egris seemed unusually calm so far as if he knew what would be happening in this session and kept Lola in the dark.

It can't that bad, can it?

"Continue!" He ordered from the floor and the hologram smiled, flashing its straight pixellated teeth. 

"Excellent. The other person now must straddle the person on the floor. This will be the most comfortable position for the following steps."

"Straddle!" She exclaimed from the side of Egris.

"Don's ask, just do. It'll be over quicker." He grumbled and shifted slightly so Lola had room.

Hesitantly, she stepped across his thighs and lowered herself down until she was on her knees. This was worse than when they were in the pod - for sure. She could feel the warmth radiating off his body through the thick fibres of the clothes. 

Egris kept his eyes glued to the panelling of the ceiling and tried desperately to ignore the feeling of Lola pushed against his thighs. Never in his life had he been so close to a woman before. He couldn't on planet Xyon and he never dared to go near the Olphiets, despite their alluring charms.

"The person on the floor - close your eyes. In this session, it'll be about the sense of touch. The straddling partner will use their hands to explore but please refrain from any risque activities."

Don't worry, I won't, she thought sarcastically.

The hologram had seized its drone and the seconds ticked by waiting for Lola to make a move. She felt like all eyes were on her, but no one was looking. Lola had to suck up all her doubts and jitters and get on with it. As Egris said, the quicker they do it, the quicker it'll end. 

Raising one shaking hand, she slowly placed it on the groove of his chest. The definition of his muscles was prominent under the suit and she could feel them tense under her palm. 

Lola gently dragged her hand up the base of his neck, having to lean forward slightly to do so. As he was so tall, she had to stretch to reach anything higher than his breast bone. 

"Don't be shy." The autonomous voice rang out. If it could smirk, it would.

Ignoring its suggestive tone, she decided to head lower down his chest and onto his abdomen. There was no direction or planning in the movements, it was just what seemed right.

Lola's face heated as she didn't know what to do next. It seemed so easy in books and films but once you were in the situation, all confidence left immediately. 

Her hand wandered back up his chest again, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake and hovered around the bottom of his neck. Lola wanted to move forward slightly so it was more comfortable but couldn't bring herself to do so. She wasn't that confident and her experience was just above zero. 

She may have had a boyfriend but that doesn't mean she was well endorsed into the world of flirtatious touches.

Egris could sense her nervousness and sighed internally. He couldn't ignore her touches any longer and started to embrace the feeling of them. It was a shame she was short.

Lifting his hands which had gone limp by his side, Egris pushed Lola forward so she was now positioned on his hips.

For a moment, none of them moved.

Lola gulped audibly and her eyes went as wide as saucers. She could feel him in every sense of the word. Shifting slightly the right....

Yes. She could feel him. 

Egris' fists curled tightly and turned a milky blue with the pressure. All the crude jokes made by the fellow working Xyon made sense now. 

If this was just straddling, what else could there be?