Believer

Victoria spent several days hobbling about the house with a badly sprained ankle. The morning after the embarrassing incident with Revaz her father had taken her to the Doctor, who made it clear that she would have to stay off her foot for at least a week for it to heal. 'Take it easy' he told her. “Otherwise you might make it worse!”

'Take it easy' was a living nightmare to her. Being trapped indoors would have never bothered Victoria if she'd been healthy, but in this wounded state she felt as though she were going crazy. Looking outside through her bedroom window made her anxious and irritated. She had never wanted to go for a walk so badly in her life.

While she was getting better her father decided to stay late at his meetings. For the most part Victoria was all alone in the house for most of the day. By the time her father got home she was usually asleep, and he was seldom ever there when she woke up having managed to balance a regular life of work and errands with his flying saucer obsession.

By the time the fourth day rolled around she was lounging around the living room watching daytime soap operas and feeling sorry for herself. It was a remarkably cool day. For summertime at least. It was one of the only times Victoria didn't have to turn on any of the fans in the house. She just sat there, draped in a cozy but thin blanket retrieved from the linen closet as she attempted to enjoy the melodrama of afternoon programming.

Revaz was nowhere to be found, though he father had asked about him several times. Victoria gruffly proclaimed that he was busy with work in order to appease the older man. Deep down she had already decided the extra terrestrial had probably made a run for it and was several cities away by now. She planned to fake being together with him for a few more weeks while she was thinking up a good 'break up' story.

Somewhere in between 'Days Of Our Lives' and 'As The wheel Turns' there was a light pinging sound from the kitchen. Being in a slight couch-potato state Victoria choose to ignore the sound, presuming that it was a bird that had flown into the window again, or perhaps the wind. Fumbling for the bowl of popcorn on the couch beside her, she resumed watching her shows.

The sound occurred a few times after that, but much softer. Though she turned her head occasionally to peek into the kitchen Victoria could see no signs of an intrusion or threat. The wind was given the blame for the noise as she heard it whistle particularly louder when she was nestling herself back into the couch as though to confirm her suspicions. She munched happily, forcing herself to watch at least two other daytime programs before eventually drifting off into a semi-nap.

Locked safely within her dreams, Victoria was haunted by the disturbing images she was trying so hard to forget. As she tossed and turned restlessly, moaning with the occasional protest, her mind tortured her. Like a bad movie, the same dream seemed to play over and over again. And though she desperately wanted to make it stop, her mind was forced to acknowledge that a part of her was enjoying it.

Victoria dreamt of kissing Revaz. Or rather watching herself kissing Revaz. It was so vivid and detailed that a part of her was convinced it might have been real. She thought she could feel his warm breathing ghosting across her face as she leant in to the embrace. His threaded his fingers through her hair softly, the way she imagined that only a lover might do. Their dream kiss was as long as the one they'd shared in real life, and perhaps just as awkward for her. But it turned into a nightmare when the kiss started to morph into something more.

Just before Revaz was about to dip his hand, and plant a chaste kiss on her trembling neck she was awoken by an unnerving feeling like something was squeezing her ribcage. Victoria opened her eyes and screamed when she discovered one long tentacle had wrapped itself around her waist and was clenching her so tightly it felt like she was going to suffocate.

He wasn't standing too far from the couch. She saw him almost immediately, and he made no effort to hide or excuse himself for intruding. Instead he stared at her with a hint of sourness playing in his expression before finally concluding; “You are a very frustrating creature, Miss Victoria. I can see why your life is not as fortunate as you'd like it to be...”

“And you're a rotten criminal. If you were human I could charge you with at least a dozen counts of breaking and entering!” Victoria was quick to snap a reply at him. She looked down at the appendage that had loosened it's grip of her waist and lurched with disgust when she discovered the blunted tip was nestled right between her breasts. “Let me go this instant!”

“You lied to me again.”

“No I didn't!” She pounded her fists angrily against the intrusive limb, enraged at the nerve of Revaz to simply ignore her demands. Her legs flailed pitifully, unable to do any damage when one of them was still sprained. “I don't know what the hell you're going on about but I want you out of my house. Go on your stupid mission already and leave me alone! I'm much happier without you around.”

“Really? Because that little dream you were having a moment ago suggests otherwise.” He let go of her, coiling the tentacle away so that it lay sprawled across the floor. “You dreamt of us, even though you told me that you didn't like it.”

“That's not true. I-I didn't mean to think about it...” Victoria nervously stammered now having grown rather unsettled by the fact that he had been able to see what she was dreaming about. “It's not like I can control what I dream about.”

“But you can control whether or not you enjoy what you are dreaming about, and you were enjoying what you saw.” Her cheeks burned with anger as he stepped right in front of her, literally talking down to her. “You liked it. Just as you liked what we did. Why do you deny what you feel?”

“Because it's disgusting, and wrong!” She clenched her eyes shut, thinking of all the times in the past when her mother used to rant to her about the 'evil' of boys. Before she left she'd made sure to lecture Victoria. Though very much aware of the intentional brain washing on her mothers part Victoria had embraced the anger and turned it into her own personal beacon from which she loathed and despised just about every male that approached her.

Revaz was a threat to her personal resentment towards men and her belief that they were lesser beings. He came in with his 'honest' looking face and his genuine questions and he made a mess of everything. His presence violated the sanctuary of her mind, and ruined whatever notion she'd had that kisses were something reserved for the sexually deviant; women of loose morals and boys who just hoped the kiss lead to more.

“That isn't what you really believe. It's what someone else told you.” He gazed at her for a long time before concluding this, having no doubt invaded the far corners of her mind in search of an answer. “I feel it Victoria. You did like it.”

“No, stop!” She shuddered uncontrollably, traumatized by the way he had invaded her most intimate thoughts. She felt as though she were a book, something Revaz could flip through and read at his own pace. And there was nothing she could do to make him stop.

He had taken a seat beside her without even asking. The cushion she had been nestled on shifted under his weight, gently sliding Victoria just a tad closer to her nemesis. “Why do you keep doing this?” She cried softly with her hands clamped over her face in a vain attempt to conceal her shame.

She felt his hand as it cupped her knee, squeezing it gingerly as though perhaps trying to comfort her. “Because it hurts you when you bottle everything up and deny it. I do not like the pain and suffering that it brings you.”

His hand did not do anything inappropriate. He did not attempt to slid it up her thigh, it didn't lash out to grope her or even rub against her suggestively. It just rested there, occasionally pressing down to let her know it was still there. Peering through her fingers, she marvelled at the seemingly harmless gesture. It was purely innocent, and unknowingly gentle.

“I promise I will not do it again unless you want me to.” He murdered softly, turning his head away from her briefly. “Nor will I ever inflict any harm upon you, unless you force me to.”

“Good to know.” Victoria sighed while brushing some of the hair out of her eyes. “To be honest if I were you, I would have strangled the life out of me a long time ago.”

“My species is not naturally hostile. Even towards our enemies.” Revaz replied while he shrugged his shoulders. “We do not use our appendages for defence unless there is no other choice. I know that you thought I was going to hurt you. I'm sorry. I suppose I squeezed you too hard. I only meant to wake you up.”

“I'm fine.” She shrugged uncomfortably, alerted by concerned sound in his voice. “It startled me a little bit but I'll live.”

“I replaced your flowers by the way.”

“My what?”

“The flowers that were in your bedroom.” Victoria eventually recalled the wildflowers that had been withering in her room. He had given them to her for some odd reason, and though Victoria had been quite convinced that Revaz wanted nothing to do with her these past few days she didn't have the heart to throw them away. “I replaced them for you. The older ones were starting to decay. I thought it might make you feel better with something perfuming your room....”

She looked at his face, marvelled by how uncomfortable he suddenly looked. He fidgeted for a moment, running his fingers through his hair. “I replaced them while you were out here. I wanted to do it sooner but I didn't want to risk you being in there...”

'Oh god he's so sweet.' Victoria groaned as her thoughts suddenly drifted off into a girlish fantasy, she felt her cheeks flush red as she studied the man seated next to her intensely. “I'm sorry.” She muttered, deciding that he probably already knew about the images of her kissing him that had briefly floated through her mind again.

“I have never been called 'sweet' before. It seems odd to compare someone to a function in your tongue...” She thought she saw him smile just a little as he turned so that his body was facing hers.“You do not seem to be capable of controlling your thoughts about me.”

“I know, I know.” She sighed while rubbing her temple. “I'm not used to being around someone who can read my thoughts...Or someone who is nice to me...Or some who looks the way you do.”

“Looks?” Revaz appeared to be holding back a snicker. “On my planet my appearance is not nearly as critical as it seems to be on this one. You Gaians are so...obsessed with superficial ideals.”

“I didn't mean it /that/ way!” Victoria sighed in her state of frustration. “I know it's vain okay. Most people on this planet know it too, they just do it anyway. But in this town, and the way I act, a human boy who looked half as decent as you wouldn't talk to me. And you're so nice, and I just-”

“Victoria, do you want to...?”

She found herself unable to resist such an offer. He barely finished his sentence before she lashed out, compulsively welcoming the unearthly creature into a kiss. It felt just as enticing as the first one they shared, only better, because she wasn't in pain, and he wasn't crushing her this time.

Their hands entwined briefly as their tongue curiously brushed against each other. He was more willing to explore than Victoria was, allowing himself to venture the far regions of her opened mouth. The tingling sensation it left in her stomach was unlike anything Victoria had ever felt. She welcomed more of her, allowing him to grasp onto her waist as they kissed.

Her mothers angry words, spouting rage against men and their disgusting advances, was drowned out before it even had a chance to begin. The sounds of their desperate breathing drowned it out, along with the gentle purring noise Revaz made when she curiously ran her fingers through his hair. It sounded like the growl of a house cat. Only stronger; more masculine.

They shifted their bodies without speaking, moving so that Victoria was laying comfortably on her back and he was sprawled across her. The appendage that had disturbed her in the past slowly retracted back inside of him.

All the while Victoria could never quite settle exactly why she had chosen to behave impulsively. Though she enjoyed the kissing itself she still dreaded the lingering aftermath and the resulting tension that it would no doubt cause.

The fantasy never went beyond this seemingly harmless behaviour, nor did she had any desire for it to. Every time she strained and tried to imagine something 'deeper' her mind would fog up like a room filled with smoke and she would momentarily loose her train of thought. In truth she did not actually want the kiss to go deeper. There was after all, no genuine 'love' between them. Or even friendship as far as she was concerned. But there was a sort of connection between Revaz and her idealized dreams. Every girl wants to kiss someone beyond their expectations. Victoria was just too proud to admit it.

It would have lasted much longer than it did. Victoria imagined with her will so weakened she might have allowed it to linger on for hours. But just as they were about to kiss again the front door opened and the sound of her fathers voice set off alarms in her head. She tried to push Revaz away but he would not allow it having momentarily distracted himself by the sound of her fathers voice bellowing from the front hallway.

“Victoria, I'm home! How's your foot doing? Are you still watching that garbage?”

Though she panicked almost immediately Revaz did not seemed alarmed, even in the tiniest bit as he listened to the intrusion. Instead he calmly switched a button on the device which was still secured around his wrist in order to activate the hologram that made him look more human. He smiled at her cheekily, as though attempting to provoke some kind of reaction out of her, but Victoria could do nothing but lay there, frozen in terror as she heard her father come padding into the living room.

“Hey, hey, hey! Knock it off you two!” He grunted, jabbing Revaz in the head with the blunted end of a broom handle. Playfully of course as she could hear the amusement in his voice. “Geez you god damned teenagers are energetic. You're worse than junkyard rabbits. “

“I apologize Sir.” Revaz murmured as he sat up, freeing Victoria and allowing her to squirm as far as she could towards the opposite end of the couch. “I...didn't mean for that to happen. I just came to see how Victoria was feeling.”

“Oh calm down boy, I'm not some crazy Christian nut whose going to go chasing you down the street with an axe or something.” Victoria grimaced as she listened to her father chuckle behind them. “Good to see you again Revaz. I was wondering whether you would show up. Victoria's been moping around the house all week like somebody shot her dog.”

“That is why I came to see her.”

“Good to hear. Though I'd appreciate it if you took that stuff somewhere more private.” Without so much as a frown her father had plunked himself into the chair that was pushed right next to the sofa. In his hand he clutched an opened can of cola. “I have friends here all the time. In fact a few of 'em will be here in a few minutes. And I doubt any of them wanna see that. “

“That's because half of them probably cannot remember the last time a female kissed them.” Victoria replied sourly with her arms folded across her chest. “If you don't mind I'd like to go to my room now.”

“Well take Revaz here with you then.” Her father smirked while gesturing to the stealthy creature sitting closest to him. “He's your guest, not mine. Just don't do anything stupid.”

'Stupid' was Victoria's fathers way of saying 'sex'. Her insides churned as she stumbled onto her feet, muttering for Revaz to follow her, even though he already knew the location of her room and had probably explored some of it in her absence.

“Did you inherit your pessimism from your mother?” He whispered as they two of them wandered down the long hallway leading to her room.

“Yes.” She mumbled, though reluctant to admit such a negative fact about herself. “I am my mothers daughter. Almost everything that she was, I am now too. She's the only person that ever really understood me. Sometimes I miss having her around.”

“This custom of 'divorce' confuses me.” Revaz sighed when they got into her room. Victoria made sure the door was locked to prevent her father from barging in on them. “Why would you make a vow to spend your life with someone only to change your mind afterwards? It makes the vow meaningless in the first place.”

“What, your species doesn't have divorce?” Victoria snorted in disbelief. “Then again I don't think you ever really told me whether or not your kind even gets married.”

“We have a similar bonding ritual yes. But there is no counter ritual to severe the bond. My species mates for life. We do not posses most of the characteristics that seem to flaw your planets inhabitants.” He was seated on the edge of her bed with his hands clasped neatly in front of him. He looked relaxed, a change from the typical 'stiff' characteristic that seemed to haunt Revaz.

“But what do you do when something bad happens? An affair, a fight, a loss of respect or love for your spouse?!” She proclaimed, marvelled and almost in a state of disbelief that such a society could ever really exist.

“I...have never heard of adultery occurring within my own race.” He shrugged, seemingly disturbed by the fact that she had even bothered to ask him. “As I said, my planet is quite advanced...”

“So being on earth must really disgust you then.” Victoria pretended to be admiring the new flowers he had placed in her room for her, but really she was just looking for an excuse to avoid looking at him.

“Your species is...frustrating at times. I see that while dealing with you. Some of your species are rather disturbing to me still.” He rubbed his temples, either ignoring or overlooking the fact that she was avoiding him. “My race evolved beyond violence like rape and murder hundreds or years ago, yours condones it like it is a natural occurrence.”

Victoria cringed at the mention of these subjects having always suffered from a life long phobia that one of those events might happen to her. “Only a small percent of the human population actually does that sort of stuff. You can't look down on everyone for something a few people are doing!”

“Do you ever leave this house?” Victoria's insides churned when she heard him change the subject. It felt like someone had sent her on a roller-coaster ride, and there was no way of getting off.

“Sometimes.” She said through slightly gritted teeth. “I don't go into town very often now that I've Graduated. But I used to. And sometimes when I'm really bored I'll go there. There's nothing really interesting in it though. A bookstore, a grocer, and a few other little shops. There isn't even a park.”

He nodded, either understanding her grief towards living near such an agonizingly dull town or just acknowledging he was still listening. “Is it very far from here?”

“No, not really. It only takes me twenty minutes to get there on foot actually. Why?”

He rose up onto his feet. The floorboards groaned painfully beneath him while he skulked across her room, tracing one hand across the petals of the bouquet he'd given to her. “I want you to go there with me.“