by J. Judkins
Kim realized Stacy must have picked up on her discomfort. “Stacy, this is Angel. Angel, Stacy. I didn't know you had a second job."
"I've only had it for a few months. No one at GDI knows about it," she said. "Have the two of you known each other long?"
"Kim took me home last night."
"Angel!" Kim gasped.
"It is nothing unusual,” Angel clarified to Kim’s horror. “People invite other people home all the time."
"Don't tell her that!"
Mercifully, Angel stopped talking. After a moment, she added, "I'm sorry. I believe Kim wishes to conceal this information. Please, don't tell anyone?"
"I won't," Stacy promised her, then she sighed and looked Kim dead in the eye. "Listen, Kim, if you're worried about me telling anyone at work about your date, then don't. Whom you choose to spend your time with is your own business."
Kim couldn’t meet her eyes. "I... Thank you."
"I'll be back with your order."
The moment Stacy was out of earshot, Kim leaned forward. "Why did you tell her that?" she hissed.
"I didn't realize you wished to conceal our date."
"Who told you we were on a date?"
"I assumed so, after Stacy reassured you she would tell no one about it. I’m curious, did you also wish to conceal this information from me, as well?”
Kim rubbed her forehead. She felt a headache coming on. “No, I'm not trying to conceal it. I’m not concealing anything. I just don’t like sharing information, especially personal information. The fact that I took you home? That’s personal. You see?”
"I’ve embarrassed you," Angel guessed.
"Of course I was embarrassed!"
"I understand."
In fact, Kim was amazed she wasn’t freaking out more. She’d only been on one date in her entire life, and that was more to get the experience out of the way and prove to herself she could do it and not have a problem with it. After deciding dating didn't interest her, she’d stopped doing it.
She’d never felt an overabundance of attraction to anyone, male or female. Relationships simply didn’t interest her. As a general rule, most geeks felt the same as she, far more interested in their own pursuits than they were dating and such.
At least, so she assumed. She wasn’t very sociable with them either.
This wasn’t a date, but once again she couldn’t tell anyone the truth and set the matter straight. At least Stacy promised not to tell anyone about it and Angel had no one to tell.
She hated leaving Angel with the impression the date was real, but it couldn’t be helped. She couldn't imagine what she'd do if their positions were reversed, if she suddenly realized she’d been on a date for thirty minutes, and had been kept in the dark.
Angel probably thought it was another custom, or something. Surely it wasn’t a big deal.
"You're okay with this?" Kim asked with barely concealed apprehension, curious and wanting to be sure despite herself.
"You told me there was nothing unusual about it."
Kim shut up. She dared not contradict her.
Stacy returned a few minutes later with their food. She refilled their drinks, then placed a large ice cream sundae with two straws and two extra-small, longer spoons in the middle of the table between them. "The sundae is from me. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable by asking so many questions," she told them, and left without another word.
"I'm unfamiliar with this custom,” Angel said, sounding dubious.
"It's supposed to be a romantic thing,” Kim explained, hoping to be vague as she wasn’t truly familiar with it, herself. “You know, two people, sharing a drink? Staring into each other’s eyes? Or something." She waved her hand in dismissal, already regretting explaining its romantic implications.
"Stacy thinks this applies to us?"
“It’s just a symbol. It only means what you want it to mean.”
Hoping she’d solved Angel’s curiosity and settled the matter, Kim picked up her fork and started in on her food. After a moment, Angel did the same. The sundae remained untouched between them.
"It's melting," observed Angel after a few minutes.
Kim shrugged.
"I'd like to try it."
"Go ahead,” Kim replied, unconcerned. She wasn’t big on desserts herself, but it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
Angel used her straw to take a drink. It was mostly liquid by this point. Kim simply watched, trying to absorb herself in her food. If Angel expected Kim to join her on her side, she was going to be disappointed.
“It’s good,” Angel said, and pushed the sundae across the table until it clinked against Kim's plate. "You should try it."
Kim gave the dessert another look. It did look tasty, but she was fully conscious of the symbolic implications behind it. Angel already thought Kim brought her here on a date, which was bad enough. The sundae represented pitfalls she wanted to avoid.
Drinking it at the same time was definitely out. That would have been blatantly romantic, and no one could misinterpret that. But taking turns drinking from the same drink? That might be considered romantic, but only if you stretched the concept far enough. For the most part, it should be safe.
Angel waited patiently for Kim to make a decision. It was clear she wasn't budging on this.
Now that she thought about it, how could anything be considered romantic if she was being coerced into doing it? Surely Angel wouldn’t leap to the wrong conclusion.
The moment Kim started to drink, Angel placed both hands on the table to steady herself and leaned all the way across the table to drink from her own straw. Their eyes met. Kim's filled with surprise, Angel's with amusement.
Kim couldn't throw herself back fast enough.
She slammed back into the booth with an audible thump loud enough to be heard by half the restaurant. Angel’s smile widened, then she burst into laughter.
The laughter died down fairly quickly, but the sight of Kim trying to conceal herself in the nonexistent shadows set her off again.
“You really are shy, aren’t you?” Angel managed at last, eyes twinkling in merriment.
Kim tried for a murderous glare, but it only fed Angel’s amusement. She gave it up.
“I’m sorry. I deeply regret embarrassing you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“You’re right. I don’t. This is an enjoyable date!”
We’re not on a date! Kim wanted to say, but of course she couldn’t.
“You have ice cream on your cheek,” Angel pointed out.
Suddenly self-conscious, Kim touched her fingers to both cheeks and examined them. There was nothing there.
She looked to Angel for an explanation, but Angel wasn’t even looking at her. She was preoccupied, dabbing two fingers in the sundae. Grinning impishly, she leaned forward once again.
Kim flinched away, desperate for escape, but there was nowhere to go. Angel gingerly touched her fingers to Kim’s left cheek, drawing a line of melted ice cream.
Kim went even more rigid as Angel slowly and very deliberately licked it away with the tip of her tongue.
“Oops. Now I’ll have to apologize again,” Angel smiled, not sounding at all sorry.
“Angel, what the hell?”
Angel glanced over Kim’s left shoulder. “Don’t worry. Stacy didn’t see anything.”
Kim turned to look. Stacy was walking at a brisk walk away from them, and she'd never passed them. Kim also couldn’t help but notice their floor was a lot more crowded now than she remembered it being when they first arrived. It seemed as if everyone in sight of their both, everyone, without exception, was openly grinning and smiling at her.
Kim slowly turned back around. Her face felt hot. She couldn’t seem to get enough air. She hid her face in her hands and tried to block it all away. “I want to go home now,” she whispered.
Angel’s voice instantly lost all its amusement. “I’m sorry. I took things too far.” She reached out and touched Ki
m’s hands and gently pulled them away from her face. “Please, Kim. Please. I’m sorry.”
Kim met her eyes. Angel looked genuinely upset.
“None of the others were in a position to see what I did. They couldn’t. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Any amusement they might have felt was due to your initial, unexpected reaction."
Angel’s words were having a calming effect. Kim felt herself begin to relax.
“Afterwards,” continued Angel, “they were smiling because their hearts were gladdened at the sight of two women sharing a romantic moment together. They didn’t see the ice cream. They probably assumed we were kissing. Nothing more.”
“Just kissing," groused Kim. "Oh. That’s good.”
“Yes. Just kissing.”
“That makes me feel so much better.”
Angel smiled, seemingly pleased with herself. She gave Kim’s hands a final squeeze and sat back. “I’ll pay for our food.”
“What are you talking about? You don’t have any money.”
“I have money. See?” Angel pulled out a handful of half-folded money, followed by another handful. And another. She set the collection down on the table.
Kim gaped at it. It had to be several hundred dollars in small bills. She put a hand over the money to hide it from view.
“Where did you get that?” she hissed. “Did you steal it?”
“No. I have a job. I told you this morning.”
Kim stared at Angel, eyes wide with disbelief.
“I am a tourist. That is my job,” Angel said.
Kim continued to stare, unblinking. Her eyes began to water.
“A job is where someone earns money,” she clarified a moment later.
“I know what a job is, Angel!” Kim snapped. “How did you get the money?”
Angel shrugged. “This is a bonus. I am paid every week. This is normal for me. Many people are paid in a similar manner. It is rare, but I have evidence to support this.”
“Yeah? Who’s paying you?”
“My boss,” she said simply.
There were so many holes in that story, it wasn’t funny.
“The fact that I have money is evidence of a job."
“Yes, I understand, I believe you. You have a job.”
In the end, they split the amount evenly. Kim paid for her meal and Angel for hers. This wasn’t a date, and Kim was clinging to that illusion.
Chapter Five
While the incident in the restaurant had been embarrassing, Kim had other ways to deal with distasteful memories besides wholesale suppression of them. First, she reminded herself that other than Stacy, who had been sworn to secrecy, Kim didn’t know anyone in that restaurant. The people inside, therefore, knew nothing of her. Also, it stood to reason that if she never set foot in any restaurant again for the rest of her life, she’d never encounter any of them, ever again.
Angel had been even easier to classify and file away because nothing of what happened tonight was her idea. She’d never expected to be on a date, which was perfectly understandable, because Kim never expected to be on one either.
Angel’s behavior at the restaurant fit Kim’s theory. As soon as Angel understood her situation, she fell into character and played the part. Why? Because she thought it was expected of her and wanted to fit in. It quite literally meant nothing to her. If their situation were reversed, and Kim found herself unexpectedly on a date with her, then naturally that would mean something.
And yet, despite her suspicions that Angel only wanted to blend in, Kim couldn’t quite shake the feeling Angel might be romantically interested in her. Maybe it was the bit with the ice cream. The idea was patently ridiculous as Angel was from an entirely different planet and couldn’t possibly be interested, but nevertheless, the feeling persisted.
Angel might look like an attractive human woman on the outside, but surely it was nothing more than a disguise. If Angel revealed her true alien form, a normal human like Kim might lose a few dice worth of sanity and run away screaming, or faint on the spot!
Okay, maybe Angel wasn’t that alien, but she wasn’t entirely human. At the least, Angel had to maintain a normal persona in order to blend in with the natives or risk capture by government agents. Angel was a literal space alien, for God’s sake.
None of it meant anything to Angel, Kim kept telling herself. Angel was acting. Nothing more. Anyone else on the planet, and yes, it would mean something. With Angel? Nothing.
The shower was a perfect example. Taking a shower before bed was normal activity for Kim. Doing so with another woman was not, but now it was happening again. This was twice more than she’d ever anticipated it would happen in her lifetime.
Angel got it into her head that the two of them taking a shower together was perfectly acceptable behavior. This time she didn’t even ask permission before joining her, and Kim couldn’t muster the courage to set her straight. Besides, if she told Angel the truth now, she’d have to explain why she’d agreed to take a shower with her on the first night.
Kim wasn’t there because she wanted it. She had perfectly justifiable reasons why she was doing it, but couldn’t tell Angel what those reasons were without letting her know she was onto her.
So here she was. Naked. Taking a shower with and being touched all over by another naked woman. Kim was trying to endure it. The physical act she didn’t mind so much. In fact, she didn’t mind it with an intensity she didn’t want to think about.
"Are you all right?" asked Angel.
"Hmm...yes," said Kim. She kept her answers deliberately vague because she was trying not to notice anything. It took all of her concentration.
"Your eyes are closed."
"I don’t want to get soap in them,” she lied.
Angel paused for a moment as if considering her words, then picked up right where she left off, continuing to methodically clean every part of Kim she could reach, which was pretty much everywhere. Kim was resolute in her determination to not enjoy or even pay attention to a second of it. It was proving more difficult than she thought it would be.
Just think of it as a massage, she told herself. It felt like a massage, or what Kim imagined a massage would feel like since she’d never actually had one. Naturally, parts of it would feel better than others, or even downright pleasurable, but she shouldn’t be feeling anything since it was just a shower.
She couldn’t expect Angel to know certain parts of the body weren’t meant to be touched the way she was touching them outside of a serious relationship. How could she expect her to know? Anything she did was accidental.
Angel had adopted Kim’s both hands approach. It sounded efficient on paper, but in practice it was anything but efficient. Angel wasn’t saving time at all. In fact, she was taking the same amount of time as the night before, but now using both hands to do it.
Kim couldn’t be sure, as she was trying to ignore it, but it seemed to her that Angel was paying extra special attention to her breasts. Kim had to fight to keep her breathing slow and steady and her expression carefully neutral. If she reacted or even made a sound, Angel would surely notice it. The last thing Kim needed was a curious alien experimenting on her in the shower.
It took a small eternity, but the wandering hands went away. Kim’s tightly maintained regular breathing returned to its normal involuntary state. Angel had finished.
Kim resolved to do her part. She quickly realized she needed to keep her eyes open if she was ever going to finish. At least she remembered the soap this time. She wasn’t going to repeat the same mistakes of last night.
“Kim?”
"Yes?" Kim answered, her voice distant and her mind partitioned to save itself. It was a very delicate balance of focus and forced inattention.
Don’t stare. Control your breathing. Don’t think about what you’re doing. Don’t look, but don’t avert your eyes because that looks suspicious. We’re just two innocent girls taking an innocent shower together in an innocent non-sexual way.
&
nbsp; She put a hand at the back of Angel’s leg at the knee. Angel lifted the leg so Kim could clean it more thoroughly. Once done, she repeated the action on the second.
That was the easy part. Kim steeled herself and placed her hands on Angel’s breasts and started in, lightly touching as she held them gently. Nothing unusual, she told herself. Pay no attention to the situation or how anything feels. Now isn’t the time to indulge in scientific discovery. Just finish it.
"You already washed me," said Angel. "I was the first. Remember?"
Kim froze. Her world shrank to the sound of running water and the sudden hitch in her breathing.
In that terrible moment, all she could see was Angel standing there with a concerned look on her face and long, blondish-white hair in disarray. In a flash, Kim now remembered using the shampoo and conditioner only a few minutes ago. It all flooded back in crystal clarity, all the details of washing Angel and everything she tried not to think about and feel.
She also remembered how she’d consciously decided at the end to block everything from her mind. Those once suppressed memories now washed over her in a flood.
Her vision further narrowed down to a thin stream of water slowly winding its way down Angel’s neck. It ran up and over her own hands which were still holding Angel's breasts. For how long, she couldn’t say.
The moment ended, and she was free again. The sound of running water grew louder in her ears. Time resumed its normal pace.
"I did...what?" Kim asked weakly.
"You washed me first, then I washed you," Angel repeated. “Do you remember?”
“...oh," Kim said, even more weakly.
"But thank you for the extra attention. It was very enjoyable."
Kim said something that sounded like “...eeep."
With visible effort, she forced her hands to let go. She slid the door open and stepped onto the bathroom floor, heedless of the still running water. One hand snatched a towel off the rack and she fled the room, dragging it behind her and leaving a trail of water as she went.
"Kim?"
Angel was following her, she realized, but Kim didn’t slow down.