by Zara Zenia
"Who are you, Dray?" I said out loud to the note. "And when the hell are you coming back?"
Chapter 5
Draygus
Human women are complicated and stubborn at times, but the most rewarding creatures on Earth when you gain their trust. At least that's what the men's magazines here say. I'm not so sure, though. Anya last night didn't seem stubborn. In fact, she seemed honest and kind, open and easy to talk to.
I could see her now through the lenses of my binoculars sitting in her kitchen. Her cheeks were growing chubby as she stuffed more bread in her mouth so that she began to look more like those tiny hamsters I saw once on TV. She was smiling too, and glancing out the window every minute or so as though she was looking for someone. He hair was immaculately smoothed down her back and her pale features glowed ethereally in pale, cloudy light. She looked beautiful and for a moment I was so distracted by her fine features and vibrant eyes, that I almost forgot what I was doing.
"Stay focused," I said to myself as I pressed the binoculars into my eye sockets. "Keep your eyes on the prize."
After last night, it would seem that my plan was beginning to work. Now the second part of the plan was in action, something I called Operation Swoon. It will be a complicated procedure, one which gains her trust but doesn’t come on too strong. The last thing I want to do right now is to scare her away.
I rubbed at the red rings around my eyes that were caused by the rubber eyepieces of the binoculars. They itched slightly and, deciding it was probably enough for today, I placed them back in their bag and dropped them down at my feet. The sun was setting slowly, the giant orb dipping down over the sandy horizon. I was sat high up on the hill that overlooked the facility. I had read on the internet that this place was a local lovers’ lane, a place that people often came to kiss and have sex in the back of their cars. Although there appears to be no evidence of this at the moment. Nevertheless, it provides a good lookout point of the satellite control center.
Looking down into segment C, I can see Anya's office clearly over the top of the barbed wire. It has been two days since I sent her breakfast and I've been watching her intently the whole time. The morning after we met, she seemed to be walking on air, floating around her office as though she was barely cognizant of her job. But her excitement appeared to fade, and this morning, as she sat at her computer, she mumbled something before rubbing at her temples. She didn't look too happy.
Flicking open the magazine on my lap, I looked at the headline of the article I had read over and over again.
"10 ways to keep her interested"
Number one had seemed an obvious one, even for a naive Orban like me. It told me to be polite and always seem interested in what she was saying. You'd have to be a special kind of idiot to not realize that. Tip number two also seemed somewhat obvious, telling human men to not come on too strong. However, tip number three had so far proven itself to be the most useful. Give her the best sex of her life then keep her hanging on for more. I think I had moved through this stage smoothly. Now it was time to implement tip number four, don't keep her hanging on too long or she'll think you're not interested.
I pursed my lips and rolled up the magazine. Had it been too long? Was she starting to think I didn't like her anymore? I pulled out my phone and read her phone number out loud as I tapped the buttons.
"Seven, zero, five... eight, eight...nine."
Human telephone numbers seemed to be so unnecessarily long and awkward. In fact, I don't know why they had them at all. Back on Orba, all we had to do was say their name and their voice would be beamed to your communicator chip, well, if you could afford one, anyway.
As I listened to the ringing tone, I picked up the binoculars again and looked through her window. She seemed to be searching for her phone in her handbag and frowning as she failed to find it. At last, the girl beside her pointed into her top drawer and Anya breathed a sigh of relief before laughing at her own stupidity.
"Hello?" she answered with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"Anya? It's Dray..."
There was silence for a moment, then she let out a long satisfied exhale.
"Dray, I can't believe you called! I thought you'd lost interest in me."
Women love eating food on dates which is strange because they are also obsessed with stopping themselves from eating food. It would appear that they are simultaneously eager to eat as much as they want without reaping the consequences of digesting such food. This is not a problem back on Orba where hunger and eating are merely biological impulses without emotional connection. Here, it would seem women would marry this brown substance called chocolate if they could, before divorcing it for making them fat.
After Anya told me she loved exotic food, I booked a table in a restaurant called the Prize of Persia, a place that had four circles of recommendation on the internet. Apparently, it is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the stomach and once I told her where we were going, she made a little squealing noise before saying it was her favorite place ever.
Waiting at the table by the window, I watched the traffic meander by during rush hour. The smell of the room was delightful with an array of tastes and sensations dancing in the air. I glanced over at the table beside me where a young couple was feeding each other out of little wrapped up pastries filled with peculiar looking meat. I wondered if that's what Anya expected me to do with her.
"Dray!"
There were hands on my shoulders and the sweet smell of perfume.
"Anya. It's great to see you!"
I jumped up and gave her a hug. Her smile was so wide I could almost see all her teeth as they were framed by her glossy red lips.
"You look beautiful," I said and she blushed before looking down at her dress.
"You think so? I just came straight from the office."
I had, of course, seen her in the office and took note of the fact that she was not dressed in the same clothes and neither was she wearing as much makeup. Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded and gestured for her to sit down, not knowing whether lying about such trivialities was an expected occurrence.
"Thanks for the pastries," she said as she smoothed a napkin down over the front of her dress. "That was a really nice thing to do, and you remembered where I lived!"
I reached forward and took her hand in mine.
"Of course, I remembered. I tried to remember everything you told me."
She blushed again and looked down to her shoes
"I'll be honest. I was a little embarrassed about it the next day. I don't normally tell random guys where I live. Really, I don't."
I scanned her face for signs that she was lying but her eyes were firmly fixed on mine and her face was honest and open.
"Okay, I'll be honest too. I've never sent a woman breakfast before," I said. "And I've never had sex in a club before."
She looked into my eyes and squeezed my hand tight.
"Glad to hear it," she laughed. "So, I'm at least your first for some things."
She looked away embarrassed again and began fiddling with the napkin, twirling it around her finger before pulling out a loose piece of thread and picking it apart.
"You're quite a nervous girl, aren't you?"
"Er...I... well."
She stuttered and kept her eyes on her hands before shuffling around in her seat and waving at a waiter.
"Some wine over here, please?" she asked with her cheeks turning crimson.
"You are an easily embarrassed person," I said out loud to note my observation more than anything. "But I think that is nice."
At last, she looked back toward me and dropped the napkin.
"Nice?"
"Sure!"
She didn't look convinced and watched across the room as the waiter approached with the wine list. After I ordered the most expensive thing I could find, I reached out for her hand once again and felt that her palm was slightly damp with perspiration.
"I do think it's nice," I assu
red her. "I've not been in this town long but I've noticed one thing. The girls walk around like they're made of gold. They think we should give them everything just because they say so. They think they are more valuable than the men and why? because they have large breasts and long hair? Because their hair drapes across the top of their buttocks and they think they can dance? I can see you're not like the other girls I saw at the club. I noticed it right away and I really liked you for it. We've not known each other long and we've only been here a few minutes, but I can really sense something about you. You're genuine and smart, I can see that. But you don't have to be embarrassed. If it makes you feel any better, you are more beautiful than every other female in this room."
Once finished with my short speech, I glanced down at my lap where I'd unfolded the ripped-out magazine article. It would appear that I'd ticked all the boxes and said the right things. Now all I had to do was wait. Gazing across the table, I tried to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were bright and watery and she sniffed before lifting the napkin to her cheeks.
"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," she said. "Thank you."
A moment later the waiter returned with the wine and took our order, all the while Anya smiled and smiled until I was starting to think her face had been stapled open.
"Thank you for such a terrific night," she said as we walked across the parking lot to my car.
"No, thank you."
I wrapped an arm around her in the chilled night air and she sighed and leaned in closer.
"You're quite the mystery man, but I like it," she said.
"A mystery?"
"Yeah... The whole time we were in there you never told me anything about yourself. All you did was ask me about my life, which I have to admit is not something I'm used to."
I thought for a second and squeezed her tight before clicking open the car door and guiding her into the passenger seat. Once I was sitting next to her, I twisted the key in the ignition and looked in the rearview mirror. There was a blacked-out sedan at behind us with two men in the front. It was difficult to make out their features as their faces were shrouded by shadows, but there was something odd about them. I watched them for a moment before reversing out and driving away.
"So... You think it's a bad thing that I didn't tell you about myself?" I asked, genuinely interested to know if I'd done something wrong. "I always thought it was important to understand everything about a woman and ask her questions, pay an interest in everything she says."
Anya gave a gentle laugh and looked up at me wide-eyed.
"You're sweet," she said and reached out to stroke my face. "There aren't many men like you left in the world."
Or on Orba, I thought to myself.
"What do you want to know?" I asked.
"I dunno... where do you work? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Where do you live? What brought you to the club the other night?"
"I work for the military," I said which of course was not exactly a lie. "I have two brothers and a sister, I live not too far from you, and I guess curiosity took me to the club the other night."
Thinking my answers had satisfied her inquiry, I relaxed back in the seat and stared out at the road ahead. But I started to feel her eyes burning through the side of my face and I looked over to see her frowning.
"Now you're just even more mysterious," she said. "You said everything but told me nothing."
"Sorry," I said with a cheeky smile. "I'm just kind of a private person."
Pulling up outside her house, I remained in my seat as she took a step out onto the sidewalk. She hesitated for a second and glanced over to the house before looking back at me.
"I had a really great night," she said. "We can do it again sometime, can't we?"
"I'd love to," I replied.
She inched her way out a little bit before sliding back in her seat.
"Do you want to come in?" she asked. "For one last drink?"
Casting my mind back to the article that was now neatly folded up in my back pocket, I shook my head.
"No," I answered. "I'd really like to, but I have to meet a friend," I lied.
Her face seemed to collapse in front of me and the shine in her eyes dwindled.
"But I'd really like to some other time. Some time soon."
And I reached across and pulled her toward me, kissing her passionately before letting her go.
"I'll call you," I said and she smiled once again.
"Please do."
Chapter 6
Anya
Susan reapplied her lipstick after smudging it on the side of her mojito glass. I watched her for a moment with her effortless glamor then spotted the table of men behind her who were obviously staring at her taught physique and skimpy clothing.
"I think you've got yourself some admirers," she said as she tucked her compact mirror inside her handbag.
"Me?" I gasped. "Those guys are looking at you."
She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"I wish you knew how attractive you were. Honey, those guys are definitely staring at you."
Smiling awkwardly, and trying to look over at them without making it obvious, one of them catches my eye and raises his glass and winks.
"Yeah, well, anyway. I've met someone. I'm not interested."
"Ooooh, Dray," Susan grinned wolfishly and leaned across the table. "Tell me everything."
I leaned back in my seat and cast my eyes up to the ceiling. Just the mention of his name made me feel as though I was catching fire, and in a pathetic attempt at calming myself down, I pressed my cold drink to my face and took a deep breath.
"Dray... is the best," I said. "I mean, holy shit, I think he could be the one."
I was expecting Susan to be pleased for me, maybe even tell me how lucky I was, congratulate my romantic success and give me one of her slaps on the back. Instead, she just averted her attention to her phone and chewed on her lower lip.
"What's up?" I asked. "I thought you'd be happy for me. You were always telling me to get out there and meet someone."
"I was," she sighed and locked her phone. "But... I dunno, Anya, I think you should be careful. There's something about him I don't like."
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes and I slammed my drink down a little harder than I meant to. It made a clattering noise as the ice spilled over the edge of the glass making Susan jump.
"Sorry, it's just that I can't help be annoyed, I tried to explain. He's the best, Susan. He's gorgeous and rich. He treats me like a gentleman and he's got that perfect bad boy charm that just drives me fucking crazy! Ugh... and the sex, Susan. The sex!"
She gasped and reeled back in horror.
"You've had sex already! Jesus, Anya, you need to slow down."
"Don't worry. It was just the once! Anyway, why are you suddenly acting like you're the Virgin Mary or something? It was you who encouraged me to get with him!"
"Yeah, but I didn't realize you were gonna fall in love straight away! I wanted you to have some fun and boost your confidence. I thought some male attention would do you some good but this is..."
"What? It's what Susan?"
"It's too fast and it's crazy."
Taking a big gulp of my drink, I huff and cross my arms. There's a look on her face I don't quite recognize, a fire in her eyes that wasn't usually there. She looked tense, too, and her eyes were darting around the restaurant as though she wanted to be anywhere but next to me.
"I think you're just jealous," I blurted out and immediately regretted it.
"Jealous?" she spluttered. "Are you serious?"
"Sure, I'm serious. You just broke up with your man and you haven't found anyone yet, so you're jealous that I have and you're jealous that Dray's so hot and wanted me over you."
"I don't need to hear this," she said before screeching her chair back to stand up.
An older couple at the table beside us glance over and shake their head at our youthful amateur dramatics and I realize how out
of character I'm being.
"Wait," I said and reached out to grab her wrist. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a bitch. Will you sit back down?"
Begrudgingly, she slumped back into her seat and reached for her pack of cigarettes.
"I just really like him," I tried to explain. "Like really like him. I think I could even see myself really falling in love with this guy. I know it's fast and I know it sounds crazy, but he's just everything I ever wanted."
She lit the end of her cigarette and took a slow, intense drag before blowing a plume of smoke across the table.
"I understand you're happy and I'm happy for you, really I am, but..."
She sucked on her cigarette again and screwed up her face as though she was so deep in thought it hurt.
"Tell me!" I begged. "What's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath before flaring her nostrils slightly, a habit she had when forced into a difficult situation, she began to speak.
"There's something about him I don't trust," she said. "He was there on his own..."
"So? Plenty of guys go out on their own. Anyway, his friends could have just been somewhere else in the club and-"
"Anya! Will you hear me out?" she interrupted me and I shrunk back in my seat feeling as though I'd been told off by my mother. "Listen, please. I don't trust him. He was there on his own and he made a beeline for you before noticing anyone else. And as soon as he saw you, it was like a predator moving in for the kill. I know I told you to go talk to him, but I didn't realize it would end up like this. Plus, I was pretty freaking drunk myself, if you remember."
I smiled faintly as I remembered the night.
"But I'd be careful okay?" she continued. "I have good instincts. I have a feel for these things, can read people. I'd slow down and learn some more about him first."
She was right and I knew it.
"Fine," I relented. "As always, you always know what to do."