As she closed the door, I took in the unusual decoration of the apartment with awe. Almost all of the appliances and furniture were made of the black deathsuit-like material that I think is called Science Friction. In the flickering candlelight, they had become an eerie alien landscape that ebbed and moved around me. This had all changed since the last time I was here, but then I expect that she had to do a lot of redecorating.
"I just thought it might be nice to have dinner together. May I take your coat?"
I handed her my jacket and holster, but held onto the wrapped package as I watched her move. Gaelyn is without doubt, the most gorgeous woman I've ever known and I was bouncing between stunned and flattered. She draped the jacket over a chair and turned back to me with her arms behind her back.
"Tonight's menu is Gai Pad Nam Tau with Wah Shah noodles, salad, and wine."
The words sounded odd, thanks to the funny clipped stress her accent left on the syllables. I didn't know she could cook much less know what my favorite meal was and it shown on my face. The surprised look on my face seemed to amuse her.
"Yeah I'm a medic, a crack shot, and can cook too!" she laughed.
"Wow."
It had been years since I had been nervous around a woman, but she had shaved off years of my confidence in just a few minutes and left me feeling like a clumsy teenager on a first date. After we took our seats in front of the steaming plates, I found myself staring into her eyes and her staring back in silence. We managed to hold it for a few moments before the tension became too much and we both broke into laughter. This was new territory for both of us and I had no idea where we were headed. Absently, I sat the wrapped package on the counter away from the candles and turned back to her.
Her light toned hair hung loose onto her shoulders and framed her face, making her look angelic in the light. Gael radiates a pure beauty that isn't natural to Mort and reminds you that despite her human-like mannerisms, she is an alien. Her smooth pearl skin and blank eyes have often reminded me of the perfect statues that decorate the lobby of Head Office. The high perches they're displayed on are a not so subtle reminder that perfection is out of reach for humankind and until now, I had thought of her in the same terms. Everything was changing and the day's trials had left me a little too ragged to think entirely straight. I hoped I didn't screw this up.
"So. Are we going to eat or just stare at each other?" she asked.
A splash of heat washed across my face and I winced. I guess I really had been staring and felt even more self-conscious.
"We should eat," I blurted, and then added, "It smells great."
The taste wasn't nearly as good as the aroma promised and I fought to stifle my reaction as something bitter stung my tongue and splashed napalm over my taste buds. Evidently, she wasn't used to cooking Changthai and there were a few "unique" flavors in the mix that brought tears to my eyes. As my mouth and tongue broke out in armed revolt, I forced myself to swallow and took another bite. She had been studying my face with concern and I didn't want her to think that I didn't appreciate the effort.
"If you don't want to eat it, you can say so and it won't hurt my feelings," she said, her face drawn taunt. Maybe the dish wasn't that bad if I chased it down with water? I took a polite sip but it only aggravated the problem. This was a five star dinner if you considered her company and pain was just a state of mind. The smell of burning flesh from my mouth was something else…
"It's really good," I said but she arched an eyebrow and turned her head slightly, not believing me. "No, really. It is really good!" I added.
She relaxed and politely accepted the compliment, then started to pick at her plate. I was fighting the urge to make a smartass remark to diffuse my nerves, but Gael was far too tense to hear it and I didn't want to ruin the evening. We ate in relative silence for a few moments but then she jumped up with an alarmed look.
"Mmm-" she said with a full mouth as she scrambled for a remote. I took the opportunity to take a bigger gulp of water and barely got it down before she turned back. A moment later, a soft classical piece began to fill the room. Wiping her lips she shrugged and sat back down. "I knew I had forgotten something."
Gael is one of the calmest, best organized people I've ever known and is generally hard to rattle, but tonight she was on edge. Maybe she was just trying too hard for me to like her? I scrapped that thought as soon as it hit since she should know that was ridiculous. No, she was nervous because this really mattered to her. It mattered to me too.
"You should relax. I thought I was the one who was nervous." The way she smiled confirmed that I wasn't. " Thanks for inviting me."
"You're welcome." The candlelight picked up the flecks of silver in her deathsuit and edge of her hair shone like sparks in night. Wow again.
"You went to a lot of trouble for me. If I'd known, I would have brought something for you– flowers maybe. Thanks again."
"If I told you about it, it wouldn't have been a surprise," she said with a smile. "You're welcome again."
The warmth returned to my face and a gentle tingle of electricity ran up my spine. Something was different about her appearance beyond the hair and I thought it might be something about the deathsuit. I didn't know if it was possible to change its appearance but it seemed more ornate than usual.
"You look beautiful." I said, still unable to put my finger on the difference. Maybe if I prodded, I could get her to tell me what I was missing. Yes, it was a typical male tactic, but it sometimes worked.
"Thanks. I try," she said as she dipped her head and rested it on her hand.
"You succeeded, admirably." I said. I had been trying hard not to say anything corny, but that zinger just came out on its own and I had to live with it. More heat flashed across my face and I winced mentally. Just when I had started to relax, I had reverted back to sixteen-year-old Cole again…
We finished the meal quietly and I navigated past the stump-like tables to the living room while she shuffled the plates into the kitchenette area. Setting them on what I thought was a table, I carefully took a seat on what was probably the couch and was surprised how hard it was. It reminded me of frozen leather, but suddenly became as soft as velvet and I jumped up. As Gael came around the table, she barely stifled a laugh but her eyes were brimming.
"Like the couch?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's…unusual."
"I think it's called 'reactive', but unusual fits too. It surprised me the first time also."
When she sat next to me, I caught a hint of perfume that I didn't recognize. It occurred to me that I had been subconsciously paying enough attention to her to know it was new. Suddenly the case of nerves kicked up again and I hoped it wasn't showing too much. Gael is intuitive and probably picked it up like a neon sign.
Her hair brushed my wrist as she sat back and a tingle of electricity ran up my arm. So many times during the past six months she's stood well within my personal distance and I've never been uncomfortable. Tonight was different and I hoped I wasn't making a mistake. If I wasn't careful I could ruin my relationship with her, whether it remained friendship or grew into something else. I couldn't afford to lose another friend or make more waves in the squad.
The voices in the background were as clear as glass as they intertwined and spiraled upward like a multi-tiered instrument. The music was reverent and chilling, mixing several emotions and pulling my attention to it. As I traced the music's path, I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck and listened even more closely. I'm not familiar with classical music so I don't know if this is common, but the haunting vocals made me think of the voices of angels. I looked over at her and saw that her eyes were closed as she listened to the arrangement.
"I love that part too. It pulls at my soul and sets my spirit free."
"I've never heard anything like it. It's, it's…" I scrambled to find the correct words, but they eluded me.
"Haunting?" she asked and I nodded. "I know. It's also sad. And triumphant. It's also passionate and pure, depending upon which passage you follow."
She shifted closer to me and rested her head in the crook of my elbow before closing her eyes again. The heat from her body ran into my arm and she swayed slightly with the music. Her breath lightly touched my face and before I knew it, I was gently stroking her hair and neck with my fingertips. Electricity raced along my fingers and into my wrist.
"I listen to it when I want to wash the day away. When I want clarity and peace."
"It's beautiful and it fits you."
She opened her eyes and raised her hand to gently touch my cheek, running her fingers along my jaw line and across the small scar under my left eye. I studied the perfect shapes of her cheeks and lips and she leaned forward, tilting her opening mouth up to mine. My heartbeat rumbled behind my ears and fire rushed through my veins. Any doubts that I had about this being wrong were gone, washed away by my blood and roaring hormones. My god, she was so beautiful…
Something chirped behind my head and I jumped, my heart about to leave my chest. It startled her too and we broke apart and stood, staring around for the source. I cursed when I looked at my jacket. It was the damn cell phone and I swore I was going to kill Casper. I'd had it for less than a day and she was the only one I had given the number to. She wasn't wasting any time in starting the hostilities again…
I grabbed it and hit "select" to answer.
"Casper! There had better be a damn good –" I started.
"Good evening, Operative Cole" a man's voice said, "I trust your evening has gone well?"
"Who in Hell is this?" I snapped. Casper must have recovered quickly and I was going to take this out of her hide, scrap the forgiveness and "pity the weak-minded" crap. The vengeful charred-eyed bitch probably scribbled my number on every men's room wall within ten clicks with a "for a good time call Op Cole" message.
"Consider me your case officer within Cloak Division" the voice said. "We should speak in, say five minutes?"
The hair on the back of my neck snapped to attention and someone poured ice water down my spine. When I didn't speak, Gael looked at me and studied my face. I was probably as pale as a ghost and she came closer.
"Be in the lobby of the Gaffold building and we'll pick you up. It's right across the street from your 'friend's' apartment'. Don't be tardy," he said and hung up.
I switched the phone off and looked at Gael who put her hands on my chest. She could probably feel my heart pounding through my sternum. I had broken out in a cold sweat and was shaking.
"Alex, are you ok? Who-who was it?" she asked. Her voice was tense and her eyes were wide. Terror had tied a knot in my stomach and choked my breathing like a garrote. For a moment, I couldn't speak and my voice was hollow and flat when I finally forced my lips to move.
"C-cloak Division. They're bringing me in."
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