Lover's Quarrel (Part 3)

Posted on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 @ 5:25am by Captain Gary Alexander

1,337 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Mission 3 - A Whole New World
Location: Gary's Quarters
Timeline: 2168/08/15 1815

Gary poured KAT some more wine. "Nothing is too good for my KAT.... Name it, KAT and it shall be yours tonight, if I can grant it."

KAT's eyebrow Spocked and gave Gary a long sideways look. "Hm...." Using her forefinger, she dipped it into the wine and began circling the rim of her glass until it began to resonate with a soft, low tone. "Music," KAT said softly. "And dancing?" Her eyes sparkled with a shimmering green light and she smiled more widely. "I think after everything, I need to be held to music."

Gary moved over to a console and pressed a button, some Barry White sounded in his quarters. He then walked back up to KAT and held out his hand and asked, "May I have this dance?"

KAT reached up and placed her hand in his, sliding easily to her feet. Her hair, tightly wrapped in a bun came loose in a cascading flow as she tugged at the elaborate hair piece. Had she even unwound for the last... lifetime? The deep rhythm of the music begged for motion, and so she spun under his hand neatly and into a dancer's embrace. "I thought you'd never ask."

Gary's right arm slid easily behind KAT's back and trailed to the small of it, so he could lead her, if necessary. He gazed deeply into KAT's eyes and said softly, "You're as close to perfect as anyone could be. Did you know that?" He brought KAT's right arm more closely to their bodies with his left. "How was I so fortunate to land you?"

KAT leaned inward as she tilted her head upward, eyes easily meeting his. "Oh, how perfectly lovely," KAT's tone teased. "I'm close to perfect and landed like a fish." Her lips twitched slightly. "You call that lucky then?"

"Landed? How do you figure, m'lady?" With that statement, he raised his arms and lightly pushed on KAT's back, encouraging her into a small, slow spin that would bring her back to the same position.

KAT shrugged as she pirouetted to the steady thrum of the music. "It was your word, Captain. I just... poked fun at the turn of phrase." She closed her eyes as she turned, guided by touch, and let a breath of emotion escape before closing it back off. She was like a lion tamer, holding back the flood with a sad little whip and chair. How long might that work, she wondered, and then shuffled that thought too to be relegated behind the wall. By the time she had completed the move, she was, once again, the Perfect Yeoman.

"KAT, why are you calling me Captain?" he asked curiously, his voice falling, as he stopped dancing, holding her in place. His eyebrows lowered, as did his eyes. "I have upset you, somehow..." he concluded. "I was trying...trying to tell you...."

Her hand immediately laid softly against his right cheek and her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Let me explain something to you, Gary," she said slowly and deliberately. "I refer to you as Captain at least a hundred times a day." Her head bobbed back and forth as though counting. "Ok," she conceded, "more like TWO hundred." Her voice lilted with her story, soothing tones to tame even the most savage heart. "So, you'll have to forgive me a slip of the tongue once or twice," she spun away and grabbed the wine with both hands before spinning back and placing the wine glass into his hand, liquid threatening to slosh out. "Especially after this delicious wine...." KAT tapped his glass with hers lightly.

"Yes, that may be true, but I can tell the difference KAT...." He took the wine glass from KAT before it sloshed out and then drank after they tapped. "When you're relaxed and happy and the woman that...." He grabbed his collar and then tugged at it uncomfortably. "Do you remember my ex-wife? Adrina?"

KAT shook her head slowly. "Not very much, Gary." She smiled apologetically. "I..." she cleared her throat self-consciously. "I didn't feel it right to pry." A certain respect? There were certain things that a woman might want to know, and certain things she would have to be patient enough to hear about at the right time. The truth was, KAT didn't think it was appropriate to do any digging. There were boundaries, and that, she felt, was one of them.

"She broke my heart, KAT. She was brilliant. Beautiful. Everything an engineer could want. But all that came with a high price, KAT. She had an incurable mental illness. I never knew on any given day whether she would want to try and kill me or ravage me in bed." Pain showed behind his eyes as he related the story. "I'm sure there was some sort of charm to it for a while. You know me. I don't like to be bored. But there's always points that once crossed have to be dealt with.... And so, we divorced." He cleared his throat again, uncomfortably. "Well, after that, I never wanted to do that again.... To open that much...."

KAT nodded with understanding, perhaps commiseration. There was compassion as she listened, unsure of the origin of his discomfort. Her mind raced through many possibilities, reflecting on the intimate knowledge she had of him. But she had not known all of him, as though he too, had a wall. Kat had felt some comfort in that... distance... he needed the feeling of safety, and after her... situation... she appreciated it. "Of course not," KAT echoed gently.

"And yet, KAT...." The words were lost to him as he tried to force uncomfortable feelings out. Instead, he gave KAT a light pat on her ass and smiled stupidly.

And yet...? Instead of showing him her reaction, her head turned to look at his hand as her eyes widened in some surprise. More from what he had said rather than what he had done. 'And yet'.... what? 'Oh lord, Karina,' she thought to herself, 'the stupid smile, the dinner... the wine...' Her cheeks turned a light pink as her head spun back and she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Gary," Kat said softly. Had she wanted to shake him to snap him out of it? Had she the feeling of abject fear in the deepest depths of her gut? And how many more damned questions was she going to pose to herself before she asked for clarification and not sound like it was a formal request. KAT decided grinning was a good call and if it looked open and encouraging enough, Gary might do that without further prompting.

Normally, a kiss on the cheek might be seen as an apology or a letdown; however, Gary believed that he knew KAT as well as she knew him. There was something tender in that kiss. Was she holding herself back as he held himself back. Did they both refuse to admit a greater truth than their souls knew? He looked deeply into KAT's eyes, then closed them slowly as he leaned in and tenderly kissed KAT's lips.

The kiss was soft and a welcome surprise. It was warm and caught a piece of her within it that reached back equally, a slight eagerness to her response. What was reaching, whether a needful woman or a desperate heart, the thoughts were slowly being suspended.

Gary pulled KAT in towards himself, not with the desperation of someone craving sex but with the sweetness and softness of someone who was valued and cherished. He opened his eyes long enough to put the glass he held onto the table before lightly stroking the side of KAT's face with the back of his hand and then placing it lightly beneath her hair. He continued to kiss her deeply and eagerly. There was a softness rather than an urgency to his kisses. They lingered, patiently waiting for the next moment to arrive and yet relishing the moment as it was.

 

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