Someone Like You Part III

Posted on Thu Feb 9th, 2023 @ 3:10am by Commander Dominic Aldrich & Crewman Recruit Zeria
Edited on on Thu Feb 9th, 2023 @ 3:10am

Mission: A New Beginning
1676 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

"You seem to be coming to an understanding of my lifestyle. You were in turmoil when you came in here but now you seem relaxed." She smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "But that is a very strange expression, why would rubbing on me bring you peace?"

"WHA! What?!?" Dominic turned flush again and try to keep his voice steady,"Th…that's not what I said…meant…" Taking a breath he said, "What I mean is that I hope I can learn how to have the same outlook on everyday as you do."

And Zeria had understood that part. “I did not mean to embarrass you. I just thought it odd, though I understand the bigger meaning of the words. I will change the discussion again.” She walked over and placed both her hands around his face, getting little bits of flour on him as she spoke. “Why do you love me?”

"Uh," Dominic, once again, was caught off-guard by the authority in her question, "Well, let's see how to put this in words…" He thought for a moment, his voice muffled by the pressure on his cheeks. "You are joyful, beautiful, smart, kind, caring, giving, and forgiving. You are like a dream. Plus, you aren't put off by my secluded nature, which is a huge bonus."

Zeria smiled warmly. “No, I do not mind your nature. You are thoughtful. Some people speak a lot in their minds and not with their mouths. A lot more people need to learn to do that in my opinion. But at your core you are sweet, i could see that from the first day I met you. It was why I asked you for help, I thought you needed something for your hands to do and I knew you were no threat to me.”

Feeling the warmth of her hands on his face from cooking, "I could never be a threat to you," Dominic said as his own hand came to rest on her cheek.

“I know.” She leaned closer to him in what she thought would be a very romantic moment until her hair slid off her shoulder and hit him in the face. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She blushed and tucked it into the collar on her dress. “What was I doing? Oh, dinner!” And she busied herself with cooking the stew.

Dominic smiled, "I don't mind." He watched her go back to work. "It smells very good. Did you teach yourself to cook?"

"My mother taught me. She was an amazing cook, I'm rather lazy. I prefer breads and soups but she could make anything out of practically nothing. But if there's something specific you want I could probably figure it out. Do you cook?"

“All the time,” Dominic replied. “It was almost a prerequisite for my upbringing. New Orleans is a town of flavor and I learned to mix and match them and learn all of the traditional cajun and creole dishes.” He smiled, “And there is nothing wrong with bread and soup. I am not a picky eater and, based on how it smells, it will likely be delicious. Clearly, you learned a good bit from your mom.”

"Maybe next time you can make something?" She looked forward to tasting Earth food. Sometime later when the food was ready Zeria sat down across from him, closed her eyes for a moment and whispered something unintelligible before tasting the food.

“I’d be happy to pitch in with cooking duties.” He then asked, “Are you spiritual? Was that a prayer you just said? I couldn’t understand it, so I’m curious.”

8“Sort of. I was giving thanks to the land. I don’t follow the religion that most on Marga III do, but I guess you could say I’m spiritual. I have great respect for nature and all that it provides. And sometimes I feel as if there is a power about me that I cannot see or touch. It’s hard to explain.”

“I understand,” he said with an almost sigh. “I used to be spiritual, then I got jaded and let it all go. I’ve never really decided if I thought that was something I was ok with or not.” He then took a deep breath of the meal. “This really smells good.”

“I hope it tastes as well as it smells. May I ask why you became jaded?” The word felt funny on her tongue but she thought she understood his meaning. He had lost faith for some reason.

In a tone that sounded like a longing or regret more than anything Dominic replied, "Because I became foolish enough to believe that every answer in the universe could be had by science. I became more and more sure in my own abilities and intellect that I felt I no longer needed a high power to explain anything. Yet, all that did was put me in a prison of my own construction and I didn't even realize it until now."

His eyes met hers, "Oddly enough, meeting you has made me wonder if there is something out there. Some higher purpose, controlling force, or god that exists. Because, for the first time in a long time, I can't solve this problem with data and am having to wrestle with my own futility."

The intensity in his gaze made her almost look away. “I would not call it foolish. It’s a less romantic view of the universe certainly. I do not think there is a right or wrong way to see, it is dependent on your experiences.” She shook her head, examining him for a moment. “You are just a ball of emotions under that thick skin.” Zeria smiled. He was sort of an adorable mess. “We can begin a morning ritual or prayer if you like, or morning meditation?”

"I wouldn't mind that at all," he replied with a short nod. "Yes. I try to keep things bottled up as best I can, but something about you feels easy and natural to just let out all of the things I keep close to the vest."

Zeria smiled. “That is good. It is not healthy to bottle up emotions all the time.” She took a bite of bread and looked out the window. It was already dark out. She frowned slightly. “It looks very cold outside tonight. Do you want to stay here? I have an extra cot. I hate to send you out in this damp cold weather.”

Dominic looked out of the window as well. The warmth, both physical and emotional, that he had felt all afternoon and into the evening was extremely enticing. He certainly didn’t feel like walking the half mile to the small residence the village had set up for him to share with some of the other stranded personnel. Looking back at Zeria, he answered, “That is awfully kind of you. Are you sure you don’t mind? I do not want to intrude or be a burden in some way.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Zeria shook her head. “We can put it right in front of the fire if you like. Although,” she grinned a little bit. “Your shipmates might talk if you don’t come home.” Chuckling a bit she proceeded to finish eating and then to clear the plates from the table. “If you want to get out the cot it’s tucked away behind the bed in my room and I’ll do the dishes.”

Dominic’s eyes widened. He hadn’t thought about the perception of the others. He decided that his fatigue was greater than the risk of his reputation. “I’ll send them a message and let them know not to worry.” He said it more confidently than he felt as he stood from the table. “I’ll get the cot and come back and help you.” He then walked out of the room to look for his bed for the night.
“I was only teasing.” Zeria remarked. “Why should you worry about such a thing? Surely a man of your travels doesn’t have to worry. You’ve been around and seen many people . . . . “

As he re-entered the room and set the cot down and looked back at her. “What do you mean?”

“I just thought surely you’ve had a lot of relationships since you travel great distances. So it seems silly to worry about what your friends think. But maybe that’s not a correct assessment?” With his eyes on her Zeria felt a little bit embarrassed to be discussing the subject.

Dominic replied, “Well, you have to be willing to let people get close to you in order for such things to happen.” Lowering his eyes to the floor a bit he continued, “I am not very good at that. I tend to be a loner.”

Zeria shook her head. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I was just curious. I should probably get some sleep. I’ll be back at beating those Pusa plants tomorrow morning.” She hesitated for only a moment and then hugged him because she simply didn’t know what else to do, but she didn’t move right away.

He embraced her gently and felt a warmth in his heart he had not felt in a long time. The hug seemed to linger for a while, but he was happy to stay in that moment for as long as he could. A small smile came across his face and he felt like he was floating.

Zeria began to pull back, "Sleep well, wake me if you need anything at all." She lingered for a moment but then walked into her bedroom wondering if this evening had gone anywhere near where he'd hoped.

“Thank you. I doubt I’ll need anything, so you sleep well too.” Smiling at her as he disappeared into the doorway, “And thank you for a wonderful evening, good night.” He then sat on his bed and began to adjust the blanket.