Zoe Thanatos(25)

His thumb distractedly smoothed over the skin of her hand as it had on her collarbone. Between that and his physical proximity she found it difficult to keep her attention focused.

“As for your question...” he began. The words had Zoe focusing on his face again, waiting for what he would say next. “Each of us is created in a Reproduction Unit and carried to term via government surrogate. We’re genetically altered to not conceive naturally, or what you would consider to be natural. So yes, we do have sex and as far as I know it’s the same for us as it is for you.”

She could barely breathe for fear of making too much noise. “As far as you know?” she asked quietly. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. His eyebrows came together in amused embarrassment.

The charged air between them seemed to spark, and Zoe realized she was staring as intently at him as he was at her. It was impossible not to think of him as being capable of sex given the nature of the conversation. Her thoughts went immediately to every physical encounter they’d had since meeting, a touch of his hand or the weight of his arms around her chest. The previous 24 hours seemed longer given everything that occurred. Evan didn’t feel like a man she only just met. He felt like a man who possibly wanted to kiss her; whom she would want to kiss back.

Somewhere close by she heard the sound of a man clearing his throat. Zoe looked up, broken from the closeness of Evan, and saw their waiter who looked like he desperately wished he hadn’t interrupted.

“May I get you anything else?” he asked. He sounded almost apologetic and his eyes looked everywhere but at their faces. Zoe took a proper breath and smiled shyly at him before excusing herself.

“I’ll be right back,” she mumbled at Evan before getting up and walking towards the restroom. Without so much as a glance behind her Zoe locked herself behind the wide door of the women’s restroom and gripped the sink basin with her hands. She looked in the mirror expecting to find her appearance disheveled and unkempt or her face red from their interaction, but what she saw instead surprised her. The flush was a fresh bouquet of pink to her cheeks, the rest of her face aglow with excitement. The gold adornments in her cardigan were casting a sparkle of light randomly across her face and hair, the whole effect making her look she were lit from within. It was in her mouth where she found the smallest measure of a smile, the corners of her mouth tipped upward ever so slightly.

Another smile, she reminded herself.

She left the mirror and sat down to relieve herself, her eyes fixating on the iridescent tiles that lined the floor. Her skin still prickled from the close contact with him. She wanted to feel it again, secretly thrilled at the prospect of what might happen if he kept moving closer. It had been too long since she felt anything, especially excitement. It was like satisfying a craving she had long gone without and she wanted to splurge.

She finished and washed her hands before taking another glance at her reflection. She enjoyed the sight of relaxation on her face. She preferred it to the perpetual sadness that followed her like a dark cloud. She exited and made her way back to their table. Evan was leaning back in his chair with his gaze fixed out at the distance toward the Pacific. Two brown boxes sat where their plates had before and the table had been cleared. She sat down and reached for her wallet.

“I took care of the bill,” he informed. His charming smile had returned and she could barely contain the fresh flush that bloomed across her cheeks.

“Thank you for brunch, Evan.” His smile flickered ever so slightly at the sound of his name, and again she was reminded of how handsome he was. The square shape of his jaw brought a character to his face that made him stand apart from the other men in the room. She wondered if everyone from Terra was as good looking.

“You’re welcome. So, what’s next?” “How do you feel about getting a little dirty?” she deadpanned.

“I beg your pardon?” The smile dropped but his mouth remained open, the anticipation still in his eyes as he looked at her for meaning. Zoe felt the slightest bit of triumph for having temporarily unnerved him.

“Why don’t you come home with me and find out?” She sounded more forward and suggestive than she intended but opted not to correct herself. She was enjoying the excitement his presence created and didn’t want it to end. With a nod they stood and left, heading back to the same place where they had started the day.





Chapter 8: A Missed Opportunity



“Thank you!” Zoe waved at the departing delivery truck as it slowly reversed out the driveway and made its way along the street. She found Evan in the backyard eyeing the contents of the delivery suspiciously.