Catch and Release Ch. 06

"I'm sorry, Eve. I can't."

"Yes, you can!"

He drove into town, and turned into a parking lot. "Look, Eve... I just spent a month in hell, thinking about what happened to you. I feel responsible for your safety. I'd go nuts, wondering if you were okay. Whatever kind of living arrangement you want, you can have. But you have to stay with me, until I know you're ready to be on your own. I'm not saying you can't take care of yourself, I'm asking -- for my own peace of mind -- that you let me help you do it, so I know you're ready. If you care about me at all, give me some time." Embarrassed by his emotions, he turned away. "I love you."

"What?"

He spun around, and yelled, "I love you! All right!"

"All right!"

They glared at one another. Eve's eyes welled up. Her bottom lip trembled.

Calmly this time, Tim said, "I really love you... and I don't want to lose you."

They drove silently home.

Tim felt profound relief, while carrying the suitcase back into the bedroom. He enjoyed watching Eve unpack, and the way she timidly glanced at him between trips to the dresser.

With a note of awkwardness in her voice, Eve asked, "Would you put the money and papers back in the trunk, please?"

"Sure," he said, and carried the bag out.

When he returned, Eve was sobbing into her hands.

Tim sat next to her and rubbed her back. "It'll be okay. I'll sleep in the other room and--"

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I lied. I lied about everything."

"What?"

"I'm sorry I tried to get pregnant. I was so afraid of being alone. I thought if I had your baby, you'd have to take care of me. I thought... if you left me, I'd still have a child who'd love me. The mothers at the mall looked so happy. It was a stupid thing to do. I'm so sorry."

"You remember?"

"Everything."

"Then why all this bull--"

"It was the only way I could find out how you really felt. I had to be sure I could trust you, that you wanted me."

"I want you, very much. More than I've wanted anyone." He hugged her sideways. "I love you."

She laid her head on his shoulder, and said, "I wish I could say... I love you, too. But, I'm not really sure what love is. Can you explain it to me?"

"Explain love?" Shit! He had a better chance of explaining nuclear fission. Maybe this wasn't love, after all. In reality, they'd only known each other a few days. "I'll try. Love is like emotional magnetism. It's like gravity pulling people together -- people who are attracted to each other. When a couple fall in love, they share things in common and are happier than they've ever been before. 'Two become one flesh,' is how marriage is supposed to be. Love holds them together. They want to make families."

"So, your parents are in love?"

"They were once, but not anymore."

"Does that mean you might not love me tomorrow?"

"I'll still love you tomorrow." If you stop asking so many damn questions.

"Do you want to have a family with me?"

"Whoa, one step at a time. First, you have to decide if you love me or not. Wait a second. I'll be right back."

Tim ran out to the living room and back. "Give me your left hand. No, your other left."

"Sorry."

"Wear this, until you're sure." He slipped the alien engagement ring onto her finger. "This ring represents your commitment to me, and only me. It also means that I won't chase other women. Men will see that ring and leave you alone. Well, most men. The ring is a sign to everyone that you are engaged. The engagement period is a time when a couple decides if they want to be together in marriage."

"Don't you get a ring?"

"Men don't wear engagement rings. We're on the honor system."

"Women aren't honorable here?"

Be careful. "Yes, women are honorable. But on earth, men are the main aggressors when it comes to dating and sex. This ring marks you as unavailable. It tells all the other guys, 'don't waste your time, she's taken, get lost'."

"What if a man chases me anyway? What if I can't outrun him?"

Tim smiled at her literal translation. "Scratch his eyes out."

Eve smiled shyly. "I'm a marked woman. Thank you."

He kissed her salty cheek. "Thank you for accepting."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Eve pulled him down on top of her. "Is it bad for me to be aggressive with you?" Her fingers played in his hair and tickled his ears. "I like sex, very much."

"Me too. That's one of the things we have in common, and I love that about you." Actually, it was the first thing. "We should make a doctor's appointment, and get you on the birth control pill. Then we can have sex whenever we feel like it, without the hassle of a condom. When was your last period?"

"Period?"

"You know, the curse. The menstrual cycle?"

She squinted at him, confused. "Sounds like some sort of horrible musical mode of transportation."

"Not 'minstrel'. Never mind. When was the last time you bled from your vagina?"

"Eww, never."

"Really?" This was big news. Maybe Eve had been sterilized. When the alien told him she wasn't pregnant, maybe he meant she couldn't get pregnant.

"Are women supposed to bleed from there?"

"It's not important. Come on. Let's do something fun."