Page 46 of Uprooted
I lean back and relax my body a little. Aro is taking up most of the couch with his legs spread out and his arms across the back rest. He softly blows into his steaming cup of synthetic coffee and takes a sip. An untold amount of time passes while I watch his mouth. I realize I’m biting my lower lip again, and not from nerves this time. My fingers ache to reach out to him as my body gets warmer and warmer.
I fan my chest. “It’s so hot in here.”
Aro chuckles. “Yeah, I think it’s kicking in.” He tosses me a stainless-steel water bottle that appeared out of nowhere.
The cool water touches my lips. It coats my mouth then my throat and everything on the way down to my stomach. It tastes amazing. I look down at my hands and they're leaving trails of colorful light as I move them across my field of vision. I stretch out my legs and drop my feet onto Aro’s lap. Our touch reverberates up my legs into the pit of my stomach. I am suddenly aware of my clothes rubbing between my thighs. I clench my legs together to ease the sensation. My body feels feverish and I shudder. Aro rubs the soles of my feet, sending shots of colorful light up my legs.
“I’m glad you decided to do this. It’s a completely unique experience. You might even be the first non-Tilak to do it.” Aro’s voice sounds gravelly and incredibly sexy.
“Hm,” I say as I lean in toward him.
The movement shifts my perspective and all of a sudden, I’m weightlessly drifting through space, watching Elowen and Aro from above with a calm disconnect. Levitating above, I see Elowen nuzzle up to Aro’s ear and whisper.
“And you’re the lucky bastard who gets to supervise, but don’t get too attached. I’ll be sent back to Earth soon.” And then she taps the end of his nose with her index finger.
“I like you, Aro,” she says and leans back against the couch.
“I like you too,” he says, eyeing her suspiciously. He is trying to gauge how much of this conversation is her true feelings and how much of it is the tea.
“Oh, now you decide to play it cool?” she playfully asks.
“I believe I have made my feelings toward you pretty clear from day one,” he tells Elowen.
“Yes, you have. What’s that all about anyways?” she asks him.
“When you know, you know.”
“And what is it that you think you know?” She pushes him a little further.
“What I know with one-hundred-percent certainty is that I am at your mercy. Whatever it is you decide to do with me, I am powerless to resist, and I wouldn’t even want to. I know that the moment I laid eyes on you, everything else just faded into the background.” Elowen smiles at his confession.
Now she is the one sizing him up about his sincerity. He matches her eye contact, refusing to look away, daring her to say something. She is finally the one to break eye contact.
She says, “I have the best idea. Follow me.” He’s surprised at her quick change of subject.
I float above as she moves through the rec room with Aro following close behind. Elowen grabs Aro and drags him down the hallway. She makes an abrupt turn and goes into the pool room.
Elowen strips off her clothes. She pulls her shirt over her head and drops her pants down to the floor before kicking them away. She slides her underwear down her hips and lets them fall while unhooking her bra behind her back.
“Get naked. We’re going for a swim.” She walks to the edge of the pool and gracefully dives in.
Aro holds himself still, like he doesn’t trust himself to move. “Nope. I’m staying right here. You have no idea how dangerous you are to me right now,” he says and sits down on a bench facing the water.
My perspective shifts, and I’m seeing things through my eyes again as I come to the surface. The water is swirling around me like whirlpool. Soft feather-like touches tickle my entire body. The water transforms into the tiny green sprouts from the greenhouse and they brush against me. The ceiling pulses up and down with my breathing. I float for a long time, letting my hair spread out along the surface. The greens make way for yellows and then pinks. I am in the center of a giant tie-dye pool, colors spreading out from underneath me.
The ceiling contorts into something menacing, so I dive back under the water to feel the peaceful weightlessness that welcomed me. It feels like I can hold my breath forever. Eventually the familiar burn in mylungs brings me back up to the surface. I take a moment to catch my breath and look over at Aro. The sight of him pushes all my fear away.
My vision fades and comes back into focus as I’m walking through the muradome. I hear a low din of activity around me and occasionally a friendly voice greets me just outside of my eyeline. I walk through the familiar hallways, smiling to myself as I wander through. There is an odd itch on my left hand, and I look down. I see a jagged cut on the flesh below my thumb. I bring it up to my face and when I can finally see it clearly, it looks like I had a long-jagged cut along my palm, but it’s healed and replaced by a tidy white line, a scar with a slightly raised edge.
I open a door expecting to enter the mess hall. When I step through, I’m back on Earth. I walk along a valley framed with golden rolling hills.
I crest a hill and come to a rushing river. Water swirls around rocks in colorful waves. When I step into the water, chills run up my legs. I step farther into the river and eventually find myself floating along the moving current. The water speeds up and slows down, rushing me past rocks and around bends. Stars permeate the dark night sky. A brilliant red flower pulses open and closed against the dimly lit background.
The flower is barely out of reach. It slips past my fingertips every time I reach for it. The petals vibrate with each beat from the center of the flower. I give up trying to touch it and just watch it, consumed by the beautiful rhythmic motion.
I’m back in the pool and slip back down under the water, savoring the transcendent sensation of shifting through visions. I run my fingertips over the rough bottom of the pool. I watch the ripples of water shift colors as I poke my finger at the colors, like a kid popping bubbles. When I come back up for oxygen, I catch a glimpse of Aro smiling at me from the bench. He raises his eyebrows at me, silently checking in. Warmth radiates from my chest as I smile back at him. He’s so beautiful. In a flash I’m watching Elowen again from above.
“Come on! It feels good. It’s so bubbly!” Elowen’s naked body is mostly obscured by the rippling water. I notice Aro is affected by her. He adjusts his pants and clenches his jaw.
