Lillė

AWARDS

🥉Third Place in the Short Story category - Stupendous Compendious Awards

🥉Third Place Overall - Stupendous Compendious Awards

CHAPTER 1

Three years as a machinist on Decári Seven had felt like a lifetime, yet Jaxen felt bittersweet as he stared out the window, watching the landing deck shrink in size as the giant luxury transport ship lifted off from the dusty moon. To battle both his blues and nerves regarding the trip home to Earth IV, he gingerly pulled the sole piece of technology he’d had for the past three years from his pocket.

The small tablet’s screen came to life, and he quickly tapped the latest file Mila had sent. Falling onto the plush couch, he allowed himself to be enveloped in the dark green, velvety cloth.

“Hi Jax! Can’t wait to see you. Mwah!”

He smirked at the cute blonde in the video blowing him a kiss alongside his best friend, Tom, who had a giant smile of his own as they both looked into the camera. Jaxen’s stomach fluttered knowing that in five days he’d be able to actually hold and kiss Mila, instead of having to rely on three-year-old memories of how her lips and body felt close to his. That, by far, had to have been the most difficult part of his assignment here.

The door across the lavish living space slid open unexpectedly and Jaxen looked up from his tablet. A decidedly feminine figure stepped into the room, her face downcast as she leafed through a stack of papers. There was no doubt she was Decárian, her pristine bluish skin and delicate features a telltale sign.

“Oh! I did not expect to have a suite-mate,” her pleasant, soothing voice and honey-like accent, nearing Earth IV’s French, rolled off her tongue as she looked at Jaxen in surprise. “I almost always have this suite, and have never had company before.” Yet, she didn’t look disappointed, flashing the equally surprised human a soft, yet sincere smile with her faintly pink rosebud lips.

“Uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I can see about requesting a different room if you need—” Jaxen started to get up, pocketing his tablet again.

“No, no, no,” she interrupted, “there is no need. I do not mind. Perhaps it will make the trip more, how do you say, pleasurable?”

Jaxen couldn’t help but be instantly enamored, what with her extra large, but exquisitely shaped golden eyes, small, round nose, and soft jawline, framed by silky strawberry blonde locks falling just past her shoulders. She oozed with feminine sexuality, something he wasn’t used to, having lived with the pirate-like lot of Decári Seven for so long.

He had worked with Decárians, among numerous other species, while doing his tenure on the moon, but having never been to the planet itself, hadn’t seen many Decári women up close. They were known galaxy-wide for their beauty and supposed sexual prowess, though he supposed the latter was more hearsay than fact. The few women who worked at the moon’s offices had definitely broken the stereotype, being just as gritty and rough around the edges as any man who signed up for a term at the ultra-secure power generation site.

Still, he stood, unsure of what to do and feeling as though he were intruding in her space. Finally, he stuck out his hand, glad he’d been able to clean up really well this morning for the first time in a long time. “I’m Jaxen. Nice to meet you.”

Stuffing her papers under her arm, she smiled more broadly, meeting his handshake. “It is very nice to meet you, too, Jaxen. I am called Lillė. Am I correct to assume that you have just completed a tour at the moon and are now journeying home?” The way she’d extended the a in his name, then annunciated the x with emphasis, went straight to his manhood.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, yes, I just finished my three years. And you? You’re here on business I assume?” He couldn’t understand why he felt so ruffled. Perhaps, it was because he hadn’t had a civilized conversation with someone not on the work crew in so long, he wasn’t sure he was even civilized anymore. Dressed in a professional, yet perfectly form fitting light yellow blouse and black pencil skirt, she epitomized a class of people he hadn’t mingled with since leaving home.

She moved to the large window, looking over the land which grew tinier by the second, “Yes, I write contracts between Decári and a handful of the planets we deal with for workers, ensuring fair treatment and compensation for the men—Earth IV being one of them.”

Jaxen joined her at the window as the sky above them grew darker with their continued ascent into space, though a spectacular sunrise was also happening on the moon’s horizon. “It’s gorgeous,” he commented in awe.

“Mmm, it is. All those tiny specks of dust in the air make the magic happen. They reflect the sunlight and transform it into bold colors for our enjoyment.” Lillė tucked one side of her hair behind her ear. She looked tired, Jaxen thought, as he wondered if she looked even prettier than she did now when she slept.

Perturbed at himself for thinking about another woman in such a way, especially when he was heading home to his Mila, he left the window and returned to the couch. “I’m going to watch the news. But if it’s too loud or anything, let me know.”

She smiled sweetly again. “Thank you, Jaxen. Please, feel free to watch whatever you would like. Do you mind if I join you?” She motioned to the matching extra wide recliner.

“No, not at all.” He smiled politely, before focusing on how to turn on the holographic screen across the room, then relaxing once more as he took in the luxury of such good reception for a change. He’d been lucky to get any satellite signals from the underground living chambers of the moon.

As news of Earth IV and the other network of planets droned on, Jaxen couldn’t help but hear the soft, even breathing coming from the nearby chair, and he glanced over. Sleeping, Lillė was even prettier than he’d imagined, and he couldn’t help but feel stirred by her beauty.

Enough! he warned himself, not having had this problem over the last three years. Granted there’d been no beauties for miles around to create such havoc in his mind and body. Why now? Mila, that’s who I should be thinking of. Mila, my loving sweetheart.

Done with the news, he shut off the screen and pulled out his tablet again. He would have retreated from the lovely Decári woman, but his bedroom space was sparse when it came to furniture, the intent obviously for the living space to be for lounging and the two bedrooms at opposing ends of the suite purely for sleeping or working.

Soon, he was enraptured with his letters from home, forgetting all about Lillė. He’d almost made it through all of Mila’s videos and letters from over the last year when a soft voice interrupted. “She is someone special?”

He looked up to see Lillė still curled up in the oversized chair, peering over at him. “My fiancé, Mila, from back home,” he smiled with pride.

“May I?” Lillė swung her feet to the ground, her eyes showing sincere interest. “I just love people in love. And it is even more special when a beautiful couple reunites after a long reprieve from one another.”

Jaxen moved to the edge of the couch, proudly holding the tablet out for her to see. It was the last video Mila had sent.

Lillė watched with a warm expression. “She is very beautiful. You both make for a lovely couple.” Jaxen smiled in response. “And the man, who is he? A brother to her, perhaps?”

“Oh, that’s my best friend, Tom. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”

“Ah,” Lillė responded with less enthusiasm, then leaned back in her chair while Jaxen shut down the app and set the tablet aside.

After a moment of silence, she spoke up again, indecisiveness filling her features. “Maybe I am too bold and should not say anything of it.” She bit her lip, and Jaxen could see her studying him. Then, with determination sparking in her almost shimmering eyes, she moved to the edge of her seat. “How much do you love Mila, Jaxen?”

“With all my heart and soul. I’m gonna marry her,” he replied without question. “Why?”

She looked pained, then finally spoke again. “If you truly love her as you say, you must be prepared to be challenged by this Tom. It is very apparent that the two of them are lovers.”

Jaxen choked. “That’s not true. They’re just good friends. The three of us have been friends for years, ever since middle school. And neither one of them would do that. They never liked each other like that. They’re good people, good friends. Plus, Mila loves me,” he argued, bothered that this stranger would assume such nonsense.

“Very well, Jaxen, but your best friend, Tom, is not going to be your best friend for long. Mark my words.” She scooted back in the chair, curling her feet under her.

The way Tom’s name had lilted off her tongue made the rather boring-sounding name seem suddenly seductive, and Jaxen couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards the friend who had his arm over his fiancé’s shoulder as the two of them waved in the video.

He cleared his throat. “If you’re so sure about it, what’s your proof?”