About half an hour later, Matt found himself in a trouble. He namely came to know that one particular Princess Romy –figure had fallen in love with him. She walked to him in a coquetting way and explained with her piercing voice:
"Oh, Matt! Didn't we have an excellent play today! I must say I had the greatest pleasure in you keeping my hand in that falling-scene. You handsome, brave man! I am all yours!"
Matt thought her appalling and insane. He tried to walk away but Romy started to hang from his leg.
"Now miss, I beg you to let go. I really must leave you now."
Romy didn't understand. She purred and nuzzled her head to his thigh.
"I insist you, ma'am! Let me go! Les cratéres!"
Katie had been nearby with Jessie and now saw her fiancée looking angry. And when she saw the reason for it, she totally burst out laughing. Jessie couldn't believe her reaction; it was not like Katie to take these kind of things so lightly. Jessie, however, did not know what Matt had done to her behind the shelving only a half an hour ago; so she was left alone with her wonders. Katie namely had no time to tell her. She trotted to the scene and tried to let Matt lose by pulling Romy. But oops! Katie found herself soon lying on the floor with a lose head in her hands. The watchers were dying of laughter; even Miss Bennet had forgotten to be afraid of Warp for a moment. The head gave a piercing scream and Katie threw it away to the trash can. Matt, however, didn't look any happier; the rest of the body still had a firm hold on his leg.
"Now what can I do, ma chérie? I cannot hit a woman!"
Katie howled of laughter with the others.
"Lemme say thatya'r too kind da'er!"
"Katie, my mignonne, I am serious. I promise to roucourler avec toi the whole evening if you just let me free!"
This was an offer too good to be missed! Katie went to the desk and brought scissors. Matt grinned at her:
"Don't you dare to cut my leg off!"
"An' let Romy keep it? R ya insane?!"
Then Katie pricked Romy's butt with the sharpest head of the scissors. The lose body let Matt free and ran away holding its hinterland –and dashed straight against the wall. The head in the trash can shrieked for pain. Miss Dashwood, who had risen to watch the show, thought the scene the most absurd and macabre she had ever seen and lay her eyes to the ceiling. Jessie and Bo went to her.
"We haven't seen you for a long time, Marianne. Why are you here?"
"I… Em… I just needed some own space for a while."
Bo whispered something to Jessie and then they both looked at Miss Dashwood with an incomprehensible smile. Space indeed! Then Bo started:
"Marianne… Do you love him?"
Miss Dashwood blushed.
"What? I don't understand… Who do you mean?"
"You sly thing! We saw your reactions at the dance floor!"
"You have always been so open to us. Why not now?"
Miss Dashwood surrendered but was still careful with her words:
"I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him –that I greatly esteem, that I like him."
Jessie here burst forth with indignation:
"Esteem him! Like him! Cold-hearted Marianne! Oh! Worse than cold-hearted! Ashamed of being otherwise. Use those words again and I will leave the room this moment."
Bo was also astonished of Miss Dashwood's abstinence; she was not usually like that. It was typical of her to say things straight and have no secrets.
"Now lets calm down. Miss Dashwood, why deny your feelings? He loves you, at least that is for sure. I observed him narrowly, and am convinced of it."
"Do you really think so? No… That cannot be true", said Marianne, however her eyes sparkling with animation, and her cheeks glowing with the delight of such imaginary happiness. She really had began to feel something exciting in her heart. Jessie saw this and asked:
"Do you want to know what he told Warp and Buzz a while ago?"
Miss Dashwood said that she didn't, but Jessie told her anyway:
"I'm going to repeat his words exactly. He said: 'To have restricted such attractions, to have withstood such tenderness! –Is there a man on earth who could've done it! –Yes, I find myself, by insensible degrees, sincerely fond of her; and the happiest hours of my life are what I have spent with her'. That is what he said. What do you think of him now?"
Miss Dashwood couldn't say. She was sorry to have heard words that he hadn't intend her to hear; but at the same time she was highly taken by such a praise which was said behind her back. Jessie and Bo left her alone. They saw her leaning to the foot of the bed and sigh.
"Why didn't you tell her the whole story, Jessie?"
"Zurg thinks it is too diffident of himself to believe, that with such a difference of age and disposition, he could ever attach her. That you would've told her? Zurg would've been quite embarrassed."
"I wouldn't have told it in those words. And what's more, Zurg is quite mistaken. His age is only so much beyond hers, as to be an advantage, as to make his character and principles fixed; -and his disposition, I am well convinced, is exactly the very one to make our friend happy. And his person, his manners too, are all in his favor. There is something very pleasing in his countenance."
They were interrupted by Miss Bennet who was quite out of breath:
"Help me, please! Hide me from him!"
A little later Zurg found Miss Dashwood who was still sitting on the bedspread. He had been thinking of her in a lonely corner for a while. For a long time now he had felt weird every time that he had seen her. The two weeks that Andy had spent on his summer cottage, he had with her – and had found her actually quite interesting a woman. If it had not been the nosiness and the stubbornness, he possibly could've been in danger then. And now…
Zurg started to roll in her direction. He found that the counterpane covered them just perfectly from the others. He approached her in a seemingly careless way. Miss Dashwood stood up as she saw him and smiled at him. Zurg was really hot in her opinion, but she was careful not to show that. The talking with Jessie and Bo had made it a little difficult for her to look indifferent towards him. But she surely tried; for after all, he was still just her friend.
"Hi Zurg…having a nice time?"
"Almost. Only one thing left to make my evening perfect."
"And what is that?"
"Do you really want to find it out, babe?"
"Babe? Where did the eternal 'Miss Dashwood' fall?"
She tried to laugh but was feeling a bit dizzy as she noticed his sly expression.
"What is so funny…?"
Zurg said it huskily and teasingly, looking at her with a sparkle in his eye corner. He saw right trough her that she was totally nervous. His greedy gaze was like hypnotizing her; and when someone turned the table lamp off and lighted a single candle, he decided to make his intentions clear.
The room bathed in shadows. Miss Dashwood shivered as she saw him coming closer. Zurg remarked that her lips were half open, just ready to receive a kiss, and her breast was bouncing up and down with her hard beating heart. Her eyes sparkled in the candle light and Zurg couldn't take his eyes off her. For just a second he was insecure weather he had the courage to approach her, but her suddenly closing her eyes was a sign so clear that he made his move. He drew her suddenly in his arms and shoved his left hand trough her velvet smooth hair. Miss Dashwood obliviously opened her mouth a little more to receive his warm kisses. She was losing her balance but he didn't care; he held her up easily. She couldn't escape his powerful arms that were squeezing her so hard that it was nearly difficult for her to breathe.
The next moment Zurg locked her hands behind her back with a firm grip. Then he took a little distance and looked at her. Miss Dashwood looked back at him under her thick eyelashes, not wholly in conscious. Zurg gave her a gentle peck but couldn't help it turning again to a fervent kiss. Then he went to caress her neck with his thick lips and finally leaned his head to her shoulder. He had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her.
Suddenly Zurg felt danger and released his hold. Only now he clearly realized what he had done and the reality bite him. How insane! He had just kissed his best friend! He was so out of order that he had to roll away and fast.
Miss Dashwood fell feebly down to the counterpane. She just lay still on her spot and tried to understand. Her lips were totally numb. Her head was hurting because he had nearly ripped off her hair. Her wrists were also sore. But despite this all, she was not sorry. It had happened that his passion had irrevocably overwhelmed her.
Hours later the room was full of silvery moonlight. Miss Dashwood saw Zurg looking out of the window to the dark night. She thought him quite majestic and scary. The moonlight made his gloomy face look pale and she felt bad; she realized that she was the reason for his grave appearance.
Zurg must have thought that she was indifferent towards him. Her behavior had namely been so poor; she had not even begged him to stay after the fiery encounter. She had just let him vanish for good! But there he was now. Looking sad and thoughtful. She approached him slowly and quietly, sneaked behind his shoulder and looked up to him. Zurg had seen her reflection from the window and was now gathering the right words. They did not come. They both stayed still for a long time.
Miss Dashwood was feeling desperate. She was afraid of losing her dearest friend. Or was he her friend anymore? She still went all jelly as she remembered his affections. She looked at him with new eyes now.
He instead was thinking of how stupid he had been. How could he ever have thought that she could care for him? He closed his eyes and had a deep sigh. An old, hideous space emperor and a young, beautiful and spirited girl! It would never have worked. He had no idea of her being already crazy about him. He thought that it was now his duty to settle up with her so that their friendship could continue. He started to speak. But his words, however, were not the same angry ones he had intended to say.
"I have never seen the stars before –with my own eyes."
Miss Dashwood held her breath. His deep manly voice made her feel giddy. Then Zurg continued with a sigh:
"They are beautiful."
"Yes…they are."
"But of course not nearly as beautiful as you."
"You don't have to be sarcastic."
His high stiff collar covered his melancholy smile from her. After a few seconds he said:
"I should never have kissed you."
It was hard for Miss Dashwood to speak. How could he say that when first totally enchanting her? She succeeded to whisper:
"Turn to me."
He turned his face to her and grinned:
"What do you want to look at? My disgusting old face? Go to some younger company and leave me alone."
"Your face is not disgusting."
"But it is old still, right?" he sneered.
"No, I didn't say so!"
"Yes, but you thought so."
"Never!"
"Yes you did and I don't want you to pretend that you didn't!"
"This stupid argue is not getting us anywhere! Why can't you just see that you are so damn good-looking?!"
He glared at her with his thick black eyebrows defiantly down.
"The popular and choosy Miss Dashwood thinks that I'm good-looking! Well what do you know…" He gave a malicious laugh.
A dark thundercloud suddenly appeared above Miss Dashwood's head. She raised her hand in order to slap him on the cheek. However, Zurg was fast enough to notice this and took her wrist tight in his fist and twisted a little.
"You hurt me!"
"May I ask what you were trying to do to me then?" He eased his hold immediately and looked at her quite surprised about her sudden burst of anger. Miss Dashwood pressed her palms against her mouth:
"I…I'm sorry…"
Zurg smiled slightly and turned to the window again. He felt terrible. The girl he had always liked so much wanted to hit him. No…the girl he had always loved so much. He realized the true power of his feelings right that moment. He set his teeth so that he wouldn't roar for his pain.
Miss Dashwood couldn't think straight anymore. The only thing in her mind was that the man next to her regretted that he had kissed her and that she had made the situation only worse by getting so furious for actually nothing. She expected the following actions as less as Zurg did: she nuzzled into his arms, winded her own arms around him, pressed her head against his strong chest and whispered:
"I love you Zora."
Zurg could not say a single word. The astonishment was so striking. He looked down on Miss Dashwood and saw a single teardrop falling down her cheek. Her eyes were closed. He took her face carefully between his cold hard hands and kissed the tear away. His voice was husky:
"What did you just say?"
She shuttered and stammered:
"I didn't…I mean…"
"You didn't mean what you just said."
Zurg looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes hard. It was near for him to fall down for disappointment. But Miss Dashwood was sure of her words this time:
"But I did! …I did! I just didn't mean to cry it out to you like this!"
And she drew his face close to her own and looked imploringly in his painful and doubtful eyes:
"I do love you."
He could feel the blood strain to his heart again. There she actually was, trying to convince him that she loved him. He couldn't take his eyes away from her, he just admired her with his gaze. Still he had no courage to do what he really wanted: to kiss her so hard she would swoon. His voice was huskier than ever:
"Miss Dashwood, you…"
"Marianne for you." She smiled.
"Well, Marianne, you do know that I lov…"
Zurg stopped his sentence when Miss Dashwood suddenly started to giggle. Zurg saw that she was playful.
"Why you little chaffing creature! Are you laughing at me?! You just wait…!"
Miss Dashwood had indeed got her vivid mood back. Now she chuckled Zurg under the chin and said that he was cute.
"Cute! I am not CUTE! I am supposed to be a dangerous-looking Evil Emperor Zurg!"
She giggled again and gave him a little peck on the
nose. Then she tried to run away but didn't get far away; Zurg namely took her
from the waist and turned her around, lifted her high and rolled around. She
could feel butterflies in her stomach once again. She was flying. When Zurg
finally let her down her head was a real twister.
"Zora… Will you sleep beside me tonight? If I go back to that cellar again in
my dreams…"
"I will. It is extremely wonderful to spend a night watching your sleep. You smell so good. Like strawberry…"
"How would you know? Zurg…?"
Now it was his time to laugh and be playful. Miss Dashwood laughed too; she guessed what he had done but was not angry. Actually quite the contrary. She took his hands and led him into the shadows.
