Chapter 7 Aurora "Give Me A Break"

Later on that day

British novelist Roald Dahl once said, "If I had my way, I'd remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead," and I couldn't agree more. The lack of sunlight and my suffering from seasonal depression in the winter months made it impossible to enjoy the first of the new year. January in Texas is usually gray, with temperatures ranging from the frigid twenties or lower to the pleasant fall-like seventies. Some intelligent person once said about Texas, "if you don't like the weather wait five minutes," and it is valid to some extent.

Ergo, this year brought a mysterious stranger into my life. That puzzle assisted my mind from not focusing on the weather. Meanwhile, I navigated my red 2016 Toyota Camry in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to seven unique electronics stores while the rain fell from heavy dark gray clouds.

As I sang along with the artist Pharrell, I exited the highway to our last destination, yet another electronics store. My passenger had an unreadable expression that didn't give away anything. Furthermore, Tuvok's determination to find specific items didn't waiver as we visited multiple stores to find them. He didn't tell me what he foraged for because it would be too easy, and I felt thwarted by his distrust.

"We have only known each other for a day," I inwardly countered.

Tuvok's oddly shaped pointed ears confounded me as I gazed upon them again while I parked at the last electronics store I was going to for the day.

We did garner outlandish looks when we searched each of the previous stores. Most likely, people around us thought we were going to a Sci-Fi convention with his bizarre attire. Even though I had found an old jacket and a hat that one of my ex's left for Tuvok to wear in my apartment, he still seemed misplaced.

"Do you cosplay?" I questioned him at the final retail market in North Dallas and scoured the merchandise. Maybe I had figured out this man's unusual attire.

"Please clarify," Tuvok absentmindedly requested.

"You know, you dress up as a character from a movie or a TV show," I explained, bewildered.

"Why didn't he know any of the references or slang words I used," I incredulously pondered.

"Negative," Tuvok confirmed almost in a robotic voice that he used occasionally.

That did not provide insight into my new companion, and I felt irked by his answer. Scowling, I stomped away from him and pulled my cell phone out of my purse. I called another close friend, Shelby, and updated her on my situation with this alien man. She, too, was baffled by the whole situation. Brooding, I ended the call and sauntered around the building.

"Aurora."

A gruff voice appeared behind me, and I screamed out of trepidation and jumped in the air a bit. Immediately, a man seized me by the waist, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. I looked up to see Tuvok, defensively assessing the situation and covering me with his arms as the other patrons curiously viewed us.

"You scared me," I scolded, catching my breath but not removing myself from the comfort of his taut body yet.

"I thought you were in danger," Tuvok simply explained, hesitantly dropping his arms from my waist. Suddenly, people clapped around us as if we were doing a cosplay scene.

"What the hell is going on," I bewilderedly thought.

"Let's go," I growled, grasping his muscular arm. Putting my hood on my head because of the rain, I sped walked to the car. Not only was I flustered, but I was also frustrated by the situation with my new "friend."

"Get in," I commanded.

"Answers. I need answers," I yelled after we entered the car. Shivering, I fished the keys out of my pockets and fumbled with them until I started the car.

Without a word, Tuvok blankly glared at me. I couldn't determine if he was thinking or just being defiant.

"You are being illogical, Aurora," he stated, looking at me as if I was a peculiarity.

"Tell me where to drop you off. This insanity is over," I yelled. There was silence for a few minutes, but my anger grew as the heavy rain fell outside of the car.

"Are you on drugs," I skeptically demanded?

Tuvok only shook his head as he viewed the rain out of the passenger window. When I evaluated his handsome face from the side, I swear I saw discouragement for a flash before correcting it.

"What. Is. Going. On. Then?" I spat out.

Tuvok remained speechless for several minutes, or maybe he didn't hear me. Exasperatedly, I put the car into gear and began driving out of the parking lot.

"Perhaps he was strung out on drugs," I thought, but a strong gut feeling told me that wasn't the case. Tuvok possessed a sharp mental acuity.

With the poor driving conditions and regular Dallas traffic, it took more than the usual forty-five minutes to return to where I lived.

"I am from the twenty-fourth century," Tuvok solemnly revealed when I parked my car at the Walmart nearest my house. The rain was letting up a little, and I stared out of the window absentmindedly.

"What!? Give me a break!"

After repeating his outrageous statement, I interrogated him by asking, "How is that possible?"

"That is what I am attempting to solve," Tuvok solemnly revealed, his eyes not moving from my own.

Rubbing my face with my hands, I didn't know what to believe. My headache from my alcohol use last night was finally drifting away until this conversation brought it back in full strength.

"I need your help navigating the twenty-first century so I can return to Voyager, Aurora," Tuvok explained. It was almost a plea.

"What's 'voyager'?"

"A starship," Tuvok apprehensively answered, and I noticed that there wasn't any playfulness in his eyes, indicating he was joking. That was disconcerting enough.

"He was afraid that I wouldn't believe him," I suspiciously thought as my stomach rolled over in pain.

"Yesterday, I left Voyager with a group of three other crew members to explore a planet below us. Due to a malfunction, I ended up at your school," my passenger in the front seat described.

"Are you from Earth?"

Removing my ex's hat from his head, Tuvok responded without speaking. He turned his head to show me his right-pointed ear.

"Do you know how insane this sounds," I wondered?

"Yes, to you, it does. To me, it is my reality. Your world seems insane to me, Aurora," Tuvok calmly stated.

"Touché," I grumbled.

"I attempted to contact my Captain, but the communication device isn't working, and neither are any others I had brought. After observing your electronics stores, I see that this century's technology is not advanced enough to create them. I will need to fix them as soon as possible to return," Tuvok continued in his explanation.

"How?"

"Tools, simple ones. Earlier, when I said I was at your mercy, Aurora, it wasn't an exaggeration." Tuvok admitted.

"Imagine being in a foreign place without any resources, money, or communication devices to your people. How would you feel," he proposed, raising an eyebrow.

Closing my eyes, I metaphorically put myself in his shoes, and I felt empathetic towards his situation.

"Horrible," I confessed, viewing him reluctantly.

"Aurora, I promise you I will not steal or hurt you, and I will repay you for your generosity. I am trying to get home, " Tuvok convincingly said, touching my arm for emphasis.

Gradually, I realized that I believed him.

"I must be out of my freakin' mind to believe this story," I outrageously wondered to myself.

"I do not find that to be the case," Tuvok remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Out of the blue, I commenced laughing heartily.

"Of course, you heard that because you are a touch-telepath," I quipped.

Maybe I was the one losing it and not my guest. Tuvok appeared even more mystified by my actions as he analyzed my face.

"Well, I don't own any tools, but we are at Wal Mart. They have everything," I remarked, running my hands through my wavy hair.

"If I remember correctly, you didn't seem too impressed with the pizza last night."

"It was the first time for me to consume it, and it was …fascinating," Tuvok remarked, pausing before using the word fascinating.

"As I said, You didn't like it.".

Exiting the car, I motioned for him to do the same while reporting, " Expect people to give you odd looks for your uniform. It looks like you are in a science fiction movie."

''Curious, will you explain? '' Tuvok responded, leaving the car and walking toward me. I pressed the lock button on my keychain, and my car beeped. Simultaneously, the heavens broke open, and a wall of water in the form of rain came down.

"Later, let's go. It's raining, and I melt," I joked.

Tuvok picked me up in his arms and speedily ran me to the building's entrance before I could say anything. Underneath the roof, he gently put me back on my feet. Breathlessly, I stared at the man who performed an unexpected random act of kindness, and I felt grateful.

"Thank you," I whispered with a grin on my face.

"Aurora, I will forever be in your debt for your assistance. I...I...I normally don't have to depend on the kindness of others. We are taught to be self-reliant in Star Fleet, " Tuvok honestly disclosed, his hazel eyes meeting my own.

"Well, it was romantic when you protected me earlier. My life is lacking in that area right now," I flirted, then removed a shopping cart from another.

Moving to the left, I pushed it out of the way as Tuvok repeated, "Romantic?"

"Yes," I purred seductively, stepping towards him and batting my eyelashes. Taken aback, Tuvok appeared discombobulated at my flirtation, and it was cute, so I turned it up a notch. Putting my hands on his chest, I breathily stated with a coy smile on my face,

"You were worried for my safety. It was sweet."

Tuvok's face turned a greenish color as he maintained eye contact with me, but he appeared to be pleased, " Yes."

Our eyes met for a while before I withdrew myself from him, and I winked.