Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!

As the doctor had predicted, by the next morning I felt almost back to normal, though a little tired and sore. I decided I was well enough to go back to class, and bid Soval goodbye with a gentle pat on the shoulder after I had finished breakfast.

I nearly forgot about his promise to teach me neuropressure until the end of the week, when I came back from class to find him in our shared quarters, dressed in that simple gray outfit I had seen him wear at my parents' house. I frowned in confusion.

"You're home early," I said, "– not that I mind. You look...comfy."

He raised an eyebrow. "I promised to teach you neuropressure, Genevieve. My schedule is clear for the rest of the day."

"Oh!" I nodded and shrugged off my jacket. "Right! Well, um...let me go put my stuff down and we'll get started." I turned to go to my room, then slowed and glanced down at my outfit. "...should I change clothes?"

He tilted his head. "Perhaps you would be more comfortable in something more casual?"

I agreed, and hurried to go change. When I emerged from my room in a tank top and sweatpants, he had his back to me, but turned at the sound of my return.

I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped dead in my tracks as he undid the last clasp on his shirt and shrugged it off his shoulders – and he had nothing on underneath it. He seemed to have no issue with this as he hung his shirt over the back of a chair, but I couldn't stop myself from staring at him. His body, while certainly gone a little to seed, was still toned with defined, vigorous muscles, each of his movements highlighting his athletic physique. My mouth went dry as he turned to face me fully and my eyes scrolled helplessly down his chest, taking in the light spread of gray chest hair trailing down towards the hem of his trousers.

"Are you ready to begin?" he asked, snapping me out of my reverie. I looked up at the ceiling, cursing myself for staring at him.

"Yeah," I said softly, and he nodded, kneeling down on the floor and gesturing beside him. He laid down once I had joined him on the floor, and I adjusted myself into a more comfortable kneeling position.

"You will most likely have better leverage if you straddle my back, Genevieve."

I paused, about to ask if he was certain such an intimate position was appropriate, but he glanced back at me, his eyebrow quirked.

"Do not be afraid to touch me. That is the entire point of the exercise."

I hesitated for another moment, then decided to just go with it. I carefully hoisted my leg over his, staying upright so I didn't touch my rear to his legs.

"Are you comfortable? You can sit back if you wish. I do not mind."

I sighed and fully made contact with his legs, trying not to put too much of my weight on him.

"Very good. Now, the first pressure point is up at the top of my spine, approximately six centimeters from-"

"Soval," I interjected, lightly laying my hands on his shoulder blades. "I'm not going to just jab my fingers into your back. Give me a minute."

And so, hardly believing my own daring, I lightly trailed my fingertips up and down his spine, then spread my fingers over the muscles of his back. I heard his sharp intake of breath, but he did not protest – rather, he relaxed into my touch, his breathing a steady rhythm beneath my hands.

I gently increased the pressure, rubbing my palms in circles over his skin. I heard him exhale slowly, and a quiet, almost imperceptible groan escaped him. Warmth flashed deep in my abdomen at that noise, and I breathed in, trying to be gentle and slow.

"Okay," I said after about ten minutes. "Where's this first pressure point?"

"On the top of my spine, approximately six centimeters to the left of the bone. Then you will move six centimeters to the right of the bone and press there. Use your first two fingers."

"Alright," I replied, and guesstimated what six centimeters looked like. I lightly pressed where I thought the pressure point was, then paused. "Here?"

"Further out...a little further...there. Now press into the muscle."

I obeyed, erring on the side of gentle.

"Harder, Genevieve...there, that is enough. Now maintain this pressure until I tell you to stop."

I steadied myself with a light hand on his arm, pressing into his skin with more force than I thought might be necessary. But he had told me to press harder, and he was the expert here.

"Now release," he said, and I retracted my fingers. He sighed, and something in his posture told me he was more relaxed than before.

"Did I do it right?" I asked, my voice barely higher than a whisper.

"Yes, you are doing well. Now move to the other side."

And so I moved across his back, using his verbal cues to get the pressure placement right. He seemed to be relaxing into the pressure despite having to guide me, and the brief glimpse I caught of his face revealed that his eyes were closed.

But every time he shifted beneath me, every time I felt his muscles flexing beneath my fingertips, that shot of warmth laced through my gut, throwing off my breathing and making me nervous. I felt as if he had to know every thought going through my head, but I tried to be rational about it all. Soval wasn't a mind reader, and I was safe in my thoughts.

And my thoughts were going in a dark direction: I never really appreciated just how warm and inviting his skin felt, how strong his muscles were as they stiffened and relaxed. I could just make out his heady, masculine scent as I leaned into the pressure, and the way his legs brushed against my thighs made me feel downright sinful. I dearly hoped he wouldn't notice how often I moved my knees closer in the hopes that our legs might touch again.

After what seemed like ages, he informed me that the last pressure point was next up. I confirmed its location with him and applied the appropriate level of pressure, but when he made to move out from under me, I gently held him down.

"Hold on," I whispered. "I'm not done yet."

"Genevieve, there are no more…" He trailed off as I resumed my massage from earlier, starting this time with deeper pressure, with the intention of working my way back to a light, gentle caress.

"I see," he murmured, relaxing back into the floor. "Please...continue."

I smiled, obeying with devious pleasure, and I slowed my caresses as I lightened them, reluctant to stop.

Finally, I traced a final line down his spine (which surprisingly felt a bit thinner than a human spine), and I moved off of him, flexing my own back to relieve the ache of bending over so much.

"Well?" I asked quietly as he sat up. "Feeling better?"

He nodded, pulling his shirt from the chair and slipping it on over his shoulders. "Yes, I feel quite refreshed. And now it is your turn, Genevieve. Lie down."

I blinked. "I thought we were done."

"Do you have something you wished to attend to? This exercise is meant to be reciprocal, so unless you have an urgent assignment you have just now remembered-"

"No," I interjected, my voice softening. "Shirt off?"

He nodded, and my heart hammered in my chest as I pulled off my tank top and set it beside me. I quickly turned away (even though he did me the courtesy of averting his gaze) and laid down on the floor, adjusting myself until I was comfortable.

My breath hitched in my throat as I felt him straddle my leg, but my nervousness melted away as soon as he started in on my back.

"Thank you for this," I murmured into my arm. "And thank you for teaching me...anytime you want to do this again, let me know." I paused. "You'll have to guide me until I know it better, but-"

"Of course," he replied, his voice a gentle rumble. "I look forward to it."

Silence fell between us, until a few minutes later he spoke again.

"Genevieve?"

"Mmm?"

He seemed to hesitate. "I am...curious to know why you approached neuropressure as you did, with your Earth massage preceding and succeeding the actual exercise. It was by no means unpleasant, simply...unexpected."

I shifted, trying to turn around to face him. "I'm sorry, did I mess up? I was taking my cues from you, if you're curious. You started out with really light pressure when you did this the first time, and-"

"Genevieve, I find no offense in how you approached this," he said, gently holding me in place. "Please stay still. In your own words, I'm not done yet."

I relaxed into the floor, and he continued his work, easing me back into the rhythm he had set. I sighed and stretched my legs, trying not to move too much lest I distract him. "I...I didn't really have any particular reason for doing this, it was simply...it seemed like the right thing to do. When you did this before, you started out with light pressure...I took my cue from that and well...here we are."

"I see..." he murmured, his palm warm as he lightly brushed his hand down my back to the next pressure point. "So you took your cue from my actions, correct?"

"Yeah...I hope I didn't offend you."

He sighed and pressed into my back, and I squeezed my eyes shut tight. "If I find offense with your actions, I promise you, I will inform you of the offense. You are...very particular in your approach to not only this, but in any instance where we have made physical contact. You seem...forgive me if this is an incorrect assumption, but you seem mortified that you will hurt me, or offend me, at almost every turn...I am not offended by your affection, Genevieve. I hope you know that. And I hope in time you will become more comfortable with me."

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter. "That's because I am mortified that I might offend you. I'd rather not make any assumptions about what you may or may not be comfortable with, but I figured in this case, you had already set the precedent, so..."

"Have I made any indication that I find your touch unpleasant?"

I shook my head. "No, you haven't, but for my own peace of mind, I thought it best to always ask."

He remained silent for a few moments, his fingers still slowly working their way down my back. I tried not to think too hard about how long he lingered journeying from pressure point to pressure point, but finally he reached the last one. Just as I had done, he pressed his hands into my muscles, gently massaging me and caressing my skin. I sighed into it, slowly opening my eyes to stare languidly at the carpet.

"You are...anxious when it comes to expressing your affection. That much I have gathered. Perhaps, in time...you will not be anxious anymore. I hope we may reach that point someday soon."

I frowned as he moved off of me, and I turned around, staring incredulously at him. "What do you mean?"

His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, and an unreadable expression spread across his face; the way his eyes darkened, and then scrolled over my body made my cheeks flush, and it occurred to me that I hadn't put my tank top back on. But his gaze met mine just as I was about to look away, and I paused, looking helplessly at his features as he swallowed thickly.

"Forgive me...I should not stare at you so."

I blinked, then hastily put on my top, brushing down the front to straighten it. I parted my lips with a soft pop and took a deep breath. "Only if you forgive me for staring earlier."

He blinked slowly, then one eyebrow quirked upward as his lips twitched into a shadow of a smile. "Consider it forgiven."

I nodded and smiled, drawing my knees up so I could rest my arms on them, casually leaning forward. "I do have a question." He tilted his head to one side, apparently listening intently. I took another deep breath. "If you don't mind me asking...how...what's your exercise regimen like? I mean...you have...I'd like to know how you maintain that physique."

Soval looked down his bare chest, then back to me, his eyes dark as they met mine. "As I am sure you are aware, my planet's gravity is higher than that of Earth, but to maintain our muscle mass and bone density, all of my people stationed on your world train ourselves in a high-gravity simulator, and maintain our agility and martial prowess besides. There is an entire complex on the first floor for this purpose, if you are interested in learning more. I do not believe the high-gravity simulator would be conducive to your health at this time, but if this is a path that intrigues you, we could certainly begin acclimating your body to higher gravity." He paused. "It would benefit you, should you choose in the future to visit Vulcan. Those sent to my home planet were given this benefit, though only over a week's time for the journey. If you began now, slowly, you could become acclimated to the gravity in a matter of months."

"Ooh!" I exclaimed, unfolding my legs and leaning forward. "That sounds really cool!" I nodded to myself. "I'm in, so long as we take it slow. And what was this about martial prowess? I know you were a soldier in your youth, but...you still fight?"

"Yes," he said with a smirk. "I find it is adequate exercise, both physically and mentally." He leaned forward as well, and I pressed my lips together. His eyes flicked down to my mouth, lingering there as he continued. "You may observe our martial traditions, if you so desire. I am certain myself and the security team could put on quite a display for your benefit."

"That sounds just as intriguing as the high-gravity simulator. I'd love to watch a match."

He nodded in satisfaction, and we sat in silence for a few moments. I tried not to stare at his chest as he focused on fastening the clasps of his shirt, and as he rose to his feet, I followed suit.

"So...anytime you want to do that again, just let know, okay?"

He bowed his head, his gaze fixed on me before he looked towards the kitchen. "I'm sure you must be hungry. Allow me to make some dinner."

I nodded and stepped aside, crossing arms over myself as I contemplated all that had happened, hoping that he wouldn't be able to catch on to just how much I looked forward to trying neuropressure again. He seemed none the wiser, and once we had eaten, he pulled out the kal-toh board and sat down for a game.

"So when is this Spring Gala again?" I asked, fiddling with one of the rods as Soval contemplated his opening move.

"It will be on the twenty-first of March. I do hope you will attend with me."

I glanced up at him, frowning in confusion. "Of course. I believe the senator included me in the invitation, so...yeah, I've got nothing going on that weekend. Not that I know of, anyway."

Soval bowed his head, his eyes gleaming with a somewhat pleased expression as he placed the first rod, immediately causing part of the sphere to appear. My rod was not so lucky, causing more degeneration as I placed it low on the jumble.

"A novice mistake, Genevieve. Placing the t'an in an attempt to create spatial harmony is not the objective of the game."

I sighed and nodded, watching him carefully place his own piece; his attempts, in stark contrast to my own, made more of the sphere to form.

"I'm kind of thinking I won't be able to beat you at kal-toh before the exchange is over," I mused aloud as I contemplated where to put my piece. My brain refused to make out any discernible pattern in the tangled weave of rods, so I halfheartedly placed my rod in the jumble and didn't even flinch at the damage I caused. "I don't know if I'll ever be good at this game."

He raised an eyebrow at me, tilting his head slightly as he made his next move with ease. "It takes many years to become proficient at this game, even for a Vulcan. Do not believe that such a goal is unachievable simply because you cannot reach it within a year. Such mastery of this game in such short a time would be difficult even for one of my people. As with everything, with enough time and patience, you will be better at kal-toh."

I smiled despite myself, and I could have sworn his eyes softened. "Thank you," I said softly. "That makes me feel better."

He bowed his head and gestured for me to take my turn, though even with his encouragement, I lost (not that I expected to win with my track record). But still, it had been a good day, and I couldn't help but feel nervously excited about doing more sessions of neuropressure.

And on top of everything, though he hadn't said it explicitly, he at least had hinted that a visit to Vulcan might happen sometime in the future. I had never been off-world, and the prospect was thrilling. I doubted such a trip would happen anytime soon, but it was exciting nonetheless.

I bid Soval a good night, and fell asleep with ease, a smile on my face as the future finally seemed a bit brighter for once.