"Thanks for leaving Clare and I alone," Aaron told Dave several days later. The two of them were sharing lunch while Clare was busy getting her hair and nails done for her date with Aaron that night. Even the moon had hairstylists and makeup artists.
"There's no need to thank me, but you're welcome," Dave said. "To tell you the truth, seeing you and Clare together has been longing even more than usual to find my own mate."
"Gosh, I'm sorry. I apologize, I had no idea that it caused you such emotional pain to be around us," Aaron said,
"It's fine," Dave said waving away his friends apology. "You had no way of knowing that I've been longing to find my own mate for a long time. You've been very patient listening to me when I get in a melancholy mood about finding my mate and settling down. I've been longing to find my mate for decades now, it's just seeing you and Clare together makes me remember how lonely I am constantly. I distract myself of course, by keeping very busy whether that's with business or funner activities. I've even been skydiving several times."
"I've never tried skydiving," Aaron said impressed
"I figured we can't die so I might as well give it a try," Dave said quietly. "It was exhilarating. It was almost like flying at least for that brief few minutes I felt like a bird. Then you land and that feeling passes. So long as you're not afraid of heights you should try it, because it's not like you can die if something happens to your parachute."
"There's always a chance of the parachute not working and alerting someone that we're not exactly normal," Aaron pointed out. "Decide we could still break a lot of bones and it would be painful wow baby we reknitted and repaired themselves."
"True, but I've always gone to a professional when I do go skydiving so that lessens the risks. Someone that knows what they're doing," Dave said. "Besides, considering what we are if we don't take risks every once in awhile life gets very boring."
"True," Aaron agreed wholeheartedly. "I might just try skydiving now. I'll certainly think about it."
"You'll probably enjoy the rush just like I do," Dave said before changing the subject. "So when are you going to tell Clare..."
Aaron knew what Dave was asking, even if he didn't finish the sentence.
"I don't know yet. We've only been seen each other for a few weeks," Aaron replied to his friend's unasked question. "Clare has no idea I'm anything but a normal man."
"She's bound to be going back to earth soon," Dave said. "It's been three weeks since you met."
"Don't think I haven't been thinking about it," Aaron said, "because I have. It's much too soon to propose and we both know it. Clare wouldn't accept at this point in time or at least it's not likely. If she does go back to earth I'll simply find out where she lives and follow her. I'm hoping this just isn't a fling for her."
"So you haven't talked about whether you'll continue to see each once you're back on earth," Dave said and Aaron shook his head.
"No it's a subject I need to broach, I just haven't done it yet," Aaron said.
"I would do that soon my friend, because with your luck, she'll be heading back to Earth sometime in the next few days. Three weeks is a long time for a vacation," Dave said.
"Especially if you have a job you need to get back too," Aaron agreed soberly.
"I'll help you with the explanation if you want once you decide to tell her, even if that's back on earth," Dave said.
"That's very nice of you Dave and I might take you up on it," Aaron warned his friend.
"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it," Dave said.
"I know," Aaron agreed. "If you're ever in the same situation I'll reciprocate."
"Enjoy your date tonight," Dave told his friend.
"I certainly plan to. I'm taking her somewhere fancier then we've been going since we met," Aaron said.
"I'd guessed that already or otherwise why would Clare have to have her hair and nails done," Dave said amused despite himself. "Women only do that if they're going somewhere fancier than normal. They want to have a full makeover before their date, get themselves all fancied up for their man."
"Which makes them look even more gorgeous than they already are," Aaron said and Dave nodded in complete agreement.
"Yes, it does. You'll be the envy of a lot of the men wherever you go," Dave said.
"We're going to this really popular bistro and I was lucky to get a table," Aaron said. "They'll be candlelight and flowers on the table. The food is supposed to be really good according to the corsage."
"Sounds very romantic," Dave said.
"It will be if I have anything to say about it," Aaron said. "I plan on wining and dining her so that hopefully, she'll agree to continue our relationship once it's time for us to go home."
"Good luck my friend," Dave said.
"Thanks I need all the luck I can get," Aaron said.
The two men finished their lunch talking quietly about more ordinary subjects before parting ways.

~~~Aaron and Clare~~~

"Since you're leaving in a couple of days I was hoping we could continue our relationship one we get back to earth," Aaron told Clare, as the two of them sat in Aaron's suite of rooms in a little sitting area.
"Don't you have a job you need to get back too," Clare asked.
"Not really," Aaron shrugged. "I am a businessman and I can always go to wherever I'm meeting my client. I basically invest in other peoples businesses once we meet and I get a reading on whoever it is to figure out if their honest. I don't need the money that a regular job brings in."
Not to mention, I'm immortal, and a regular job would be rather stayed and born after a few years," Aaron thought to himself.
"Well, I wouldn't mind getting to know you better, because I certainly like you a lot more than other guys I've dated in the past," Clare said.
"I can always travel to whatever city you live in on a regular basis," Aaron said. "If our relationship works out I'd be willing to move there permanently."
Clare might not know it yet, but his relationship with her was definitely going to work out considering they were mates after all even if she wasn't aware of that yet.
"I hadn't thought that far ahead to be honest," Clare said thoughtfully.
"That's understandable, as we've only been dating for a few weeks," Aaron said. "I'm willing to put in the effort if you are. I'm well aware that long distance relationships a lot of times don't work out unless the effort is put forward by both parties."
"I'd like to give it a try," Clare finally decided. "We can travel back-and-forth for the next six months and see if a relationships works out. I'm actually hoping it does, as it will get my brother off my back about at least dating one of his friends with whom I heartily dislike."
"Why would your brother trying to force you into dating his friend?" Aaron said.
"Because his friend, whose name is Ricky by the way, Ricky Martin has had a crush on me ever since we were kids. I never have liked him. He was always a little creep and now he's a grown creep."
"And that is who your brother wants you to date?" Aaron said his expression and tone of voice shocked.
"Yes, unfortunately, my brother has never seen Ricky for what he is, as he's totally oblivious," Clare said. "I have no doubt that if I did marry Ricky I would be treated like an object, something precious to be possessed and that's about it. I wouldn't be surprised if Ricky cheated on me within six months of the wedding because I doubt he would care about my feelings. Also, men like that are usually lousy satisfying a woman, though I know I'm stereotyping."
"Luckily for you, women have equal rights and you can't be forced into marrying someone you dislike, even hate," Aaron said.
"I'm so glad I was born in this century just because women have equal rights to any man," Clare agreed soberly.
"So what do your parents think of your brother trying to urge you to date this Ricky?" Aaron inquired.
"They don't think anything, as they're dead. Have been for a long time," Clare said. "However, I think our parents would be rather upset that their son was trying to encourage me to date Ricky when it was clear I didn't care for him. In fact, I can't stand the little weasel. I've never been able to stand him and avoided him as much as possible whenever he visited my house as a child to play with my brother."
"Women have and instincts when it comes to a certain kind of man," Aaron said. "The fact, that you never liked this Ricky Martin tells me that he set your instincts off from the very beginning."
"He just always felt slimy to me every time he spoke. The way he looked at me when my brother wasn't paying attention and it was as if he was undressing me with his eyes," Clare tried to explain shivering why she had never liked Ricky Martin. "There was just a look in his eyes whenever he looked at me. It was as if he was undressing me in his mind. He made me shiver every time I noticed him doing that."
"He does sound like a creep. I'm also sorry that your brother's been harassing you about him," Aaron agreed. "By the way, I'm sorry about your parents," Aaron added and Clare nodded in appreciation. "I wouldn't have brought them up if I had known, as I'm sure you still miss them."
"I do, but it's been long enough now, that they're deaths aren't quite as raw as they were at first," Clare said. "They wanted me to be happy, to marry and have a family, but they also would never force me into marrying someone that I didn't want to, that it was clear I detested."
"Our relationship should keep my brother off my back and if we do marry he'll finally shut up about me dating Ricky," Clare said.
"Have you told your brother how much you dislike his friend?" Aaron asked.
"I tried, but he doesn't want to listen. He's very stubborn and always blocks me out when we get on the subject of how much I dislike his friend. He won't hear a bad word against him and doesn't see Ricky for his numerous faults."
"Your brother might love you but he also sounds like a bit of an idiot," Aaron offered hoping he didn't offend her.
"He can be," Clare chuckled not at all offended causing Aaron to relax.
"So where do you live?" Aaron asked next glad that he hadn't offended her with his rather blunt comment.
"In Dallas Texas actually," Clare answered.
"I didn't notice any accent," Aaron said, "otherwise I would've known you came from that part of the country."
"I didn't grow up there I actually am originally from Denver, but I moved there for a work mostly to get out of the same city as Ricky so he can't just show up at my door claiming he was in the area," Clare said.
"Well, I guess that explains your lack of accent then," Aaron said.
"I was glad to move away from Denver since that's where my brother and Ricky live and now Chad can only bother me when we talk over the link. Well, unless he decides to show up and bother me in person," Clare said.
"Chad is your brother I take it," Aaron asked and Clare nodded.
"Chad is short for Chadwick, which is why he goes by the shortened version of his name in the first place. I can't really blame him for doing so. Chad is certainly more common then Chadwick and isn't likely to get him teased for having such an unusual name," Clare explained. "Clare is certainly more common than my bother's name."
The two continued to talk for sometime before Clare took her leave to go back to the room to get some sleep.

~~~Aaron and Clare~~~

Six months later
Dallas Texas
Earth

Aaron and Clare had gotten a lot closer and the fact that Aaron had threatened Ricky that if he didn't leave Clare alone and stop urging her brother to try and get Clare agree to date him that he would be very sorry.
As for Chad, Aaron had had a word with him and told him straight out that Clare didn't like Ricky at all and there was no way that she was going to date him no matter what he or his friend wanted. Chad hadn't like Aaron's interference, but since he wouldn't listen to his sister Aaron had played her advocate.
Aaron had told Chad quite bluntly that if he had listened to his sister instead of ignoring her, because he didn't want to hear it, when she had told him that she disliked Ricky, then he wouldn't have to be the advocate in between the siblings.
Aaron had also told Chad that he needed to quit badgering her no matter what Ricky wanted, because he might be your friend but Clare hates him and will never date him no matter how much you pressure her. He creeps her out.
Chad had tried to protest, but Aaron had simply glared at him and told him that the two of us are dating and we like each other a lot so you need to back off badgering Clare and Ricky definitely needs to leave her alone.
Do you want your sister happy? Aaron had then asked Chad next and the young man had responded yes, of course I do and Aaron had then told him that Clare wasn't happy he kept badgering her to date Ricky.
Chad had realized that he had been rather persistent and every time he called his sister he happened to mention that Ricky wasn't dating anyone. He suddenly realized that he was putting pressure on Clare to go along with what he and Ricky wanted. It was probably only because he was her brother that Clare hadn't punched him in the nose for his persistence. Ricky on the other hand, was a totally different story. It was likely why she had moved so far away from home so she wouldn't have to put up with Ricky or him showing up at her apartment to bother her.
Chad had then apologized to Clare once he realized how upset she was at his persistence and told her he would no longer persist in trying to set up a date with his friend. He could now see that Clare didn't like him and would never date him no matter how much he insisted.
Clare had been grateful to Aaron for talking to her brother about the Ricky situation, which had made her feel even closer to him. Normally, she could handle her own problems but Chad hadn't been listening to her no matter how she'd tried to tell him that she hated Ricky Martin.
Now it was time to reveal his secret and he had no idea how Clare was going to take the fact that he wasn't exactly normal, that he was immortal. Hopefully, she would accept it, but Aaron wasn't entirely sure what her reaction was going to be no matter how close they had gotten. This might be the 22nd century with many marvels that hadn't existed when he had been born but immortality was like a fairytale. In other words, it couldn't possibly be real.
Aaron wiped the nervous sweat off his forehead. That he was actually nervous when he never was just told him how important this conversation was to him.
Clare and him were sitting in the living area in the apartment that she rented. It was clear that Clare was curious of what he had to say as he had only told her that he wanted to talk to her about something after they ate.
"So what's this about Aaron?" Clare asked.
"Well..." Aaron begin nervously and then just decided to be blunt, as there was really no gentle or easy way to tell her that he wasn't exactly normal. Oh, he was human and everything, it was just that he couldn't die very easily.
Aaron screwed up his courage and told her what he had been keeping from her ever since they had met six months ago.
Clare blinked at the information and looked disbelieving, which Aaron had expected. He would've been shocked if Clare had just swallowed his tale.
"Here," Aaron said handing Clare his pocket knife that he held out just for that purpose.
"What this for?" Clare questioned, as she studied the Swiss Army knife with a blue case.
"That's for you to cut my hand or my arm to prove to you what I say is true," Aaron explained his tone calm. "Cut as deep as you want and it will heal right before your eyes, though you might want to go get some paper towels or a dish rag first, as I wouldn't want to drip all over your nice floor while it's healing.
Clare stared at Aaron to see if he was actually serious though his tone was certainly serious enough. There was also no laughter in his eyes and no mischievous sparkle to show that this was a practical joke he was playing on her. Aaron wasn't the type to play pranks though, so he really was serious about her cutting into his flesh.
Clare rose from where she was sitting in a chair across from Aaron went and got some paper towels and then approached him cautiously, as if he wasn't the same man that she had gotten to know over the last half a year. The man that had finally made her brother see that she detested Ricky Martin and would never date him.
Aaron said nothing and simply held out his arm palm upwards so Clare could cut him whenever she wanted to.
Clare quickly put some paper towels under his arm so that the wound wouldn't get blood on Aaron's pants or the hardwood floor. Clare lifted one of the attachments on the knife, the part that was a switchblade and swiftly cut Aaron as deeply as she dared.
Clare watched avidly as the deep cut healed right before her eyes within a few seconds.
"Wow! I really thought you were joking," Clare told Aaron once the wound had completely healed.
"I know you didn't really believe me," Aaron told her truthfully. "I always knew that whenever I met my mate and I told her about my immortality that it was unlikely that she'd believe me without a demonstration, which you have just had."
"Mate?" Clare asked still in shock at what she had seen. She latched on to that one word. "So that's why you told me your secret I'm your soulmate?"
"Yes," Aaron answered simply. "Every immortal supposedly has one, someone they can trust with anything and that will be their companion, someone they can have children with. Someone that can help stave off the loneliness, just because they don't have anybody they can trust with certain information, someone that will never betray them. Someone they can basically build a life with."
"That's why you were willing to travel here to Texas on a regular basis instead of me coming to see you," Clare guessed.
"Yes," Aaron admitted, "though I still would've been willing to travel here to where you lived if we had met, but I was just a regular mortal. I still would've been attracted to you, as I am a man, but we might have broken up after a few months."
"Or we could've stayed together, gotten married," Clare said and Aaron acknowledged that possibility with a nod of agreement.
"I know I shocked you with my revelation and I'm sorry about that," Aaron told Clare after some minutes of silence.
"Yes, you did but I never would've believed you if not for that demonstration. I probably would've thought you were totally insane. That you were so calm in the face of something that was supposedly impossible is one thing that made me not throw you out without letting you demonstrate. I could tell you weren't joking in the least and that you weren't trying to play some kind of practical joke on me. Oh, I could tell you were nervous about how your explanation would be received, but considering what you told me I can't blame you for being nervous," Clare said. "Also, the way you got my brother to finally listen and stop badgering me about Ricky is something else in your favor. He certainly wouldn't hear a bad word about him from me. Believe me, I tried on numerous occasions to tell him I hated Ricky and I would never date him. I'm definitely never going back to Denver and moved here in the first place to get away from Ricky Martin."
"I would think your brother would've gotten the point when you moved away from Denver," Aaron said.
"You would think," Clare agreed with a grim set to her mouth. "That Chad actually showed up at my door not long after I got back from my trip to the moon was a surprise. I should've known he'd come to plead Ricky's case, as talking to me over the link about him wasn't working. It's a good thing you were here to finally talk some sense into him as I was about ready to punch my own brother, as I was tired of hearing about how Ricky didn't have a girlfriend. Chad seemed to assume that I could fill that spot and telling him I wasn't interested wasn't working."
"Sometimes people are just blind to others faults," Aaron told Clare softly. "It's clear to me that your brother doesn't see his friend for who he really is and that's a predator."
"Do you think Ricky's dangerous," Clare asked trying to control the fear that had suddenly appeared in her stomach.
"It's very possible," Aaron admitted. "It sounds like this Ricky Martin is obsessed with you so it wouldn't surprise me if he showed up at your door or at your place of employment or even somewhere you are, as it wouldn't be that hard to track you down. I'm sure your brother has given Ricky the address of your apartment and if he hasn't he still can, even if he now knows now that you detest his friend. I'm sure it won't be hard for Ricky to wiggle your address out of Chad. Even if Chad refuses to divulge it, I'm sure he has your address written down somewhere and a lot of people are not above snooping in others possessions. Chad trusts Ricky and so won't watch him too closely, which will make it easy to snoop around."
"I'll be careful," Clare said. "I'll never go anywhere alone."
"That will help," Aaron said. "It might not stop him though, as you have no alarm system on your apartment and locks are simple to get past. Even today locks are not that complicated to get past or to pick. Just sticking a credit card in between the frame and the door and moving it back and forth in the crack will open most doors. Even the chain can be compromised by somebody ramming their shoulder into the door a few times until the thing that holds the chain comes away from the wood."
"You sure are knowledgeable about this kind of thing," Clare said.
"I've been around for a long time, so I've learned a lot, not all of them good things," Aaron told her. "You should get a security system for your apartment unless you want to move somewhere where your brother doesn't even know where you are. Chad can still visit, just not your apartment if you do decide to move into another building."
"I'll think about it," Clare said seriously considering it. It would probably be the smart thing to do and she agreed with Aaron on that Ricky might start getting physical if he managed to get her alone. Besides, there were plenty of people out there that were worse than Ricky Martin and who knew if some criminal would take an interest in her, even if it was just a thief set on robbing her.
"Please do," Aaron urged her gently. "I'm not gonna be here all the time and I want you to be safe."
"That's very sweet of you Aaron, but I'm no damsel in distress," Clare told him. "I'll take your suggestions on board and seriously think about what you suggested."
"OK then," Aaron said knowing he couldn't force Clare to get a security system for her apartment. That she was seriously considering it would hopefully, be good enough for now.

~~~Aaron and Clare~~~