Language Barriers
Posted on July 24th, 2015 by Alexis Wright and Kathryn Harper

by Alexis Wright and Kathryn Harper

“The truth is…” Lexy drew circles in the dirt with the toe of her sandal. “The truth is that I really care about you. Maybe as… more than just a friend. But our friendship is more important to me and I don’t want to lose it even if you don’t feel the same way.”

Kate’s face seemed to light up, her eyes suddenly widening at her friend’s confession, and she swept Lexy into a quick hug. After but a moment, Kate pulled back to meet Lexy’s confused look and gushed, “You really feel that way? I thought you might, or I rather had dared to hope that you did, since I share your feelings!”

Lexy blinked at Kate, her heart beating wildly as Risa’s ocean lapped the sandy shore near where they stood. “You mean… wait. You mean, you share my feelings about the friendship part? Or…?” She anxiously bit her lower lip.

It must have been the lingering uncertainty in the air that made Kate laugh softly, despite her obvious efforts, and she replied, “Well, yes, of course I share those, but I specifically meant that I find the thought of us being more than friends to be particularly pleasant.”

Lexy opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Well then, why didn’t you tell me how you felt, with all that talk of the importance of being honest about your feelings?”

“For the same reason you hesitated to bring it up,” Kate began. “I place a high value on our friendship and did not wish to offend you. Of course, that struggle is a common one, but for me, there are additional complexities of which you might not be aware.”

Making a sweeping gesture toward the sea with her hand, she continued, “It is much easier here on Risa; we do not engage in the coy dances of other species, at least not when it comes to romance and sexuality. But that presents challenges for us when we venture offworld, because most are not as comfortable with those subjects as we are. Consequently, reading alien body language can also be quite difficult for us, so we tend to exercise considerable restraint when not among our own.” After a slight pause, she added with a hint of derision, “Or when we are not ‘serving’ tourists.”

“So… what does this mean for us?” Lexy shifted her feet nervously. “I have to admit, I’m inexperienced even with the ‘coy dances’ of my own species… romance isn’t really something I’ve done before.” She paused, and then asked curiously, “…What would have happened if you hadn’t ‘exercised considerable restraint’?”

Perhaps having already envisioned the scenario, Kate quickly and unabashedly answered, “At the Calaphaltran resort, perhaps as I was trying to show you the virtues of indulgence, I would have kissed you. Had that been welcomed, the rest of our time there would likely have been filled with wild, passionate sex, followed by the lovemaking. Of course, I realize that to be a wholly Risan approach.”

Turning beet red and looking down at her feet, Lexy managed to squeak out, “Oh, I see.”

“That is only how I imagined it, but you did ask,” Kate gently admitted without a hint of shame. “Please, do not be embarrassed. As I said, it is quite Risan, and I would not judge you for being uncomfortable with that pace.”

Lexy nodded, her head still bowed. “I’m sorry. I did ask. I just wasn’t expecting… you surprised me, is all.” She took a few moments to compose herself. “Not that I would ever judge you for being who you are, but would… would you be okay with a somewhat slower pace?” she asked softly, looking up at Kate through her eyelashes.

“Yes, of course I would.” Kate’s voice took on a hopeful tone as she continued, “And did we just answer your question about what this means for us?”

“I’m not sure.” Lexy looked away. “Are you… I don’t know how to ask this. Are you seeing anyone else? Would you see anyone else? I don’t want to put restrictions on you, but I guess I’m also looking for something… exclusive.” Her face grew serious as she met Kate’s eyes. “This is more to me than just a physical attraction.”

“It is for me too. The time we have spent together as our friendship grew has been surprising in how much it meant to me. Wanting more of it gave me the strength to go on during the worst of that battle. I had to stay alive so that I could defend Atlantis – and you.” Kate took Lexy’s hand and offered a squeeze, clearly wanting to emphasize her point. “Despite the reputation we have, committed relationships are not uncommon here, and I would be happy to give you that.”

Lexy returned the squeeze, then turned and looked out at the ocean for a few long moments before turning back to Kate. With a determined expression on her face that softened quickly, she took a step closer so that their bodies were almost touching. “Tell me,” she whispered, meeting those tantalizing green eyes as she lifted a hand and carefully brushed strands of hair from Kate’s face, “is this body language difficult to understand?” She cupped Kate’s cheek softly and tipped her own chin upward, slowly standing up on her toes, and closed her eyes at the last moment as they leaned in to kiss.