Alien Scrooge - Zara Zenia Page 0,47

eyes to him despite Cara's better judgement. "Then should I prove it to you?" he whispered against her lips before scooping her up and racing into their bedroom. Cara's heart raced as he dropped her gently on the bed, leaning down over her and splitting her hair around her face with his hands. The familiar scent of his hormones flooded her senses, and her body began to quiver with heat.

"Egrix, I'm gonna be late," she said, still trying to weakly resist the temptation.

"It's your studio, Cara, they can wait."

Two hours later Cara arrived, flustered, at her studio. She smiled proudly at the sign above the store that read, Big Sur photography, happy to have left Oakland and come back to a place that really inspired her. A small honk of a car horn drew her attention to the only other car in the parking lot as an unfamiliar man stepped out.

"Are you Ms. Cara Mathison?" he asked, extending his hand professionally.

"Yes, and I assume you're the buyer?" She smiled at him, squinting her eyes shut.

"That's right. Is the gallery due to open soon?"

"Any minute now," she assured him, stepping away to get the building ready for the event.

She walked through the gallery aisles, admiring the results of her work. Her long exposure works from six months prior hung as the focal piece of her display. They made the world feel still and calm for most people who saw them, but they were so alive and full of memories for her. She knew it was time to open, but she just wanted to stand there and admire them for a few seconds longer.

The gallery exhibition was set to last several weeks with rotating photography up for sale throughout. Many of Cara's friends from Oakland came to give her support, and she even saw some familiar faces from high school and college. Egrix came to join her after he finished his meeting with his client for the day.

"How did it go?" Cara's eyes searched his inquisitively.

"It was good, apparently the last company spoke very highly of me, so he jumped on the recommendation. His business could be a good candidate for space trade eventually too."

"That's amazing. I'm really proud of you, Egrix."

"And I you, my dove." He smiled lovingly at her. "You are truly a magnificent person to behold."

"Don't be overdramatic." She laughed overflowing with joy.

"I'm not. I promise. Of all the things I've found on this planet, you are the most amazing. I wouldn't trade you for anything."

She knew he meant it. Although he could be coy and grumpy, Egrix was a genuine romantic. The rest of the night went smoothly, with Cara managing to sell several pieces and impressing a local photography critic. After years of studying and practicing her craft, finally running her own studio with her landscapes felt like a dream.

Cara burst into the bedroom, surprising Egrix so much he nearly spilled the cup of tea he cradled in his hands. Cara apologized, snickering a bit at his cute, surprised expression. She held up her hands which collapsed tightly around a magazine, smiling brightly at her boyfriend.

"What's this?" Egrix asked, taking the offering and reading over the cover. It advertised a section on up-and-coming photographers in one corner and his eyes nearly burst out of his head when he realized the example image was Cara's. "Is this…?"

"Yes! That's my sunset. They put me in the article. Mom said she had to stop working on her project for the day because she was getting so many phone calls for me." Cara sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. "It doesn't feel real, does it?"

Egrix laughed, reaching out to pull Cara into bed with him. "Of course it does. Your photos are amazing so of course they should be recognized."

"You have to say that, though," she insisted.

"True." He smiled mischievously at her. "But that doesn't mean it's not true. Your pictures are like an extension of you, Cara. They're not just a snapshot of the world, they're a snapshot of how you see the world, and the way you see things is really beautiful. There isn't anyone who wouldn't want to experience that kind of magic. You really make the world ethereal."

He caressed her check in circles, admiring every curve of her face. His thumb trailed over her bottom lip as he leaned into her delicately, kissing her as she held onto him. For a moment, Cara remembered the day she met Egrix, how she'd looked