Why am I, of the millions of beings in the universe, so utterly alone? Maria wondered as she stared out of the window at the stars. At warp five, they appeared as streaks of light. As usual, Maria was in the officer’s lounge, drinking tea and feeling disconsolate. As usual, she had the lounge all to herself, so she was understandably surprised when the door opened and someone entered the lounge. She was just as surprised, and if truth were known, a little nervous when she slowly turned and saw Captain DeVais standing there, looking at her. Under the intensity of his gaze, she could feel her cheeks burning and hoped that Kyle didn't see her blush.
Unfortunately, he did, but however, he wasn't going to use it against her. He had been looking for the same thing she had, a place to be alone, not realizing until too late that the lounge was occupied. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, Uh I guess I'll come back later." He said as he turned to leave.
Maria suddenly realized how lonely she was and just as quickly found out that she didn't want to be alone. "Captain DeVais," she said rather quickly, "you don't have to leave, I was getting rather tired of the emptiness."
"If you're sure I'm not intruding," Kyle hesitantly said, not moving from the door.
Maria shook her head, a move that sent her auburn hair cascading over her shoulders, giving her the appearance of a seductive beauty, "I'm sure, please don't go."
Without saying a word, Kyle moved across the lounge and sat down across from Maria, earning him a meek smile. He leaned forward in the chair and gazed into her hazel eyes.
Maria felt herself being drawn in by his deep brown eyes, in which she could almost read his past. She saw a glimmer of pain, being slowly replaced by a new emotion, love. His unspoken love for her was strong enough to make her heart skip a beat. Could he really love her?
By the same taken, Kyle saw that Maria could express whole thoughts with only a glance. For instance, he could tell that she couldn't believe that he could be interested in her. For one brief moment, he allowed the beginnings of a smile to tug at the corners of his mouth. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" He softly asked.
Again he watched her eyes. At first her eyes widened in amazement, but only for second, then the disbelief was back. In an icy tone, she said, "I know what you want."
The force of her statement rocked Kyle to the roots, "And just what, pray tell, is that?"
Her answer shocked him to the core, "A one night stand, Captain DeVais. And I'll tell you one thing, I won't stand for it." She said, in clipped syllables. Then without another word, Maria stood up and walked toward the door. One last glance showed anger beyond belief, and with every step she took towards the exit, she got angrier. She just couldn't believe that the man had the nerve to make a pass at her. She never even took the time to look at him, or she would've seen the hurt and shock on his face.
Kyle recovered about the time she reached the middle of the room. "Maria, wait." He ventured. This time the only reaction that saw was a slight stiffening of her back. In reality, Maria was just about to explode. How dare he use her name? She increased her pace and tried to stay calm. Kyle watched as she not only ignored him, but also kept moving toward the door. Knowing that there was only one way to stop her, Kyle rose to his feet, and in a commanding voice said, "Lieutenant Maria Markson, I asked you to wait." Then in a less sure tone, "Please hear me out."
