03-31-2026, 09:27 PM
Alex couldn't stop looking at Beno. She began to describe how she felt about the dance and he smiled wide because he shared her feelings about it. Beno then gave a relativistic physics lesson of sorts, which made him chuckle.
She had brought up how her late husband had been the only one to make her feel like that before, to which he nodded understanding and replied, "I have to agree. My late wife is the only other person I have had such a connection with."
Beno then commented about his sister must have been an excellent teacher, causing him to look down as he said softly, "She was."
He chuckled again when she mentioned her shade of lipstick on him. While Beno headed to freshen up, Cindy was right there to hold out a handkerchief to him. He blushed again, but not as deeply this time as he wiped the lipstick from himself.
Cindy leaned in and asked, "Alex, I know you're attracted to her, but have you thought this through?"
He looked at her for a second, then finished trying to wipe off the lipstick.
Cindy took the cloth from him and got a spot he had missed at the corner of his mouth as she gave a small sigh, "You know what I'm talking about. I'm not worried about this moment. I'm talking about...you know...everything else."
It was his turn to give a small sigh to Cindy and he paused, hands on hips and calmly gathering his thoughts, "One step at a time. I know what you're seeing and you're not wrong. Don't worry, I won't let her try to send a gift to my dead sister, but we're also not going to worry about...well...all that other stuff right now either. Let us have this moment. I feel what I feel and I'll not burden her with such things unless I'm convinced that she feels it too. Sometimes people need to be allowed moments that remind them about love and hope. You might say that hope is what this is all about."
Cindy practically whispered, "She still thinks you're just the rich guy who is also a bit of a crazy scientist. She's probably thinking you're just being the playboy type everyone expects you to be. You certainly have a past that reflects it and you like perpetuating that image enough..."
Alex held up a hand, "Yes, I know and that part is mostly in the past and is still allowed to propagate on purpose. Beno is different, she sees past that stuff. She's smarter and sees more than you're giving credit for."
Cindy's eyes went wider, "Wait...you and her are...are you sure?"
Alex shrugged, "I feel what I feel...and if I'm feeling it, then she is too."
"Has she said anything?"
Alex grinned, "Not yet."
Cindy now looked impressed, "Has she even been in a relationship with a Betazoid before...or one of her previous hosts...or...she's joined and I have no information on any of her previous hosts..."
Alex chuckled, "Calm down before you blow a relay." Cindy gave him a playful but evil look, because they both knew that was like him calling her a toaster in jest. Alex continued, "That's my point though. You only have so much data and I'm telling you that You need to trust me. Even if this turns out to be a mistake, then you have to let me make that mistake, but this...it...feels right."
Cindy nodded to him, "As you wish."
Alex's face it up, "Did you hear her before? She knows what that means! Nobody ever remembers that story, but she knows it! There are probably like five people in the entire galaxy that know about that story."
Cindy replied, "Well there are your parents, you, me, Reyna and Beno, which make six right there. The other girls that..."
It was Alex's turn to give the look and it silenced Cindy for a second before she then continued, "...not important..."
There was a moment of silence before Cindy finally said, "I worry for you, Alex. That's all. I know how losing Kristina almost killed you. How can I help."
Alex paused before answering, "Continue doing what you do. Let me decide what to tell them and when. With any luck, we'll never need to have the conversation about anything not on this ship. Most people that aren't Ferengi don't care much about money, even the kind we have access to, and the rest...well...I would be very worried if anyone actually wanted to know about the rest."
Alex glanced around and said, "Enough about all that. Let me get on with my date."
Cindy smiled back at him, "Well, good luck then. She is very pretty. You two would make some really cute kids."
Alex turned to say something, but Cindy was already walking away and he had to keep it to himself, biting back what was on his mind as he shook a finger at her as she walked away.
She had brought up how her late husband had been the only one to make her feel like that before, to which he nodded understanding and replied, "I have to agree. My late wife is the only other person I have had such a connection with."
Beno then commented about his sister must have been an excellent teacher, causing him to look down as he said softly, "She was."
He chuckled again when she mentioned her shade of lipstick on him. While Beno headed to freshen up, Cindy was right there to hold out a handkerchief to him. He blushed again, but not as deeply this time as he wiped the lipstick from himself.
Cindy leaned in and asked, "Alex, I know you're attracted to her, but have you thought this through?"
He looked at her for a second, then finished trying to wipe off the lipstick.
Cindy took the cloth from him and got a spot he had missed at the corner of his mouth as she gave a small sigh, "You know what I'm talking about. I'm not worried about this moment. I'm talking about...you know...everything else."
It was his turn to give a small sigh to Cindy and he paused, hands on hips and calmly gathering his thoughts, "One step at a time. I know what you're seeing and you're not wrong. Don't worry, I won't let her try to send a gift to my dead sister, but we're also not going to worry about...well...all that other stuff right now either. Let us have this moment. I feel what I feel and I'll not burden her with such things unless I'm convinced that she feels it too. Sometimes people need to be allowed moments that remind them about love and hope. You might say that hope is what this is all about."
Cindy practically whispered, "She still thinks you're just the rich guy who is also a bit of a crazy scientist. She's probably thinking you're just being the playboy type everyone expects you to be. You certainly have a past that reflects it and you like perpetuating that image enough..."
Alex held up a hand, "Yes, I know and that part is mostly in the past and is still allowed to propagate on purpose. Beno is different, she sees past that stuff. She's smarter and sees more than you're giving credit for."
Cindy's eyes went wider, "Wait...you and her are...are you sure?"
Alex shrugged, "I feel what I feel...and if I'm feeling it, then she is too."
"Has she said anything?"
Alex grinned, "Not yet."
Cindy now looked impressed, "Has she even been in a relationship with a Betazoid before...or one of her previous hosts...or...she's joined and I have no information on any of her previous hosts..."
Alex chuckled, "Calm down before you blow a relay." Cindy gave him a playful but evil look, because they both knew that was like him calling her a toaster in jest. Alex continued, "That's my point though. You only have so much data and I'm telling you that You need to trust me. Even if this turns out to be a mistake, then you have to let me make that mistake, but this...it...feels right."
Cindy nodded to him, "As you wish."
Alex's face it up, "Did you hear her before? She knows what that means! Nobody ever remembers that story, but she knows it! There are probably like five people in the entire galaxy that know about that story."
Cindy replied, "Well there are your parents, you, me, Reyna and Beno, which make six right there. The other girls that..."
It was Alex's turn to give the look and it silenced Cindy for a second before she then continued, "...not important..."
There was a moment of silence before Cindy finally said, "I worry for you, Alex. That's all. I know how losing Kristina almost killed you. How can I help."
Alex paused before answering, "Continue doing what you do. Let me decide what to tell them and when. With any luck, we'll never need to have the conversation about anything not on this ship. Most people that aren't Ferengi don't care much about money, even the kind we have access to, and the rest...well...I would be very worried if anyone actually wanted to know about the rest."
Alex glanced around and said, "Enough about all that. Let me get on with my date."
Cindy smiled back at him, "Well, good luck then. She is very pretty. You two would make some really cute kids."
Alex turned to say something, but Cindy was already walking away and he had to keep it to himself, biting back what was on his mind as he shook a finger at her as she walked away.