The End Zone: SPORTS ROMANCE (Contemporary Sport Bad Boy Alpha Male American Football Romance) (New Adult Second Chance Women’s Fiction Romance Short Stories) (53 page)

At that moment, I averted my eyes, not wanting to allow myself to want him like that again. I shook my head in an effort to evade these thoughts. Good thing he couldn't sense and see my thoughts when he wasn't staring into my eyes.

A few hours later, I groggily woke up. I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep. Now wide awake, I was stunned to discover that my handcuffs had been detached and now my arms fell to my sides limply. They felt quite numb because of having been forced to stay in a single position for a long time.

I stretched my arms and legs, trying to make my blood circulate once more. At the same time, I squinted in the dark. There was no light on except for the flickering red light on the metal door's eye scanner.

When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw that I was all by myself. I stood up and examined the sophisticated digital lock. There was no way I could get out of here. I didn’t see how I could destroy the lock with what little I had in the room, and even if I could, it would be sure to alert security. At this point, my only hope was to try confusing or distracting my abductor.

There was a light switch beside the door. I turned it on and a flat, rectangular bulb attached on the ceiling came to life. It did not illuminate the room well, though, but I guessed it was designed that way. My eyes hastily scanned the surroundings, trying to look for another way out. I groped on the white walls and even around the bed, desperate to find some sort of hidden knob or any clue whatsoever that could help me.

After a while, I threw up my hands in frustration and collapsed on the bed. I felt so helpless and it was totally infuriating.

*****

I believe about four days had already passed since I'd become a prisoner of my own husband. Andrew only came to bring me food, but he did not sleep in the room anymore. He also refused to speak to me or look into my eyes. But I could tell that he was affected every time we touched. And so as much as possible, I made every effort to ensure that our skin made contact.

At the same time, I was very observant with the way he seemed to move in a more sluggish manner. He did not look weak, though. He just appeared… more human.

One time I overheard him talking to someone through a mobile device affixed to his suit. "Haven't been taking the shots for several days now," he'd griped. "Can't you get your hands on some for me?" He had paused, listening. Then he'd started fuming, which had made him throw the device across the room. It had hit the wall hard and had fallen on the ground broken.

There was another time when he'd thought I was still sleeping on the bed. But my eyes had been slightly open as I observed him staring at our matching wedding rings with an incomprehensible expression on his face. He'd then glanced at me with sadness apparent in his eyes. I'd almost cried and thrown myself into his arms. But of course I hadn't. Instead, I'd pretended to be asleep until he'd left. Afterward, I cried myself to sleep.

Two more evenings passed. I was getting desperate, but I knew Kent would never give up on trying to find me. From the snippets of exchanges I'd heard between Andrew and another turned human soldier on Planet Zil, I gathered that everything was chaotic outside. The US Space Police team was still on the planet, trying to get past the genetically engineered humans in order to destroy all of the computers as originally planned. Apparently, Andrew was keeping me hostage in order to lure Kent in and kill him and the others.

I was cleaning myself before bedtime with the washcloth and soap that Andrew had left me with earlier when suddenly, I saw the red light on the lock turn green. There was a click before the metal door opened and revealed a wounded Andrew staggering toward the bed. He doubled over and fell to the floor before reaching the bed. Blood oozed from the laser shot that had hit him on the stomach.

Dressed in the oversized pajamas that had been lent to me a few days ago, my eyes flickered from my injured captor to the metal door that had been left open. This was my only chance to escape and I had to make the decision quick.

I grabbed my space fighting uniform and skipped over Andrew who was lying on the floor with his eyes closed. I was about to head out the door when I heard him call out to me. "Tash baby…" he managed to say between his raspy breathing.

I halted, my heart pounding hard. I turned around and without thinking dropped down beside him. He was having difficulty breathing, one hand clutching his wounded stomach. "Tash baby…" he repeated, calling me with that special term of endearment he'd teasingly called me when we'd begun going steady. He was sort of delirious, murmuring something about dried roses inside a book in the old library. "I… love… you… Tasha Taylor…"

I gasped, my heart reeling and my eyes watering. He was obviously recalling that day when he had proposed to me in that same library where we had first met. "I'm here, Andrew, okay?" I whispered to him. "You're going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you again." I choked on my last words.

With everything else forgotten, I rummaged through the duffel bag he'd dropped on the floor and found a familiar injectable medicine that we also used for fast healing of laser beam shots. I saw a long bandage too that I wrapped tightly around his torso to stop the bleeding.

An hour passed. He'd quieted down and fallen asleep. I glanced at the door which was still ajar. It led to a narrow hallway with similar doors on either side of it. We seemed to be the only ones in the entire structure.

My mind told me to exit at that instant. But I couldn't make myself do it. My heart kept my feet planted. I sighed in exasperation and closed the metal door.

Since I could not sleep, I found myself looking through the contents of the duffel bag Andrew had brought in. It contained a variety of medications and other items for survival. There was a small leather journal, which I eyed with interest.

I felt my insides twisting and turning as I opened to the first page. I didn't know what to expect, but as soon as I saw the handwriting, I knew this journal was Andrew's.

Day 1

I don't know the date. I woke up in some strange planet, feeling stronger than ever. There are BIG, scary-looking aliens all around so I don't dare try to escape. They seemed to have healed me from my sickness.

I'm writing this down because I don't know what they intend to do to me. I heard some talk about erasing my memories. It's weird I can understand their language.

Day 2

I'm back in this small empty room with a single bed. Good thing they haven't discovered this journal yet.

I must get out of here. How can I get back to Earth? My wife Tasha thinks I'm dead, but these aliens had replaced my body with a clone. God, I miss her so much. I can't imagine the pain she must be going through now. I pray someday we'll be together again.

I paused after reading the second entry in the journal. One tear after another rolled down my cheeks and my chest heaved with great emotion. So many buried feelings were now resurfacing and I was tired of pushing them back. After all these years that I'd mourned over the death of my husband, we were now back together. I was now faced with the truth of what had actually happened.

Day 3

They are working on my memory now. I can't even remember when I was born. I can't recall my childhood anymore. But I remember my name--- Andrew Morgan. My wife is Tasha Taylor-Morgan whom I love very, very much. I am a human being, not an alien. Back on Earth, I used to run an online IT business. I used to go biking and hiking with my friends and with Tasha. I love to drink coffee; I enjoy working out at the gym. I like

Wait. Someone's coming

Day 4

I can't remember anything anymore. But every day, I will read this journal and know that I am not a Zil alien. I am not a soldier. I am a human who was abducted and changed somehow.

Anything is possible.

Next Entry 1

I don't know how long it has been since I was supposedly abducted. I don't remember anything about my past. I only know my duties as a soldier of this planet. But I found this journal hidden in my bed and the things written here have triggered something within me--- faint memories of the past which I cannot quite understand. There are feelings stirring inside of me that I cannot understand too.

All I know is that I have to keep writing here to not lose myself totally. I need to keep the ring too. It's somehow connected to my past.

Next Entry 2

Maybe a long time had already passed. I feel like a real Zil soldier, not a human as my writing says here. Is this journal even real?

Next Entry 3

They took my ring. I was injected with that orange-colored formula. The other soldier told me it's to keep us healthy and strong. But I'm beginning to have doubts. I don't understand my mind sometimes.

Next Entry 4

Today I was not injected with the formula. I'd faked it. I'm still feeling strong, though. But there are things that bother me – flashes of memories I can't place, for instance. I'm like floating back and forth in between two worlds.

Next Entry 5

I got the ring back. It's my lucky charm so I had to do something. Without it, I always feel lost. Even in battle, I sometimes get confused and end up getting harmed when the ring isn't with me. That's odd.

I've been dodging some injections. So that must be why I seem to think differently from the others.

Someday I might get caught. I have to keep this journal somewhere.

Next Entry 6

I've been hearing something about human fighters who might come to our planet. I have to fulfill my duty to protect Zil. This is my top priority, no matter what this journal says.

I will prepare an emergency bag with medicine, food, and weapons. It will be kept in a safe place unknown to anyone else but me, so that I can retrieve it in case I need it in the future.

There were no other entries. The rest of the pages were empty. My hands trembled as I closed the journal and put it back in the bag. Now everything was clear.

I looked toward Andrew who was sleeping soundly on the bed. He looked so peaceful.
My husband is here,
I told myself.
He's really here.

Sobbing quietly, I climbed in next to him and snuggled close. I realized at that very moment that I had never really loved anyone else except this man. Kent was special to me, but maybe it had just been infatuation. Perhaps he'd been such a great friend and partner that I'd assumed I was falling for him. I had not wanted to go steady with him yet but he had insisted even after I'd told him I wasn't fully ready to love again yet.
I'm so sorry, Kent,
I whispered in my mind.
I'm sorry, but I can only really love one man. And now that we are together again, I have to do everything in my power to make sure we stay together for good.

*****

In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up screaming. I had a bad dream, but I couldn't remember what it was. Panting and sweating, I sat up and tried to calm myself down.

"Tasha baby, it's just a dream…" somebody murmured beside me. It was Andrew who'd stirred a bit from his deep slumber. "Go back to bed…"

I whipped around and stared at his serene figure lying on the bed. I was taken aback by what he'd said. That was what he usually said in the past when I sometimes had nightmares at night. Then I would lie down and he would wrap his arms around me and hum a lullaby while his eyes were closed.

This time, however, his eyes popped open as soon as I lay down again. "Tasha," he whispered. "My lovely wife Tasha…"

I felt like crying again. "It's me, Andrew," I whispered back, gazing into his gentle brown eyes. It seemed as if he were seeing me for the very first time since we had parted on Earth.

His hand flew to my face and caressed my cheek.

"Are you really back?" I whispered. "Is it really you, Andrew?"

"Anything is possible, Tasha…" he whispered back just as he'd always told me throughout the years we'd spent together before. He touched my eyes gently with his thumb, then my nose and my lips. His touch roused the burning passion I'd always had for him. It seemed to break apart the walls I'd put up around the core of my heart for so many years.

He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. I parted my lips slightly and pressed in on his in response. He then kissed me further, increasing the pressure as I eagerly returned it. Soon his tongue was inside my mouth, rolling and turning playfully around and then meeting with my own tongue in a melodic dance that made my entire body heat up with intense desire.

He shifted his position so that his torso was on top of me. "The laser shot…" I tried to tell him, but he didn't seem to care. He shook off his already unbuttoned shirt and then kissed me passionately again. I closed my eyes and let my lips and tongue explore his again. I let out a soft moan as I felt his hand cupping my left breast underneath the sleepwear I had on. His fingers rubbed the nipple repeatedly until it was taut. Then he did the same with the other breast.

He groaned with deep craving as his hand traveled downward and found its way into my panties. Two fingers began making its way through the tangle of hair and sliding across the folds of skin. I moaned louder this time as I felt the lust growing inside of me.

His fingers soon pushed further and deeper, thrusting inward and outward in an indulgent motion that made me squirm and moan over and over again. As he continued this movement, my breasts heaved and swelled against the delicate fabric of my clothing. I arched my back and he tore the fabric apart without any hesitation, uncovering my entire body and causing my full breasts to spring forward and make him want me more.