Ruh Roh (One on One)

She rubbed his back slowly before kissing his cheek.

“I love you.”

 

“Of course,” she said quickly. “Of course.”

 

She studied him, but sensed that he maybe wanted to not talk about it. She picked up the dishes he had used and took them to the sink, beginning to wash them.

 

She finished cleaning and began drying, her demeanor quiet.

“Can you... could you tell me about them?” she asked tentatively. “What were they like?”

 

“Did you see a lot of them when you were younger?”

 

“What did they do? Were they scientists?”

 

“So they went around and studied other species?”

 

“Were they well known?”

 

“That’s cool,” she said thoughtfully. “So they’re like you.”

 

“But, like, the studies. The research.”