Nigh Invulnerable

Author's note:

See part 1 for blurb. Also, if you haven't already read parts 1-2, I strongly recommend doing so before proceeding.

All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.

***

This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the author (except for the use of brief quotations in a review).

This is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, businesses, products, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

***

Nineteen

"This is almost certainly one of the worst ideas I've ever had," Felix grumbled to no one in particular as he made his way slowly toward New Jersey. His plan had seemed so simple, so straightforward, when he had laid it all out to Quinn days before. He just had to hop overboard in the early morning gloom while their cruise ship was still a few dozen kilometers offshore and swim to New Jersey. The strain had not concerned him, nor particularly had his relative inability to swim. He would take a float and just kick until he touched American soil. No customs; no border patrol; no fuss. Once ashore, he could hire a ride to take him to Quinn's apartment where he could collect his luggage.

The one thing that he forgot to factor in was the fact that, even with his enhanced body (which inoculated him from things which would prevent normal humans from accomplishing his mission like hypothermia, fatigue, hunger, thirst, poisoning from long exposure to the polluted river), he still had to deal with thecatastrophicboredom of doing nothing but swimming for over eight hours. He had plenty of time to try to think of an analog to his situation. He was utterly alone with no humans in sight. Marathon runners and cyclists were obviously out, since they typically had dozens of fellow competitors clustered around them. Even solo hikers or climbers tended to be surrounded by beautiful scenery. He had nothing but the slowly brightening overcast sky for company.

Felix's only consolation was that he could spend the time reliving his remarkable evening with Quinn. He had made the observation in her presence, much to her disbelief, but he knew without question that he had never had a better friend. The fact that the evening they had shared before he had jumped ship in the dead of the night comfortably eclipsed any intimate experience that he could remember only heightened the connection he felt with her.

His biggest concern was not his growing feelings for her, it was the stark changes he had seen from her over their admittedly brief time together. In the course of two weeks, she had gone from frosty, to begrudgingly helpful, to enthusiastically supportive, to awkwardly pensive, to effusively friendly, to lustily companionable. The whipsawing was something he was ill prepared to deal with, especially considering he had never had a relationship that lasted beyond a few months. Ironically, he felt as though she was in a similar situation even though she had just gotten out of a two-year relationship. Neither of them had ever had a relationship progress to the stage of true partnership, to say nothing of something so loftily esoteric as love.

Felix gradually became aware of the light around him and realized that he had missed the first fringes of dawn and jumped straight to sunrise behind the oppressive cloud cover. He paused in his endless swimming to glance around him and realized that, not only could he finally see the distant shore, it was no longer even remotely far removed. He could in fact clearly make out a handful of people out for a morning stroll. He paused to consider exactly where he should come to shore, recognizing that his entire plan would be for naught if some enterprising citizen was moved to pick up the phone and contact the authorities about the hulking man who mysteriously emerged from the early morning surf. He aimed south and resolved to wait a few hundred meters offshore until he spotted an opening.

An hour later, Felix climbed wearily from the modest surf and hurried toward the deserted lifeguard stand to dispose of the evidence of his illegal landing. He managed to tear the heavy-duty cover from the life ring and shred it, allowing him to distribute the pieces amongst a half-dozen trash cans. He then sought out a public restroom and changed into an outfit he had carried in a plastic pouch which had also held his phone and money. He disposed of the shorts he had worn for his swim and left the comfort station feeling nearly human except for the dim awareness that he had burned somewhere north of ten thousand calories since he had last eaten.

He sought out a restaurant and exchanged a paltry amount of money for what was, according to the helpful menu posted behind the cashier, a week's worth of calories in his prior life. He only managed to eat half of what he had purchased, the quality of the food turning his stomach almost immediately. He ultimately took what remained with him when he departed and passed it over to a panhandler on the street corner in exchange for directions to the bus terminal.

***

Felix took his time making his way to Quinn's apartment, being sensitive to how it might look for him to be loitering nearby while he awaited her arrival. He instead proceeded with haste to her adopted hometown of Wilmington in the neighboring state of Delaware so that he could spend a few hours looking for accommodations. He still had a significant amount of the prize money remaining, even after the week-long cruise across the north Atlantic, but he knew that continuing to live in hotels would exhaust his nest egg uncomfortably quickly. He spent a few hours riding on various buses, making notes on his phone of properties which looked promising. His target was something decidedly lower than middle class, since he needed to find a landlord who was willing to rent on a cash-only basis and would not take issue with his lack of identification.

He finally knocked on Quinn's door after seven that evening with several sacks of groceries held easily in one hand. It took her several moments to answer the door, which he would have dismissed without a second thought were it not for the nervous expression on her face. It was as though she had reverted to her mindset from before she had undertaken to teach him baseball in the eighteen hours since they had parted.

Felix's subconscious pointed out that she had just endured a full day of travel, not to mention that it was likely she had been in contact with her ex-boyfriend since landing. He smiled warmly at her and held up the bags he carried as he said, "I figured you wouldn't have had time to shop, so I brought a couple of days' worth of food."

Her smile managed to break through the worry still written plainly on her face and she said, "Thank you. That was very thoughtful. Please, come in."

"Of course," he replied easily as he stepped into the sparsely furnished apartment.

He took a moment to look around what was, to his 2261 mind, an enormous living space. Especially for a single person. There were two bedrooms, the smaller of which had obviously been repurposed as an office, along with a large kitchen and an absolutely enormous living room which was at least thirty square meters. Seated on a large carpeted structure which vaguely resembled a medieval castle was the largest presumably domestic cat Felix had ever seen. He walked over and examined it closely, although the imposing creature could apparently not be bothered to allow Felix's presence to dissuade him from cleaning his undercarriage.

His examination was interrupted when Quinn said, "What had you planned on making with all this?" from her spot in the kitchen where she was unloading the groceries.

He headed in her direction, pausing at the kitchen's entryway before he shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. The food I ate before enlisting was all prepackaged. You have literally never met anyone worse at cooking than me. I just tried to get some... how do you say... staples."

She sorted through the pile briefly before snickering and saying, "In a way, you could call this a master-class-level psychology experiment."

"How do you mean?"

"You've got nothing but meat and vegetables."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and said, "You're suggesting I missed something? I considered getting some bread, but you said during the cruise you were trying to cut back."

"That's true... and I swear I'm not trying to make fun of you... but in the future, you should consider things like spices, fat and maybe some of the healthier grains like rice." He opened his mouth to offer to return to the store, but she cut him off with a look and said, "It's fine. I've got all that here. Why don't we see what we can put together." He started to take a seat, but she added, "Get over here. You've got to learn something about cooking, or you'll end up poisoning yourself the first time you try it on your own."

***

"What the shit!" Felix exclaimed. "Three errors on one play!"

"Welcome to minor league baseball," Quinn interjected with a chuckle. "Speaking of which, these games are pretty popular for families. So maybe watch the language?"

"Sorry," he whispered fiercely before turning in the direction of a family comprised of three children and a middle-aged male and repeating his apology.

After an enjoyable cooking lesson and meal, Quinn had suggested they catch a game for the local team. It had been a confusing first few innings for Felix, the entirety of whose previous exposure to baseball had been the highest-level professionals. It had genuinely not occurred to him until he watched a lanky seventeen-year-old launch his bat into right field swinging at a pitch in the dirt that the sport was even remotely challenging.

"You know," Quinn spoke up after the end of the inning, "this kind of game isn't really about the game. It's more about the experience of being at the ballpark. You know... have a beer and a dog and just relax for a few hours."

"That makes sense. Almost like it's a pastime as opposed to something you're meant to have a panic attack about."

"Exactly," she agreed excitedly.

They sat in silence through another inning filled with laughable play and preposterous antics by those whose job it was to provide stadium entertainment. But as the silence stretched between them, he could not help the sense he was getting that he was missing something critical. Things came to a head an inning later when the visiting team exploded for six runs, pushing the lead to double digits, and many in the crowd started to pack up.

Felix became aware of something amiss, a feeling not unlike a sensation he had experienced a lifetime ago on a star dozens of light-years from earth where he had, in the midst of running across a seemingly deserted street in a decidedly alien city, ducked suddenly without knowing why just before an energy beam sliced through the air above him. He had managed to eliminate the sniper before the creature had gotten off a second shot without ever knowing why he had evaded in the first place. This time, however, it was not a three-limbed alien which gave him pause, it was the beautiful yet self-doubting woman at his side. A not insignificant amount of trepidation washed over him as he turned to face her. This sense of unease only worsened when he spotted her worried expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked before looking around anxiously.

She was silent for several moments before finally saying, "Nothing."

He sighed and said, "I realize I've only known you a few weeks, but we passed the point where I'd buy that weak of an evasion before we even got to the bar on the first day we spent together."

She grinned crookedly at him and said, "I suppose so." She was quiet for a few long moments before adding, "I spoke to my boyfriend today."

"Ex-boyfriend," Felix interjected before worriedly adding, "Unless you took him back."

"No. Nothing like that. It's just that I realized he and I dated for over two years." She shook her head dejectedly and repeated, "Two years. That's a long time to be with someone and have it not work out. Especially at my age."

"You're younger than I am," he said gently. "And you look incredible today, Quinn. It's almost as if you're glowing. Save for the sour expression."

"I know. And I'm sorry about that."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"Would you stop interrupting?" she snapped.

"Sorry," he replied reflexively before smiling self-consciously and miming zipping his lips closed.

"You're a really fantastic guy Felix. And I really like spending time with you. And last night wasincredible. Please never think it was anything other than the greatest night of my life."

"But?" he interrupted again, albeit cautiously.

"Like I said," she answered with a shrug. "I just got out of a two-year relationship. Two years where I was never sure if we were headed toward the alter, or just wasting our time. And it took him trying to bully and belittle me, in public, over something as inconsequential as going to a nude beach for me to realize it was the latter. How could I have been so blind?"

"It was as you said before, sometimes it isn't about what we want. It's about what we allow ourselves to believe we're meant to have, regardless of whether or not we're happy. But you are allowed to be happy, Quinn. And, what's more, you deserve to be happy."

She smiled shyly and said, "Thank you. But so do you. And I can't ask you to wait around until I figure out what I want."

He shrugged and said, "I don't mind in the least. Even at your most inconsistent, you're the best friend I've ever had."

"Same here," she replied softly. "We're two peas in a pod, aren't we?" He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. She accepted his affection and snuggled close to him before murmuring, "I mean it Felix. I've got a lot of shit to figure out."

"And I'll be there for you every step of the way."

"I know you will. Just as I'll always be there for you. But, as your friend, I can't ask you to forsake all others. You're an amazing guy, not to mention being a fucking Greek god. It would be an affront to nature to keep that monster in your pants on the bench while I sort out my shit."

"You're suggesting an open relationship?"

She sighed before saying, "I'm suggestingnorelationship, beyond the best of friends. Oh, I might experience a moment of weakness here and there. And, if you happen to be between stunningly beautiful women at the time, I might ask you to take pity on your old pal Quinn and fuck me six ways from Sunday on a random Tuesday night. But you could absolutely tell me to forget it and it wouldn't impact our friendship in the slightest."

"I'd never turn you down."

"I know," she grumped. "And I appreciate that. Plus, not that it's even remotely analogous, but the same thing goes in the opposite direction. Just please don't shut yourself off from any other... opportunities... just because you're waiting for me to come around. Maybe we'll give dating a try someday, but in the meantime, I look forward, as your friend, to hearing about the O-faces of Wilmington's most beautiful bachelorettes."

"You're ridiculous," he retorted dismissively.

She fixed him with a steady glare and said, "I'm also serious. On top of the aforementioned craziness, I checked my email on the way home and I'm in for an absolute clusterfuck at work for at least the next few weeks. Get out there and experience a bit of modern American life. Stick that magnificent cock in a couple, or a couple dozen, beautiful chicks. Just wrap it up or you'll find out the hard way just how horrible our medical care is in this country." He shook his head wearily, prompting her to add, "Promise me, Felix."

"But," he started.

"We're not leaving here until you agree with me," she said firmly. "I'm not ready to be someone's girlfriend again so soon, or even someone's friend with benefits. I'm not even sure how good of friend I'll be. Just promise me you won't make me feel even more guilty by secretly refusing this profoundly reasonable request."

He studied her intently for any sign of self-sacrifice. It would have hardly surprised him considering all he had learned about her. She was, more than anything else, a person who would sacrifice anything to avoid being a burden. However, the more he stared at her soulful eyes, the more he realized that, while there was likely an element of that maddening selflessness in her words, her primary motivation was something deeper. He very much wanted a relationship with her, but he could no more attempt to force that on her than he could return to the future from whence he came.

At length, he dropped his head in defeat and said, "Fine. But we're still watching games every Sunday night, even if I have to kick your door in."

She grinned brightly and said, "Deal."

Twenty

"I don't understand what the problem is," Felix groaned in frustration.

"The fuckin' thing don't fit, is da problem," the surly delivery driver snapped. "This here couch is damn near ten feet long."

"How long is a foot?" Felix asked in confusion.

"Where you from?" the driver asked suspiciously.

"Eastern Europe," Felix replied in the manner Quinn had suggested.

"Whatever. Point is, it won't fit in the elevator."

"What about the stairs?"

"You expect us to carry that fuckin' thing up five flights of stairs?"

"I expect you to deliver it... as I paid for."

The driver indicated where the couch sat on the tile of the building's tiny lobby and said, "It's been delivered. Union rules say we don't have to do more than five stairs."

"You're joking," Felix complained.

"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p'. "You want we should load it back on the truck or leave it here."

Felix groaned in frustration before looking around helplessly at the stairs. He hurried over and peered through the window in the external door which led to the stairwell before returning and lifting the end of the couch to test the weight. He then carefully moved to the couch's center-point and hefted it onto his shoulder.

"Jesus," the driver breathed as Felix headed toward the stairs.

For his part, Felix ignored the troublesome driver and began the laborious process of climbing forty-five stairs carrying a couch that weighed in excess of forty kilograms. His progress was brought to a halt when he reached the top of the first flight of stairs and realized the couch would not make the cramped turn to the next flight. He tried several different methods of making the turn, including attempting to stand the couch on its end, but it was to no avail. Eventually, he rested the troublesome piece of furniture against the railing to investigate other possibilities.

At length, he carried the couch back down the stairs to the lobby and plopped down on it to ponder. As he sat, he noticed a utility closet and hopped up to peek inside. He initially saw little of value, but then his gaze fell upon a coil of heavy-duty rope. He snatched it from the shelf and uncoiled it to discover that it was at least thirty meters long. He re-coiled it and looped it over his arm before he hefted the couch again and took it outside to lower it down next to the base of the stairs. He then jogged up the stairs to the top level and tied the end of the rope from the railing before dropping the remainder over the side. Another trip down the stairs allowed him to tie the end of the rope around one end of the couch before he once again made the climb. Upon reaching the top, he untied his trusty rope and began hauling the couch up the side of the building as he leaned awkwardly over the railing. There was a touchy moment as the couch reached the top, but Felix managed to transition from pulling the rope to dragging the couch and hauled it safely over the railing. From there, it was reasonably straightforward to carry the couch down the hall and into his tiny apartment.

Nigh Invulnerable Pt. 03

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