Chapter 9 #2
I blink at him over the rim of my mug, enjoying the first sip of yurba.
It’s not quite as bitter as coffee, which I appreciate.
A little sugar, or whatever passes for sugar in outer space, makes it pretty enjoyable.
I stay silent for a moment, waiting for him to tell me he’s joking.
He just stares. “Wait…I can wear whatever I want?”
“Yes, Banjo,” Tavryn sighs, shaking his head at me.
“Go change. Quickly. We should have left already.” I rush back into my room, throwing on my one outfit of jeans, a t-shirt, and my jean jacket.
It’s been recently cleaned, so it doesn’t have much of a smell.
I don’t bother changing out of the shorts since they’re basically underwear anyway.
“Do you think Oliver would mind if I bring my guitar?” I ask as I join Tavryn back in the main room. “I thought he might like to hear somethin’ from Earth, since he probably hasn’t in a while.”
Tavryn shrugs. “If you want to lug that thing around, go ahead.” I grin widely, grabbing my case and slinging it over my shoulder.
Having it with me makes me feel better. Oliver and I might have plenty to talk about, but if we don’t, at least I’ll be able to fill the silence without saying or doing something embarrassing.
The last thing I want is to be the target of the Despot’s anger again, both for Tavryn’s sake and my own.
As Tavryn walks toward the door, long coat flowing dramatically behind him, I pause.
We should probably have some kind of discussion around what happened this morning instead of just ignoring it.
“Uh, Tav?” He stops, looking over his shoulder at me.
His tail flicks with what I’m guessing is irritation.
“Can we have this conversation while walking?” He sounds like he’s tired of dealing with me already. Definitely not a good sign.
“You know what, nevermind,” I tell him, walking quickly to catch up. It’s a good thing too, because he isn’t waiting for me.
Being in the same small space as each other isn’t helping, so it’s a good thing we’re planning to have time apart today. By the time we see each other again this afternoon, I’m sure whatever tension that has been building between us will be gone.
Thankfully, it’s just Oliver waiting for us when we reach the throne room.
“Des will be right out!” Oliver promises, grabbing my hand and tugging me back toward the elevator.
He looks at Tav and says, “I know he’s got something super fun planned for the two of you. Just try to stay out of trouble, okay?”
Tavryn is staring at our joined hands, eyebrows tilted so far down they nearly meet in the middle. I do my best to bite back a giggle. It’s rude to laugh when other people are upset, no matter how cute they look.
“And you’ll keep him safe?” Tavryn asks, his eyes skipping over me like I’m not even here. Okay, now that was rude. Probably called for, since I almost got myself killed twice yesterday, but still. Rude.
Oliver waves his free hand at Tavryn. “Of course. You know barely anyone will even get within ten feet of me.” This seems to satisfy Tavryn.
He stays quiet, but I can feel his eyes on me as I follow Oliver onto the elevator.
“So.” Oliver claps his hands together once we’re safely behind closed doors. “Tell me everything.”
“Everything?” I repeat, eyes widening. I’m not sure what he’s referring to. Probably everything that’s been happening on Earth since he’s been gone. “Well, I guess I need to know how long you’ve been gone before I start fillin’ stuff in.”
“No, not everything about that,” Oliver laughs. “I meant everything about you and Tavryn! How did the two of you meet? How long have you been together?”
My cheeks are burning in seconds. I didn’t realize this was going to be that kind of brunch.
It’s kind of flattering, actually. Oliver has a chance to get all kinds of updates on what’s happening on his home planet, but he’d rather hear about my maybe-relationship with Tavryn.
It’d probably feel good to talk about it to someone who knows Tavryn like Oliver does.
Maybe he can give me some kind of advice about how best to deal with him.
“That sounds like eatin’ talk, not walkin’ talk.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Oliver agrees, nodding politely at Mass as he heads down a long hallway. The jumbled stacking of different ships makes it hard for me to get my bearings. I’m completely lost by the time we end up at a surprisingly cute restaurant.
“Wow,” I say as I slip my guitar case off and slide into the seat across from Oliver.
There are a few aliens dining here, all of them at least two tables away.
I try not to linger on their strange bodies and the even stranger meals.
“This is just like bein’ on Earth. Except it’s way fancier than any restaurant I’ve ever been to. ”
“Yeah, Des had some otherworlders build it for me to help me feel more settled here.” Oliver’s eyes basically turn to hearts when he talks about that giant slime beast. “This, ah, is actually where we had our first date.”
“Otherworlders?” I echo, ignoring the fizzy feeling in my stomach when Oliver talks about his first date with the Despot. Would making mac ’n’ cheese with Doritos count as my first date with Tav? It seemed equally romantic.
“Most of them don’t like being called aliens, and you don’t want to get on anyone’s bad side around here” He grins at me. “Although honestly, since we’re friends, I don’t think you have to worry about any of that.”
“Because of your…” I trail off, unsure of what the right word is. “Uh, relationship with the big guy?”
“Yes.” Oliver lets out a dreamy sigh, resting his cheek on his hand for a moment. “But enough about me. I want to know all about the human that finally managed to get Tavryn to open up.”
I rub the back of my neck, chuckling softly. “If this is Tav being open, I’d hate to see him closed.” Oliver looks like he’s expecting more than that, so I try to remember all the questions he asked before we walked over here.
“Uh, so I was taken by those coppery dudes who run the UFO or whatever. I think Tav called them Algae-ahs or somethin’?” Oliver looks angry when I mention the aliens—otherworlders—who run the Human Relocation Program, though he quickly softens at my butchering of whatever their species is called.
“Aelgeah,” he corrects with a laugh.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. Algae-ahs.” It sounds the same to me. Maybe one of our translator chips is on the fritz or something. At least he can still understand me, since we’re both speaking English.
Oliver lets it drop and motions for me to continue as a shadowy creature drops off a pitcher filled with something colorful. Oliver immediately fills our glasses with the bubbly, bright orange liquid. I completely lose my train of thought. “Are those mimosas?”
“Yup,” Oliver replies, popping the p with a grin. “I normally don’t drink orange juice because of all the sugar, but Des found this alternative fruit that works just as well.” He hands me a glass. I take it, following his lead as he lifts his own in a toast. “To humans in space.”
“To humans in space,” I echo as our glasses clink together.
I take a small sip of the liquid. It’s obviously not orange juice, but it’s still yummy.
The tanginess overrides the sweetness in a pleasant way, and the alcohol helps mellow it all out.
“Mm. That’s real good. I think I could drink about a dozen of ‘em.” I tilt the glass back, swallowing down nearly half of it in one gulp.
“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Oliver sips his own much more slowly, playing with the stem as he watches me.
I wonder how long it’s been since he’s seen another human.
Is that impolite to ask? The rules out here are so different, I barely know which way is up.
“The alcohol content is pretty high. I probably went overboard with the pitcher. I’m not used to ordering for two humans. ”
“You coulda told me that before I went and chugged it,” I say with a good-natured huff. Oliver grins at me.
“Then how would I ensure you’d talk to me?” he asks, batting his eyes at me. “Des is great, but he doesn’t understand gossip. So please, spill the tea.”
I tilt my head. I haven’t heard anyone say that in a long time. Which reminds me that I had a question for him. If he wants me to talk, it only seems fair that he should have to as well. “Can I ask you one thing first?”
Oliver’s cheeks flush a bright red. “Look, okay, I know the slime looks a little gross, but you can’t tell me that your first thought wasn’t “I wonder what that would feel like around my dick.” And the answer is good.
Very good. Plus, he can make his…” Oliver trails off when he notices me gaping at him.
“Oh. Was that not what you were going to ask? I just assumed.”
“No!” I splutter. I hadn’t been thinking about it at all, though I’m definitely thinking about it now. I probably won’t be able to think about anything else for weeks. “I was just gon’ ask how long you’ve been up here.”
“Oh!” Oliver laughs so hard he nearly doubles over.
By the time he pulls himself together, tears well at the corners of his eyes.
“I guess I should know better than to assume. I just thought, what with humans not usually mating outside their species, you’d be curious.
” He takes a sip of his drink before shooting me a sly grin.
“Should have known you wouldn’t have any problems with that. ”
This time, I’m the one who’s blushing. There’s a big difference between Tavryn, who doesn’t look that much different than a human, and the Despot, but who am I to judge?
I pretty much decided I was happy to bang an alien the first time I saw Tavryn, tail and horns and all, so… yeah. No room for judgement here.
“Anyway.” That seems like the right move for how this conversation is going right now.
For a second, I think Oliver is going to completely ignore my actual question.
Then he finally answers me. “I’ve been up here for…
wow, almost fifteen years. I was in the first group of people taken as part of the Human Relocation Program, or whatever they’re calling it now.
” He winces. “Uh, actually, I’m kinda the reason the entire program started. But look at you! You seem very…happy?”
I consider that for a moment. Am I happy? Honestly, yes. My life had been so stressful while competing on America’s Voice, and before that, I’d always had something to worry about. Bills. Mamaw’s health. Viola’s college tuition. I haven’t really been thinking about any of those things recently.
Guilt burns in my gut so strong, I think the drink is going to come right back up.
I push it down. Tavryn is taking me back to Earth.
There’s no reason why I can’t enjoy myself while I’m up here.
It’s not like I’m purposefully putting off going home.
If it were my choice, I’d have Tavryn take me home today.
The thought doesn’t make me feel any more settled.
“I guess I am happy,” I agree. “But I ain’t stayin’. Tavryn is takin’ me back to Earth when he goes again. I got some stuff I gotta finish. Responsibilities and all that.”
Oliver shudders at the thought. “Yeah, Tavryn offered to take me back too. I’ve never said no so fast.” Plates of what look mostly like omelets and toast are set in front of us, and we both dig into the food.
“There was nothing there for me. Honestly, being taken was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”
I nod, remembering the way that Oliver and the Despot looked at each other.
It was sweet, once I got over how weird the whole thing was.
Could anyone ever feel that way about me?
Or could I ever feel that way about anyone?
So far, the only person I’d ever had a strong, instant connection to was Tavryn.
I still want to explore that connection, even knowing it’s only for a short period of time.
“Alright, I answered your question.” Oliver’s words interrupt my thoughts about Tavryn. “Now it’s your turn to talk.”
So I do.