Kal
I didn’t think it was possible to feel quite so uncomfortable in my human suit.
It was always a little awkward to be squeezed into it—sort of tight, kind of itchy—but never like this. My feet were so swollen they felt like they were pulsating, and my muscles ached.
All it took was a glance at Lola, smiling as she wiped down the counters, laughing at whatever her best friend Nat was saying, and I was smiling, too.
I also felt happy. Or was it contentment? Full in a way that reminded me of butterflies and flowers blooming in a wide open meadow and the way Lola looked at me like I mattered.
It felt a lot like love.
Lola glanced up from her task, and I almost forgot how to breathe.
In the next second, my stomach sank.
How was it that in a universe as infinite as this, I had landed here and met this woman?
It should have felt like nothing less than fate written in the stars.
Except…our time was almost up. And I was too cowardly to tell Lola the truth, either because I didn’t want to upset her before her big day or because I knew I couldn’t handle her reaction. Or a combination of both.
At least I could go back to Xaerea knowing I’d helped Lola achieve her dream.
That could be enough. Look at everything I had experienced!
It was truly amazing that I’d arrived on Earth at all, not to mention that I was able to seamlessly embed into a human community.
(Though, seamless may have been an overstatement.)
And I’d just happened to get taken in by the sweetest human on the planet.
With a heavy sigh, I finished in the dish pit and hung up my apron—probably for the last time.
It’s a good thing you’re leaving soon, before you could ruin this, too.
The negative voice in my head was back. I had managed to temper the bad thoughts for the past few weeks, but…maybe they were right this time.
Look at how great everything had turned out for Lola. All of her hard work had paid off. Even when she was in pain—which was my fault to begin with—Lola pushed through and accomplished all of this.
To put it plainly, Lola was amazing. I was just…me. Someone she took in out of pity and a kind heart, who was a liability.
What was I to her, really? Just another disaster waiting to happen.
I watched Lola flick a hand towel at her best friend, both of them giggling. When she lifted her apron over her head, Lola’s face was flushed, her twin blue moon eyes shining.
No, Lola didn’t need someone like me around.
But I worried that if I stayed in Roswell Falls much longer, I would always need her, which meant I would always take from her.
Because that’s what Kalexdyorn Tirinn always did.
I created messes that other people always had to clean up.
I made mistakes, and someone always ended up resenting me for them.
Lola hugged Nat and ushered her friend out of the empty restaurant. Only the two of us remained, and I couldn’t help making one last mistake.
I stripped myself of the hu-suit and wrapped Lola in my tentacles. She giggled, then squealed when I hoisted her into the air. Lola’s legs wrapped around my waist and my lower tentacles held her in place as I raised two triumphant fists in the air.
“We did it!” Lola said, laughing. The rise and fall of her chest against mine was intoxicating. One last mistake, Kal. That’s all you get.
“You did it,” I said, nuzzling the underside of Lola’s chin. Just one more big mistake.
Warmth filled me from head to toe, once again confirming what I’d already suspected.
I think I’m in love with Lola. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but I did. It was a confusing swirl of knowing and not knowing—awareness, but complete ignorance.
I kissed her slowly, savoring Lola’s taste with the hunger of a starving man. She wrapped her arms around my neck, her fingers settling in my hair against my scalp, and sighed.
When, finally, we pulled away, breathless and smiling, Lola’s sparkling eyes and half-moon smile were almost enough to break my resolve.
But I had made up my mind. When the Xaerean ship finally landed, when it was time to go home for good, I would not resist. I would go back with them, take my punishment, and forget this ever happened. I would do it for her.
I told Lola once that I came in peace, and I planned to go in peace, as well.
As if on cue, I heard the crackle of the comms deck in my pocket.
Which meant it was almost time to say goodbye.