Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Khesan
My spirits are buoyed all day by what befell Shathar this morning. He couldn’t have set me up better if he tried. Now I will be competent in the kitchen in comparison.
Though I don’t have much cooking experience, as I’ve always eaten in the barracks.
But I will learn. I brought a recipe book with me, one of my many acquisitions from the space station where our ship from Arshur met with the ship to Earth.
I also have a book on common English sayings, English curse words, and an anatomy book.
Though we have the Human Fact Sheet on our communicators, I have found the illustrations in the book to be… far more thorough.
I am excited to show Fiona what I’ve learned.
Just the idea is intoxicating after watching her at the “grocery store.” This place was a far cry from what I’m accustomed to, but fascinating in its own way.
I vow to learn my way around it so I can easily acquire what she needs, and then she doesn’t have to trouble herself with braving the calamity.
The whole time we shopped, Fiona’s hips swayed, and I was mesmerized by them. Every time she looked at me, her bright blue eyes spoke volumes. Her smile is radiant and white, and even her strange, blunt teeth look cute on her.
After we’ve gone back to the house and Fiona has shown us where to put away the groceries, we’re off to the next task: the thrift store. This is a familiar concept to me, as our culture also exchanges goods we no longer need with those who may need them.
“Amara is coming,” Fiona tells us. “She loves thrifting.”
“One of your friends?” I ask.
“Yes!” Fiona’s eyes go starry. “Amara and Marguerite are my besties. Amara is the one who inspired me to apply to the Galactic Matching Program.”
Shathar perks up, too. “How did she do that?”
“Well, she’s got an alien husband, too.” She rubs her chin. “But only one of them.”
Shathar scowls at me and I scowl back.
“It worked out great for them,” Fiona continues, grabbing her keys and leading us back out to the car. “Amara and Roth’kar are the happiest married people I’ve ever seen.”
I know that will be us someday, once all of this is resolved and Shathar is sent back where he came from.
This time, I allow him to sit in the front seat. Fiona made it clear how our conflict with one another annoys her, so I will do my best to keep it at a minimum and tolerate him until she comes around to me and realizes that we are meant to be together.
I watch out the windows, taking in the sight of the city. It’s much larger than one of our villages in every way, and we certainly don’t build anything this tall on Arshur. I am entranced by their shining steel facades until the car pulls up and stops by the side of the street.
“Here we are,” Fiona says, hopping out. I get out of the car as well, and she grabs me quickly.
“Oops, watch out! Cars coming.” She quickly closes my door as a massive vehicle drives past, then pulls me around the front of the car onto the pathway.
Vakha, these cars are dangerous. But her hand in mine is so small, so soft and warm that I don’t want to let her go.
Shathar’s lip curls when he sees our hands linked, but he doesn’t speak as we join him on the path. There appear to be many shops along the street here, busy with people going in and out.
“Amara!” Fiona calls out, and a tall woman with dark hair and brown skin spins around. She smiles widely when she sees us and claps her hands together.
“Fiona!” She pauses when she sees the two of us standing behind her. “Oh, wow. You weren’t kidding.” The woman approaches slowly, peering over Fiona’s shoulders at me, and then at Shathar. “There’s two of them.”
“Yup. And they both need some clothes.”
“I’ll give you my tailor’s number after this,” Amara says. Then she holds out a hand to me. “Hi! I’m Amara. What’s your name?”
“Khesan,” I answer smoothly, taking her hand in mine. Ah, yes, a human handshake. I read up on these. A firmer handshake means strength, so I shake Amara’s hand fiercely. I am a strong male as Arshurians go.
Her eyes widen, and she quickly pulls her hand away, rubbing it. “Wow. Um. Very nice to meet you, Khesan. Very firm, uh, handshake.”
Perhaps that was too hard.
She offers the same to Shathar, and he is gentler as he imitates me.
“I am Shathar,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to meet one of Fiona’s friends.”
Once introductions are over, Fiona leads the way inside the “thrift store.” It is not at all like one of our swap meets back on Arshur, though. Clothes line racks in every direction, with prices atop the racks.
“Just take a look around,” Fiona says to us. “Pick out whatever strikes your fancy and you can try it on.”
She shows us to the shirt rack and estimates our sizes. “Khesan, you are a bit bigger. Maybe you should look at the extra-larges.”
I puff up. I am larger than Shathar, both taller and broader thanks to my rigorous physical training.
“It is not the size that counts,” Shathar mutters as Fiona moves on to show me the “extra-larges.”
“This would look good on you,” Amara says, plucking a blue shirt off the rack. She holds it up to Shathar. “Sets off your scales.”
While Shathar is occupied with Fiona’s friend, I follow Fiona to the other end where she’s leafing through clothing. She pulls one off that says LED ZEPPELIN in big letters and offers it to me.
“What is a Led Zeppelin?” I hold it up in front of me as I look in a mirror.
“A band. You wouldn’t know who they are. But it’ll make you look trendy.”
“What if someone asks me about this Led Zeppelin?”
“Say they’re the greatest rock band of all time or something. Here, they’ve got others.” She pulls off another shirt, yellow this time, with nothing but a big, smiling face in the middle. “Hmm. This is kind of creepy.”
“I like it.” I hold out my hand for the shirt, and she gives it to me. “It is friendly. I want humans to think I am friendly.”
She arches an eyebrow at me, then chuckles into her hand. “All right. It’s yours if you want it.”
“I would like to try it on.”
An attendant helps me locate a room wherein I can change. I leave on my leggings and replace my robes with the shirt, instead. It is very bright and easy to spot from a distance. That will ensure Fiona doesn’t lose me in a crowd.
And the smile is very appealing.
“I’ll take it,” I say after changing back into my robes.
“Let’s find you a few more,” Fiona says, guiding me back to the racks. Meanwhile, Shathar is shopping with Amara, much to my pleasure. She is a married woman and not my mate, so it really couldn’t be going better.
“Fiona,” Shathar calls after a moment. She stands up straight and he waves her over. “Will you tell me if this is a good one?”
She scurries over and I resist the urge to hiss.
“Ooh, that’s nice,” Fiona says to Shathar. “Try this, too. I think this pattern would look great on you, and it’s a short sleeve, so it will keep you cool in the summer.”
According to the human calendar on my communicator, it is winter, so it should remain cold for many months yet. I don’t like that Shathar would be choosing clothes to suit such a long timeline as that.
I will pick something for warm weather, too, as I know that I’ll be around this summer. Shathar will not be.
Grabbing the shirts, I go to try them on. Fiona and Amara both applaud when I emerge from the dressing room, liking both my “flannel” and the fancy shirt with a sharp collar. They have similar reactions, though, when Shathar comes out in his shirts, so I’m not sure if I’m being humored.
Fiona approaches me when I come out in the collared shirt, and her smell wafts over me.
I can tell she is wearing an artificial scent, but underneath it I can smell her, and it is intoxicating.
I try to keep my cool as she reaches out and adjusts the collar, her skin briefly making contact with my scales.
Just this brief touch awakens me. Under my leggings, my cock nudges my thigh, and I tell it immediately to stay down. I cannot have that happen here and now.
After paying for my own clothes, I loiter with Amara while Fiona pays for Shathar’s, and his tail hangs on the floor as she does so. I preen, knowing I have this on him.
“So, why did you decide to apply to the Galactic Matching Program?” Amara asks me.
“Seeking a forever mate,” I answer without missing a beat. “And I found it.”
Her brows rise high on her forehead. “You did?”
“Fiona is my fated mate. I knew the moment she stepped into the room and I smelled her.” I cover my chest. “Now I know that our hearts beat in tune. It’s pre-determined.”
“Whaaat?” Amara’s mouth falls open. “Like, this was all meant to happen?”
“Exactly. The gods intended me to board that ship to come to Earth, where I was supposed to find Fiona.”
She cups her hands beneath her chin. “That’s so romantic. I had no idea you could know that way. Soul mates are sort of a spiritual concept on Earth.”
“Ah, well, for Arshurians it is… physiological. There are certain physical changes, too, that make us certain.”
She blinks. “Oh. Interesting. I guess you are an alien, and an alien will be different, if Roth’kar has taught me anything.” She snaps her fingers. “Speaking of which, I really should get home. Fiona?”
Amara waves as Fiona and Shathar exit the store together. Shathar looks significantly more upbeat now, chatting amiably with Fiona and gesturing with his hands.
Vakha. I wonder what they’re talking about?
“I’ve gotta go,” Amara says, hugging Fiona. Then she hugs Shathar, too, and I am prepared when she comes to hug me. I pat her back as I saw in the handbook I purchased, and Amara laughs.
“Good handshake, good hug. Interesting. I look forward to introducing both of you to my husband.” She winks, then waves as she heads off down the path.
“Well, we have a first date planned,” Fiona says. She pats Shathar on the shoulder.
“First date?” I search my memory for this word because I remember learning it. My translator provides two options: a dried fruit and a romantic outing.
I hiss through my teeth. “A date?”
“Yes. Shathar and I will visit the nature preserve today. Then, next weekend, Khesan, we can go on a date, too.”
I can’t believe it. Shathar has secured a romantic outing with Fiona on our first day, and I will have to wait a week?
“Can’t we go tomorrow?” I ask hoarsely, seeing my opportunity to get an early win evaporating like smoke.
“I work tomorrow, and we need to take you to get fitted. I guess we could go in the evening, if we did an evening activity.” She taps her chin. “We could go bowling after I’m done. I did schedule myself light this week.”
I nod rapidly. “Yes, let us do this bowling tomorrow.” As much as it pains me to let Shathar have the first “date.”
“Great! It’s settled, then. We’ll head home, and Shathar and I will go out. Then, tomorrow, bowling!”
I am not so pleased as we all get in the car and drive home.