Chapter 16
GISELLE SAT ON THE bed, swiping her fingers over the silky fabric of her old dress, having found it tucked away in a forgotten closet. It reminded her of the dinner with Anthony, the one that had caused her to flee to the desert.
Her last night on Earth.
It seemed so long ago, such a vast chasm away from where she was now. She’d been changed irrevocably—there was no doubt about that—but she wondered if that was such a bad thing.
There was no longing when she thought of Earth or the people she knew there, no nostalgia for the life she’d once had.
Her family was long gone, and her friends were few and far between.
She hadn’t hated her job, but it was difficult to beat lounging on the beach every single day, being cared for by her two lovers.
She’d had no more issues with either of them, both careful to take her right to the edge of agony without truly harming her. And the way they soothed her afterwards as the haziness dissipated and her emotions returned made her feel like the most cherished person in the universe.
The door whooshed and Giselle looked up to see Vrix and Thase wearing strange expressions as they ambled over to the bed. They said nothing as they sat next to her, though she noticed the way their gazes both paused on the dress in her hands.
“What is Earth like?” Vrix asked, the question surprising her.
His voice was somber, so different from its normal lilting melody.
“It’s okay, I guess. Why do you want to know?”
Neither one had asked much about Earth, not in the weeks she’d spent on this new planet. In her new home.
“What would you do if you returned?” Thase asked, both of them careful not to make contact with her.
Strange, as they normally had difficulty keeping their hands and tentacles to themselves, greeting her with a big hug or by brushing their claws through her hair.
“What do you mean?”
She glanced between the two of them as their eyes darted around the room, doing anything but meeting her gaze.
“If we took you back to Earth. What would you do then?”
Vrix trembled slightly as he spoke.
Discomfort settled in her stomach, her chest clenching with the anxiety that she’d evaded for so long. She took Vrix’s face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.
“What are you talking about? Why would I go back to Earth?”
His eyes jerked to Thase, then back to her.
“We… we have discussed it. If it is your wish to return to your planet, we will take you back.”
Giselle inhaled sharply, examining him for a hint of humor, a smile or a glimmer in his eyes, but there was none. This was no trick. She dropped her hands and turned to Thase, who had the same serious expression.
“You’d really take me back?” she asked, her voice quivering.
“If that is your wish, dear one,” Thase said.
“Why?”
Tears welled in her eyes, a rush of emotions overwhelming her body after enjoying the hazy bliss of Occaro X7.
“We want you to be happy.”
She swallowed hard, trying to choke back the tears that threatened to spill. She’d already accepted that this was her life, had prepared to spend the rest of her days here with Vrix and Thase. Accepted it willingly. Earth had barely crossed her mind until today, when she found the dress.
“Do you think I’m not happy here?”
There was a long, weighty pause before Thase answered.
“We know you are happy, in a way, but we have taken you from your home. You wanted to go back, begged us to return you. And…” he trailed off, clearing his throat. “We love you. So if you still hope to return, then we will do so.”
Her heart hurt like it was breaking into pieces, shattering like a pane of glass. The world was spinning, but she was frozen in her spot, unable to move or speak.
“Is that your wish, sweet human?” Vrix asked, drawing her focus.
As Giselle’s mind spun, she bit her lip, realizing she already knew the answer to the question.
When she was on the Starlet, it would have been a resounding yes, the urge to escape stronger than anything else.
Even a few weeks ago, she might have considered it.
But now? Returning to Earth meant returning to her old life, never seeing Vrix or Thase again.
A return to the anxiety that had plagued her for so long.
She’d experienced more passion and intimacy and love in the past weeks than she had in her entire relationship with Anthony. In any of her previous relationships, in fact. Her ex had been so eager to discard her, and yet Vrix and Thase held onto her like they never wanted to let go.
They had made mistakes, but she had long since forgiven them.
And they’d been true to their word, caring for her and keeping her safe, treasuring her.
They’d promised to take her to other planets, countless beautiful worlds to explore.
Alien planets, places no human had ever seen. Would she really give all that up?
The truth didn’t dawn on Giselle, because it had been something she’d acknowledged deep within herself for some time.
“I love you, both of you. Of course, I don’t want to return. My home is with you.”
Vrix reacted first, his arms snaking around her back and pulling her close. Thase wrapped his arms around the both of them, a heavy sigh sounding in her ear.
“Oh, sweet one, we love you. It would have broken us, but we would have done it for you,” Vrix muttered, tears dripping down his face and onto her shoulder.
It would have broken her too, splintered her into so many pieces she’d never be whole again. But here, she was happy. With them, she was complete.
They sat there for a long minute, huddled together, connected as one. When they finally released her, Giselle pulled each one of them in for a gentle kiss, her heart beating fast like sunshine was pulsing in her chest.
She was home, in this beautiful house, on this awe-inspiring planet with her alien partners.
And there was nowhere else she’d rather be.