Page 102 of I Think I’m in Love with an Alien

Glynnis mutters something beneath her breath, but family or not, that’s just good manners. As they exit, I close the door behind them, leaning against it with a heavy sigh.

That is not how I wanted any of this to go.

36

Seeker

“Are you all right?” I ask.

She nods. “I will be. I’m glad you’re here.”

I feel as if I’m already causing problems for Jen.

It is clear that her family disapproves of her cohabitation with someone they have never met or even heard mentioned. I cannot object to their caution. Their disapproval would likely ripen into terror if they knew the truth. Doubts seep in, making me wonder if this course is advisable.

“Are you? I’m unsure—”

“Hey,” Jen cuts in. “Everything will be fine. They just need to adjust to the idea of me having a live-in partner. And they both need to be a little less invested in my decisions.”

She pauses with a quiet sigh. “I think it’s because my dad died. Mom has more time to obsess, and Glynnis is nosy.”

“I don’t want to cause conflict.”

“You aren’t. Even if you weren’t here, I’d still think it was rude for them to drop by without calling. If I wanted to see them first thing in the morning, we’d be living together.”

“Is that customary?”

“What, moving out or living with your parents as an adult?”

“Either.”

“It depends on the situation. Sometimes people move out for college and then if they can’t find a good job, they move in with their parents to save money while looking for work. Some people never move out and stay with their parents until they get married or the parents pass on. Culture plays a role in those decisions as well.”

“I didn’t know that.” There’s so much I need to learn in order to fit in properly, things most humans wouldn’t even wonder about.

Jen heads to the kitchen and I hear her blending something; then she brings in my nutritional beverage. “Here. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten my promise to research meals that you might enjoy more than this subsistence cuisine.”

“I wasn’t worried.” That isn’t entirely true. I am troubled by the interaction with her family, but perhaps I can win them over. “It’s not like this on my world.”

“Oooh.” Jen plops onto the couch, and immediately Scotty races to occupy her lap. She strokes his fur with absent fondness. “I’ve been wondering about your homeworld, but we haven’t had a chance to discuss what it was like in detail. We were running around constantly at Space Con.”

I consider for a long time, the silence stretching until Jen shifts and sips her coffee. I’m not altogether sure, but I think she feels uncomfortable, as if she might have been prying, but that’s not the case. I’ve simply never made this offer to anyone before, and I don’t know if it will work with a human.

But…I want to try. Jen makes me want all manner of possibly unattainable things.

“Do you remember me mentioning our ability to memory walk?” I ask.

“Of course. You distracted me with…”

“Physical pleasure.” I supply the words that she seems to find difficult to speak. “And we didn’t pursue the topic then.”

“Does that mean you want to discuss it now?” she asks.

I shift closer, hoping to bridge the distance between her world and mine. The memory walk is often a solitary reflection, but it can also become a communion of souls, an intimacy reserved for those we trust beyond measure. She won’t realize it yet, but it’s also a declaration of my intent. I was uncertain at first, but the way she has chosen me above all others, even amid familial disapproval… This is the only way I can reciprocate.

“Relax. Let me show you.”

For a moment, there’s nothing—a void as empty as the space between stars. Panic prickles in my mind; the connection feels as elusive as mist. But then, a glimmer, a thread of something familiar and potent tugs at the fabric of my consciousness. I feel Jen, so far away and slipping. I don’t think—