Page 13 of I Think I’m in Love with an Alien

“Maybe there could be more in the endgame,” I suggest.

“Like what?” Seeker asks.

“Like a wrap-up regarding what became of the aliens you created? Maybe you could do an ‘if, then’ sort of algorithm and generate a random outcome based on certain evolutionary paths?”

“They conquered twelve planets before going to war with superior technology and were obliterated?” Tad suggests.

“Exactly. So the game doesn’t just randomly end.”

“I like that addition,” Jaz says. “It could use a bit of something when we come to the end of the evolutionary path.”

Right now, it just displays a dark screen with the words: Your alien is fully evolved. Thanks for playing.

Tad seems thoughtful. “Hmm. I might be able to do something like that, based on the choices that were made during the evolutionary process.”

I’m focused on him and Jaz, trying to hide how much I’d rather be staring at Seeker, who appears to be listening with complete focus. I wonder if he stares at his phone like that when we’re messaging each other. His dark eyes are trained on me, more than the others.

I can’t let myself be misled again. It doesn’t mean that he’s into me, even if he regards me with that deceptive intensity.

Besides, he’s too old for me. Probably.

Soon, we wrap up the meal and split the bill. Tad pays and I give him cash, as does Jaz. Then the four of us stand up, preparing to go our separate ways. We wind up outside the diner, and Tad has car keys in hand, but Seeker and Jaz don’t seem to have any. He’s quieter than I expected, given how much he talks online. Maybe he’s like me, better in a virtual setting.

“Do you have a ride?” I ask him.

“I walked over,” he replies.

“I need a shower,” Jaz says, offering a little fluttery wave. “I’m staying nearby.”

“And I’m longing to stretch out,” Tad asks. “We can catch up tomorrow after we’ve rested. Meet up with Stargazer and FFH.”

“Sounds great,” Jaz agrees.

They both head out, leaving me to offer Seeker a ride. I hope this isn’t intentional matchmaking. I’d be so embarrassed if they could tell I have a crush. I try to make this sound casual.

“If you give me the address, I can drop you off.”

“That would be very kind. It’s been a long day.”

I get the sense that he’s understating the situation. I don’t know why I think that, but he doesn’t strike me as someone who complains for the sake of it. “My car is this way. We can put your rucksack in the back.”

It’s an interesting bag. It seems to be a military duffel, but judging by its age, it can’t belong to Seeker personally. He might have gotten it from a relative or thrifted it. He shoulders it easily, so that means he travels light.

“What a lovely color,” he says as we reach my car.

Which is how I felt when I found my xB back in the day. “Thanks. I dread having to change vehicles. I really love this car.”

“Then why change? Will it become impossible to repair?”

Sometimes he asks questions that make me feel like he’s new here. But then, I look for signs of alien life everywhere I go, so of course I’d think that.

“It can be challenging to find parts once they discontinue a model.”

If he’s never owned a car, he wouldn’t know that. People in big cities all over the world go their entire lives on public transit. Seeker might be one of those types. Which explains why he doesn’t know about car maintenance or upkeep.

“Oh, I see,” he says. “I don’t have a driving license or a personal vehicle.”

English isn’t his primary language, but he doesn’t have a recognizable accent. I unlock the car, stow his bag, and we both climb in. Maybe I’m fixating on minuscule details, just as Glynnis says I do. He certainly intrigues me, no doubt about that.