Page 41 of I Think I’m in Love with an Alien

But I close the distance between us anyway, my mind ticking over all the little inconsistencies I’ve noticed. He doesn’t eat human food. When I touch him, the temperature feels wrong. And his expression doesn’t change. Which could explain—oh. Oh. Oh my God.

When I touched him before, I knew then, didn’t I?

That his skin felt wrong. Not human. But then the tech he uses kicked in, I think. Made me doubt myself. And he pulled away. But now, now he’s holding on to me. And I can test the resilience for myself. His skin is more like hide with velvety patches here and there, usually where the pattern changes hues. The purples are mossy soft, and he trembles a little when I brush over the spot on his forearm. Or whatever he calls it.

“You’re not human.”

“I’ve been trapped here for almost a year. It was supposed to be a vacation,” he admits in a heart-wrenching tone.

The overwhelming loneliness, how he’s felt trapped? It was so much deeper and more desperate than I knew. He’s lived in mortal fear every single day, I imagine.

“What can I do?”

“You’re already doing it. I told you, and you’re not screaming. You’re still here.”

I stifle the urge to pinch myself, because if I could write myself into a story, this is exactly how I’d want it to go. My entire life, I’ve felt like I was on an impossible quest, one that made me the target of mockery, too, and now I’m with Seeker. But I don’t want this to turn into a thriller, where we’re constantly imperiled by hunters or government agents who want to carve him up. God, he’s beautiful. I may never let go of his hand.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise.

“Not even to Space Con?” His face moves now. Though I can’t read his expression, it’s no longer supernaturally static.

“This feels more important. This is life-changing. Do you want to go back to my room so we can talk more?”

“I have a lot to say,” Seeker warns.

“My time is yours.”

Along with anything else you might want.

16

Seeker

I think this is going well.

If Jen intended to betray me, she would already be running for her life, screaming for aid from any humans nearby. Instead, she offers time for me to reactivate the tech camo, staring the entire time as if she cannot trust her senses. And well. Yes. That’s the truth.

“I still can’t get over how flawless this is,” she says, shaking her head. “To be honest, I did notice discrepancies when I touched you. But I thought I must be losing it.”

“I’m sorry I made you doubt yourself.”

“I get it. But you could walk around here like that and people would just say, ‘Your costume is amazing!’ You’d have problems anywhere else.”

“It’s not meant to withstand intimate assessment. Shall we go?”

She inclines her head, leading the way back to her vehicle. The camper door locks behind me automatically, and I climb in, desperately hoping I’ve done the right thing. Having one human who knows and is on my side… My joy is indescribable. Now I no longer need to curate what I hear or parse out the truth in digestible crumbs, fashioned into a shape that will make sense by 97-B standards.

The drive is silent. Jen doesn’t say much until we reach the safety of her room. She closes the blackout shades and the window coverings, and then she perches on the edge of the bed, regarding me with a look that I think signifies great interest.

“You said you had a lot to say. I can’t wait to hear it.” Her voice lilts with excitement. Now that I examine her closer, I can see that she’s practically vibrating.

She’s wanted proof that humans are not alone in the universe for her entire life. And while I know she’s not been waiting for me specifically, it’s difficult not to feel moved by her single-minded devotion. Jen has been searching for a sign among the stars for more than two decades. And at last, here I am.

“I arrived almost a year ago, on a package tour.”

As she laughs quietly, her eyes crinkle. I’m accustomed to human features now, even if I once found them strange. “But something went wrong?”

“You could say that. Your planet has been interdicted from the Galactic Union because you’re on the cusp of reaching the stars on your own. And there are rules against uplifting other sentient beings.”