Page 82 of I Think I’m in Love with an Alien

JazzyPlum: I think Seeker is the only one left?

Seeker: Jen hasn’t gone either. But I’ll take a turn.

Seeker: I’ve got a knack for deconstructing gadgets and making something new. 🛠️🧩

FarfromHome: Finally an interesting topic. What devices have you constructed?

Seeker: Most recently, I made a drone from broken RC car parts.

SquidHead: Some serious skill! My code game is strong, but I can barely change a light bulb without causing a blackout.

Jeneticist: Okay, this might surprise you, but…I’m weirdly good at bowling. 🎳 Last time I went, I scored a turkey.

Stargazer: A triple strike?!

SquidHead: Wow! What’s your secret?

Jeneticist: I have no idea. I have no athletic prowess otherwise.

JazzyPlum: That’s some talent! Maybe you can teach us sometime? I’ll trade you a cat figurine for a lesson! 🐱🎳

Jeneticist: Deal! Who knows, we might end up forming a bowling team! 🤗

Seeker: I can’t promise to be any good, but I would participate.

FarfromHome: I have succeeded in similar challenges.

Stargazer: I don’t know if you’re serious but there’s a bowling alley in Rellows.

SquidHead: What the hell, let’s do it. 🎳

29

Jennette

I’m embarrassed over falling asleep on my face, stark naked—bare-assed in more ways than one.

I rouse somewhere before dawn. Seeker is nearby, not touching or encroaching on my space. I guess his people don’t go for middle-of-the-night cuddles. Not that I would’ve known, even if he held me for hours. It’s like I released a year of tension at once. I’ve had enjoyable orgasms before, but that one was glorious.

The motel is like a cocoon, shadowed by the closed blackout blinds. I wonder if I’ll be a butterfly when I leave this place; I did feel gorgeous beyond measure while he was touching me last night. Sill buzzing with the memory, I get up quietly and take a shower.

He’s up when I return, using that appliance I noticed before. “What’s that?” I ask.

I wasn’t bold enough before. But now that we’re…what? Lovers? I don’t even know what words to use for what we’re doing, what we are to one another.

“Molecular cleansing device. It’s invaluable for travel.”

“That’s incredible. Would it work for me? And how does it stay powered?”

“It works for anyone. Solar power. I leave it by the window when I go out.”

“Genius. And variables like the color of the sun don’t impact the power source?”

“I tinkered with it a little bit when I realized I’d be here for a while,” he admits. “Improved the efficiency somewhat.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?” I tease.

His hesitation makes me regret the light little question because I know what he would say if he replied. The answer is leave. I get ready in awkward silence, choosing my next costume with a heavy heart. Normally, I enjoy every step in the process of turning into someone else, but right now I feel like an insensitive clod who reminded Seeker that he’s trapped here.