Page 97 of I Think I’m in Love with an Alien

Scotty emits a squeaky sound while Spock remains watchful. Gaining his trust will require patience and strategy, much like navigating the customs here. As I examine the photos she has framed on a side table, there’s a knock at the door. Jen answers, revealing a woman with silver-tinged hair and a round face. She’s carrying a square container.

“Welcome home! Just making sure you got in safe. Your mom dropped this off for you earlier today. I said I’d pass it along.”

Jen lets out a breath. “I can’t believe she made you take a casserole.”

“My mom’s not around to pester me. You might miss it one day.” The other human lifts a shoulder, handing over what must be a food item. She turns to me. “I’m Nancy.”

I don’t offer to shake hands since physical contact creates cognitive dissonance. What they detect with tactile senses doesn’t match what their eyes tell them, and it can become a problem. “Nice to meet you. I’m—”

“Tam,” Jen interjects. “He’ll be staying with me for a while. We can amend the lease if you need to. Do you want to raise the rent?”

Nancy shakes her head. “Thanks for telling me, but I doubt it’ll change the utilities that much. How much water can he possibly use?”

I could explain that I don’t bathe as humans do, but that would raise more questions. It seems prudent to let Jen do most of the talking while I observe their interaction. She opts to change the subject rather than continue on that topic.

“How were the boys?” Jen asks.

“No trouble at all.”

“I wish you’d let me pay you for helping—”

“You won’t take a penny when you watch Mr. Snickers,” Nancy cuts in. “I’m going on a cruise next month, so you can repay me then.”

“Sounds like fun. Where are you going?”

The other human seems excited. “I’m flying to Fort Lauderdale and doing a celebrity cruise to the Bahamas. I’ll be gone for around a week.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Jen says with a grin.

I have seen cruises advertised, so I know that they’re discussing an ocean voyage. But I have nothing to contribute to this conversation, something that happens quite often when I’m with other humans. Though I can communicate well with Jen and to some degree, the rest of the group chat as well, I struggle with others.

“Thanks. I have a pottery class tonight, so I need to get going. Enjoy the casserole. It seems to be turkey and noodles.”

“Thank you again. Scotty and Spock would be lost without you.”

Nancy hurries out with a final wave. As the door closes behind her, the tight coil of tension within me unwinds. I’m always conscious of the way things could go wrong, the consequences of not fitting in. Jen leans back against the door. Her shoulders relax too; I didn’t notice that she might be anxious until just now. I should pay closer attention.

Jen stretches. “Finally. Home sweet home.”

Her phone pings. Jen takes a look and shakes her head. “Holy crap. I set an alert for the Lusk shuttle launch you were interested in.”

“Did something happen?”

In answer, she shows me a short video of a minor explosion. “It didn’t even get off the ground this time.”

“Was anyone injured?”

“Thankfully not.”

Confiding in the others saved me. I might have gotten captured or wounded attempting an impossible task. I’m even more convinced I made the correct choice.

Early evening light filters through the sheer curtains, casting a warm glow over the living room. Scotty paces us, nearly tripping me as he runs in loops around our bodies. “He seems very eager for attention,” I observe.

Jen laughs. “He might be begging for a second dinner.”

She picks Scotty up and he snuggles into her chest, purring with extra-loud vibrato. I wouldn’t force such intimacy on Spock, who still eyes me warily. He mews at Jen, who gives him a gentle stroke on the head. Now he’s purring too, and I remember entirely too well how good it felt when she touched me just so.

“Home isn’t just a place,” she says then. “It’s also where you find refuge.”