Page 27 of The Alien's Runaway Bride

Squaring her shoulders, she stood. Time to face the music.

The drive to Maya’s apartment felt both endless and far too short. Raelee’s stomach was in knots as she parked, her palms sweaty on the steering wheel. She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, wincing at what she saw.

“Well,” she muttered, attempting to smooth down her hair, “at least I look as good as I feel.”

Before she could even knock, the door flew open and Maya engulfed her in a fierce hug.

“God, I missed you,” Maya mumbled into Raelee’s hair. “Also, you look like a lumberjack. A very attractive lumberjack, but still.”

Raelee laughed, a watery sound that was dangerously close to a sob. “I missed you too. And, hey, maybe lumberjack chic is my new aesthetic. You don’t know.”

Maya pulled back, studying her friend’s face. “You look like hell,” she declared.

“Wow, thanks,” Raelee said dryly. “That’s exactly what a girl wants to hear after driving for hours and having an emotional crisis.”

“Hey, I’m just being honest,” Maya grinned, ushering Raelee inside. “That’s what best friends are for, right? Besides, you know you’re gorgeous even when you look like you’ve been dragged backward through a hedge.”

Raelee collapsed onto Maya’s couch, the familiar surroundings both comforting and strange after her time away. “I thought that’s what best friends were for,” she said, gesturing to the pint of ice cream and two spoons Maya was carrying over.

“Nope, that’s what Ben and Jerry are for,” Maya quipped, handing Raelee a spoon. “We’re just their humble servants. Now, eat your feelings and tell me everything.”

For a moment, they ate in companionable silence. Then Maya set her spoon down, her expression turning serious.

“All right, spill,” she said. “What happened out there? And don’t leave out any details. I want the full soap opera experience.”

Raelee took a deep breath and began to talk. She told Maya everything—the diner, the car chase, the mercenaries. The growing connection with Vex, the way he made her feel alive and free in a way she’d never experienced.

“And then there was this moment,” Raelee said, her eyes distant. “We were sitting by the fire, and he was telling me about his favorite constellations. I don’t even remember what he was saying, really. I just remember looking at him and thinking, ‘Oh. This is what it feels like.’”

“Whatwhatfeels like?” Maya prompted gently.

Raelee met her friend’s eyes, her own shining with unshed tears. “Falling in love.”

Maya reached out, squeezing Raelee’s hand. “Oh, honey.”

“I know,” Raelee said, laughing even as a tear slipped down her cheek. “Stupid, right? Falling for a guy I barely know, when I’m supposed to be marrying an alien prince.”

“It’s not stupid,” Maya said firmly. “It’s human. And for what it’s worth, from everything you’ve told me about this Vex guy, he sounds pretty amazing. You know, for a potential secret agent or whatever he is.”

Raelee snorted. “Yeah, he’s great. So great he left without even saying good-bye.”

“About that,” Maya said slowly. “Don’t you think it’s a little... weird? I mean, from everything you’ve told me about him, it doesn’t sound like something he’d do.”

“I know,” Raelee agreed, frustration evident in her voice. “That’s what’s driving me crazy. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Do you think there was some type of emergency back home and he had to rush back to his obligations?”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“Unless...” Maya trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Unless what?” Raelee prompted.

Maya shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just... have you considered that maybe there’s more going on here? Something he hadn’t told you?”

Raelee laughed humorlessly. “May, there’sdefinitelymore going on here. The question iswhat?”

“Well,” Maya said, a mischievous glint in her eye, “we could always go full Nancy Drew and investigate. I could put his face on every search engine and find what country he belongs to.”

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