Page 8 of Tis the Season for Tentacles
“Hopefully, this long weekend will give you the time and mental clarity to figure out what you want,” Gemma offers, a note of encouragement in her voice.
I smile. “Thanks, Gemsy. I hope so. And I hope that things get better on your end too.”
She makes a noncommittal noise. “Maybe I just need a nice, long vacation of my own. Preferably on a beach by the ocean.”
I snicker. “With lots of beautiful single women around?”
It’s her turn to laugh. “Fuck yeah! Do you know how long it’s been since I got laid?”
“I bet I’ve got you beat, sister dearest.”
How the two of us ended up being totally queer, we’ll never know, but we do consider it a stroke of good fortune in the face of everything else. Thankfully, our grandparents were completely supportive of us and marched in many a Pride parade over the years.
But when I was in veterinary school, Nana got sick. By the time she went to the doctor, the cancer had already spread to several of her organs. She didn’t want to undergo the painful chemo and radiation treatments that may have given her a few extra months at best, instead opting to go into hospice care and be made as comfortable as possible until her time was up.
I think a core part of our grandfather died when she did. They’d always been the epitome of an ideal couple to both meand Gemma. Together since they were nineteen, the two of them had married young and made a beautiful life together. They doted on one another and knew how to communicate even when things got tough. The love they had for each other was precious and enviable. With Nana’s passing, the light went out of Gramps, and less than a year later, he passed quietly in his sleep one night.
Gemma and I miss them both terribly, but we’re grateful for all the love and care they gave us growing up. Neither of us cares all that much about our mom abandoning us. We’ve never known her. To be honest, I’m not even sure if she’s still alive. She never showed up for either of her parents’ funerals, so we’ve had no contact with her in decades.
“You’ll be back on Monday night, right?”
I startle out of my reverie. “Yeah. I should be back by five. How about we grab dinner together at that little Mexican restaurant you like? My treat.”
“You’re on!”
“Cool. I’ll call you to check in tomorrow night and let you know I’m okay.”
“Sounds good. Be safe out there. Love ya, Felix.”
“Love you too, Gemsy.”
After ending our call, I pull out my printed grid map. Turning on my phone’s flashlight to help me see better, I mark off the most recent quadrant I surveyed today. The desert is vast, but over time, I’ll be able to cover every square inch of this place.
I’m nothing if not tenacious and meticulous.
With the pen cap between my teeth, I squint down at my map and try to decide where to head next.
I’m not a natural outdoors enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m also fully aware that my best opportunity to potentially spy covert alien operations in the desert is undoubtedly under the concealing dark of night.
This evening I have a full thermos of coffee with me to keep me awake and warm for the next few hours at least. Staying up all night, however, isn’t as easy to do now that I’m in my thirties as it was in my twenties.
Add to the fact that tonight is brutally cold, and I can’t deny I’m just a bit miserable out here, but I refuse to give up.
I rub my hands together and blow into them as I stare up at the stars and marvel. If there are aliens here on earth, then there’s plenty more out there in the vast universe beyond. How fascinating would it be to meet them? What are they like? Do they resemble us? Are they friendly or hostile?
So many questions.
Pouring myself a cup of coffee from my thermos, I sip at the steaming beverage and open an app on my phone to check out comments on the latest chapter in my newest fanfic story.
ManHo4Vardox:Dude, this new story has such a great plot twist! I can’t wait to see how Starblade exacts some sexy revenge on Vardox. Of course, he’d just be doing it to his own body but… still hot. I’m sure KirklovesSpock4eva would be majorly impressed.
StarbladeStan:Your writerly finesse when it comes to kinky tentacles is most impressive. Keep it—and the characters—up. *wink*
TentacleTart:Holy Freaky Friday magic! I am LOVING this concept. Can’t wait for the next chapter. Gimme!
I smile to myself. My fanfiction is an homage to that same author who inspired my desert investigations. While I call his ongoing story a space opera, it’s also very tentacle porny. It’s a quintessential enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers ad infinitum narrative in which the very salaciousand slightly sadistic Lord Vardox loves to torment Captain Starblade, the epitome of a himbo if ever there was one. Their various adventures and misadventures, both in and outside the bedroom, are vastly entertaining and take up an inordinate amount of my free reading time.
I don’t know what it is about the story that draws me in so much, but I can’t get enough of it, to the extent that I eventually had to start writing my own fanfiction of the story. So far, I’ve amassed my own tiny online following of Starblade fans who seem to appreciate my fictional contributions.
