Page 47 of All You Need is Alien Love
“Holy creepy eyeball, Batman. What the hell is that?”
“It’s a depiction of the Great Tentacle, a prophetic god among our people who sees and knows all,” my grandmother explains.
River shudders. “Do you all have this Great Tentacle on the walls at home? Is that a requirement?”
I snicker with amusement. “Fear not. We only bring it out for spiritual ceremonies and other events like this one.”
“Thank fuck. That eye seems to follow you no matter where you move, like some pervy Peeping Tom watching you.”
I kind of share the sentiment but I won’t ever tell my family that.
River and I take our seats on plush pillows on the floor in the center of the room. Our guests take spots on pillows in a circle around us.
It actually reminds me a bit of the time River insisted on building a pillow fort in our living room for us to snuggle in together while eating popcorn and watching a movie. That recollection makes me smile and I find myself relaxing.
I know what’s to come, but I’m not worried. After all, I have nothing to hide from River and I don’t believe he has anything worrying to hide from me either.
Once we settle into our spots, we get to hold hands.
River winces at me, apologetically. “Sorry if my palms are kind of sweaty. I’m a little nervous about this part of the ceremony.”
I want nothing more than to wrap my adorable mate in my tentacles and hold him close to me, but I draw on my years of training to stay where I am. Being able to touch him today gives me a lot of comfort and relief. The warmth of River’s skin is familiar and reassuring.
Galactic gods but I’ve missed not being able to hold him in my arms while I sleep.
“Whoa. This room is totally trippy,” Benji says from where he’s seated next to Mal and behind River. “The vibe kind ofreminds me of a rave I went to out in the desert in the ’90s. Now that was one wild, psychedelic weekend, man.”
My brother just stares at him like a lovestruck fool.
It’s been fun to watch Mal lose his cool around River’s uncle. My smooth, playboy brother is an entirely different person around Benji—and that’s how I know he’s found his mate. The same thing happened when I met River. He brought out a hidden side of me I’d never realized I had, let alone shown to anyone else before.
“Welcome to the second day of the Sanctioning Ceremony,” my mother says, having taken over emcee duties from my grandmother. “We refer to it as the Testimonials of Truth. This sacred part of the ceremony is confined to close friends and family for a reason. What may be divulged by the two participants in the ceremony must be kept secret. By being here today, you agree to keep these sacred confidences private and never use them against either of the participants.”
Everyone signs the official and legally binding ceremonial forms they’re given that record their agreement to abide by the ceremony’s rules.
My mother turns on the traditional instrumental music to start things, and it plays softly in the background.
River smiles. “Ellie, this reminds me of the music my yoga teacher likes to play while we’re doing Savasana. It’s very soothing.”
I squeeze his hand.
My mother brings forward the ceremonial porcelain bottle and two matching cups that are reminiscent of those used to drink Japanese sake.
She deftly pours each of us a serving of the iridescent swirling liquid.
“The Testimonials of Truth follow imbibing the sacred ceremonial elixir of the Iyaran people, which will allow the grooms to share their innermost thoughts and feelings freely.”
River’s eyes sparkle as he stares at his cup in awe. “It’s like an alien truth serum. So freaking cool.”
I fight back a laugh. He’s not entirely wrong about that. The ceremonial elixir we’re about to consume has psychedelic properties not unlike Uncle Benji’s magic brownies. It allows those who drink it to feel comfortable in revealing truths they might otherwise hold back.
“I must verify that you both consent to drinking the elixir,” Mom says. She turns to River first. “Do you willingly agree to this?”
River grins. “Hell yeah. Bring it on. I have nothing to hide.”
She shifts her attention to me and repeats the question.
“I do.”
