Page 83 of Malliko
A group of men got into a fight by the bar and were swiftly led out by bouncers. I stayed out of the drama but was close enough to see a crying woman being consoled by a friend.
Walking closer, I heard them talk and understood that the men had been fighting over the crying woman. To some species around the Universe this was common courting behavior. I knew from my research on humans that historically, males had challenged and fought each other to secure a female mate. And yet, this woman and her friend seemed appalled by the violence they had witnessed.
I made a mental note that maybe their resistance to violence was a sign of humans evolving. It was something I would need to study further.
Tania and Clara found me in the entrance area looking out the door to see what happened to the fighting men. One of them was on the ground with a bouncer on top of him. It seemedunnecessary when a bit of mind clouding would have made him walk away in peace.
“Forget it,” Tania said and put her hand on my arm as to stop me.
Turning my head, I met her glance. “Forget what?”
“You’re considering helping out by doing a bit of mind clouding but it’s not your place.”
“What happened?” Clara asked and leaned to the right to get a better view outside.
“The usual happened. Alcohol and testosterone were always a dangerous combination.” Tania dug into her tiny bag and produced a ticket. “Can we go home? I spent over two hours dancing with a sexy guy only to find out he’s married. Why does this always happen to me?”
“He wasmarried?” Clara widened her eyes. “But I asked his friend and he said they were both single.”
Tania shrugged. “They lied.” Walking to the line of people to retrieve her jacket from the cloakroom, she added, “At least he admitted as much when I gave him my number. Told you I attract unavailable men.”
“I’m sorry.” Clara joined Tania in the line and brushed her hand over her back. “But to be fair you attract hordes of men. Why you choose the occupied ones, I can’t answer.”
“What happened to wearing a wedding band to warn others that you’re with someone?” Tania shook her head. “It would be so much easier if humans were like Thaddoinians. The yellow ring around their irises turns paler when they link with a partner. That way everyone can see that they’re taken.”
A woman in front of Tania turned and looked at her strangely and it made Tania explain, “It’s a show I watched. Forgot the name of it, but it was one of those futuristic ones, you know.”
The woman nodded and gave her ticket to one of the three young people behind the counter in the cloak room.
I hadn’t brought a jacket but waited patiently for Clara and Tania to get theirs before we took a taxi back to our building.
On the way up in the elevator, Clara and I kept sending each other long glances behind Tania’s back. I recognized the same desire in her eyes as the time I gave her oral sex. My thoughts were in a battle. The attraction I felt to Clara made me search for excuses to be alone with her. On the other hand, the strong warnings from my captain and Lios not to touch Clara made me grateful that she was sleeping in Tania’s apartment tonight. Dancing with her at the night club, I had been surprised how easily our bodies moved in sync without us sharing a telepathic connection. I could only imagine what it would feel like to be naked with her. For every hour I spent in Clara’s company, my fascination with her grew.
Walking down the long hallway to our apartments, I was slightly behind Tania and right next to Clara. Our hands brushed against each other, and Clara smiled at me just before Tania stopped by the door to her apartment. Unlocking her door, she glanced back over her shoulder. “Sweet dreams, alien. Clara and I will see you tomorrow.”
My head went to both sides but luckily no one was around to hear her. “You’re being careless,” I warned Tania. “Calling me an alien and talking about Thaddoinians in public isn’t wise.”
Tania gave one of her signature snorts and disappeared into her apartment.
Getting up on her toes, Clara hugged me. Burying my head in her dark hair, I whispered, “Just so we’re clear, you stood out tonight.”
We kept hugging for a long moment before she released me. “Goodnight, Malliko.”
I didn’t move until the door closed. Only then did I walk to the next apartment and enter my place. It was better this way, my brain said, but my body strongly disagreed.
CHAPTER 25
Instant Gratification
Clara
It was kind of Tania to let me stay in her apartment and sleep on her couch. Her large windows didn’t have curtains and the moonlight kept me awake. Being in a nice neighborhood there were no shootings from the outside. All I heard was the siren from an ambulance and a bit of honking, but the sounds were muted by the high-quality windows.
My mind was reeling from Malliko’s revelation that he was an alien. If Tania hadn’t confirmed it, I probably still wouldn’t believe it. My brain kept battling the common knowledge that aliens weren’t real and no matter how convincing he and she had seemed, I remained skeptical.
Unable to sleep, I turned on my side and covered my eyes with the thick blanket Tania had given me. It blocked out the moonlight but not the thousands of questions in my mind.
Replaying our time at the nightclub, I remembered seeing Malliko reject one beautiful woman after the other. I wanted to believe his rejections had something to do with me, but that would be conceited.
