Page 5 of Chosen By the Alien
Tahl doesn’t smile. Doesn’t tease. He just meets my eyes and says, “A stranger. But not a threat.”
And god help me, I believe him.
My heart is pounding now. I’m suddenly too aware of how warm it is out here. How tight my jeans feel. How close he is.
“Are you from around here?” I ask.
“No.”
“And you’re flirting with me?”
“Is that what I am doing?” he says, thoughtful. “I am learning. The word ‘flirt’ implies indirectness. But I do not wish to hide my interest.”
I laugh,awkward, nervous. “Jesus.”
“You say that name often.”
“I say it when I don’t know what else to say.”
“Then I will stop making you say it.”
My eyes dart to his. My whole body feels like it’s caught between gravity and something lighter. Like I’m on the edge of floating.
“Tahl,” I say, because I don’t know what else to anchor myself with.
“Yes.”
“I’m not gay.”
He just nods, like I saidthe sky is blue.
“I believe you.”
“But you’re still…”
“Interested? Yes.”
“And if I was curious?”
“I would be very gentle with your curiosity.”
Oh fuck.
Something pulses in my gut, lower. My hand twitches by my side.
A memory flashes: my ex, her cold voice, the silence between us growing wider each night. The way I hadn’t been able to performsometimes. The way I’d blamed the stress. The job. Anything but the truth.
“I should go back inside,” I whisper.
“Then go.”
But I don’t move.
Tahl doesn’t either. His hand is still ghosting against my arm, like he knows one inch further might tip me over the edge.
“I don’t even know what you are,” I say. “Are you gay?”
“I am exactly what you need right now.”
