Page 28 of Secretly Abducted

---

Finn snorts. "Since when?"

"Since now. Starting now."

"Really?"

"Yes." I sit up, decided. "How do I see him again without seeming like a stalker?"

"He's a zhik'ra farmer," Tev'ra points out. "He has to check storm damage. He'll be at the cultivation platforms for days doing repairs."

"So I accidentally run into him?"

"Or you deliberately offer to help with repairs. Actual help, not an excuse for proximity."

"I can do that."

"Can you?" Finn asks skeptically. "Can you spend time with him without trying to touch him?"

"Yes."

"Without flirting?"

"...Maybe."

"Alex."

"I'll try, okay? I'll be helpful and respectful and keep my hands to myself."

"That would be a good start."

I look at my melted ice cream, then at my friends who are trying so hard to help despite my disasters.

"Thanks," I say. "For listening. For not judging. For the alien alcohol."

"Always," Finn says. "But maybe shower first? You smell like storm water and sadness."

"Romantic."

"Accurate."

He's not wrong. I head for the hygiene facilities, already planning. Tomorrow I'll go to the cultivation platforms. I'll offer to help with repairs. I'll be friendly but not pushy, helpful but not flirty. I'll show him that I can respect boundaries, that I want to know him, not just sleep with him.

Even if that's also true.

It's going to be torture, but Vel'aan is worth it. The way he glowed when he was happy, the way he sang that lullaby, the way he curved into me while sleeping—all of it tells me there's something there worth fighting for.

I just need to fight differently. Smarter. Slower.

Tomorrow, I'll try again.

For now, I'll shower, eat real food, and try not to think about how empty that platform felt the moment he pulled away. Try not to remember the sickly green his bioluminescence turned when I scared him.

Try to figure out how to show him that what I feel isn't just attraction or gratitude, but something deeper.

Chapter Seven

Vel'aan

The zhik'ra is worse than I thought.

---