Page 35 of Secretly Abducted
"I wanted to..." He pauses, treading water, his gills fluttering nervously. "I wanted to make sure you got back safely. The heat today was intense."
He was worried about me. Worried enough to swim here after what must have been hours of brutal labor.
"I'm fine," I manage. "Just enjoying some human cuisine with Finn."
Vel'aan eyes the nachos with curiosity. "What is that?"
"Synthesized perfection," Finn says cheerfully. "Want to try some?"
Vel'aan hesitates, then pulls himself onto the dock with fluid grace. Water streams from his body, and I have to force myself not to stare at the way the sunset makes his wet skin glow.
"Here." I offer him a loaded chip. "It's called nachos. Corn chips with cheese and peppers."
He takes it carefully, examining the orange-covered triangle with scientific interest before taking a small bite. His eyes widen.
"That's... very intense."
"Good intense or bad intense?" Finn asks.
"I'm not sure." But he takes another bite, then accepts the soda I offer him. The face he makes at the first sip of carbonation makes both Finn and me laugh.
"It's bubbly," he says accusingly.
"That's the point," I explain, unable to stop smiling. He's here. He came to check on me.
"Well," Finn says, standing and stretching dramatically. "I should go see what Tevra's up to. Inside. In our room. For probably an hour. At least."
Could he be any less subtle? I'm about to tell him to stay when he's already walking away, calling back, "Enjoy the sunset!"
And then we're alone.
Vel'aan sits beside me on the dock, close enough that I can feel the cool radiating from his wet skin. He accepts another nacho, eating it with careful precision.
"You worked alone all afternoon," I say. It's not a question.
"The zhik'ra needed tending."
"I could have come back. After I cooled down."
"No." He turns to look at me, and even exhausted, his eyes are striking in the twilight. "You were right to leave. Being near you is... difficult."
"Difficult how?"
His skin shimmers with faint color—gold threading through blue. "You make me feel things I've spent ten years avoiding."
My breath catches. "Vel'aan—"
"I told myself I came to check on your wellbeing," he continues, his voice soft. "But that's not the only reason."
"No?"
"No." He shifts closer, our thighs almost touching. "I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About still wanting me. About trying to respect my boundaries even though it's hard for you."
"It is hard," I admit. "Being near you and not touching you is..." I trail off, aware that even this conversation is pushing those careful boundaries.
"I know." His hand moves to rest on the dock between us, so close to mine I can feel the space like electricity. "Your culture doesn't separate physical and emotional intimacy the way ours does."
"Not really, no."
