MARIA
My heart is beating in my throat.
Everything rides on this evening and it seems so unfair. After T’zak’s battle mode at the coffee shop, we’ve gone over appropriate human behavior, body language, tone of voice, customs and everything else I can think of yesterday and today. My experience behind a camera making documentaries has given me an advantage, I think. I’m used to observing peoples’ actions from a distance. And I often feel like a freak myself, so hopefully this perspective will help T’zak.
There’s so much about him that I can’t get enough of. He’s protective, warm and has a sense of humor that Shane was entirely missing. The way he went straight to find Callie - even the way he rushed to my aid when he thought I was in trouble during my interview.
Just my luck that I’ve found the perfect guy and he’s an alien.
I’m sitting in The Crux, wearing my favorite sparkly green dress and waiting for T’zak to arrive. According to the test he has to pass, he must spend the evening with his human teacher under the observation of an impartial alien observer.
It makes a twisted kind of sense that this observer is Biek, the manager of the bar. The space theme is a hiding in plain sight distraction and Biek is usually sitting on one of those stools with wheels behind the bar, so I never really scoped how tall he was. Now, of course, it seems obvious that the strange lighting is a disguise for Biek’s weird eye color. Who would expect an alien to run an alien-themed bar, anyway?
The door opens and T’zak walks in. I found him a shirt in town that fits him properly and he looks unbelievably handsome. Almost too handsome, but there’s nothing he can do about that. He smiles at me and bends down to give me a kiss on the cheek. The memory of that incredible kiss, with his two tongues exploring every inch of my mouth, makes me blush.
“Good evening. Can I get you something to drink?” He winks.
I wish I could relax and enjoy the evening, but the thought of him being executed if we get this wrong is unbearable.
I nod. “Thank you, T’zak. I’ll have the house cocktail, please.”
He walks to the bar and orders our drinks. Biek looks him up and down, nodding approvingly. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll ace tonight.
T’zak sets an enormous cocktail glass in front of me. It’s in the shape of a flying saucer and contains a deep red liquid. He has ordered a beer.
“What is this?” I ask.
“It’s the house cocktail for tonight. Special, limited edition drink called The Oort Cloud.” He smiles.
“I’ll take it slowly. The last time I was here I, um, was over-served.” I take a sip.
“I think Biek perhaps is still making his drinks using Hedian measurements. Many of the humans here seem to appreciate it though.” He nods at the dance floor, which is already packed with inebriated people jiggling to Counting Stars by OneRepublic.
I laugh. “Yes, us humans can’t get enough of happy hour plus cheesy tunes. It’s a killer combination.”
T’zak’s face turns serious. “I’m sorry about your interview. Do you know what you will do next?”
“I might see if anyone needs some cleaning work done. I used to do it at college in my spare time. It’s a step back, but I need to pay the bills. Anyway, what happens after this test? Can you stay here for a while?” I hope I don’t sound too eager.
He frowns. “If I fail the test, I will die tomorrow. If I pass, I will go back home tomorrow.”
I sigh. “That’s just…inhuman.”
He grins. “It is. It is very Hedian. I want to say, Maria, that I would love to stay here on earth with you for longer. It is fascinating to be here and I am enjoying your company more than I can say.”
I look down at my blood-colored drink. “I want you to stay here too.”
The door of the bar opens. First through the door is Lidia, dressed to kill in a gold mini dress, followed by Shane, with his hair combed back in a preppy way that has to be her influence.
Shit.
I feel like I’m under my own test here. Can I sit here and help T’zak while my ex and his hideous new girlfriend are twenty feet away from me? Maybe we can keep a low profile and they won’t notice us.
T’zak watches me carefully. “This is Shane? The ex-partner you mentioned?”
I nod. “Let’s just ignore them and hopefully they won’t see us.”
I slightly turn my back and take a big sip of my drink. The clicking sound of very high heels pauses next to our table.