Alien Holiday by Tracy Lauren

Chapter 13

Lo

“Tennir!” I shout over the rain. He’s just ahead of me in the colonnade, but it’s coming down like cats and dogs today and he doesn’t hear me at first. “Tennir!”

“Ayo…human. Is everything alright?” He doesn’t know my name. I nearly laugh. This one always has his head in his work. I don’t mind though. I’m far more concerned with my alien today.

“Yeah, I was just wondering if we could talk for a minute?”

“Of course.” Tennir stands there staring at me and I glance around, looking for anyone that might overhear what I’m about to ask. A couple of the girls duck into the stairway leading up toward the common room. Other than that, the coast is clear.

“I wanted to ask some questions about our translators.”

“Oh?” His eyes light up. “You know I had to actually craft some—it’s an interesting story. I had only a vague understanding of the tech, but with a little help from the ship’s computers and the right tools—”

“Oh, I could make a translator?” Well that’s exciting news.

“No, no, no.” Tennir shakes his head. “You couldn’t make a translator. It would take a much more advanced understanding of contemporary technological mechanics that most humans aren’t acquainted—” He cuts himself off with an embarrassed smile. “Not that humans aren’t exceptionally bright—”

I wave away his concern. “Don’t worry, I’m not offended. I’m actually fully aware I don’t understand alien technology. Hell, I struggled with human technology back on Earth. Still, I’d really like to get my hands on a translator. Are you saying the only way to do that is to build one?”

“Oh no, not at all. I’ve made sure Beacon is heavily stocked with translators for efficiency’s sake. Just in case Allison and her team bring us any new residents.”

“No kidding?” This is exceptional news! Now, if I can just get one for Resa.

“Have you developed a scientific interest in translation technology? Shall I grab a few for you to work with?”

This is easier than I thought! I beam a smile at Tennir. “All I need is one…and maybe instructions on how to…ya know…make it kick in?”

After that, I make a quick trip to the pantry and stuff my bag with cooking supplies. Then, I’m ready to brave the storm. I’ve got one foot out the gate when April runs up, surprising me.

“Where ya headed?” she asks, smiling as if she already knows the answer. I adjust the pack on my shoulder, wanting to fill her in on the details, but I can’t violate Resa’s trust.

“Nowhere. I just have some things I want to do…privately. I’ve got a spot I use away from the temple.” I give a shrug, hoping she doesn’t press.

“It’s coming down pretty hard,” she notes.

“Yup.” I want to run to Resa’s cave. I want it so bad my heart is pounding with excitement. Today we’ll finally be able to talk!

“Is it safe where you’re going?”

“Of course it is.”

“The rain’s heavy and the forest has all kinds of weird shit in it,” April points out. “I’m not good at following rules and all, so I’m not trying to tell you what to do—but you’re sure it’s safe?”

“Completely.” I am completely safe with Resa. I’ve felt that since the beginning, back when I thought he was one of Rennek’s Vendari friends. But the weather outside is another story. It reminds me of that old Christmas song about not wanting to go out into the cold. “I’ll be fine. Even if I don’t make it home until morning.”

April’s eyes go wide. “Morning? What are you doing out there?”

I shift my pack. “Practicing old family recipes with new ingredients.”

“And that takes all night?”

I shrug. “Sometimes.”

April narrows her eyes at me like she’s trying to get me to spill all my secrets. It nearly works, until— “Okay, whatever you say. But if you aren’t back by yoga tomorrow I’m ratting your ass out.”

“Fair enough.” I smile. I’ll definitely be back and maybe Resa will be with me. Once he and I have a chance to talk he’ll understand why he needs to be down in the temple with me—I mean, with all of us—as a member of our community.

April gives me a hug and jogs back toward the cover of the temple and I stroll casually beyond the gates—until I’m around the corner. Then I run. I’m just so damned excited. I’m lost in a fantasy where I tell Resa everything about me and the others and how we got here. He’ll tell me everything that’s happened to him and see that we aren’t so different. We’ll come back to the temple after that. Everyone is going to love him. He’ll get to spend Christmas with a family and he’ll never be lonely again. There’s a beautiful shiny montage in my mind and maybe I’m even playing it alongside a Mariah Carey Christmas hit, but what I am not doing is paying attention to the world around me. Resa gets the drop on me and I run square into his chest.

“Holy shit, cabrón! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” He gets defensive and says something in his alien tongue, pointing out the heavy rain, Tekkar.

“Yeah, yeah. Tekkar. It’s always raining.” I stop and realize for a moment where we are. “Wait a second. Is that why you’re down here by the temple? Because it’s raining and you knew I’d come? Are you my escort?” I smile and my Grinch softens in response. “That’s sweet.”

I give his chest a pat, touching the spot that I careened into. If he were my boyfriend I’d give him a kiss, but he’s not. I blush and drop my gaze. Resa takes my hand. “Tekkar,” he says. Yeah, I’m completely drenched.

“Let’s go. Unless you want to come to my place?” I nod toward the temple, giving him a coy smile. He grumbles and pulls me toward the mountain instead, which makes me laugh. Such a stubborn man.

“It wasn’t that long ago you were trying to get rid of me and look at you now, practically dragging me to your place.” I’m teasing Resa even though he can’t understand me yet. The language barrier actually doesn’t even matter that much. There’s something between us despite it. Somehow, we get each other. “Ya know, in the movies cavemen always throw the girl over their shoulder.”

Resa slows his pace, smartly paying more attention to our surroundings than I ever do. Right away I notice what has him concerned. Whenever it rains heavily these valleys fill up. We’ve got another muddy river blocking our path. Without hesitation, Resa makes the decision and pulls me into his arms.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about. Full caveman mode. Very sexy,” I tell him approvingly, though I probably won’t say stuff like that once we put his translator in. I might as well take advantage of it while I have the chance.

Extending his wings, Resa takes us up. Not terribly high—just above the forest’s canopy. We’re so close that if I reached down my fingers could skim the tops of the trees. It’s fairly magical.

With Resa focusing on where we’re going, I take the opportunity to admire him. He’s so alien, with huge pupils that have a ring of gold surrounding them. It makes his eyes look dark and broody and yet that usual frown of his is nowhere to be seen. Resa actually looks quite content as he flies with me in his strong arms. And for the second time today I want to kiss him. Something soft and sweet on the corner of his mouth, eyes open so I could see his reaction.

He looks down at me and then away again quickly. I think I’m making him uncomfortable…staring too hard. That’s the last thing I want. I’m not trying to creep the guy out. I want just the opposite, in fact. I want to make him feel safe so he comes home with me. I mean, so he comes home to Beacon.

Resa swoops down. We’ve arrived at his cave, but he doesn’t set me down until we get inside. I have to bite back a smile. Resa goes straight to the fire, building it up until it’s warm and crackling. I’m absorbed with staring at him, so I don’t notice what he’s done right away, but when I do, I gasp in surprise.

The whole place is filled with the lookalike poinsettias. They’re in every nook, on every stone, there must be more than a hundred of them. “What is this?” I ask, my heart doing funny little cartwheels in my chest.

He toes the ground, not looking at me, then grumbles something under his breath about the rain and counts off the numbers he remembers me commenting on the day we met. He thinks I want flowers every day, so he got me enough to last? That’s what I assume he’s getting at anyway. And even though he’s grumbling about it it’s still just about the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.

The cave looks beautiful. I’m in awe. “The only time I ever got flowers on Earth they were from coworkers. When I had dental surgery.” I chuckle over the memory. I’ve definitely never gotten flowers from a boyfriend, and certainly not a room filled with a hundred hand-picked ones.

“Thank you,” I tell him, and maybe it’s a bad idea, but I do that thing I was thinking about doing earlier. I tug Resa down, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. His pupils dilate impossibly large, but the rest of him is utterly still. He doesn’t pull away. He just stares at me. My hands slip from his cheeks and come to rest on his chest. Inside I can feel his heart pounding—hard. And I grin, imagining it like How the Grinch Stole Christmas—perhaps his heart just grew three sizes?

Now, wouldn’t it be wonderful to know what he’s thinking?

“I’ve got something for you.” I’m eager to talk to my friend—to really talk. “Now, you’re going to have to trust me with this one, okay?” In my bag I find the little case Tennir gave me and I hold it up to show Resa. “This has a translator inside.”

Resa comes close, giving a look to what I’m showing him. I open it up and point to the small piece of metal inside. It’s smaller than a dime, unassuming for all that it does. I push the case into Resa’s hands and gather my hair to the side, showing him my own. His eyes narrow as he studies it.

“Doesn’t hurt or anything. Hell, I forget it’s even there.” I give Resa a bright smile, so he knows it’s a good thing. “And this one’s for you.” I point at it and say his name. Unfortunately, my alien seems skeptical.