by Terri Lane
Once I was certain that Karly was asleep, I dared to shift my position to peep down at her resting face, to really consider what I’d thought about only moments before. It might have been one of those things that happened in the heat of the moment, but now it was starting to feel a little more real.
I did feel stronger for Karly than anybody else, but did that make it love?
I cocked my head to one side, drinking in every part of her face, including the bits that I hadn’t noticed before; the splattering of very light freckles across the bridge of her nose, the little red mark under her lip, the extraordinary length of her eyelashes…she truly was a beauty. I would be lucky to have any of her attention, never mind her love.
Eventually I flopped my head back onto the pillow, thoughts tearing through my mind. Why did I have to fall for the one woman that I really couldn’t have? Why couldn’t I fall for someone simple, like Grace.
Although maybe not Grace.
I tried to imagine turning to Karly and asking her out on a real date, suggesting that we actually give this thing a try to see where it could take us, just in case we could ever be anything, but I didn’t think her reaction would be a good one. I assumed she’d laugh in my face, she’d tell me that it could never happen, that I was a bit of fun, never to be talked about in the cold light of day.
That would hurt me more than never knowing, so maybe it’d be better off me saying nothing at all to just see what happened. There wasn’t any immediate rush anyway, we had time to see where this could go, there was no need to make any decision right now.
***
Karly
“What the fuck?” Shelley’s screeching voice woke me up from the most restful sleep I’d had in ages. “Hank, you have to come and see this!”
Fearing that it might be a fire, or some other danger equally as horrific, I forced myself into a sitting position. I instantly noticed Shelley standing at the foot of my bed, looking like she’d been punched in the face, which I could already tell was wrong. Unfortunately, my sleep addled brain couldn’t work out what just yet.
“Hank! Right now, I need you. Come here.” The stress was evident in her tone, I just couldn’t work out what it was all for.
“Wh…what?” I stammered, rubbing my eyes hard. “What’s wrong?” And then I felt Leo stirring besides me, making everything crystal clear. The hallway, the bedroom, him inside of me… We must’ve gotten careless and fallen asleep afterwards, and now there was no coming back from that. We’d been caught out, and now me and Leo were about to face the consequences for what we’d done.
“What’s going on?” Dad looked harassed as he appeared, tugging at his tie like it was his safety net. “Shelley, what’s wrong?”
“Look! Look at this!” Shelley frantically pointed, and he followed her finger. I gulped and pulled the sheets higher around me, wishing the ground could open up to swallow me whole. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I could look around to see how Leo was feeling, I was much too afraid.
Dad stared at us, his face going through a wide range of expressions; hurt, confusion, anger, and soon those emotions burst free from his mouth.
“What the fuck do you think this is? You come into my house and behave like this? What the fuck is the meaning of this…?”
***
“Holy fuck,” Annie laughed loudly, bemused by the situation as I explained why I looked so down. “I can’t believe all of that, its wild.”
“I know.” Dad’s horrible words flew through my mind once more, making my heart ache all over again. Slut, user, tramp, the sorts of words a dad should never say to a daughter, especially not to one he hadn’t been there for. “It was brutal.”
“But why?” Annie popped her gum and shrugged her shoulders. “You and Leo are adults, you only just met, just because those idiots are married, doesn’t mean it should stop you two from being together. Unless,” she cocked her head and eyed me curiously. “Unless it was just a sex thing, I mean I can’t see it from you, but Leo is seriously hot.”
I wanted to tell her that it was, because I wanted to believe that myself, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The way that Leo looked at me all special inside, the way he stuck up for me in front of our parents made me yearn for more of him. As crazy as it was, I actually felt like I was falling for him hard.
“I don’t know,” I admitted quietly. “But I do know that I need to move out now more than ever. This bullshit will not go away, and to be honest I want out anyway. I never felt like I was at home there, it was always just a means to an end.”
“You could always come and crash on my couch for a while,” Annie smirked at me. “But you have to bring that gorgeous fuck buddy of yours along. I want to see him wandering around the place half naked.”
Despite all the horrible things that were going on in my life, I couldn’t help but laugh. Annie just had this way about her that made everything feel a lot less serious and stressful than it already was.
“Thanks, I do appreciate it.”
“And what is Leo going to do now?”
I sighed as forced myself to answer. “I don’t know, I mean he was really sweet at first. He stuck up for me, and told our parents where to go, but when things got even more heated he murmured to himself and stalked out. I don’t know where he went, I’m not quite sure what happened, or how he feels now. I don’t know how to get hold of him outside the house.”
“I’m sure I could get his number for you…”
“No, it’s fine,” I jumped in quickly. “If he wanted to get hold of me, he could. It’s fine,” I was repeating myself now, trying to convince myself as much as Annie. “Maybe this is all just a sign that we need to move on. It’s all too sudden to make any serious decisions so maybe that means we all need to just move on and forget about one another, you know?”
Annie didn’t know what to say to that, and neither did I, all I knew for certain was that the loneliness was back. Now I didn’t have my mom, my estranged father would always just be that, and Leo was gone too. At least this time I did have one friend in Annie, so maybe it wouldn’t all be so bad…
Urgh, everything felt like a horrible, complicated mess and I wasn’t sure how to dig myself back out of the hole I’d accidently climbed into.
“You know what?” I said, in the spur of the moment. “Maybe I will come and stay with you for a while if that’s okay? Just until things have cooled down?”
“Of course.” Annie looked surprised, but happy to help me, which was nice. I was usually the one helping everyone, so it was good to have someone willing to be there for me. “For as long as you need.”
“I’ll go and pack up a bag tonight after work, then join you. Then all of this can calm down properly and I can work out where to go from here.”
Getting away from my family felt like the only positive step. I just hoped it’d all be all right in the end. Somehow.
***
Leo
Admittedly, I wasn’t as confident as I sat on my bike on the starting line at The Track, but a serious determination flooded my veins. This was the big one, the race I absolutely needed to win, and that desire was even more intense now, considering what had happened. I had to get Karly out of there, even more than I needed to get out of there myself, and that was the one force driving me forwards. I couldn’t stand the thought of her remaining in that house after the terrible things that were yelled at her–well, both of us–but I didn’t care too much about myself this morning.
I hated hearing Hank describe his daughter in such a vile way, but defending her would only get me so far, I needed to make things better in a practical and constructive way.
Things were crazy, they’d accidently sped along with me and Karly, and our parents finding out about us had really put the boot in. The decision that neither of us wanted to face was upon us, now we either had to go all in, or separate for good. It was too much, too soon but that was what we were left with. I didn’t know where Karly’s heart lay on the subject
matter, only my own, but there was only one real way to find out.
This had to work out according to plan.
“Are you ready for this?” My last-minute buddy on this trip, Terry, hissed at me, fear tainting his expression. “There are some pretty big names here.”
“You’re the one who talked me into this.” His doubt was irritating, I really didn’t need to hear it. I knew it was a risk, I’d seen the others racing, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I certainly didn’t need reminding of the fact. “Don’t you think I can do it now? Weren’t you the one encouraging me all morning long?”
“Oh no, I do.” Terry backed off, clearly afraid of sparking my temper. “I’m just worried because it’s so important to you.”
I’d given my friend an edited version of events, with just enough details so he understood what was at stake, so he knew how badly I desired this. “It’ll be fine,” I replied in a warning tone of voice. “I can do this, it’s what I do all the time.” Just because I could feel the intense pressure creeping through my veins, didn’t mean I still couldn’t do it.
“Okay,” Terry patted the side of my bike and moved away. “Well, I guess I’ll see you on the other side then.”
He snaked backwards into the crowd, leaving me the necessary time to get my head in the right place. Usually I spent this time thinking about the track, the turns, the other riders, but today there was only one face in my mind. A beautiful red head that had intrigued me from the word go.
The moment that Karly crashed into my life, I knew everything would change, but I had no idea how much and in what way. I assumed she’d be a nuisance, someone I could barely tolerate, but actually what she’d become was someone I could barely stand to be without. Her face made me smile, her laugh cheered me up, her body was something that I wanted to hold for days. We shared vulnerabilities, fears that we wouldn’t readily share with the rest of the world. In a small way in the short time we’d spent together I’d been more real with her than I had been with anyone else before, and I had a feeling that it was exactly the same for her. There was something that drew us to one another, something that fixed us there, and that had to be important enough to risk losing everything for, didn’t it?
Maybe it really was love, but the only way I’d find out was by winning this damn race. If I didn’t, we’d never be given the opportunity to see what life could be like together.
No one would have ever thought that I would be the guy to fall in love, I was probably described as a playboy, the sort of man that was destined to be alone forever, and until recently I would’ve been happy with that title. I never cared for anyone, I didn’t think there was a single woman alive on the planet who could hold my focus for longer than five minutes, but now I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. It was insane, but probably about right considering the spontaneous, fast paced way I’d lived my life so far.
My heart tore loudly in my chest, my mouth ran dry with terror, my fingers were trembling. Anticipation bulldozed through me like a whirlwind tying my emotions up in knots…
Then the gun shot rang out, and it was time to go.
I kicked the accelerator and zipped the bike along the track I was extremely familiar with, but that now felt brand new. People went faster than me, I could already see that there was more talent on The Track than I’d had to face before, but I didn’t let that dent my confidence. It didn’t change the fact that I needed it more, that I had someone seriously worth fighting for.
Cheers burst out from every angle. I didn’t know who they were for, but I allowed my brain to imagine that everyone was rooting for me to win, that they wanted me to make something of my love story, that they needed me to be happy. It was all utter bullshit of course, Grace was probably in among those people, cursing me into the ground, but I had to admit that it helped.
It was also pretty cool to see myself going pro, to think about myself in the big leagues, finally making something of myself. That image spurred me on too, I just hoped and prayed that it was enough…
***
Karly
The yelling hadn’t stopped. Maybe it was naïve of me to assume that I could come home to find everyone calmer and more rational now, but they weren’t. Dad was still going off, calling me names, and Shelley was unfortunately backing him up way more than she should’ve been.
If there was ever a sign that I didn’t belong here, then this was it. Although if I hadn’t come to the city at all, then I never would’ve met Leo. Much as things had gotten messed up, I couldn’t regret having him in my life because he’d made me see things very differently. Sure, our experience came with a lot of pain, but soon enough I hoped I would mostly recall the good times.
I didn’t bother saying goodbye as I dragged my case out the front door, I didn’t think it would be appreciated anyway. Luckily I hadn’t gotten around to buying lots of stuff for my ‘fresh start’ yet, so I could still travel light. I wouldn’t be able to stay long at Annie’s, I certainly didn’t want to outstay my welcome, so this was so much better.
“Karly?” To be perfectly honest, I’d given up on the idea of ever seeing Leo again, so his warm tones were a shock to my ears. “Where are you going?”
My face heated up as I realized I looked a little like a petulant child running away from home. I didn’t want Leo to think that I was abandoning him at the first sign of trouble. “Oh, well I thought I’d stay at my friend’s place for a few days, just until things blow over.”
“Well that is a shame,” judging from Leo’s smirk he didn’t seem too offended, “because I was hoping that you’d come and stay with me.”
Huh?
“But unfortunately for you, you live in the house that I’m trying to avoid.” I tried to giggle, to make light of the situation, but the noise that came out from my mouth didn’t sound like I wanted it to.
“Is it though?” He cocked his head to one side and continued on with that smirk. “Because as far as I’m aware I have a new address. One that comes with a new job too.”
“What?” I no longer cared about seeming dumb, I had no idea what the hell was going on here. “What on Earth are you going on about?”
“Okay,” he grabbed my hands and stared deeply into my eyes. “So, tonight I raced again, and it was a big race.” I was torn between being annoyed that he’d gone off to race after our horrible day, and utterly curious. In the end, the curious side of me won out. “And although it was a tough one, I won. But this was a different race, a legal one. It was being run by a scout who wanted to sign some new racers for their professional team.”
“Oh my God, are you going pro now?” This was all too much, but I was extremely excited for him. This was incredible news.
“I am, but it’s more than that too. I won a hundred grand and I bought us a home.” He wiggled a set of keys in my face, making my heart leap about in my chest. “Now I know it’s soon to be thinking about moving in together, but we can’t remain in this house anymore.”
I pursed my lips thoughtfully, wondering if I was going to jump from one bad ship to another. I wanted this, God I wanted this so badly, but I also needed to be smart.
“As a trial?” I asked, wanting to know if he’d be willing to do that. “Just to see how things work out?”
“Yes, as a trial, of course I know this is insane. If things don’t work out, I will happily use my new money to help you get a place of your own.”
This was too good to be true, I almost couldn’t believe my luck. “Then how could I say no?” I chuckled. I held out my hands to him and he fell happily into my embrace. “I can’t believe it, this is really happening.”
With that Leo grabbed onto my cheeks and he pressed his lips against mine, solidifying everything.
“Can I tell you something else?” he asked against my lips. I nodded, unsure if I could say anything else. “I’m falling for you,” he whispered. “I think I might be in love with you.”
A tear pricked in my eyes, I felt overwhelmed with happi
ness. “You know what, I love you too.”
And with that I felt like I finally had my place in the world. It was unexpected, certainly not the person I thought it would be with, but I was happy all the same. It seemed like this was going to be my very unusual happy ever after.
THE END
= Bonus Book 19 of 20 =
Two Alien Lovers
The spaceport was bustling. Junior Intergalactic Alliance Ambassador Polina Marsh pulled the grey hood of her cloak further down over her face, hoping to blend into the teeming crowd that swirled around her.
The West Public spaceport wasn’t her normal port. IA Ambassadors, even junior ones, had the privilege of travelling on official ships that docked at reserved, highly secure government ports. It was a bit shocking for Polina to be mixed in with the general populace as they shoved and pushed in their haste to get to their own transports. She hadn’t travelled with gens—members of the general population—in over ten years, since she’d first enrolled at the IA Academy at age eighteen. She’d forgotten how unpleasant it was.
“Excuse me,” a burly Venutian grunted as he bumped Polina hard with his hefty shoulder. Polina nodded in return, grimacing under her hood as she rubbed her own shoulder. Venutians were a plated species, and even the smallest collision with one of their rock hard limbs left a bruise.
The crowd was full of citizens from almost every planet in the galaxy, a sea of different hued skins and strangely shaped bodies. Most were humanoid, like Polina, but a few anomalies stuck out here and there: a tentacled Octarion, a group of towering Rock Giants from Delphine Six, a pack of small, rodent-like Scarrions.
Polina glanced around and pulled her hood even lower. She was typical looking for a human female—average height, brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin—but it wouldn’t do her any good to be recognized at this port. Junior IA Ambassadors were not supposed to be using public spaceports and they certainly weren’t supposed to be boarding a ship and meeting with Dardassyian ambassadors. If she was caught, her political career could be over before it even properly started.