by V. Vaughn
My feet thud over the carpet of my living room as I begin to pace, and I ponder what else I can do to honor my commitment to Selene while still making Hunter’s life miserable. Maybe I could change his earth name to something like Bait. I’m curious as to why Hunter wanted to hack the match finder in the first place. Money is usually the motivator for crimes like this. Oh my god. It hits me that perhaps Hunter is getting paid to match his alien buddies to women they want instead of leaving it to compatibility. I scowl because I remember how Caiden came here wanting to order Mandy around the way men on Eroscia do to their women, and I imagine a bunch of alien men dragging us back to the days when women couldn’t vote. The rattle of a key in my lock makes me stop and face the door as Hunter enters. I hold back the string of profanity I’d like to utter, and steam might be coming out of my ears from the effort.
It takes him a moment to get inside, and when he does a small paper bag with handles falls to the ground with a thump. I notice a bouquet of flowers and a bottle that looks like champagne in his hands. “Lexi. I didn’t expect to find you here.” His smile fades as he looks at me.
“I didn’t expect to come back this early. But then I didn’t expect to see what I read on your credentials either.”
His eyes widen. “Oh. Baby, it’s not what you think.” He sets the bottle and flowers down on the coffee table as he approaches me.
I hold up my hand. “Stop right there, and don’t call me baby.”
He halts. “Let me explain.”
“Which part?” I grab the flowers from the coffee table and yank the head off a daisy. “How you found the perfect sucker for your plan?” I throw it to the floor and snap another flower off. “How you changed my program to make sure we’d be a perfect match?” I throw it at him, and it bounces off his chest. Tears fill my eyes, and hot moisture rolls down my cheeks. I launch the rest of the bouquet as hard as I can at him as I say, “Or maybe you want to explain how you could be cold enough marry me when you don’t love me?” A sob escapes, and his form wavers in front of me through my watery veil as he steps toward me with his arms out. I shake my head so he won’t come any closer.
“Lexi, none of that is true.”
“Don’t!” I take a deep breath and scrub the tears from my face. “Don’t keep lying to me. I deserve better than that.”
He opens his palms at his sides and speaks softly as he says, “You deserve everything, and I want to give it to you.”
I sniff as I pull myself together. “You know what the worst thing is? I can’t even send you back, because then Mandy would have to go be a lab rat.” I let out a dry chuckle. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me why you want to hack the dating program so badly?”
“I didn’t hack it, but I understand why you might think that.”
“Were you guilty of your crime?”
“I was. But---”
“I know. I’m sure it was for a good reason. Don’t bother.” The champagne bottle is cool in my hand when I grab it, and while I’m tempted to throw it against the wall, the looming figure of my security deposit keeps me from doing it.
“So that’s it? You won’t let me explain my side.”
“Why? So you can tell me more lies?” I glance down at the bottle and notice it’s an expensive brand. “The fact you told me you were guilty is enough for me. And once Kiely finds your code hacks that made our match happen I’ll be able to send you to prison.” I turn to go to the kitchen. I plan to get good and drunk on this expensive alcohol tonight. I recall Mandy telling me that the Eroscian prison cell she was confined too was like a posh hotel room. I call out over my shoulder as I walk. “By the way. All those shows you aliens have seen on TV about our penitentiaries are true. You’re going to be quite popular.”
Hunter follows me into the kitchen. “You won’t find anything in the code because I didn’t alter any code in your dating program.” He grabs the fridge door to open it for me. “I swear, we really are a perfect match.”
The bottle clatters on the glass shelf as I lay it down. “And I should believe you because?”
Hunter lets out a huff of air in exasperation. “Because I’m madly in love with you, and I came to Earth for a fresh start.”
I glance at him and my heart flutters. I love Hunter so much I want to believe him. My throat gets thick as the urge to cry returns, but I swallow hard and push my attraction aside. “You won’t be convicted if we can’t find evidence of a crime.”
Hunter opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something. But he must think better of it because he sighs instead. “I bought you something special today, and I don’t know if it will matter, but I’d like to give it to you. Please?”
I wave my hand in dismissal, because what I really want is for him to be gone. “Fine. Show me.”
When Hunter goes to the living room, I think about the flowers and expensive champagne he brought home. He couldn’t have known I’d find out about his criminal past today, so why did he buy them? Was it to butter me up before he told me what I’d find? Paper rustles as Hunter returns and pulls out a black velvet box from the bag. Oh my god.
“I did a little research about marriages on Earth, and discovered you were cheated. No fancy dress, no party and most of all--” The box creaks as he opens it and extends it toward me. “No diamond ring.”
I stare in awe at the large stone glittering in the light. I reach out for it, but stop my hand midair. “How did you afford--wait. Is it real?”
“Yes, Lexi. It’s real. And no, I didn’t steal it.”
I shake my head and close my eyes. Luxurious things can’t make lies any better. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter.” Then why did he buy me an outrageously expensive ring? I can’t wrap my head around what his game is, but I sure don’t want to play it. “It’s just one more symbol of your betrayal, Hunter.”
The box thumps softly on the countertop as he sets it down. “I see. Should I go back to my room at the office building?”
I nod as I bite my lip to keep from crying. I manage to hold it together until Hunter packs his things and leaves. And the moment the door shuts, I fall apart for a bit before I call my best girlfriends, Mandy and Eliza.
As I tidy up for my friends, I notice Hunter left the ring behind, and the velvet box is soft in my hand as I hold it. I think about how I spent many hours daydreaming about the man I’d marry. Sunlight streaming in through the windows bounces off the large diamond when I open the box to look. It’s a stunning ring, and I pull it out to slide on my finger. I’m not sure how Hunter knew the right size, but it’s a perfect fit. A sob fights its way out as I yank the ring off my finger. Marriage is about trust and respect, not fancy diamonds. The box clatters across the counter when I toss it, and it slides off and onto the floor. I imagine the crash I hear is just like my dreams. I made one careless move by falling hard for Hunter before I had a chance to investigate him, and everything just fell apart.
Chapter 10
Eliza arrives at my apartment first. She’s an anthropologist, and as soon as Mandy married Caiden, Eliza began researching the aliens of Eroscia. When I told her that Hunter was an ex-con she perked right up and said the laws on Eroscia are a different than ours, and she sounded optimistic about my situation. Her perky-blonde personality is in full swing when she walks in the door. “Once you tell me the whole thing we’ll figure this out,” she says before I can speak. She hands me a bottle of wine and gives me a one-armed hug. “Open this sucker up. Mandy should be here any minute.”
I notice a shopping bag on her arm, and she leads the way to the kitchen as it rustles. I say, “Thanks for coming over, but I don’t think we’re going to solve this.” My voice shakes as I fight tears. “I think Hunter fixed my program to make sure I came up as his perfect match.”
Eliza has stayed here many nights and she makes a bee-line right for the cabinet with my big bowls. A drawer scrapes open as I retrieve the wine opener, and bags rip as Eliza opens chips and cookies. “But here’s the thing,” sa
ys Eliza. “He could have been convicted of hacking as a child. The Eroscian government doesn’t wipe the slate clean when children become adults.”
“Really?” Could Hunter have been a difficult teen? I can certainly imagine it based on his defiance for authority, and a glimmer of hope shines in my mind.
Wine gurgles in a glass as Eliza says, “Eroscians also mark anyone who’s ever been guilty of a crime. It’s described as an aura-like brand that appears on the alien’s chest, but humans can’t see it.”
“Wow. So if you stole candy as a kid and got caught, you’d have a mark letting everyone know for the rest of your life?”
She nods. “They do it to keep the crime level down.”
I think about how nice it would be to easily identify the creeps out there, but then I imagine making a mistake as a child and having it haunt me for the rest of my life. “Do the marks signify what kind of crime it was?”
“Not exactly. They have different levels to help you know the severity. So murder would be a level five, and something similar to a speeding ticket would be level one.”
“Hello! Hello!” calls out Mandy as she lets herself in to my apartment. She enters the kitchen with her own shopping bags and pulls out ice cream containers. “What did I miss?” she asks as she comes over to squeeze me tight.
Eliza catches her up on what she just told me, and when she’s done Mandy says, “I’ve got some information of my own from Caiden. Hunter comes from a wealthy and powerful family, and he used to have a reputation for getting into trouble his parents bought him out of.” I sigh and Mandy jumps in. “It’s not as bad as that sounds. Caiden said it was pranks like taking a teacher’s car for a ride around the block because they left the keys inside.”
Eliza’s face lights up with excitement when she asks, “Does Caiden have a criminal mark?”
“I don’t think so. Hunter’s parents used to bail their son and his friends out of the trouble they’d get in.”
I say, “Well, maybe they thought it was childish pranks, but that’s the kind of stuff that is a gateway to more severe crimes.” Eliza and Mandy frown at me. “What?”
“You don’t remember when we stole Mrs. Fontaine’s glasses and kept them hidden from her for two days?”
I recall how the three of us were behind on our physics assignment and came up with the brilliant plan, and that the idea worked. It makes me cringe. “Okay, so none of us are criminals, but still.” Am I being too hard on Hunter? But if he’s lying....“Do you really believe Hunter and I are a one hundred percent match? He had to have rigged it. It all started with his profile.”
Mandy takes the glass of wine Eliza hands her. “Caiden swore to me that Hunter isn’t the kind of guy to do anything serious. I’m not so sure he lied to you. And I definitely don’t think he’s the kind of man to hack your program.”
“You don’t?” I recall how angry he was when Mandy and I first met him. “You do remember he was in handcuffs the day he was given to me like some kind of consolation prize.”
“I trust my husband, Lexi. If he swears Hunter is a good man, I believe it.” Mandy grabs a chip. “Caiden’s gone to see Hunter, so maybe we’ll get more information on what the conviction really is.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose as I remember how Hunter tried to explain, but I wouldn’t let him.
“What is it?” asks Eliza.
I sigh. “Hunter did try to explain. But I was so mad I wouldn’t let him talk.”
“Oh, honey. You were hurt and thought you’d been betrayed. I think we all would have acted that way.”
I shake my head as I smile at Eliza. “You wouldn’t.” My blonde friend takes in stray animals and people. She would have given Hunter the benefit of the doubt.
“True,” says Mandy. “But not all of us are saints.” She waggles her eyebrows at us and Eliza’s cheeks turn pink.
“You guys,” says Eliza, “I’m not that sweet.”
I tease back, “No, you’re not. Remember that time with the male dancers and those shots of tequila?”
Mandy and I chuckle as Eliza groans. “Stop. I’m still trying to get over the embarrassment I feel whenever I see a lime.”
I gulp down a mouthful of wine. “You shouldn’t. That guy had a lick-worthy chest, and you did us proud that night.”
“He gave you his number!” Mandy lifts her glass and tilts it toward Eliza. “Every woman in that place wanted to be you.”
Eliza’s lips turn up in a small smile. “He was into me, wasn’t he?”
“Girl, if you weren’t so concerned with finding the forever man, that dancer would have been a fun ride,” says Mandy as she reaches in her back pocket for her phone. She looks down at it. “Caiden said he talked to Hunter and he wants to know if he can come over to see you, Lexi.”
I take a deep breath before I nod. I may not be able to fully believe Hunter, but I do trust Caiden will tell me the real story. Maybe then I can make sense of who my husband really is.
Chapter 11
I didn’t finish my wine once I knew Caiden was coming over to talk. I want a clear head when I hear about Hunter’s past, as well as any explanation for his criminal acts. I think about the expensive champagne in my fridge and wonder if I’m going to learn anything tonight that will let me drink it with Hunter. I watch Mandy and Caiden linger over a kiss when he arrives, and I sigh with happiness for my friend as well as hope that I’ll get to keep the same kind of love.
Eliza asks Caiden, “Can I get you a glass of wine? Or maybe a beer?”
He grins at Mandy. “I’d love a beer, but just one.”
“You have to be careful with these aliens,” says Mandy. “They can’t tolerate too much alcohol.”
A cap pops off a bottle, and when Eliza hands Caiden his beer he holds her hand for a second as he thanks her. Her cheeks turn pink as she drops her eyes. Mandy and I grin at each other over the way a hot guy flusters our friend, and I imagine what she’ll be like when she finds her alien match.
“So,” says Caiden to me. “I hear you sent Hunter packing.”
“Yeah.” I let out a big sigh as remorse fills me. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “But now I think I might have been too quick to judge.” A stool scrapes on the kitchen floor as I pull it out to sit, and Caiden takes the one next to me. We face each other, and I notice his vivid blue eyes that are the same intensity as Hunter’s green ones.
“Hunter and I have been friends since I can remember, and I’ll admit we were both on the wild side until our early adult years.” Caiden sips his beer before he continues. “I’m not proud to admit this, and I think Hunter and I have grown up, but we got into a lot of trouble because we knew we had the safety net of his family’s money to buy our way out of any convictions.”
He pauses as if he’s trying to find the right words for what he wants to say next, and I ask, “Until what?”
Caiden glances at Mandy. “I wasn’t completely truthful when you asked if I had a criminal indicator. While I don’t now, I used to.”
Mandy’s eyes get big as she asks, “What for?”
“Unpaid parking tickets.”
“What?” asks Eliza.
“That seems a bit harsh,” I say.
Caiden says, “That’s what Hunter and I thought too. Especially since anyone that has an indicator wasn’t allowed to be put into the pool of alien matches for humans.”
“Wait.” Mandy’s wine glass thuds as she sets it down on the counter. “Then how did you become my mate?”
“Hunter. He hacked into the system and deleted the level one indicator from every male eligible to sign up for the Intergalactic Dating program. I’m sure you understand what it’s like to have a limited pool of partner options. He thought it was unfair to penalize great guys because they had something as insignificant as a speeding ticket in their past.”
“Did he delete one for himself too?” I ask.
“No. He didn’t have one until he got caught hel
ping the rest of us.”
“That hardly seems fair,” says Eliza.
I think about the fact that something as ridiculous as running a stop sign could ruin a man’s possibility of getting the family he wants.
“Hunter isn’t the same guy he used to be, Lexi.”
I really want to believe that. “Why did he come to us in handcuffs when Selene handed him over as part of the deal to bring you and Mandy back to Earth?”
Caiden shakes his head. “Selene is a bitter woman who didn’t like the fact Hunter turned her down as a mate. Women on Eroscia don’t expect to get turned down since they’re so scarce. It was a big blow to her ego.” Caiden takes my hand, and his fingers are warm on mine. “Hunter knew he was meant for someone else, and he wasn’t going to settle for anything less. You’re the one he waited for, Lexi, and I think you know it in your heart.”
I recall the look in Selene’s eyes. The look I thought was anger was actually jealousy. In my heart, I know Hunter is a good man. But my brain is still holding on to its rule-following ways. Even though Hunter served his sentence for his crime, can I believe he really has changed? What proof do I have he won’t do it again?
I need time to think, and my phone is slippery in my hand as I grab it and excuse myself by saying I have to make a call to Kiely. When I get to my bedroom and glance at my bed I notice Hunter made it, and I sit on the mattress to pick up a pillow. The scent of him lingers on it, and my chest swells with love for my alien.
I look over where I put the engagement ring on my bedside table. Hunter waited to find me. Just like I waited to find him. He wasn’t willing to settle, and neither am I. The soft sound of Mandy and Caiden talking in my living room carries to me, and I smile at the happiness I hear. It makes me think of how I felt with Hunter, and I realize it’s true – we’re supposed to be together.
I grab my cell and call him. “Can you come over?”