Page 44 of Accidentally Abducted

"Life. The universe. Everything." I attempt a smile that feels more like a grimace. "The answer isn't forty-two, by the way."

Derek doesn't get the reference, just looks at me with increasing concern. "Look, I know things ended... not great between us. And I never really apologized for how I handled it."

"Derek—"

"No, let me say this." He sets the box down and takes a step closer, his expression serious in a way that would have meant something to me three months ago. "I'm sorry for how things ended. I wasn't fair to you. I made it sound like all the problems were on your side, and that wasn't true."

Three months ago, this apology would have meant everything. Now it feels like a message from another timeline, one where I never experienced the blue light, never met Zeph, never felt what it was like to truly connect with someone.

"It's fine," I say, and I mean it. "Really. That feels like a lifetime ago."

Derek studies my face, clearly thrown by my lack of reaction. "Are you sure? Because you seemed pretty torn up about it for a while."

"I'm sure. We weren't right for each other. You were right about that part."

He seems relieved but still confused by my easy acceptance. "Well, good. I'm glad we can be... you know, friends."

"Sure."

"So, brewery tonight? I could pick you up around eight."

"I really can't, Derek. But thanks."

He sighs, then reaches out and squeezes my shoulder in that familiar way he used to when he thought I was being difficult. "Alright, but the offer stands. I worry about you, you know."

The moment his hand touches me, I flinch so hard I nearly hit my head against the doorframe. It's not that his touch is unpleasant, it's that it's the first human contact I've had sinceZeph, and the difference is staggering. Derek's hand is cool, impersonal, carrying none of the empathic resonance I've grown accustomed to. The absence of that connection is like a physical pain, a reminder of what I've lost.

Derek pulls his hand back quickly, startled by my reaction. "Whoa, sorry. Didn't mean to—"

"It's fine," I say, wrapping my arms around myself. "Just... jumpy, I guess."

He stares at me with growing concern. "Jake, are you sure you're okay? This seems like more than just losing your job."

"I'm fine. Just tired." I take a deliberate step back, creating more distance between us. "I should get back to... job hunting."

"Oh, almost forgot." He picks up his box again. "Did you notice anything weird Tuesday night? Like, three days ago?"

My heart skips a beat. "Weird how?"

"I don't know. There was this blue light coming from somewhere. I was heading down the stairs for my evening run and saw it flashing under your door." He shrugs. "Probably nothing. Just caught my eye."

The blue light. The transportation beam. Derek saw it.

"Must have been the TV," I manage to say, my mouth suddenly dry. "I fall asleep with it on sometimes."

"Yeah, probably." He hoists the box higher. "Anyway, thanks for keeping my stuff. And seriously, take care of yourself. You look like you haven't slept in days."

"I'm working on it."

Derek gives me one last concerned look, then heads toward the stairs. I close the door and lean against it, heart pounding. He saw the light. He was literally walking down the stairs, passing my door, when the aliens meant to take him.If he'd been inside my apartment instead of in the hallway, if they'd gotten the location right...

I slide down until I'm sitting on the floor, back against the door, trying to process the narrowness of the miss. Derek Cross, in Zeph's quarters. Derek Cross, learning about Nereidan culture. Derek, experiencing what I experienced.

Derek, with Zeph.

The thought makes my stomach twist with a jealousy so intense it's almost a physical pain. Not because I still have feelings for Derek, god, no, but because the idea of Zeph sharing that connection with someone else, with anyone else, is unbearable. Those gentle hands, that careful attention, that beautiful luminescence responding to another's touch... I can't stand it.

Which is ridiculous. Zeph isn't mine. We had three days together. Three impossible, perfect days that ended too soon.

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