Page 57 of Reluctantly Abducted
Instead, I find myself saying, "Yes. I wish he had stayed."
A murmur ripples through the Council members, but Elder Va'ril silences it with a raised hand.
"Thank you for your honesty, Researcher. The Council will deliberate on your findings and recommendations. You are dismissed."
I bow formally and exit the chamber, my skin still betraying the emotions I've tried so hard to contain. Outside, in the relative privacy of the preparation alcove, I lean against the wall and close my eyes, allowing myself to acknowledge what I've been fighting against since the moment Owen dissolved into light and returned to his world.
I miss him. More than I should. More than can be explained by scientific curiosity or professional assessment.
What would happen if I broke protocol the way Zeph'hai did? I've spent my entire career following rules, upholding procedures, maintaining scientific objectivity. Going back for Owen would mean abandoning everything I've believed about proper research methodology.
And yet, the thought of never seeing him again creates a hollow sensation in my chest that no amount of scientific rationalization seems able to fill.
Chapter Seventeen
Owen
The weights hit the floor with a satisfying thud. Sweat drips down my face, my t-shirt soaked through after two hours in the gym. My muscles burn with the pleasant ache of exhaustion, exactly what I've been chasing.
Physical fatigue is the only thing that seems to help me sleep these days.
The gym is nearly empty at this hour. Just me, the night manager scrolling through his phone at the front desk, and a woman on the treadmill wearing headphones. The anonymity suits me. Ever since I got back from... wherever the hell I was for those three days, I've been avoiding conversation. What would I even say?Sorry, I was abducted by aliens. One in particular. Blue skin, golden eyes, obsessed with environmental sustainability. I might be in love with him.
Yeah, that would go over well.
I grab my water bottle and drain it, then head to the locker room. The mirror shows a face I recognize but somehow don't, same features, same military-short hair, but something in the eyes has changed. Something that makes me look away.
Back in my apartment, I toss my gym bag in the corner and head straight for the shower. The hot water pounds against my shoulders, easing some of the tension I've been carrying. Not all of it. Some tension has taken up permanent residence between my shoulder blades since the moment I found myself back in my living room, alone.
Back on Earth. Without Ry'eth.
Clean and dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, I move to the kitchen and pull open the refrigerator. It's better stocked than it was a week ago. One of the first things I did after gettingback was go grocery shopping. Trying to establish some kind of routine. Trying to pretend that everything is normal.
Normal. Like I haven't seen an alien ship. Like I haven't felt the strange mineral-rich water of a Nereidan hydration pool. Like I haven't touched skin that glows with emotion.
I grab ingredients for a simple dinner, chicken breast, vegetables, rice. Cooking gives me something to focus on, a task with clear steps and a definite end. Chop, season, cook. No complicated emotions, no questions about what happens next.
While the chicken cooks, I open the drawer of my desk and pull out a small velvet pouch. Inside are three small stones, iridescent blue-green, unlike anything found on Earth. I'd taken them from the collection Ry'eth had given me for "scientific study." He'd insisted I take samples of various minerals from his world, explaining their properties with that mix of scientific precision and barely concealed enthusiasm that I found so endearing.
I had no idea they were valuable until I took just one to a jeweler. The look on his face told me everything I needed to know. After some careful questions about their origin (a "private collector" was my vague explanation), he'd offered me enough money for that single stone to cover my rent for three months.
I sold two more, to different jewelers. Between those sales and my military pension, I'm financially secure for at least the next six months. Enough time to figure out what I'm doing with my life now.
If only money were the only problem I needed to solve.
I finish cooking, plate my food, and sit at the small table by the window. The Chicago skyline glitters in the distance. Millions of people going about their lives, completely unaware that there are other worlds, other beings. That somewhere out there, a blue-skinned scientist is probably analyzing data and writing reports about human adaptive capabilities.
Is he thinking about me? Or am I just another data point in his research?
The food tastes bland despite the seasoning. Everything tastes bland now. A side effect of experiencing alien cuisine, I suppose. Or maybe just depression. Hard to tell the difference some days.
After dinner, I try to read but can't focus. I turn on the TV but nothing holds my interest. Eventually, I lace up my running shoes again and head out for a late-night run. More physical exertion. More attempts to exhaust myself into dreamless sleep.
The night air is cool against my skin as I run through the nearly empty streets. The rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement creates a kind of meditation. One foot in front of the other. Breathe in, breathe out. Don't think about golden eyes or blue-tinted skin or the way his voice softened when he said my name.
I run until my lungs burn and my legs feel like lead. When I finally return to my apartment, I strip off my sweat-soaked clothes and, instead of my usual quick shower, I decide to run a bath. My muscles ache from days of overexertion, and the idea of soaking them sounds better than standing under the shower.
As the tub fills, I find myself thinking about the hydration pool on Ry'eth's ship. That slightly viscous, mineral-rich water that made my skin tingle and seemed to erase fatigue within minutes. This is just regular water in a regular bathtub in a regular apartment on Earth.
