Page 10 of A Layperry's Heart
“I.. no… Gendry,” Christian says, using his free hand to rub at the back of his neck. “That’s just a phrase people use when they jokingly mean you’re referring to sex.”
“Oh,” I say, standing up straight and dropping my garbage bag. I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “No. That’s not what we did. There was no sexual relations or anything close. We simply talked and ate brownies.”
“I believe you,” he says right away. “I was just making a joke, it’s okay.”
I pick my bag back up, going back to cleaning up trash. I have no idea why some humans think it’s okay to leave garbage out like this. If this happened on my planet, Ghenie would pass out harsh punishments. We’ve always believed it is our duty to take care of the planet that houses us, why do some humans find that so difficult?
Instead of dwelling on the frustration that comes with thinking about certain humans, I move my thoughts to a different human, one who’s thoroughly caught my attention. I turn towards Christian.
“I have a question.”
Christian perks up. “Yeah?”
“What does it mean when a human changes their hair color?”
I continue picking up garbage, ignoring the way his eyes are on me. When I finally look over, Christian has a small smile on his face. He nods his head.
“That’s a really good sign.”
“Really? But what does it mean? Is it some sort of camouflage technique or something to scare away predators?”
“No, no. It’s more like a mood indicator. Some of us have the ability to project our emotions with our hair.”
I narrow my eyes. That doesn’t sound like something humans can do, but who am I to argue with a native? “So what does bright pink mean?”
“Oh, Gendry, really? It was bright pink?” I nod my head and Christian’s face lights up. “That’s amazing. It means he has romantic feelings for you!”
My heart picks up speed and my skin tingles with delight. Aldo has feelings for me? He’s so beautiful and kind, while I am so large and alien. How could he possibly have romantic feelings for me?
“That can’t be. I’m an alien.”
“Some people look past the skin, even if it’s purple, into the man inside, Gendry. I think you should ask him to go on a date with you.”
“A date?” I think about the movie I watched last night. It was a romantic comedy, or at least, that’s what the TV had called it. It was about two women who fall in love during a medical tragedy. I was expecting it to end in disaster but somehow, they both pulled through and were able to be together in the end. I can admit, I shed more than one tear at the end because it was so beautiful. During the movie, one of the women took the other on a date to see a movie and then walked through a park together. At the end of the date, they shared a soft kiss.
My stomach swoops as I think about possibly doing the same with Aldo. Would he allow me to take him on a date? Would he allow me to duck down and press my lips against his own at the end of it?
I want to find out. I want whatever he’s willing to let me have, even if it will only last this year.
“You know what a date is, right? I guess you’re used to doing weird athletics to prove you can mate someone,” Christian says, his brows wrinkling. “That mating ritual is so fucking stupid. What if someone is born with only one leg? Are they just supposed to be alone forever? You shouldn’t have to put on a fucking show just to be with the person you love.”
Ghenie is myTorallehbut even I can see that our ways are outdated. There’s limitations to how we prove ourselves to our mates, I agree with Christian. I also know that it is not my place to question Ghenie’s leadership. Timalah has brought these things up to Ghenie in the past and the two of them have talked about it at great lengths.
It wouldn’t surprise me if things are already different by the time I get back to my home planet. Ghenie is our leader. It is his mission to speak with our Ancestors, to allow them to help him lead our people. They will help guide him into this next stage. They will help him develop a new and better way to bring our matches together, I have no doubt.
“In a movie I watched, two people went to a theater together and then went for a walk. I could do something like that with Aldo.”
Christian snaps out of his terrible mood when thinking about our mating rituals, focusing on explaining different date ideas to me instead.
“As long as you’re spending time together, getting to know each other better, and having a nice time, that’s all that matters. Pretty much anything can become a date as long as your intention is to be with each other.”
I nod along as he explains. “That makes sense. So having brownies and talking could be a date?”
“Yes. But usually, it’s only a date when you’re both on the same page about it being a date.”
“A conscious decision by both parties involved,” I murmur. I reach down and pick up some more trash as we talk. “I am unsure what Aldo would enjoy as a date, but I could simply ask him next time I see him. He promised to play soccer with me.”
“That’s a good sign, that he’s promising to spend time with you in the future.”
