Page 2 of The Alien Reindeer's Bounty
“Wanna race? I bet I’ll be super fast in these.” Mads flopped down on the bench, already kicking off his worn sneakers.
“Pfft. I’m so much faster than you.”
* * *
Fourteen Years Ago
Evening providedno relief from the sweltering summer heat. Odessa lay on the grass next to Mads, their heated skin nearly touching. She ignored the pricks and pokes as the dry, brittle blades scratched against her bare arms. In the midst of a drought, the world took on a wilted, browning tint. They needed rain, desperately, but the cloudless skies provided the perfect canvas for stargazing.
“That one is Capricorn. It’s like an upside-down triangle,” he said, pointing to a cluster of stars.
She tried. She really did, but her imagination couldn’t connect the dots. “I don’t see it.”
“It’s like a ram’s head with the horns.”
“Just looks like a bunch of dots,” she said. Beautiful dots, but dots.
“How about Cygnus? It’s like a cross with wobbly arms.” He oscillated his arms to demonstrate.
“Nope.”
“Constellations are really important. It’s how ancient civilizations used to navigate. That’s your heritage up there.” He sounded so serious, so intense that she couldn’t help but turn her head to look at him.
Soft moonlight glowed on his face, highlighting the sharpness of his cheeks and the fullness of his lips. Black lashes drew attention to icy blue eyes, the dark contrast captivating. His dark hair tumbled over his forehead in uncontrolled waves.
No one should be that pretty.
His gaze caught hers and the moment stretched out. He smiled and a warm, melty sensation unrelated to the heat overcame her. Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to kiss her? Yes. Yes. So much. Panic briefly fluttered in her chest, unsure what to do to let a boy know he should kiss her. She licked her lips, his eyes focused on her mouth.
“We’ve got GPS now. If I ever have to navigate by starlight, I’m screwed,” she said, wincing at her words.
Smooth.
He laughed, turning his gaze back to the stars. Odessa sighed with relief. Crushing on her best friend was stressful beyond belief. She needed to get over it because he didn’t think of her the same way. Well, she assumed so. Not that she’d ever have the balls to confess her feelings. So embarrassing.
“I wonder which one I’m from,” he said.
“We’re from Earth, ya dork.”
“One hundred percent Earthling.” He grinned, turning that overwhelming beauty toward her, and she felt like the most important girl in the universe. There was no getting over that addictive rush.
His grin vanished and the intensity of his gaze ratcheted up until the air practically vibrated with tension between them. Odessa licked her lips, aware that Mads tracked the progress of her tongue.
She leaned in. He leaned in. This was it. This was happening.
“Mads—”
“But what if I was an alien?”
He pulled away and ran a hand up the back of his head, mussing his hair. She rolled her eyes and the tension vanished.
“You’re not an alien. Everyone feels that way.” That was like Teenager 101. Basic stuff.
“My family’s not from here. Sometimes it feels like I’ll never find my place.”
“Your family’s from Norway, not Mars.”
“Something like that,” he muttered.
