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“Oh,” he replies, and I mentally question what they do with these cats in Sweden.
“Would you want a son or daughter?” I ask to change the subject.
“A daughter, of course.”
“Really?”
“Without question. Don’t you want a daughter?”
“Of course I do, but I’d assumed…”
“Sweden is different.”
“I’m beginning to see that. And when do you think I can visit Sweden? This summer?”
“Perhaps,” he says vaguely. “It’s just all about timing.”
I don’t want that answer to ruin my day. I let it go and take out my phone. “I’m changing our status on social media to “In a relationship.” I want you to do the same.”
“You want to do this now?”
“Yes,” I say adamantly. “I want your friends and family to know.” As odd as it is, we have actually talked about this before, and both of us had played it cool that it wasn’t that important to change, but suddenly, after the non-legal marriage, I want it. How possessive I am of my husband? But why not? He’s very handsome, and I’m coming to realize I don’t actually know that much about him besides his personal interests. He could have a woman in every port for all I know.
I change my profile, and he does the same. I even change my profile picture to one of the both of us here from yesterday, but you can’t see I’m in a wedding dress nor that he has a flower in his lapel. It’s only our faces like we are just looking really good.
“Do you want me to change my profile picture too?” he asks in a non-condescending way as if he really doesn’t know but wants to please.
“If you want.”
Sem gives me a sharp look I’ve only seen a few times, but I know what it means: don’t-play-this-cat-and-mouse-game.
“Yes. I want you to change it.”
I watch him as he scrolls through his pictures. I watch him to see which one he will choose, and it’s sweet how he’s smiling at some of them. “I want one from yesterday, but I don’t want to give away that we’ve gotten married.” He tries cropping some. “You’re so beautiful no matter what, Ivy, but yesterday, with the dress and the makeup, I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to have found you in this whole galaxy, and you chose me.” He’s talking as if he’s speaking to me and reminiscing to himself.
But I’m caught by some of his words. It’s an odd choice. “In the whole galaxy?”
“In this whole world. I said ‘world,’ didn’t I?”
“You said galaxy. It’s okay if you’re a closet Star Trek fan. I get it. I’ve seen some of the shows. I mean, it’s not my thing, but it’s not anything you need to be ashamed of.”
Sem gives me a blank stare and then shows me the selfie where I’m kissing his cheek before we took our vows. “This is one of my favorites. Do you think I’ve cropped it enough to not look suspicious?”
I kiss his cheek again, just like I did in the picture. “Yes. No one will suspect. It’s so wild we did this.”
“We are wild.”
“I’m not usually like this. I’m usually such a rule-follower.”
“Me too,” he says. “But there’s something about you that makes me always bend the rules.”
“Oh,” I’m curious now. “When have you broken the rules for me before?”
Twenty-Five
Sem
I’ve had too much alcohol and too much sex. I’m too comfortable with Ivy, and I’m slipping. I can’t tell her that when we first met, aliens had abducted her and that I bent the rules by keeping her with me and finding out her name and where she was from. I need to tell her all that when we are in New Orleans and not when I’m half drunk.
