She gives me a wan smile. “You look pretty. The skirt, I mean. And the sweater. I didn’t even know you owned a denim skirt or a white sweater.”
I shrug. “Can’t get jeans on over my brace.” I chuckle when I look down at my feet. I may be dressed nice from the knees up, but there’s no way I could have managed heels. I’m wearing white sneakers.
In my opinion, the sweater is a bit too formfitting. It’s snug around my chest. I figure it makes me look like I have more in the boob department than I actually have. I’ve hidden behind baggy T-shirts since I grew boobs in the first place. I’m lean and muscular. Not the sort of girl guys find attractive. Even my breasts are mostly muscle. But this sweater makes me feel rather feminine.
I swing myself across the room with the crutches. After all, I’m tall enough to set the crutches down pretty far away from me each time and strong enough to haul myself along with them. My underarms are starting to chafe, but I’m going to ignore them for tonight.
Rachel gives me an awkward hug. “Please be careful.”
“I’m always careful. I think it’s high time I do something slightly reckless.”
She chews on her bottom lip as I leave her standing in our two-bedroom campus apartment. We’ve been friends since we both arrived here as freshmen. She’s one of the few people in my life who isn’t on the basketball team, so we haven’t exactly hung out together often, but she’s a good roommate.
When I get to the door, I turn back to look at her. “Don’t study too hard,” I joke.
“Don’t stay out too late,” she responds with a chuckle. “Don’t set your drinks down. Keep them in your hand the entire time. Don’t let strangers buy you drinks. And if you must really stretch your wings, be sure to use a condom.”
I laugh as I gimp out the door. Condoms. Yeah, right. As if I could be that lucky.
Chapter Two
Bamgin
“Shall we go downstairs?” Nanish asks me, rubbing his hands together. He’s smiling broadly. Of course he is. This is his first night here at Club Zoom. Everyone has that excited look on their faces the first night. Maybe even the second. Hell, we just watched Tekfan spot his Little girl from the monitors in this second-floor control room. He’d been here two weeks, and though he’d been growing weary, he hadn’t fully lost that spark of excitement.
I, on the other hand, would like to invest in some serious earplugs. Even on the nights when I don’t bother to go down to the dance floor, I can still feel the pulse of that hideous music from here.
Six weeks. They say I’ve been here longer than any other Eleadian male, waiting for Fate to stop dorking around and arrange for my intended mate to actually make an appearance.
I’ve considered giving up, but the investment in this trip to Earth is tremendous. The journey to this planet is six months Earth’s time each way. That’s a year plus the time it takes to findher, the hours of research into human females we do to prepare, and then additional time off work when we return to help her get acclimated.
I’m well aware that it’s worth it. That’s beyond obvious on the face of every man I’ve seen as he discovers his perfect mate. I’ve also spent several years yearning for the kind of relationships my friends back on Eleadia have with their mates. Jealousy brought me this far, and I’m not going to give up.
That’s not to say I’m not exasperated. I’m past that point.
Nanish is still grinning at me. “Come on, man. Go down with me. Just this once. I’m ill-prepared for that number of females in one room.” He leans over to look closer at the monitor. “Those girls are practically climbing Zingar as though he were a piece of recreational equipment at the playground.”
I can’t help but chuckle as I follow Nanish’s line of sight. He’s right. Zingar has been on the dance floor for five minutes, and the females are swarming him like bees to a beehive.
I’ll never understand the fascination humans have toward us. From all appearances, the only distinct difference we share is size. So what if Eleadians are taller and broader? Is it really that exciting to see? Apparently so because all these females flock here every night. Most of them aren’t expecting to be selected, nor are they interested in being chosen. They come for the sole purpose of seeing how big we are for themselves so they can report back to their friends what they saw.
Seems like madness to take that kind of risk, knowing leaving the planet never to return is a possibility.
Nanish and I have been friends for a long time. We work for the same branch of the government on Eleadia—overseeing intergalactic trade. The department is large, so our superiors are able to send two of us at a time to find mates.
A few years ago, the government decided it was in the best interest of morale to gradually let everyone take the time tomake the trip to Earth to find a female companion. Having a life partner enriches everyone’s life. After a century without female companionship, we are finally finding a new happiness.
Except me so far. I seem doomed to remain on this planet for the rest of my life, waiting for her to show up. A part of me has the urge to spank her the moment I finally discover her for taking her sweet time to visit the club.
I sigh dramatically as I rise to my feet. I won’t send Nanish to the wolves alone. The least I can do is be polite and accompany him to the first floor for his first time. It truly can be overwhelming. It still is most nights. Human females are so odd.
“Thanks, Bamgin.” Nanish slaps me on my back enthusiastically.
“No problem, but if we get down there and you scent your mate right away, I might be inclined to stab you,” I joke. If I were human, that might not be funny. Men on this planet have a tendency to be rather violent. Eleadians are a peaceful species. Incidents of violence are extremely rare.
Nanish winces. “I guess there’s nothing I can do to stop that.”
“Nope. If your mate is here, you’ll know. But for all the love in the heavens, it’s my turn.”
