Page 66 of I Fell for an Alien Popstar

ME: She had early rehearsals that goes until later.

THOMAS: Life of a popstar. So, you two kiss yet?

ME: Don’t start.

THOMAS: I haven’t even started. I’m just saying, this is the most interesting your life has ever sounded.

ME: My life is usually very interesting.

THOMAS: You spend all your time drawing or arguing with the vending machines.

ME: It steals from me!

THOMAS: LOL. I have to get back to work. Don’t get kidnapped. Or married. Or both.

ME: I’ll do my best.

I smiled at the screen before swiping away the conversation and hitting the NEW notification alert.

PIA’RE: That is totally out of orbit! I would love to have lunch with you. I’ll send over the location pin. See ya soon!

Pia’re sent over a location pin, which opened in Galax-Maps when I tapped it. I saved it, then forwarded it to Zhari so she’d know where I was headed today, adding: Lunch with my new friend—Pia’re, the one I told you about.

I opened Astrolynx and searched for cab services in the area, then scrolled through the results by rating.

Galaxy Cab 900 had the most positive reviews for efficient and timely journeys. I quickly filled out the request and hit send. A notification immediately popped up with a fare estimate converted to human credits and a Send Driver Request button.

“Five credits for a ten-minute drive? That’s actually pretty good,” I mumbled.

I linked my credit card and hit request.

A hologram projected above my wrist—Your cab driver is two minutes away.

My eyes drifted up toward the empty road before dropping back to the quiet glow of my wrist comm. A quick swipe cleared the clutter of incoming notifications, and I powered down the display, letting the screen go black.

Ahead, the docks stretched out in a steady rhythm of industrial life. Cargo loaders purred in the foreground, while overhead, shuttle traffic traced slow, silent arcs across the sky. Framing the entire horizon was Tessara itself, its jagged skyline rising in striking shades of metallic blue and violet.

After a few minutes of waiting, a boxy blue-chrome car hovered at the curb. Across the top floated Galaxy Cab 900, flashing in different colors.

As I walked up to the passenger-side door, it popped open slowly.

An extraterrestrial leaned over and smiled.

“Name’s Wyn, and I’ll be your driver this afternoon. Hop in,” he said, flashing the biggest smile. His gray skin shimmered in the light, making his white teeth look extremely bright.

I pulled the door open all the way and got inside. The interior smelled faintly of citrus.

“Wow, that was fast. You guys really are efficient,” I beamed.

“We are anything but slow,” Wyn said, flashing another smile.

Tiny amber beads dangled from the rearview mirror, clicking softly as he moved.

“So, just visiting Tessara, or do you live here on a visa?”

I reached around to grab the seat belt, but it was already moving on its own. It slid along a track in the door, stopped in the middle of my chest, and tightened softly, clicking itself into place.

“That’s cool,” I mumbled, staring at the belt. “Um…” I shook my head. “I’m just visiting. I’m meeting up with a friend for lunch.”