Page 87 of I Fell for an Alien Popstar

“The one you’re staying at?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

She kissed my forehead, then my cheek, lingering there for half a second before pulling away.

She turned toward the stage, then looked back at me.

“You are my Sola-Ka.”

A crew member waved urgently from the edge of the curtain.

Zhari took one last breath, smoothed her expression into something closer to her stage self, and reached for my hand. She squeezed it once before letting go.

Then she ran back into the light.

I stayed at the side of the stage for the rest of the show, clutching my glitter sign against my chest and watching her finish the set.

But every time her eyes found me, I saw the private version too—the girl beneath the lights, the one who had wanted one thing for herself and had been afraid I would turn it into another piece of the machine.

When the encore ended, the arena exploded into sound.

Zhari took her final bow, then disappeared behind the curtain. A few minutes later, Sira appeared beside me.

“She has a car waiting,” she shouted over the random music playing as everyone started to leave.

I looked at her cautiously.

“Are you going to give me another speech?”

“No, I’m not.” Her gaze flicked to the glitter sign. “Tev has already seen that, by the way.”

“Oh stars,” I sighed

“He wants to know if he can use the solar car in a campaign.”

“Absolutely not.”

Sira’s mouth twitched.

“Good answer.”

She turned toward the service corridor.

“Come on. Before the press figures out you’re here.”

We moved through the backstage halls, this time with Sira walking ahead and Zhari’s security staff trailing behind us. The arena’s noise faded with every step.

At the private exit, a dark chrome car waited beneath the loading canopy. Its windows were tinted, and a small holo above the hood displayed a hotel emblem.

Zhari was already inside.

She leaned across the back seat and opened the door for me.

I climbed in beside her. The moment I sat down, her hand found mine.

Neither of us spoke as the car lifted away from the arena.