Page 89 of I Fell for an Alien Popstar

“I was scared of the bond, not of you as a person,” I said softly.

“I know that now.”

She released my hand and folded both of hers in her lap.

“I was hurt for another reason too. I had finally found one thing I thought I could have to myself. Not the label’s. Not the fans’. Not something that belonged to the tour or the whole galaxy.” Her glow dimmed around the edges. “Just you. Just us. I thought I could have that with you.”

“Then Tev offered you a place inside this crazy world, and it felt like that was taken away too. Like even this—having you here with me—was becoming part of everyone else’s plans.”

“I never meant for it to feel that way,” I said. “The job wasn’t me choosing something over you. It was me choosing something for myself. I’ve spent my whole life waiting for permission to want anything. When Tev offered me a future I could understand, I grabbed it before I could talk myself out of it.”

Her eyes lifted to mine as she slouched back against the couch.

“And I should have told you,” I continued. “I should have understood that you weren’t asking me to give up my life. You were asking me to believe that what was happening between us mattered.”

“It does matter,” she said. “More than anything.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to say it. I understand that it’s terrifying. I understand that it’s permanent. I understand that it changes everything.”

She looked toward the window and watched the sky train whiz by. I watched with her for a few minutes before I continued.

I reached up to her cheek and moved her head to look at me. “And I still choose you.”

Her breath caught.

“I’m still scared,” I admitted. “But I’m done pretending that being scared means I don’t want this.”

For a moment, she just looked at me. Then she leaned closer, her forehead resting against mine.

“I can give you time,” she whispered. “But I need to know you are moving toward me, not away.”

“I don't anymore time. I've known it was you from the start. I was just scared. ”

My heart glitched. Like a major system glitch.

“I want this."

Her pupils flared. I reached out before I could overthink it and hooked a finger beneath the thin strap of her tank top. Slowly, I slid it down the slope of her shoulder, exposing the elegant line of her collarbone and the faint shimmer of her aura just beneath the skin.

Her gaze dropped to my hand as I reached for her. I ran my fingertips slowly down her arm, barely touching, tracing the smooth skin from shoulder to wrist. I watched her watch me—her aquamarine eyes darkening as my fingers slipped beneath the thin strap of her tank top and gently tugged it down her shoulder.

“Then,” she whispered, “are you asking… now?”

I held her gaze.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’m done being afraid of what this could be, or what it might take from me.”

My hand found hers, our fingers threading slowly, like I was learning the shape of something I never wanted to lose.

“I want this,” I continued. “I want you. Not just the easy parts, not just the moments that don’t scare me. All of it. I want to choose you knowing exactly how much it means.”

My thumb brushed against her skin, grounding myself in her warmth.

“I want to seal the bond,” I said, softer now. “I want to be with you. I want you as my mate.”

Zhari blinked at me for a second—then a slow, crooked smile pulled at her mouth. “Well,” she said, squeezing my hand, “it’s about time.”

She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “Talk about major lag,” she added, a soft huff of laughter slipping out. “I was starting to think you’d make me wait another lifetime.”