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“Let’s see, there’s Drago’s, where Sophia works,” Linus starts, placing one arm around me.
“Or we could go to Drago’s, where Sophia works,” Freck finishes with a grin. They’d been piling it on for two days now.
“You two comedians.” I grab Linus from my shoulder and give him a hard noogie on his head. “You should quit the military and go into show business.”
I know them for the jokers they are, but they’re not far off either. Every spare minute I've had has been either at Drago’s, chatting her up from the bar, or wishing I was.
How could I possibly help myself? She’s my fated mate, after all. My jalshagar. And what a mate she is. Sophia is gorgeous, smart, witty. She’s the entire package wrapped neatly in a curvy body with a bow on top. She’s a gift to me from the universe, and now that I know her, I can’t bring myself to step away.
“Three days, and it's the same story every night. Oh, Sophia!” Freck kisses an imaginary Sophia in the air while Linus bends over with laughter. “My darling Sophia. Your frail human body gives me goosebumps.”
“Oh, Drex! You’re just the hunk of Kaleidian I’ve been looking for to get me off this rock!” Linus answers in a mock woman’s voice. “Please, mister big strong soldier, save me!” Linus jumps into Freck’s hairy blue waiting arms, then they lose themselves in the glee.
I clap slowly and stare. “Well done, boys.”
“Thank you, we’ll be here all night, watching you watch some girl from across the bar.” Freck drops Linus sloppily on the ground and does a little bow. “But really, Drex, in all honesty. Do you think one of these days she’ll ever cross that bar? You know. Get face to face, skin to scales. Wait. Can humans fuck Kaleidians?”
“Of course they can.” Freck knows what we all do. A lot of the girls on Armstrong are loose. Hell, I don’t judge them for it. When times are this tough, what’s the shame in enjoying what might be the few decent days you’ll ever get? If it means extra bread, a decent cut of meat, or even sugar, there are plenty of girls around here who would give a lot more for a lot less.
I thank whoever is listening that Sophia has avoided that so far. I can tell just from talking to her, that she hasn’t had to trade her body for food or medicine. Now that I know she’s my mate, I’ll do anything to keep it that way.
We step into Drago’s, which is already filled to the rafters with soldiers. Instinctively, I head towards the bar where Sophia can usually be found. It's packed shoulder to shoulder with Coalition fatigues, making it difficult to see if she’s even here.
“There he goes…” Freck’s comments barely reach me through the noise. I bob my head over the crowd, but no sign of her.
“What’s the matter, Drex? Scare her off?” Linus teases, sidling up along an Odexian female having a drink at the bar. “Hey, lady.” He snakes an arm around her waist, only to find himself punched in the ribs.
“My luck’s gotta be better than yours,” I shout back over the crowd.
“Yeah, then where is she?” Freck signals for three beers from the available barmaid while my head swivels around for any sign of her.
“My guess is she told the boss she needed a night off from her guard dog,” Linus teases. Maybe he has a point. I have been keeping her company every night for days now. Could be she needed space, or I turned her off altogether.
I'm lost in thought, swirling the remaining bit of beer in my glass as I walk through the room. I try to act normal, but I can't stop skimming the crowd for her face. Somewhere in the commotion of the bar, being bumped by soldier after soldier, the room pulls me into a pensive mood.
Truth is, I don't know Sophia. Her being my fated mate doesn't come with information or a free ticket in. That has to be earned the old-fashioned way. It's the reason I've been here every night, trying to glean as much as I can from her. But maybe the boys were right. I've come on too strong and forced her to back off.
“Looks like we’ve got him to ourselves tonight, Freck!” They clink glasses in celebration, downing them in one go.
“Oh, don’t look so sad. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.” Linus claps his arms around us as we try to nudge our way back through the crowd.
I'm hopeful, standing in front of the bar, that I just missed something. That Sophia's been here all along waiting for me to come sit in front of the taps. But the disappointment hits me again when the blonde girl working the bar just isn’t her.
“Look, I know Freck’s eyes aren’t as big and brown as Sophia’s, but don't hurt his feelings, okay?”
Freck batts his eyelashes in my direction in response to Linus’s comment. They can be good fun, these two, but deep down I’m just not in the mood anymore.
Maybe I’ve waited too long. Maybe I should have tried to cross the line to something a little less casual already, or at least learned where she lived. Taken her on a date. Anything.
The truth is that my plans here on this planet could change at any time. I could be deployed without a chance to say goodbye. Considering she’s my fated mate, don’t I at least want to say something more profound to her than asking her what her hobbies are? Shit, I don’t even know her full name.
“Hey, don't get your panties in a twist. It's just some human.”
I growl at Linus. He’s gone too far this time. I haven't told my mates yet that Sophia is my jalshagar. I will, but I want their respect for any girl I choose to spend my time on, fated mate or not. For now, it's time to get me out of this room. The last thing I want tonight is fisticuffs with a friend, and I can tell I’m getting into the mood where that’s a real possibility.
“Hey, where ya going?” Freck pleads as I start pushing towards the door. “He didn't mean anything by it. Come back!” But I just can't do that.
There’s no going back now that I've seen her face and heard her laugh. Since I've been in the presence of my fated mate, she consumes all my thoughts. I turn to every woman’s face as I make it closer to the door. Each disappointing blue eye or blonde curl that isn't Sophia has me sweating, reaching for the exit.
