Page 3 of Her Alien Spy
She set her communicator down onto the table, then started taking out containers. Each one, when she opened it, revealed another of her favorite foods. A variety of cheeses and crackers in one, a container of almond chicken and rice, which had been her go-to meals growing up on Earth. A fruit salad, another container with spicy roasted vegetables, one with cherry pie, and another with a selection of chocolates.
She shook her head and picked up her comm again.
He responded a few seconds later.
She shook her head and looked at the selection of food he’d sent. He’d nailed every single one of them.
She rolled her eyes, unable to stop the grin on her face, and set her comm down again. She grabbed the container of almond chicken and the piece of cherry pie, setting them aside to eat now, then put the rest away for the next day. She carried her surprise dinner and dessert into the living room, plopped down onto the sofa, and put on one of her favorite shows, watching happily as she ate.
He was a pain in the ass. And too handsome for his own good. But any male who knew enough to send food at the end of an exhausting day had a few points in his favor.
She’d just finished the pie, feeling full, content, and sleepy, and picked up her communicator.
She shook her head.
There was a short pause.
What could she say to that? Julia set the comm down on the table as she looked around her living space, trying to think about anything but the way her body heated at those three words:
I pay attention.
She’d been in her last relationship for three years. He’d had no idea what kind of food she liked, almost actively choosing restaurants she hated. He never noticed when she was tired or stressed or feeling lonely or touch-starved.
She had no misconceptions about Andethor. He was a musician, and a gorgeous one, and one who traveled a lot. He’d just gotten very good at charm and was used to getting what he wanted. For some reason, he’d set his sights on her.
Not. Gonna. Happen.
She laughed and stood up, bringing her dirty dishes to the kitchen to wash. Like all take away containers on the station, these would be returned to the kitchens, sanitized, and then sent out with the next order. Very little waste when you live in the middle of space.
She finished cleaning up, brushed her teeth, then crawled into bed, happy to finally cocoon herself in her blankets. She was just about to drift off when her comm buzzed. Her first instinct wasto ignore it. But, a career in the military ingrained that you never ignored communications, and she still hadn’t quite managed to shake that habit. Julia groaned and stuck her hand out of her warm, cozy cocoon, grabbing her comm to read the message.
At least it wasn’t a video call. She definitely wasn’t in the mood for that.
She read the beginning of the message, then sat up. It was from her friend, Agatha, who’d moved to the station a few months ago to work in sanitation.
, the message read, and Julia groaned. Agatha had been in a very tumultuous relationship with one of the human guys in engineering for the past few months. If she could have polite screamed “stop seeing him, for fuck’s sake!” at her adorable, sweet, funny-as-hell friend, she would have. But that would be rude. And Agatha was a grown woman who could make her own choices.
, Julia messaged back.
Julia sighed. Some men deserved to have their dicks removed and thrown out an airlock. , she replied.
Julia rolled her eyes, even more grateful now that it wasn’t a video call. She did not want to hear about Agatha’s sex life. Her advice to start trying out dildos, because they were less work and probably just as satisfying, had made it so Agatha hadn’t talked to her for about a week.
