Kal clutched me and his tail was firmly wrapped around my ankle like he feared I would run away. Talvax studied Kal while occasionally glancing at me. Urgg refused to meet my gaze and clamped their lips closed, wiggling in their seat. They clearly knew what was wrong, but Urgg wasn’t going to spill any secrets.
“Me and mine should be going,” Talvax said. Urgg patted me, managing to not send me sprawling this time. Talvax squeezed Kal’s arm before heading toward the door with her tail coiled around Urgg’s wrist.
“Kal?” I asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Kal pulled me to my feet, and we left.
As soon as we stepped inside our apartment, Lucy rushed toward us, meowing. “She’s hungry,” I said.
“I’ll feed her.”
I sat down on the couch and watched Kal as he readied Lucy’s food. He didn’t want to talk about a lot, which I understood, but I wished he would open up. Movements jerky, he set the bowl down, then sat beside me.
He didn’t say anything and neither did I. Kal pressed his forehead against my shoulder. I sighed and brushed his hair, massaging his scalp. “I’m not mad.”
Kal nuzzled me.
My thoughts whirled. I didn’t know how to help him. I should. We were married, sort of, though we’d basically been married since the first time I’d seen him. But it was different now. I liked Kal. Shouldn’t I be able to help him? Show him I liked him without necessarily saying the words.
A sudden idea popped into my head, and I wiggled out of his embrace.
“What?” he asked.
“Stay right there.” I rushed into my room and snatched something. “Close your eyes.”
His eyes instantly closed.
As I approached, Kal’s head cocked to the side, listening to my movements. I stood before him, and he opened his legs so I could press against him. Carefully, I draped the gold chain over his neck, then tugged his hair out from beneath it.
“Open your eyes.”
Kal brushed the rough-cut amethyst. “What’s this?”
“I found this on…” I blanked on the name, and continued, “That watery, Petty, planet, something, and it reminded me of you.”
He crushed me against him.
“Married people give each other gifts on my planet, though I should’ve given you a ring.”
“Married?”
“We don’t have mates like you do. We don’t mate for life.”
His eyes widened.
“Some stay together forever,” I said in a rush. “But when we want to show our bond, we get married.” At least some people did, but I didn’t want to make this confusing for him. “You would be my husband.”
He tried the word a few times, then said, looking directly at me, “Husband.”
My heart sputtered. I pressed a hard kiss to his lips, unable to stop myself. After a moment, I whispered, “I know you don’t like talking about everything, and you don’t have to, but I’m here whenever you want to.”
Seth slept in my arms, snoring, and Lucy was curled up on my hip, making me stay in the same position so I wouldn’t break the cultural law of Earth. I’d watched the entire episode of the cooking show, but he’d fallen asleep within two minutes of an episode ofStar Trek.
Once again, I was struck with a sense of peace and wholeness. I wanted this, and I was beginning to think Seth did as well—if his gift that hung around my neck meant anything. It was a tangible connection between us—one I would never take it off.
My thoughts flashed back to my father. Instinctively, my arms tightened around Seth. I would not let anyone take him away from me. Seth was mine.
Seth grunted, stirring. “Babe, are you alright?”
