Holiday Homecoming

Most girls at a party will wander outside alone to see if a guy will follow them. Not me. So many human bodies in one place had made the party more claustrophobic than the two drink tickets could contend with. It was nice out, not too cold and the Christmas lights were very pretty.

"Hey, you." Mark... he'd followed me. I had hoped he hadn't seen me.

"Hi, Mark." I turned to smile at him.

"You look lovely tonight!"

"Oh, thank you! They tell me red is my color. I guess it goes with the season."

I gave a nervous laugh that lasted a little too long, one thing I still haven't mastered.

"Look, I know it's awkward." He stepped closer.

"You have no idea."

"Office parties can be such a drag. I was just thinking since I don't have a date and you don't have a date, maybe tonight we could..."

"Oh. Mark." I had cut him off. Oh man! Why now? "That is a VERY sweet offer. Really! But I'm not going to be here that much longer."

"Oh I hear you, this party is so lame. I was probably going to head out too. If you want, maybe we could go grab a drink at..."

"No. Mark." Oh No. He was going to make this difficult. "I'm not going to be HERE that much longer."
That seemed to break through with some understanding. He cocked his head to the side. "Right... the party. Here?"

"No, Mark. Not here... the party."

Maybe I felt sorry for him, standing in the cold. Maybe I honestly wished for more time so I could see what would happen next. But I was out of time.

"Mark, you've been so great..."

"Oh don't. Don't do that." He looked so hurt. "We're all grownups here and there is no need to sugar coat it, Ok. Life is complicated enough!"

"Ok." How refreshing. "For the last 7 months, I've been hiding at Commucorp and posing as a human. It's a right of passage for my people. We wish for diplomacy with Earth but until humans are ready to..."

"You're sick, you know that?"

"Mark..."

"No! This is really sick! I mean if you don't like me just say it, you don't have to..."

"But I do like you, Mark! True, that mating between our peoples is yet untested, but there has been promising resear..."

"Stop it! What the hell is this?"

I was only hurting him further. I didn't want that.

I turned at the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow.

"You're Majesty, our window to the Orbiter is open. The solar winds have steadied." Barlak, come to take me home.

I bowed my head in acceptance and turned back to Mark. The sight of Barlak had his eyes popping out of his head.

I gave a sigh as I pulled the blonde wig off my head and tossed it to him. I bowed low with my left foot in my right hand, my people's sign of thanks and gratitude.

I'll never forget the look on his face, staring with such confusion at the wig in his hands as Barlak engaged the cloaking device and swept us away.

Poor guy was right: Life was complicated enough.