by Ashley West
"Thank you," Naomi said, shaking his hand before she showed him to the door.
Once she'd watched him walk down the long driveway to his car and then drive away, she let out a ragged sigh. "What do you think?" she said to Camille, who had been in the room the entire time that they'd been standing there. "Is he going to give us any money?"
"Hm, I'm not sure," Camille said. "He seemed impressed, but he wasn't really paying attention."
"That's what I thought." She sighed again. "Well, at least we don't need the money. It'd be nice to have, though."
Camille got up and put her arms around Naomi, leaning on her. "You do a great job."
"Thanks," Naomi said, touched. "I do my best. Anyway. Curry for dinner?"
"Yes please."
"Lovely. Go do your homework, kid."
As Camille scampered out of the room, Finn came walking in, looking tired. "Where did she get all that energy from?"
"Who knows?" Naomi asked, collapsing on the couch (the one she had to force herself not to think of as Samel's couch, even now). "She makes me feel old."
"You're not old. Just busy. How're you doing?"
"I'm fine, Finn. You've been asking me that for months now."
"Because I'm your friend, and that's what friends do, Naomi."
"Is it?"
"Yep. And you've been...sad. Since Samel left."
"I haven't been sad. I miss him, but we all knew he was going to leave. It's not like I'm pining for him or anything." And she wasn't. She was living her life and moving on and all that healthy stuff that mature adults knew how to do.
Finn didn't look convinced. "Uh-huh," he said. "Sure, you are. And that's why you haven't been on a date in months, right?"
"You say that like I used to date all the time before Samel came along," Naomi pointed out. "I didn't."
"I know, but I thought that being with him would change that for some reason."
"I'm still the same person, Finn. He didn't change me."
He looked at her like he didn't believe that, either. And that was fine. Naomi didn't have to justify herself to him. She didn't have to try and prove that she was a well adjusted human being. Or at least that she was as well adjusted as a person with her background could be. Her word should have been enough.
"Can I ask you something?" Finn was saying.
"Can I stop you?"
"Naomi."
"Finn."
"It's a simple question."
"There's no such thing when it comes to you. What is it?"
"Was Samel an alien?"
Naomi's eyes went wide at that, and she spluttered for a moment, trying to think of how to respond. "What makes you ask that?"
"There were quite a few strange sightings during the time he was here," Finn explained. "There were those things that were killing and hurting people for a while, and there's so many grainy pictures of UFOs on the internet, all taken from right around Thanksgiving and Christmas. All taken in this town. It's weird that all that happened while we had a strange dude who couldn't remember anything living with us, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Naomi said faintly. "Strange. I didn't think you believed in all that."
Finn shrugged. "When it makes sense, I believe in it. And I never said there wasn't more out there than we know. It only makes sense that there would be."
She dragged in a breath and then let it out. "Yes. Samel was from another planet," she said, and it actually felt good to admit it. "He was a warrior from another planet, and he could shoot fire out of his hands and he saved my life."
A smile was tugging at Finn's lips. "And you're in love with him?"
"He's not here, Finn."
"So? That means you can't love him?"
"It means it would be stupid to love someone who I won't ever see again. Setting myself up for heartbreak and all that. I'm supposed to be smarter than that."
"Says who?"
"I don't know. Anyway, why all the questions about Samel today? It's been months since he left."
He smiled again, and this time there was a touch of mischief to it. "Well, I just wanted to gauge how you were feeling before I revealed my grand surprise."
"Your what now?"
"Well, I guess it's not really fair for me to take credit for it. I just happened to run into him on the way home and saved him a walk, that's all. He's the one who had to get here from wherever he's from. And it all makes a lot more sense now why he was being so closed mouth about it."
Naomi's heart kicked into overdrive. "What are you talking about, Finn?" she asked. "Who are you talking about?"
"Aren't you paying attention, Naomi?" Finn asked, grinning. "Go outside."
"Finn, I swear to god, if you're messing with me..." But she was already getting to her feet and moving towards the front door like she was being propelled by something outside of her control. Finn thought he was funny, but she didn't think he'd mess with her about this. Not when he knew how she felt. That would just be too cruel.
There was a shadow on the porch. She could see it through the blinds of the kitchen door. It was big, and she swallowed hard. It seemed like it took ages for her to get to the door, and even longer for her to pull it open, but finally, finally she did.
And there, on the porch, was Samel.
He was standing on the top most stair, looking out over the lawn, with his back to her, but it was definitely him. No one else was that tall and broad.
When he heard the door open, he turned, a smile on his face. "This place looks so much nicer without all the snow," he said. "Things are blooming."
Something was blooming alright. Right in the center of her chest, and it was making it hard to breathe. Samel was on her porch, and she was just gaping at him. Part of her was refusing to believe this wasn't a dream.
How else would he be here, looking all tanned and happy, smiling at her like he'd never left? He was supposed to be on his planet, keeping those people safe, and now...now he was here. With her.
"Are you not happy to see me?" Samel asked, and a bit of uncertainty crept into his expression. "I know it's a shock, seeing me. And if I had any way to let you know I was coming, I would have done that instead of just showing up. I realize it's been quite a while since I left, and maybe you don't...feel the same way you did before. And that's alright, if that is the case. You weren't obligated to stand still. It makes sense that you would have moved on."
"Samel," Naomi said, finding her voice. "Stop talking."
"Oh," he said. "Right. Sorry. Should I go?"
"No, you shouldn't go!" she said, dismayed to hear how close to hysterical she sounded. "What are you doing here? I thought...your path. Your duty."
He sighed and looked back over the lawn. "I tried," Samel said, voice soft. "I really did. I went back and everything was the same. Well, after we destroyed that woman and the Hillsiders. They thought we had something, some kind of artifact or stone or something that gave us our powers and they were looking for it, but there's nothing like that as far as anyone knew. Even the Elders said they had never heard of such a thing." He shook his head. "So we dealt with that. And then things went back to the way they were. I trained recruits, I went on patrols, I drank with my friends. But I didn't feel the way I used to feel about it. When I first took my burns, I knew I was doing the right thing. I knew that it was the path I wanted to take. The one I wanted to be on for the rest of my life. But when I got back, I started to realize that the rest of my life is a long time to be doing the same thing every day. It didn't sound as good as it did before. And...I missed you. Stars, Naomi, I missed you like I was missing a limb. I couldn't do anything without thinking about you. Everything reminded me of you, which was absurd because you'd never even been there. But it was just me, I think. You were so deep in my heart, that I was missing you all the time. Wondering what you'd think of the food I ate, the drinks, my friends. I just wanted you there."
Naomi swallowed hard once more and rubbed her thumb over her knuckles, trying to keep herself from
reaching for him. "I felt the same way," she admitted. "And it was worse because you actually had been here. I can't even drink tea anymore without thinking about you making fun of me for it. You can imagine how hard that is."
"I can," Samel said, chuckling. "I realize that showing up here isn't the smartest thing I've ever done. And if you want me to leave, I will. But I just needed you to know that...this is what I'm choosing now. A path with you. If you'll have me."
And that was it. Those were the words she'd been wanting to hear for so long. Not just from him, but from anyone. She'd wanted them to choose her. But she had to be sure. "For how long?"
"What?" Samel turned fully to look at her.
"How long would you stay for?" she asked. "Because, please don't think I'm not happy to see you, Samel. I'm so happy you're here. But...if you're just going to leave again, I can't..."
He stepped forward and reached for her hand, and she let him take it. "Naomi," Samel said, face and voice sincere. "If you'll have me here, I'll stay forever."
She sucked in a breath. "But how can you do that? Didn't you make a promise to your people?"
"I did. And I didn't just run away. I spoke with the Generals at length about this. Serving my people is still important to me, but I can do that from here. The Earth needs to be protected from those who would try to use it for ill purposes. The Generals agreed. So here I am."
"And you can be happy like this?" Naomi asked, anxious. The last thing she wanted was for him to come here, ostensibly for her, and then be unhappy with his choice.
"I already am," he said, and then he kissed her.
“Does this mean there won’t be curry for dinner?” Camille asked from the door, and both Samel and Naomi laughed helplessly.
“Hello, Camille.”
“Hello, Samel. Naomi?”
She shook her head. “Yes, there will still be curry for dinner,” she said. “Go start chopping vegetables, and I’ll be in in a bit.”
“I see things are still the same around here,” Samel said, but he was smiling.
Naomi was smiling, too. “Not completely the same,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for you to come home.” And then she took his hand and pulled him inside.
One year later
"So," Samel said as he walked up the steps. "This is the main house. Yes, it's very large, but it's not that intimidating. There are five people who already live here, not counting me or Naomi, who owns the place, and I'm sure you'll fit right in."
He spoke to a nervous looking young man, who stood on the porch, eyes darting around at everything. The boy was clutching a duffel bag like he was afraid if he let it go, he'd lose himself, and Samel thought he could understand that, in a strange way.
"What..." the boy said, and then cleared his throat and tried again. "What are the others like?"
"Well," Samel said. "They're alright. A little noisy, a little chaotic, but they're good people. A couple of them are new, just like you are. It's a good group."
Camille was still there, still lurking and quiet, but a bit more outgoing now than she'd been when Samel had first met her. Finn and Priscilla had gone on their way, and Samantha had moved out to live with her family as she got older.
The house had been so quiet when they had first left, but in time, more people moved in to fill the spaces. Now they had this boy, Jamie, who needed a place.
Usually Naomi did this. She was still the best at making people feel at home and welcome in the house, but she was busy, so the task had fallen to Samel. He found he didn't mind it all that much.
"Would you like to come in?" he asked.
Jamie nodded.
The door opened before he could get to the knob, and he smiled. "This is Camille. She's very helpful."
"Hello," Camille said, peering out at Jamie. "Welcome."
"Thanks," Jamie said, sounding unsure.
Samel gave Camille a look, and she rolled her eyes, but went on her way. The boy was already nervous enough without adding Camille’s shadowing to the mix. He knew she was still lurking somewhere as he gave Jamie the tour, but he just let her get on with it for the most part. She wasn’t going to do any harm.
At the end of the tour, they were back in the living room. Jamie was still clutching his bag, but he looked a little more settled.
“So, what do you think?” Samel asked. “Do you think you could be at home here?”
Jamie bit his lip and fidgeted with the strap of his bag. “I dunno,” he admitted. “It’s...a lot to take in.”
“It is,” Samel agreed. “I remember how it was when I first showed up here.”
“You were a resident?”
“I’m still a resident, just in a different capacity now, I suppose,” he said, smiling sheepishly. It was no great secret that he and Naomi were a thing, and they both preferred it that way. “When I came here, I didn’t have anything. Not money or clothes or friends. I was lost and alone and scared. And then I met Naomi and the other people who lived here, and I started to feel like things would be okay. And I made a home here. Just like you can, if you want.”
“Oh,” Jamie said softly. “I can try, I guess.”
“That’s all any of us can do,” Samel replied. “Let me take you to your room.”
Later, when Jamie was settled, he walked into the kitchen with half a mind to make a cup of tea, only to see Naomi sitting there with a cup of her own.
“I thought you were going to be busy all day,” he said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
“Change of plans,” she replied, smiling. “I’ve been here for a bit, actually. I heard what you said to Jamie to get him to relax.”
Samel made a face. “You could have jumped in, you know. I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
“You did just fine,” Naomi assured him. “You know what it’s like to make a home in a new place.”
“I do,” he agreed with a happy little sigh. “And I never plan to leave.”
“You say that now,” Naomi teased. “But it’s your night to make dinner.”
Samel rolled his eyes and put the kettle on the stove. He could contend with dinner.
About the Author
Ashley West was raised in a small Midwest town. She has always been a big fan of science fiction and paranormal books and movies. Her all-time favorite movies are the first three Star Wars movies. She started writing at a young age and has not looked back since. Ashley brings her worlds to life with vivid details and likeable characters.
On her spare time, she enjoys painting, jogging, and curling up next to her favorite books. If you enjoy Ashley’s titles and wish to receive a Free Sci-Fi Alien Romance, stay updated on all her new releases and book giveaways, please visit her website.
ashleywest.net
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Kisses,
Ashley
