Ever since my first conversation with Luna, I’ve been ridiculously horny. My lady bits doth overfloweth on the regular!
Me:I’d be happy to test out and rate your massage skills anytime.
Luna:Excellent! I’m adding it to The Lists.
Me:What lists?
Luna:The lists of all the naughty and nice things I want to do to and with you. *winky face emoji* I’m festive like that.
I try not to moan. Fucking hell. We haven’t even touched each other yet, and Luna can get me so aroused from these messages alone. I have to wonder—will I be able to handle the real thing once we meet?
Me:It seems I need to make my own lists for you too. Because I can give as good as I get, darling.
Luna:*waving tentacle emoji* By all means. I can’t wait to check off all those naughty and nice items with you.
Me:Quit turning me on when you can’t do anything about it!
Luna:*smirking devil face emoji*
The dots dance across my screen for several long moments, as if Luna is writing something and then deleting and rewriting it. Finally, a new message comes through.
Luna:Not to kill the vibe we’ve got going right now, but can I ask you a serious question?
Me:Of course. I prefer when folks are honest and direct with me.
Luna:I want to preface this by saying this isn’t a certainty by any means. But what if Felix decides he doesn’t want to return to Earth? What would you do?
My heart lurches in my chest, and for a moment it feels like I can’t breathe. With cold, tingling fingers I type an answer.
Me:Is it that serious between him and that Najar guy already? I’m guessing you wouldn’t ask me something like this without reason.
Luna:They finally got their heads out of their asses, and now they’re all lovey-dovey with one another. I’m not a mind reader, but it seems like the real deal with them. Knowing Najar the way I do, I’m sure he’s going to want Felix to stay.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had been wondering about this very issue, and not simply because my brother has evidently found himself an alien boyfriend.
When Felix told me he was going on this intergalactic adventure during that one videochat, I could see a light come on behind his eyes. And from the brief follow-up messages we’ve exchanged since then, I can tell he’s so much happier and full of life than I’ve seen him in years. It’s like he’s shed his old skin. His most beautiful and vibrant self has emerged and is fully embracing this new journey he’s on.
My stomach drops. I know Felix, and he’s definitely going to make me a deciding factor in all this. No matter how much Felix might want to stay with his new alien boyfriend and the others on the Sleigh Belle, he won’t want to leave me here on Earth all alone while he goes gallivanting across the universe for who knows how long.
Could I handle living here on Earth without my brother?
The very thought sends an icy-cold chill through my body, and I shiver. For a long moment, I stare at the screen of my cell phone, then slowly type a response.
Me:Honestly, I’m not sure. It would break Felix to leave me alone here without any family, but I want him to follow his heart and not feel guilty. Now I need to figure out how to respond to all of this in a way that will support that.
Luna:You’re an amazing sister and a truly incredible woman. He’s lucky to have you.
I blink back tears.
Me:Thanks. You’re pretty awesome too.
Luna: I’m sorry to dump this in your lap, but I figured you’d rather know beforehand than not.
Me:I appreciate that. It’s good for me to know where things stand because you’re right. This gives me time to think about everything, not only for my brother’s sake, but for my own.
Luna:Gemma, we haven’t known each other long, and we have no fucking clue what the future holds for us, but if nothing else, we do still have that open position for a medical officer on the Sleigh Belle. I can speak for myself and the rest of the crew in saying we’d love to have you join us.
Me:That’s certainly tempting, but I don’t know anything about extraterrestrial biology. My training applied to humans only. I’m not sure how useful I could even be, but I will definitely think about it. Also, who the hell came up with that name for the ship?
