All I know is that she’s begun to capture my heart, and it’s more than happy to be held captive by her—quite possibly forever.
CHAPTER 14
Luna:Hey, beautiful. Whatcha doing?
Gemma:Trying to figure my life out and maybe solve the mysteries of the universe. You know, nothing much.
Luna:I totally snorted at that one.
Gemma:*takes a bow* My work is done here.
Luna:I know I’ve said it before, but I seriously never get tired of talking to you.
Gemma:Same. It’s pretty great.
Luna:I’ve never felt that way with anyone I dated in the past. How about you?
Gemma:Me neither. Until now, I’ve never met another woman who could keep up with me in the banter department.
Luna:For shame! That’s half the fun.
Gemma:Precisely. But to get back to people we’ve dated. Have you always dated women?
Luna:In Earthling terms, yes. Female or feminine-presenting folks.
Gemma:Same. I knew I was only interested in girls since I was a kid. How about you?
Luna:Yet another similarity we share! As a Dravethian youth, I would daydream about other girls in my class but never the boys. Many of them would talk about males and show an interest in partnering with them when they grew up. But for me, that held zero appeal. When I thought about the future, it always involved me and a woman partner.
Gemma:That’s really cool. Thanks for sharing that with me.
Luna:Tell me more about when you knew as a child.
Gemma:My story’s pretty similar. I think I was about eight years old when my grandma introduced me to old reruns ofXena: Warrior Princess. Have you seen that one?
Luna:Can’t say I have, sorry.
Gemma:*gasp* I cannot let that travesty continue! All lesbians, no matter where they’re from, have to watchXena. It’s a rule I’m creating right now. Anyway, to make a long story short, I developed an immediate and massive crush on Xena. Who wouldn’t? She was strong, smart, and seriously hot. I was also convinced that she and Gabrielle were totally in love with each other and gave Nana a whole speech on why this was true. That’s when she explained what lesbian means and reassured me that liking girls was equally as valid as liking guys.
Luna:You’ve already sold me on watching this show with you. Also, it sounds like your Nana was really supportive and awesome.
Gemma:She was, and so was Gramps. Neither of them batted an eye when both Felix and I came out. They marched in Pride parades with us and always had a rainbow flag flying at their house. We couldn’t have asked for better parents. They raised me and Felix like we were their own. We were damn lucky. But fuck do I ever miss them. I wish I’d had more time with them than we got in the end.
—Sent via FLIRTT (Frequency Link for Interstellar Real-Time Transmission)
Luna
It’s so hard not to do a full-on happy dance complete with the Tentacle Vortex Spin—and yes, that move is totally as awesome as it sounds—when Gemma agrees to join me on the Spacewalk Skyway. Sure, I had a lot of fun on the Lightspeed MegaCoaster earlier, but it was clear that the ride was way too intense for Gemma. So as much as I would love to race around Cosmic Kingdom like a sugared-up kid trying out every insane park ride with maniacal glee, I have bigger and better priorities.
I am here to woo the fuck out of Gemma.
I have to admit, Khephren chose well in bringing us to the Cosmic Kingdom, one of the most famous intergalactic theme parks on this side of the universe. Although the park is primarily geared toward family-friendly fun, it nevertheless also features several romantic attractions. When Khephren announced wherewe were going, I stealthily looked up everything I could find about the park. The Spacewalk Skyway quickly became a prime choice on my list of places to set the romantic mood with Gemma.
Sure, I’ve enjoyed myself with a lot of different females from a variety of species over the years, both back home and since we started traveling the universe, but I’ve never wanted to pull out all the romantic stops with any of them the way I do with Gemma. And fuck if that doesn’t make me equal parts nervous and full of anticipation. I’m no poet, and I sure as shit can’t put it in the smoothest or most sophisticated terms, but Gemma is unique, a rare, exquisite gem that I never want to lose her shine. Every moment with her has me falling deeper, and I want to keep plummeting headfirst. All I want, all I pray to Thekmis for, is that Gemma’s feelings will eventually catch up with mine.
Falling so deeply, so fast, usually isn’t my style. Life has taught me to safeguard my more tender emotions, and trust on my part takes time. Gemma blew all that crap out of the water the moment we met and I couldn’t stop thinking about her. And I haven’t stopped. I know it’s not logical or rational—which is okay since I’m not Najar—but my gut and my tentacles are all telling me my hearts are safe with her.
They’re also expressing loudly and on repeat that she’sthe one.The one I’ve been longing for and dreaming of for as long as I can remember. With Gemma, I can be fully and authentically myself. I have no fear that she won’t accept my own unique and somewhat quirky personality. Not to be too nerdy, but we gel like two perfectly synced engine stabilizers—no wobble, no dangerous drift, only smooth sailing among the stars.
