“She is able to hear your words, Jude,” Al reminded him in a hushed voice.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s a cat. She doesn’t understand English.” Jude was speaking to Al, but he was glaring at Ezra, and it seemed to Al like he would not stop glaring for anything.
“What language does she speak?” Al asked, hoping to distract Jude from his unhappiness. “Is it French?Enchanté, Monsieur.”
Buttons flexed her front paws in a kneading gesture in the air.
“No she doesn’t speak—goddammit, answer my question, Ezra.” Jude pointed aggressively at the cat rolling around on the floor. “Explain.”
Ezra shrugged. “Found her in an alley. Took her to the vet and they said she didn’t have a microchip, and that she was probably someone’s abandoned pet because she was too sweet to be feral. Went to the store and got her a litter box and some kibble. Named her Buttons. Now here we are.”
Jude rubbed his temples—a gesture that was usually reserved for when Al said something that made him feel frustration. “Fine,” he said, dropping his hands to his sides. “Butyou’repaying the pet deposit and any damages. And if she pees on any of my stuff, I swear to God, I will end you.”
“Jude, what are other French words?”
“She does not speak French, Al,” Jude said, right as Ezra said, “Où sont les toilettes?”
“Où sont les toilettes?” Al asked Buttons, realizing only after the fact that he wasn’t sure what it meant. Buttons made a mewling sound, and Al furrowed his brow. He looked up at Jude and said, “You are correct, that does not sound like French.”
This time, Jude’s temple rubbing was directed at Al, although he felt it was unwarranted, as he was simply trying to be kind to the new inhabitant of the house.
“Didn’t you promise me a nap and reality TV?” Jude asked, sounding exasperated. “C’mon, let’s just go to my room. I don’t want to deal with… whatever situation Ezra has created here.” He took Al by the elbow and tugged him until he stood up, startling Buttons, who did a graceful flip onto her feet and sprinted off toward Ezra’s bedroom. Al made mewling noises after her and hoped that she would appreciate the effort even if he wasn’t getting the language correct.
Jude started to lead Al away when Ezra said, “Hey, did you two hear about the UFO thing?”
Jude stopped in his tracks, and Al collided with his back.
“Ow,” Al muttered, rubbing his nose, as Jude said sharply, “What UFO thing?”
“A lot of it’s speculation,” Ezra said, pausing to take a sip of his carbonated beverage, “but someone leaked photos of what looks like government officials hauling away what people are saying is a spaceship. Happened not too far from here. I know you like to drive out into the desert and get all melancholy and dramatic under the stars, so I figured you’d be interested.” He shrugged. “Keep your eyes peeled for little green men, I guess.”
He headed to his room without a goodbye, which Al had noticed he did frequently, as though when he no longer had anything of interest to say, he thought it prudent to disappear. When he was gone, Al and Jude exchanged a look.
“Jude—”
“Not out here,” Jude muttered, casting a glance in the direction Ezra and Buttons had gone.
They climbed into bed together once they were in Jude’s room. This was their habit now. Jude had one desk chair and nothing else, so it made sense for them to share the bed even when they weren’t mating or being unconscious. Not that Al had any complaints. He felt enjoyment at any closeness he had to Jude, regardless of the context.
Al watched silently from his place amongst the sheets as Jude typed things into his cellular phone.
“Shit,” Jude said after an increment of time. He handed the cellular phone to Al so he could see what he had found.
There was an article with a headline in bold print. It took Al a moment to sound out the words in his head, and even then he wasn’t sure what they all meant, but if he was reading correctly, the headline said:Drone Captures Evidence of Real UFO? Government Says, “No Comment!”
“What does UFO mean? Why is it only letters?” Al asked, furrowing his brow.
“It’s an abbreviation. It stands for ‘unidentified flying object.’”
Al furrowed his brow even more.
“That is vague. If one human does not know what an object is but another humandoesknow yet does not inform the first human, does that make it still a UFO?”
“Asking the hard-hitting questions, babe,” Jude said with a chuckle. This was not an answer to Al’s question, but Jude began threading his fingers through Al’s hair and he no longer cared.
“Did you see the pictures?” Jude asked gently. “Scroll down.”
Al used his human finger to make the screen move, and when he saw what Jude was talking about, he inhaled sharply.
