Chapter One
Fiona
The day my grocery cart gets stuck in the door at the store, the wheel jammed in the grooves, I realize it’s a sign.
I’m stuck in my ways. I’m the wheel in the door frame, and it’s up to me to jolt myself out of it. So, a few weeks after my best friend Amara’s wedding to her new alien husband, I do it. I jump into the unknown and dial the number for the Galactic Matching Program.
Meeting someone from far away. Finding true love, my happily ever after. That’s what I want, and I think I can get it if I take a leap of faith.
I receive an application, which I do my best to fill out honestly. None of the questions are about what I’m looking for in a forever partner—it’s all about me, my habits, my interests, my lifestyle, even my diet.
Then, when it’s done, I click SUBMIT and wait.
“You did what?” Marguerite asks on Friday night as we sit around a table with Amara and Roth’kar, sipping our drinks. We’re at a quieter place tonight, more of a bar than a club, so we can hear each other talk.
“I can’t believe it!” Amara says, clapping her hands together in excitement the way she always does. “I think that’s a great idea, Fiona. Open your mind, open your heart, and who knows what might walk into your life?”
She snuggles up against Roth’kar, whose stern expression melts as he kisses the top of her head. Even his little antennae bend toward her. I know he wasn’t enthused about kissing at first, but he’s definitely into it big time now.
Sometimes it’s hard watching your best friend be really, really, really happy. Obviously, I’m ecstatic for her. She found love, true love, and I’m over the moon that someone as sweet and wonderful as Amara got everything she wanted. But it also makes it just that much more obvious how big a hole there is in my life.
“I hope I get as lucky as you two,” I say, wringing my hands. “It’s kind of a crapshoot.”
Yeah, I’m one of the lucky ones who can go both ways when it comes to dating. After the RVS plague wiped out most men on Earth, many weren’t as lucky. And I love women, don’t get me wrong. That’s not the problem, though.
The problem is… forever. I want forever, but no one else around me does. None of the people who interest me want the same thing I do, and so we’ll have a one-night stand, and then they call it good.
I’m sick of being a hookup girl. No, I want what Amara has—someone who will love me until I’m old and tired, and we sit on the front porch together sipping spiked sweet tea.
Amara tilts her head. “The matchmaker, Gazargo, seems to take the applications really seriously.”
“I’m sure it’s not as fancy as all that,” Marguerite says, rolling her eyes. “Remember in college when we all had to fill out applications for roommates and then got matched with random people, anyway? I think Amara just got lucky.”
Jeez, that better not be true. If I’m doing this, I want it to be for real.
“What if your alien has three eyes?” Marguerite asks me. “Do you think you could fall in love with someone who had three eyes, Fiona?”
Amara swats at Marguerite. “Stop giving her ideas. It will work out, I’m sure of it.” She shoots me a reassuring smile. “You just have to put your whole heart on the line, and everything will turn out the way it should.”
Oof. My whole heart, huh? I’ve had my heart broken before, and it’s not a pretty picture. The last time I got dumped for being too clingy, I cut off most of my hair and got a tattoo.
“Whoever comes is looking for the same thing you are, Fiona,” Roth’kar says, speaking up for the first time. “Just have confidence in that. You are very likable.”
“Aw,” Amara says, elbowing him. “That’s sweet. She is likable, isn’t she?”
I hope my new alien spouse feels the same way.
It takes some time to hear back about my application. When I get the call, it’s coming from an unrecognized phone number, but the moment it rings, I know it’s them.
“Hello, Fiona Knox,” the voice on the other end says when I answer. “The Galactic Matching Program has found a suitable match for you. Please proceed to the spaceport in four days, two hours, and twenty-five minutes.”
I scribble it down quickly.
“We will be expecting you!” the voice says cheerily, then hangs up.
It’s time. It’s really happening, and I can’t go back now. In just a few days, I’m going to meet my forever person.
Man, I have a lot of cleaning to do before then. I live alone and work from home, so my house is kind of a disaster. I rarely have anybody over, preferring to meet my friends out at bars and clubs, or for a party at Marguerite’s place.
