“I like it.” I hold out my hand for the shirt, and she gives it to me. “It is friendly. I want humans to think I am friendly.”
She arches an eyebrow at me, then chuckles into her hand. “All right. It’s yours if you want it.”
“I would like to try it on.”
An attendant helps me locate a room wherein I can change. I leave on my leggings and replace my robes with the shirt, instead. It is very bright and easy to spot from a distance. That will ensure Fiona doesn’t lose me in a crowd.
And the smile is very appealing.
“I’ll take it,” I say after changing back into my robes.
“Let’s find you a few more,” Fiona says, guiding me back to the racks. Meanwhile, Shathar is shopping with Amara, much to my pleasure. She is a married woman and not my mate, so it really couldn’t be going better.
“Fiona,” Shathar calls after a moment. She stands up straight and he waves her over. “Will you tell me if this is a good one?”
She scurries over and I resist the urge to hiss.
“Ooh, that’s nice,” Fiona says to Shathar. “Try this, too. I think this pattern would look great on you, and it’s a short sleeve, so it will keep you cool in the summer.”
According to the human calendar on my communicator, it is winter, so it should remain cold for many months yet. I don’t like that Shathar would be choosing clothes to suit such a long timeline as that.
I will pick something for warm weather, too, as I know that I’ll be around this summer. Shathar will not be.
Grabbing the shirts, I go to try them on. Fiona and Amara both applaud when I emerge from the dressing room, liking both my “flannel” and the fancy shirt with a sharp collar. They have similar reactions, though, when Shathar comes out in his shirts, so I’m not sure if I’m being humored.
Fiona approaches me when I come out in the collared shirt, and her smell wafts over me. I can tell she is wearing an artificial scent, but underneath it I can smell her, and it is intoxicating. I try to keep my cool as she reaches out and adjusts the collar, her skin briefly making contact with my scales.
Just this brief touch awakens me. Under my leggings, my cock nudges my thigh, and I tell it immediately to stay down. I cannot have that happen here and now.
After paying for my own clothes, I loiter with Amara while Fiona pays for Shathar’s, and his tail hangs on the floor as she does so. I preen, knowing I have this on him.
“So, why did you decide to apply to the Galactic Matching Program?” Amara asks me.
“Seeking a forever mate,” I answer without missing a beat. “And I found it.”
Her brows rise high on her forehead. “You did?”
“Fiona is my fated mate. I knew the moment she stepped into the room and I smelled her.” I cover my chest. “Now I know that our hearts beat in tune. It’s pre-determined.”
“Whaaat?” Amara’s mouth falls open. “Like, this was all meant to happen?”
“Exactly. The gods intended me to board that ship to come to Earth, where I was supposed to find Fiona.”
She cups her hands beneath her chin. “That’s so romantic. I had no idea you could know that way. Soul mates are sort of a spiritual concept on Earth.”
“Ah, well, for Arshurians it is… physiological. There are certain physical changes, too, that make us certain.”
She blinks. “Oh. Interesting. I guess you are an alien, and an alien will be different, if Roth’kar has taught me anything.” She snaps her fingers. “Speaking of which, I really should get home. Fiona?”
Amara waves as Fiona and Shathar exit the store together. Shathar looks significantly more upbeat now, chatting amiably with Fiona and gesturing with his hands.
Vakha. I wonder what they’re talking about?
“I’ve gotta go,” Amara says, hugging Fiona. Then she hugs Shathar, too, and I am prepared when she comes to hug me. I pat her back as I saw in the handbook I purchased, and Amara laughs.
“Good handshake, good hug. Interesting. I look forward to introducing both of you to my husband.” She winks, then waves as she heads off down the path.
“Well, we have a first date planned,” Fiona says. She pats Shathar on the shoulder.
