If Juliana didn’t return his feelings of love—surely a ridiculous notion—Diesel would live the rest of his life miserable and alone.
No one else anywhere in this galaxy or the next would do.
Very early Friday morning
Juliana had spent the last several days writing the article for Finder’s. In fact, she’d written two articles. The two versions were vastly different in subject, tone and revelations regarding aliens living on planet Earth. The first draft included her conviction that there were aliens living in southern Arkansas, hiding in plain sight at a famous truck stop on Route 88. She detailed her experiences from her first visit to her last, when she’d acquired the photographic evidence.
When she wasn’t butt in chair, fingers on keyboard working on her article, she was pacing the floor angry with herself for the endless tears she’d shed after leaving Alienn and Diesel on Monday.
She told herself he’d call or send a note or maybe even flowers, but nothing had come. Zero. Zip. Zilch. There had not been a single attempt to communicate in any way.
It was more difficult than she thought to hold on to the anger she’d felt while reading Adele’s letter. It was heartbreaking to learn that all the things he’d done to make her fall in love with him were not special at all. He’d used the same lines, the same date and the same everything to basically get her into bed. Well, to make her want him and love him anyway.
But then she’d remember thatshewas the one who’d insisted on staying overnight in his room. Or had he cleverly played on her vulnerable feelings?
Had he used his wily alien mind control on her to make her think spending the night with him had been her own idea? No. Well, maybe. She wasn’t sure anymore. Each day away from him lessened her ire. Each day away from him made her exceedingly lonely, as if the physical distance from him caused her melancholy, which was crazy.
There hadn’t been any more apples thrown at her doorstep, making her wonder if the mysterious Adele of the letters had even been responsible in the first place.
Until finding the secret room behind the fake wall in Diesel’s home office, Juliana had been certain he was the only man for her. She’d even contemplated not using the money from this article to fund a trip to the northwest, instead perhaps spending it on a wedding dress.
At least until she read Adele’s letters. The crushing, heart-rending messages she’d found had absolutely changed everything. Realizing that aliens lived among earthlings in Arkansas should have been another earth-shattering discovery, but in her current emotional state, it only rated second place in theshock and awecategory of her love life.
By mid-week she wished she was blissfully ignorant of those stupid letters. She should never have sneaked into his hidden office. Or stolen pictures of his alien world to write a story filled with innuendo about aliens among them. She didn’t have the best proof. Any picture could be doctored. But in her heart of hearts and deep in her soul, she knew it was true.
The memories she recalled had helped and the conversations Diesel and his brother shared while she was unconscious had nonetheless filtered into her brain. It was like she’d only been playing possum after being shot with the megaphone, or what they’d called the Defender. She found she remembered quite a lot of her missing time in Alienn, especially at the truck stop.
He greeted you like it was the first time he’d ever met you, twice.Whatever else he was, Diesel was an excellent actor when called for.
Last night she’d weakened and quickly wrote the article about Alienn that didn’t out them all for being from another planet, or living in secret for some reason that wasn’t clear.
Instead, she used the story Diesel told her about the infamous couple who had stopped in at a speakeasy and possibly robbed the bank in Alienn, even though there was no official proof of that. Still, why waste the notes?
Pacing back and forth behind her sofa, Juliana thought about her two very different stories. Each would be a good submission to the special Finder’s book.
Tomorrow morning was Friday—given the late hour, technically it was already Friday—and her article was due. She’d have to personally deliver it to Mr. Harriman so he could review it and make his decision on whether she made the cut for the special book.
Which one should she submit?
She didn’t need to be rushed right now. Mr. Harriman had not really apologized for the change in deadline when they’d spoken on Monday, only told her that due to some special publicity, all the articles being considered for inclusion had to be turned in early. Instead of two more weeks, he needed her piece by Friday morning at the latest and she must deliver it in person so she could sign the release.
Was she truly going to reveal her suspicions about aliens living on Earth? She plopped down on her sofa to think about the ramifications of both articles. She needed to ponder the pros and cons.
If she went with the one that outed Diesel and his family, they probably wouldn’t like it. Would she start a war of the worlds between Earth and Alpha-Prime? Would Diesel track her down and recreate the Boogieman Affair when he found out she’d tattled? Would he throw bushels of apples at her with a single bite taken out of each one? Did she really just want to see Diesel again?
Deep down in her soul, the real answer was a resounding, “Yes!” Obviously she was conflicted.
If she went with the initial story she’d planned—the one he’d likely fabricated for her—about the infamous Bonnie and Clyde drinking in the local speakeasy and possibly robbing a bank in Alienn, she might never have to see him ever again. Would that be for the best? Probably.
The article implying aliens lived among them would certainly get a response and Diesel might come knocking on her door. What would he say? Would he try to romance her and get her to recant the story? Would he kiss her every time she asked a question he didn’t want to answer? A smile shaped her lips before she could stop it.
In the article about the bank robbers, she mentioned aliens as a quaint local legend, but ultimately dismissed the notion as farfetched.
Either way she could take the money from the article and head back to Washington State to learn what she could about her own history. She’d be all alone, not traveling with Diesel holding her hand the whole time because he simply couldn’t live without her. That wasn’t even true. He hadn’t called all week and she shouldn’t expect he would.
After she got back on Monday, she’d been writing when she thought she heard voices outside her door. When she finally got up to look, no one was there.
