"Cristox! There you are!"
I glanced up to see Charlene practically skipping across the street toward us, her short dark hair bouncing, her smile wide and predatory. I’d met both her and her brother Peanut during the last market day when they’d stopped by my booth to buy Peanut a honey tart.
"I've been looking everywhere for you," she said, immediately draping herself over Cristox’s arm, pressing her chest against him and nearly making him drop the basket of tomatoes he held. "Where have you been hiding? I've missed you."
I saw Teddy's face scrunch in annoyance and felt a similar irritation rising in my chest—hot and sharp and completely irrational. The way she was pawing at him, pressing herselfagainst his side like she had every right to touch him... I had the most insistent urge to snatch her hair out.
Cristox gently extracted his arm from her grip, taking a polite step back. His tail lashed once behind him, a quick, agitated movement that I'd started to recognize as displeasure. "Just spending time with friends," he said easily. "Been keeping busy."
Charlene's gaze finally shifted past him, landing on Teddy before flicking back to Cristox. Her eyes went wide, and I saw the exact moment realization hit her. Her smile faltered, her expression hardening into something cold and calculating.
"Well," she said, her voice taking on a sugary sweetness that didn't reach her eyes, "maybe we could have dinner tonight? Catch up properly?"
"That's kind of you," Cristox said, his tone still friendly but firm, "but my time's pretty full until I leave town." His golden gaze flickered to our son with unmistakable affection. "I've got commitments."
Charlene's jaw tightened imperceptibly, her perfectly manicured nails digging into her palms.
"I wish you all the best, though," he added, then turned to Teddy. "Come on, buddy. Let's get these vegetables inside."
Teddy practically bounced after him, and they disappeared through the bakery's back door, leaving me alone with Charlene.
The mask dropped immediately.
"You work fast," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "Didn't take you long to sink your claws in."
I shifted the basket to my other hip, meeting her glare with what I hoped was calm indifference. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please." She laughed, but there was no humor in it—just bitter jealousy. "You think you're special? Honey, I've alreadyhad him. Multiple times. He's just being polite to you because of your kid."
The words stung more than I wanted to admit, cutting deep into the vulnerable places I'd been trying so hard to protect. But I kept my face neutral, refusing to give her the satisfaction. I didn't want to believe her. I wanted to believe in Cristox, in the way he looked at me. But a wad of doubt settled in my gut like a stone. Of course, I'd die before I let Charlene know that.
"Funny," I said, meeting her eyes with as much confidence as I could muster. "If that's true, he sure acts like he didn't enjoy it much."
Charlene's face flushed red, her eyes flashing with rage. For a moment, I thought she might actually slap me. Instead, she spun around and stalked off, her heels clicking angrily against the pavement. Seriously, who wears four-inch heels on a Wednesday afternoon?
I stood there for a moment, watching her go, my heart pounding against my ribs.
And then it hit me.
I was jealous. Actually, genuinely green-eyed jealous. The thought of Cristox with her—with anyone—made something possessive and fierce rise up in my chest.
The realization made my stomach twist. Cristox was leaving in a few days. Sure, he was Teddy's father, but there was nothing between us other than the one night we'd spent together—and he'd only done that to save my life. He'd been the perfect gentleman since then. Dammit! This was... what was this? And why did the thought of him with Charlene—or anyone else—make me want to throw something?
I headed inside, still brooding, and found Cristox in the kitchen with Teddy, already unpacking the vegetables. He looked up when I entered, his expression immediately growing concerned, his eyes searching my face.
"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice low and gentle.
"Fine," I said more sharply than I intended, then forced a smile. I didn't want Cristox to know Charlene had gotten under my skin either.
His tail swished behind him, slow and contemplative, and I could tell he didn't believe me. Then the tip curled forward gently, brushing my lower back as he passed by to get a bowl from the cupboard. The touch was brief, almost tentative, but it sent a warm shiver up my spine—a silent reassurance. It felt comforting. Intimate.
I caught myself leaning slightly into the touch before he pulled away, and that realization was almost worse than the jealousy. When had this happened? When had I started craving his touch, wanting more than just his presence in Teddy's life?
Maybe it was the way he'd been so patient with our son, never pushing, always gentle. Or how he looked at me sometimes when he thought I wasn't paying attention—like I was something precious he was afraid might shatter. Or maybe it was simply that beneath all the alien features and the tail and the circumstances that brought us together, Cristox was just... good. Kind. Real. And incredibly attractive in a way that made my pulse race.
And I was terrified.
Because in a few days, he'd be gone. Back to his ship, his duties, his world that had nothing to do with mine. And I'd be here, alone again, except now I'd know exactly what I was missing. Now I'd have tasted the possibility of something more—something that could break my heart if I let it.
