Chapter 13 Abby

Abby hated this.

She’d just had a wonderful day with Grogen. He’d even helped her move house. But all she could focus on was the fact that he’d canceled their winter solstice plans.

She’d noticed a change in him when they’d left the shop. He was quieter, more like the way he used to be around her, giving simple yes or no answers and not touching her at all, although he did insist on helping her move her things.

Was he starting to realize she wasn’t his mate? When Talleans got together with the goal of finding out if they were mates, they called it “testing compatibility.” Usually, that entailed staying together for an extended period and a whole lot of sexy times. It often took only a few weeks or months, sometimes even as little as a single weekend. Usually, if they continued testing, it was because they knew in their hearts that they were mates, but the bond was just taking time to form. But things ended immediately the moment one of them realized they weren’t mates; it was considered rude not to, since they’d be wasting the other’s time.

Was this what was going on here?

Although, when she’d suggested seeing him again, he’d seemed happy—relieved, even. So maybe it really was just the idea of being around so many people that was the problem. He’d hired her to deal with people, after all. Grogen didn’t only hide in his cabin during the Winter Solstice; she’d never seen him out at any other celebrations either. He did sometimes join the other two mechanics at the pub, but that was different.

The beeping of her comm had her glaring at it from across the room. It was most likely her father getting home to find that she’d moved all her stuff out except for the furniture he’d broken and some food. She was not in the mood for this but went to connect the comm anyway.

Sure enough, it was him. “What is all this?” came her father’s angry voice. “I get home, and everything’s gone. The alien bitch from the housing office is saying I have to take over the lease or leave.”

“It’s exactly what you think it is. I moved.”

“Well, where the fuck are you?”

“You’re not invited.”

“How dare—”

“Excuse me? You’re lucky I’m not reporting you. They’d kick you right out of the colony.”

“You’re going to leave family for the sharks?”

“You were going to feed me to one. So, yeah. Good luck.” She hung up before she got dragged into a shouting match.

She was both sad and relieved. Sad that giving her father a second chance hadn’t worked out, but relieved that she’d made the decision to remove him from her life again, this time for good. Some family just wasn’t worth keeping.

She dialed Jenny’s number, and her friend picked up immediately.

“Thanks so much for finding that apartment for me. I took it right away and made the move today.”

“You’re there already? Damn, girl, you’re fast.”

“Grogen helped me.”

“Grogen? As in your grumpy boss Grogen?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought he was up at his cabin.”

“He was supposed to be, but I triggered the alarm at the shop, and he came back.” Then she told her friend the whole story.

***

Abby sat in the swirling bath. She’d managed to trade her two booked spots with another couple so she could hang out with Jenny and Ckarus after all. She hated being the third wheel, but she was used to it by now.

A tiny part of her was hoping that Grogen would show up and surprise her. In fact, she’d worn the azak flower in her hair just in case. He didn’t.

Whatever. She was a big girl and could enjoy the pleasantly scented bath by herself. She’d done so every year before. What was one more?

But things were different this year. For one, the fact that she was single and wearing the bloom meant she caught the eye of not only every virile Tallean male but also any human one who had embraced the alien tradition. She’d already received more garlands of winter berries than she could count.

A decent number of the younger males gave berries to every female with an azak bloom and even some without, just to hedge their bets. She’d only gotten a reprieve after she’d gotten into this tub, since the smaller ones were usually reserved for couples or throuples like the two directors and their mate Angie, who were several tubs down from them. If she were in the giant singles pool, the overtures would be nonstop. But she had to admit that it did boost her self-confidence, especially after the confusing last interactions she’d had with Grogen.

Keeping the garlands meant she was considering the males who’d given them to her: females usually removed the garlands of those they weren’t interested in. But the moment she removed one, more were piled on. She was fresh meat, and they knew it.

She eventually realized that the only defense against more garlands was to keep a few around her neck. So that was what she did. She hated giving the last few guys who gave her berries false hope, but it had to be done. She’d shed them before she left the baths.

“Did you see the giant Christmas tree they have out in front of the rec center?” Jenny asked. “The thing is huge.”

Christmas trees on Reka 5 weren’t the same as on Earth. They were a similar shape when viewed from afar, but instead of needles, they had thick succulent leaves, almost like a jade plant. Abby knew the tree Jenny was talking about. It truly was massive. She had no idea how they’d managed to get it over here and set up with all the snow.

“Right? I heard they started choosing the larger ones because those are at the end of their life cycle and would fall soon anyway.”

“Yeah, I saw that on the broadcast too,” Jenny said. “They went on to explain that these plants weren’t like Earth trees and that they weren’t cutting down a thousand-year-old tree that still had centuries to live. Which admittedly is nice to hear.” She stretched in the water. “Anyway, I’m starting to shrivel up like a prune. Wanna go check out the rest of the festivities?”

“Might as well.” Yeah, if Abby sat here much longer, she’d just keep thinking of Grogen and worrying about how he felt about her.

By the time they stepped outside, Abby was bundled up from head to toe. These were the coldest days of the year but also the most beautiful. Every year, after the big storm, they enjoyed clear skies and sunshine for days, and she always looked forward to them.

The berry garland business started up again the second someone realized her neck was once again devoid of the red and purple strands. She considered removing the azak flower, but worried that the moment she did so every single male in the vicinity would notice and come flocking in hopes of an offer. She left it on.

Reka 5 was getting large enough now that there were several celebrations around the colony instead of just the big one in the main square where it always had been. She’d also seen notices for several smaller ones in the outer sectors. They were at the main one. The sizeable self-serve buffet table of a few years ago had since been replaced by many stalls serving different types of food.

The aroma of spices, both from Earth and various Tallean planets, filled the air. Cloves, nutmeg, and all the other traditional Christmas spices mixed and mingled with exotic alien scents of the winter solstice, like the colonists themselves. The resulting aroma had Abby reminiscing about all the past holiday seasons she’d spent here.

They passed a stand with only a short lineup offering joulka, spiced nuri leaf tea, and coffee. Yes, coffee! With Vosthea’s many warm, humid jungles and fertile soil, they’d discovered the beans grew quite well on the nearby planet.

“I don’t think I’m ready for food yet,” Abby said. “But I do want some joulka.” She’d once thought the alien beverage a nuttier version of coffee, but now that she could compare the two she realized it was a completely different beast altogether. She’d grown quite fond of it, and for bonus points, it didn’t give her the jitters.

“Okay! I’m going for some drowned pie,” Jenny said.

Ckarus, her mate, looked mischievous for a moment before saying, “I could drown your pie,” while waggling his eyebrows.

Abby held back a giggle. Jenny just huffed and rolled her eyes.

“You’ve been spending way too much time with Josh.” She turned to Abby. “I swear, the two of them are like teenagers when they’re together.” Then, she was dragging her mate away.

Abby was getting in line when the sound of her father’s angry voice had her whirling around.