(Author's Note - my entry for Challenge 28  - Hybrid Romance.

Prompt: A glitch on a Dating Site starts pairing humans with non-humans.

Word limit 1500.

My story is 1494 - not counting this note )

Encounter

Harlan pursed his lips as he filled in the last answer for the E-Contact questionnaire, and hit "Save" and "Send."

He sat back in his chair. There! It was done, no chance for second thoughts now. His stomach churned with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Would he really get to meet his perfect match? Someone who met all the rather unique requirements he had fed into the application?

He supposed requesting black hair and blue eyes was pretty run of the mill, but when he'd replaced, "must love reading " with "must love writing," exchanged "dancing" for "sports," and then altered "must love dogs and walks on the canal" to "must be a dreamer, with stars in his eyes," he thought he might end up with someone interesting.

But after a fortnight passed, and he'd heard absolutely nothing, Harlan began to wonder if he'd been a little too prescriptive.

He sent a query through to the E-Contact's Call Us section, only to be told that they were still working on his match and to be patient.

Then, finally, he received a text. "Congratulations, Mr Lawrence. We have found your match! As part of our Special Valentine's Day promotion, E-Contact has arranged your first date, complete with a complimentary bottle of Martian Spritzig 2201. Please be at the Red Planet Cafe at 20:00 tomorrow night to meet your match, Cory. Please wear a red scarf."

And that was it. No contact link for Cory. He'd hoped to get at least an introductory email and an image, but nothing.

He queried the Call Us section again, and received a rather short response. "Love is blind, they say, Mr Lawrence. Enjoy your blind date."

The following evening, Harlan dressed in his best jadesilk suit, the one that he thought showed off his own dark looks to the best advantage.

The restaurant was in the centre of First Dome City, a few kays away, and Harlan took a bubble car. It was expensive, but the car was able to take him all the way from his own climate controlled dome, across the airless desert to the City without needing to change transport. Harlan supposed he could just as easily have taken the underground tunnel-train but he loved the view of the black Martian sky at night.

He wished, not for the first time, that the engineers who had designed the domes a century ago, had chosen a clear material, instead of the artificial blue Earthlike "sky." They were on Mars after all, not Earth.

His pulse increased as the small car navigated the main airlock on First City Dome and proceeded to The Red Planet Cafe. What would Cory be like? Would Cory like him in return? A tendril of doubt suddenly wove its way into Harlan's brain. It hadn't dawned on him until that exact moment that the questionnaire had been one sided. Or had Cory filled in a questionnaire too?

Harlan left the bubble car, draped the small red scarf around his neck, and entered the restaurant.

Immediately his eyes were drawn to a tall, black haired young man with another red scarf around his neck. He was seated in a small booth, staring at the door. Harlan smiled tentatively and headed in his direction. As he wended his way across the floor, Harlan found himself swallowing nervously.

This man was gorgeous. His ideal. Why would a man like that be interested in him?

Cory stood as Harlan approached and they shook hands self-consciously across the table. Cory's hand was cool against Harlan's warm palm.

"Cory Baxter."

"Harlan Lawrence."

Before they could do much more than introduce themselves, the waiter appeared with their bottle of Martian Spritzig 2201. He poured a little of the frothing ruby liquid into each glass. "Enjoy," he smiled. "I'll be back shortly to take your orders."

Harlan raised his glass. "To new friends," he toasted. "Cheers."

Cory smiled, his perfect skin pale against the ruby red of the wine. For one odd moment, Harlan thought he saw a flash of silver in the blue eyes.

"So, what style of dancing do you like?" asked Cory. "I'm into Martian modern at the moment."

They talked for hours, about everything from the latest dances to holovids and music, enjoying their meals but enjoying each other's company more. Harlan couldn't remember the last time when he had got on so well with another man. Over coffee, they found themselves holding hands across the table.

"I like your warm skin," said Cory. "How do you manage that?"

"Just hot blooded, I guess," laughed Harlan. "I like how your hand is cool though. There's an old saying, 'Cool hands, warm heart.' Is that true?"

"I'd like to think so," smiled Cory.

The waiter came to clear away. Harlan sat back and noticed with a touch of embarrassment that they were the last people left in the restaurant.

"I guess it's time to go," he stated, reluctant to end the wonderful evening. "I'd really like to see you again."

"Me too," said Cory, getting to his feet and following him out of the restaurant.

Without speaking they moved away from the brightly lit window.

Harlan rested his hands lightly on Cory's shoulders. "I've been wanting to do this all evening," he said. And leaned forward to kiss him on the lips.

At that exact moment, both their wristcoms chimed, signalling an urgent incoming message.

Both men exchanged a startled smile.

"I wonder who..." muttered Harlan, as Cory looked at his own message screen. "It's from E-Contact's Call Us section."

"So is mine," said Cory with a worried frown.

"Sincerest apologies. A technical error has occurred in all matches linked to the Valentine's Day Special. Unfortunately the species protocol was bypassed. We have received several reports of inappropriate matching. If your date is not of the same species, please contact us immediately and we will gladly refund your fees."

Cory and Harlan stared at each other.

Then Harlan offered a tentative smile. "At least we know neither of us is an Android or a Cyborg, or we wouldn't have enjoyed that lovely meal."

"True enough," said Cory. "As far as it goes." His hands curled into fists at his sides. "They promised me!" The words came out in a near wail.

Harlan had a horrible feeling that their wonderful evening was about to disappear in a puff of smoke. The lovely food turned to acid in his stomach. He held Cory's gaze, willing him not to look away.

Harlan took a deep breath. "Human."

"Mican." said Cory. "E-Contact Alien."

~~~

It was now more than 200 years since humanity had had its first encounter with an alien race. Consisting of flexible matter particles, the aliens had taken the shape of humans, and infiltrated many high profile organisations.

In fact, they had used this very company, E-Contact, to meet their human targets, presenting themselves as their perfect match. Until they were discovered and all hell broke loose. Years of turmoil followed until eventually a treaty was thrashed out.

The Government of the time had tried to close down E-Contact completely, but that plan was fiercely resisted by the rest of the human population who adored it, and was eventually discarded. However, given that sex was one of the Alien's key weapons, everyone knew that the first clause of the treaty was "No Sexual Fraternization."

Since then humanity had met the Tentakiles and the Retillians, neither of whom anyone—apart from a very peculiar few—would ever want to have sex with in a million years. But the law against the Micans, or E-Contact Aliens as they were commonly known, was still in place.

All this flashed through Harlan's mind in the time it took to drop his hands from Cory's shoulders, and take a step back.

Cory was staring at him with a face full of misery, probably matching the exact same expression on his own face, thought Harlan.

"Damn!" he said.

That surprised a startled laugh from Cory. "I was going to say something much worse than that!"

His shoulders slumped. "Well I suppose this is goodbye, then."

"Stupid law!" thought Harlan, anger coming to his aid. Cory looked human, he felt human enough, he thought, remembering the touch of Cory's lips.

What were the chances of him ever finding another man like Cory? None, that's what.

"It doesn't have to be goodbye," he burst out. "Its a stupid law, an Earth law over 200 years old, and we're on Mars."

Deliberately he put his hands back on Cory's shoulders. "I'm willing to give us a shot if you are. We have a lot in common— a few differences should only add a bit of spice. What do you think?"

Cory's face lit up and stars shone in his eyes. Harlan blinked, and Cory's eyes were blue again.

"I think, yes."

"That's all right, then," said Harlan, and took Cory in his arms and kissed him.