I woke up feeling stiff, my face pressed into a soft, warm material. I took in a slow deep breath, relaxing as the smell of citrus filled my lungs, and opened my eyes. My face was pressed into Orion's shoulder, my body burrowed into Orion's side, my arm wrapped around his waist. Clearly, I had been cold last night and had decided that cuddling an alien boy was better than shivering all night.

Stupid subconscious. 

Thankfully, Orion was dead asleep, unaware of my subconscious cuddly intentions. He breathed in and out deeply, his chest rising and falling under my arm. His ashy colored lashes were dark against his pink cheeks. 

He had his hand on the back of my head, his fingers were woven into my hair, warm against my scalp. Clearly, he didn't seem bothered by my need for warmth either.

The sun hadn't come up yet, making me feel bold as I looked at Orion, unashamed of my long stares. He was incredibly handsome. The forest was quiet around us, nature still lulling before the break of dawn. The fire had died out during the night, leaving every part of me that wasn't touching Orion numb with cold.

I slowly reached out and ran my fingers through his hair, it felt like silk, falling through my fingers back against his forehead like small streams of rain. Did aliens use shampoo?  He needs to share whatever it is that he uses.

Orion let out a soft sigh, his breath tickling my fingers. The sound was so raw, so open, so content, that it left my heart fluttering at the small glimpse past the boy carrying the secrets of a dying planet. And instead let me see the one who wrestled with thoughts on what humanity had to offer. A boy who was desperate to understand parts of us that he found fascinating. To ask for help when he was supposed to do things alone. To trust when it went against his mission.

 I knew at that moment as I stared down at this breathtaking beautiful boy next to me, his hand protectively laid against my head, that I couldn't deny my draw, or my feelings. Or blame it on a disease, or coffee, or the lack of coffee, or coffee withdrawal. This dazzling boy from a faraway universe had wormed his way into my heart. I couldn't even muster up the energy to be irritated by it. But that didn't change the fact that he would be leaving. I couldn't keep him. 

And this right here is why romance is always a terrible and dangerous thing. Sadness filled me, tearing at my insides. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting my new normal settle. 

The faster I helped him, the faster he would leave. If I didn't help him, he would stay longer but I wouldn't get to spend as much time with him because he would be off alone. This whole thing is stupidly complicated. 

I opened my eyes and suddenly stopped stroking his hair, fingers frozen above his brow. His eyes were open. 

His dark eyes found mine before I could remove my hand from his hair. "Morning," he said smiling.

"Morning!" I yanked my hand back, feeling like I had my hand caught in a cookie jar, but on a far more embarrassing level, and instead had it caught in a handsome set of locks. I removed my hand from around his waist. "Sorry. I guess I got cold last night."

He chuckled, his voice husky. "Makes sense. I run a little warmer than you do." I shifted away and felt the cold morning wash over me. I shivered as his warmth left my side. I hadn't realized how low the temperature had gotten. He pulled me back to his side. "It's cold," he said into my hair as my head fell against his shoulder. "No sense in dying because you'd rather have space," he murmured, his breath sending trails of warmth across my body.

Yeah... that's my problem.

I felt flustered as I laid there, enjoying his high body temperature. "How'd you sleep?" Orion asked, his voice gentle, making me far too aware of how close we were to each other.

"Um. Good," I finally managed to say.

I allowed myself to lay there for just a moment before I forced myself to move. I can't keep him, I reminded myself. I can't get comfortable even if he's warm and smells good. I sat up, ignoring the smirk on Orion's face. "You okay?" He couldn't keep the smile out of his voice.

"Yep." I moved without thinking and my broken leg suddenly flared in pain. I gasped. All mischief left Orion's face as he jumped to his feet.

"Okay, time to get you to a hospital." He scooped me up into his arms and began walking.

"Hey, I can walk." I protested.

He shook his head. "After you claimed you were only being nice because I was going to carry you back yesterday? Please," he chuckled, the sound low. "Besides," He adjusted me in his arms, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to keep from bouncing around. "This isn't a matter of strength. You hold your own with the Destrocomets. But even the strongest need help. Just like how I asked for your help to find the material."

I ignored a flare-up of pain as he adjusted me in his arms again. "We can't leave here without it." I protested. "I can wait while you go find it."

"I'll come back. Besides, I would prefer your dad to not kill me anytime soon. Still need to make money."

"Oh, making money appear out of thin air isn't something you can do?" I said in mock shock.

"I wish. But no." He continued to walk with me in his arms, one hand pressed firmly against my back, the other under the crooks of my knees. 

"Can't you run super fast to get us outta here?"I asked, flustered at being held against his chest. The smell of citrus and earth wafted off of his warm body and filled my lungs, making it hard to concentrate.

"Also no. I can't take someone with me at that speed. It could warp your molecules. I think you look just fine the way you are, Ranch Girl." His eyes flickered over my face, his jaw tense. "No sense in messing things up."

He carried me in his arms for a long time. He didn't look winded as he hiked uphill. His balance never faltered as he moved over fallen trees. His feet silent as he moved through the underbrush. It felt like I was gliding through the forest. 

Orion began to sing a country song by Home Free, as he walked.

"The other day, I checked my bank account,

I could swear it was the wrong amount,

And I didn't understand 'cause,

I'd been workin' hard.

For the life of me, I didn't know where it went,

I hadn't even paid the rent,

Then the Mercedes pulled up in the yard.

Oh, lord, I should have seen it comin',

This time I'm in deep.

Now I'm headin' to the poorhouse,

Or headin' to jail,

And if I end up there,

I ain't makin' bail.

And if it goes to court,

I sure don't have a case.

Cause I ran out of money,

Some time ago,

But if you look at my wife,

You'd never know.

I'm afraid my baby's got champagne taste,

On a beer budget."

I laughed, watching the sun set the trees ablaze with gold. "Okay, how do you know that song? It's not like you grew up here."

"I have an echoic memory, something that has proven to be very beneficial." He chuckled when I rolled my eyes, remembering his stupid echoic memory. The thing that left him repeating every conversation we ever had back when we had first  met. 

"I've been on earth for seven months. You'd be surprised how fast I learn." A memory of all the books in the guest house came to mind. Glow Boy took in content like it was going to expire. Maybe for him, it was. If I only got to take in what earth had to offer for a few months before being called somewhere else, maybe I'd do the same thing. 

"But in that band's case... I heard them on the radio before coming to earth." I stared up at him in surprise, waiting for him to explain.

"We actually get a few music stations up in space. You guys make good stuff. The rest of my kind don't care for it. But I LOVE IT!" His eyes lit up, taking on sparks of bright pink. "You can make a song out of anything! Love songs about tractors, how all girls should wear mood rings, something about coming in like a wrecking ball... it's fascinating!"

I giggled. "You are an interesting person Orion."

He beamed. "Oh no, you all are. There's so much to learn. It's hard to figure out nonchalant ways to ask questions though."

"Okay Glow Boy, shoot."

A slow smile spread across his face, his eyes sparking with excitement as the words tumbled out of his mouth at top speed, unable to hide his desire to learn. "Alright, I got a lot of them. What is the fascination with paying for ripped jeans? Aren't jeans supposed to be fully intact and you earn the rips the longer you wear them like a right of passage? Why do women, who are always cold, have clothing made for them that is always thinner and made with less material? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Why don't men have purses? They have items to carry too. Why is hair on someone's head okay, but as soon as the hair is no longer attached to someone's head, it is considered gross?"

I fought a smile, amused. On and on the questions went. I did my best to answer them, but with every answer, he had three more waiting. I had never had to think about all the reasons why humans did what we did and I suddenly understood how weird we must come across.

The sky had begun to grow dark and still, he walked holding me close to his chest, making me feel safe. His pace didn't change as the world around us lost color, bleeding black. I felt my eyelids growing heavy.

I opened my eyes to find us next to my truck. I must have fallen asleep. Orion slid me into the passenger's seat and then climbed into the driver's side. I fell back to sleep before he started the truck.

Waking with a start, I squeezed my eyes shut, allowing myself to get used to the fluorescent lights shining annoyingly bright in my new surroundings. I was in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV. My leg had been tended to, leaving me wearing a very unattractive medical boot. No work boots for a while with this thing. 

I saw my dad asleep in the chair next to my bed, his head nestled against his arms that were crossed along the edge of my bed, as close to me as he could get. The sight of him forced me to hold back a set of tears. He hadn't come to a hospital since my mother died, refusing to ever come back. 

He's here. 

My heart swelled. 

He must have been so worried.

I felt a pair of eyes watching me from across the room and saw Orion leaning casually against the far wall, his dark eyes sharp with focus. When my eyes found his, sparks of purple lit his eyes and hair.

I gave him a weak smile. He gave me a small nod, looking nervous. "Afraid they're gonna experiment on you?" I whispered with a tired grin, wiggling my eyebrows mischievously.

"A bit." He cracked a small smile but it disappeared when a petite nurse entered.

"Ms. Brookes, you're awake. You gave us quite a scare showing up to the hospital like that after getting lost in the woods. Thankfully he found you," she said, gesturing to Orion.

"Lost?" I asked, confused.

She wrote something down on a clipboard. "Oh goodness me, you don't remember? You went hiking and when you didn't come back, Orion went looking for you. He brought you here. Brave boy," the nurse said, smiling sweetly at him. I could add her to the list of his adoring fans. I didn't blame her. He was quite fantastic to look at.

"Alina?" I heard my dad say, rubbing his eyes. He looked up at me, relief washing across his face.

"Hi, Dad," I said past the lump in my throat. "Sorry for scaring you again," I said.

"Don't you dare go hiking without letting someone know where you are! It's a good thing you mentioned it to Orion or else we'd still have no clue where you went!" His voice, which had intended to come across angry, was full of broken, terrified cracks. 

He pulled my hands into his and gave them a quick squeeze, tears in his eyes. We both hated hospitals and seeing me in a hospital bed just like mom, must have been a terrible blast to the past. A past that neither of us could think about without finding it nearly impossible to breathe.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling groggy. I wasn't sure what else to say. I couldn't tell him what happened. "I should've been more careful."

I glanced at Orion. Now that the nurse had left, he seemed more relaxed as he leaned against the wall. He stared out the window, the afternoon light hitting the lines of his body, highlighting his strong jaw, silhouetting his muscles. Orion didn't look like someone who had walked four hours uphill while holding someone. He looked like he had just dressed for the day. 

Freaking well-groomed alien. Always composed.

"Have you thanked Orion? You should. That boy saved your life." My dad cleared his throat to keep his emotions in check.

I squeezed my dad's hands again and then turned back to look up at Orion. "Thank you, Orion."

He pulled his eyes from the window and tipped his hat. "No problem, Ranch Girl. Happy to help."

My dad looked at his phone. "I have to head back to the ranch in a few hours. Steve will be by to pick up two bulls and I need to be there to let him into the barn." I nodded, sad to see him go.

"I can go for you if you want to stay here Mr. Brookes," Orion offered, pushing off the wall.

My dad stood up. "No... To tell you the truth, I can hardly..." He took a calming breath. "I want to. Are you okay to stay here alone?" My dad gave me a pleading look. I hesitated. 

Being here alone sounded like a terrible plan. This place had haunted my dreams. Watching my mother grow thin until she nearly disappeared into her sheets had burned into me. Every smell, sound, and visual of this place made me ache. But my dad looked pale and I didn't want him to feel any worse than he already did.

"It's okay dad," I lied. He shouldn't have to stay.

He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Call me if you need anything." My dad looked over at Orion. "You wanna ride back?"

Orion looked from my dad to me. He searched my face. "I'll be out in a minute." My dad nodded and left. My brain felt unfocused and my leg didn't hurt, most likely due to the drugs they had me on.

Orion walked over to the bed and sat on the end of it. "Say the word and I'll stay," Orion said softly.

I bit my lip. I really wanted him to stay. I didn't want to be alone in the hospital. The place felt like a tomb of unwanted memories. "Is my dad safe at the Ranch alone?"

Orion nodded. "The Destrocomets are more likely to go after you. He's safe."

"Can... can you stay? I can't defend anyone right now, let alone myself." I motioned to my boot. It was more than that, but I didn't want to talk about how everywhere I looked I saw pieces of my mom's final days.

Orion nodded. "Of course. I'll let your dad know." I rolled my uninjured hand into a fist as the door closed behind him, feeling the nails dig into my skin, distracting me from the heart monitor sounds, from the IV, from the fact that I was trapped in a hospital bed.

Orion came back a moment later and settled himself in the chair my dad had vacated. "If you wanna go get yourself a book or sssomething, you can. I don't know how... interesssting I'll be... being for now," I said with a shrug, my words slurring and somewhat jumbled.

Orion chuckled. "Believe me. You are far more interesting than I ever bargained for." He leaned back in his chair. "Besides, last time I tried to read in your presence you got irritated."

I rolled my eyes. "You spend every lunch alone reading and the one time you come to sit with me, you read. People who ask to join you for lunch tend to want to spend time with you. Not sit and read like a weeeiiirdo," I pointed out, blinking rapidly in an attempt to stay awake.

He laughed. "I wanted to sit with you. And you hate when I talk to you so I thought it was a fair compromise." He removed his hat and stretched out on the chair, getting comfortable.

I nodded. "That's... fair I guess. What have you been reading anyway? You've been engrossed every time I see you."

"Lots of things. Medical journals, history books, fantasy, fairy tales, Shakespeare, science fiction, children's books, manga." His eyes grew bright. "I could spend three lifetimes reading and would never run out of fascinating pieces that humans have written to describe their opinions, hopes, dreams, pains, and theories."

I pushed myself up to a sitting position and in a flash, Orion added a pillow behind my back so I could stay up easier, nearly startling me out of my skin. I leaned back against the pillows and sighed. "What's your favorite?"

He sat on the edge of my bed. "It's hard to pick. I am currently reading poetry."

"If you had to pick one poem." I pushed my curly hair out of my face only to get my IV tangled in it. I let out an irritated growl.

Orion reached out and untangled the tube, gently tucking several strands behind my ear. He kept his hand on my cheek for a moment, gently adjusting my hair before pulling his hand away, jaw tight. "Emily Dickinson's If You Were Coming in the Fall." His eyes flashed a deep purple. His hair filled with streaks of the same color.

My cheeks flared pink, self-conscious of his gentle touch. "I haven't heard that one," I admitted. I didn't read a lot of poetry.

He closed his eyes and began to recite the poem...

"If you were coming in the fall,

I'd brush the summer by,

With half a smile and half a spurn,

As housewives do a fly.

If I could see you in a year,

I'd wind the months in balls,

And put them each in separate drawers,

Until their time befalls.

If only centuries delayed,

I'd count them on my hand,

Subtracting till my fingers dropped

Into Van Diemen's land.

If certain, when this life was out,

That yours and mine should be,

I'd toss it yonder like a rind,

And taste eternity.

But now, all ignorant of the length,

Of time's uncertain wing,

It goads me, like the goblin bee,

That will not state its sting."

When he finished, he opened his eyes. The purple drained away. "She has a way of expressing a want that makes me wish I could talk only using her words."

I pulled my good leg up to my chest. "Interesting choice for a favorite poem." I placed my head on my knee. "Lucero's don't love, so why would that one be your choice?"

He placed his hands on his knees and looked at the wall. "Curiosity pulls me to learn. And love is a very alluring mystery." He shook his head and gave an empty laugh. "I must have a death wish."

I yawned, my eyelids heavy. "I can go," he offered.

I shook my head. "No. Don't go." I blinked forcing myself to wake up a little. "How are you not tired?"

"I am." He ran his fingers through his hair. "But I'm not letting these nurses near me even if it would get me a recovery room with a bed."

I scooted over. "Sit," I said, my lids growing heavy.

He shook his head. "Um. no. This is your bed, not mine."

"And you saved me. Just humor me for a little bit," I said past a large yawn, feeling fuzzy and unfocused under the morphine. He chuckled and sat down next to me, taking up as little space as possible. I felt groggy and cold. Scooting close to him I burrowed into his side as he leaned back and looked down at me in surprise. "You smell good," I said as I took a deep breath. "And your hair is so soft." I blinked, finding it hard to think. "I hate how perfect you are."

"You think I'm perfect?" He sounded amused.

"Stupidly perfect Glow Boy," I said closing my eyes, my head falling onto his shoulder. I felt myself slipping further into the land between sleep and awake, the pain medication trying to pull me under. "Don't go..." My eyes closed.

Orion brushed several strands from my face. "I won't leave. Not until you want me to." I sighed, taking in the smell of citrus and earth that filled my lungs from his closeness. My body felt warm. I opened my eyes. His face was close, his eyes turning purple again.

I reached up and brushed several strands from his face, feeling the soft silky hair in between my fingers. Orion let out an unsteady breath. "Until I get this boot off... you can't leave me," I said. "Not until I can fight... my dad can't lose me. It would kill him," I said, urgently fighting my sleep.

He reached for my hand. "I won't." He interwove his fingers with mine, filling me with steady warmth. My eyes fluttered closed again, too heavy to fight anymore. 

And as I fell into sleep I heard Orion whisper in my ear, but I couldn't put the pieces together. His voice was too far away, but his tone was full of gentle passion. I tried to process, but fell into darkness, wondering what I had missed. 

---

Thank you for reading chapter seventeen! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes!

UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY!

It looks like Alina is safe and Orion is opening up. Can things stay this good?!? 0.0

What will happen when Orion finds what he is looking for?

Will Alina's dad stay safe? 

Want to know what song Orion was singing? Check out Home Free's Champagne Taste (On a Beer Budget)! 

https://youtu.be/1L8zGfKDCCY

CHAPTER QUESTION - Alina's dad is afraid of hospitals. What is a fear you have that you would fight to overcome for someone you love?