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As if I had all the time in the world with him.

As if I wouldn’t be leaving in just a few short days.

Not that I was going to think about that right now.

I’d tried not to think about it for a while.

“Oaken?”

He’d just been entering into his tent for the night. But at the sound of my voice, he halted, then hurled himself back towards me.

“Yes?”

“Do you…”Ugh. I’m an idiot.“Do you want to watch a movie?”

“A… movie? Like a film? I read about those in the book.”

“Yeah. Like a film. Movie dates are fairly common among humans. It might be something good for you to, you know, practise.”

Never mind the fact that I wasn’t thinking about him practising anything right now.

Never mind the fact that I just wanted him to stay with me for a while.

He hesitated. I braced for rejection.

But then, quietly, with very white eyes, he asked, “Would I get to watch it with you?”

Oh, my God. This big, green, loveabledork.

“Yes, with me,” I said, laughing with relief. “Who else are you going to practise your dating techniques on? Lala’s asleep on her charging dock.” I gave him a grim sort of smile and then stood, saluting him with my cup. “I’m all you’ve got.”

He smiled at me like that was the best damn thing he’d heard all day.

And I didn’t know what the hell to do with that.

So I just led him inside the ship. And then I closed the door.

“Make yourself comfy,” I told him, putting down my tea so that I could unfold my bed from the wall. Once it was down, I heaped my blankets and pillows on top of it.

“Where?” Oaken asked. He glanced towards the chair he’d sat in the last time he was in here.

I didn’t want him to sit in the chair.

“Um.” I licked my lips. “The bed. That’s the official way to do it. Humans have to lie together on the bed for a movie date.”

Liar.

Karma was definitely going to kick my ass one day. If I ever got reincarnated, it was not going to be as something fun. I’d probably come back as some kind of dung-eating beetle. Or a bot, like Lala, bound by her programming to serve a pilot as annoying as me.

Oaken moved towards the bed, then paused.

“My trousers are rather dusty from the day. I don’t want to get your bed dirty.”

“It’s OK. Just take them off if you want.” I didn’t mind if he was just wearing Zabrian-style boxers or something. “I’m going to put my pyjamas on. Be right back.”

I passed my small rack of clothing. My hand almost landed on my cozy, frumpy jammies.

But at the last minute, I grabbed my cute set of silky red shorts and matching tank top instead.