Page 24 of Holiday Wishes and Tentacle Dreams

Despite the ever-growing sense of anxiety looming in the back of Doren’s mind, they couldn’t stay away from Jake. It was a complicated situation, no question. Jake’s inquiries about surfing in the cold were just the first of many possible chances for Doren to blow their cover.

Doren’s parents’ words echoed in their head.Be careful. Was Doren being careful? They were trying, but they couldn’t help themself. It had been five days since that first piece of blueberry pie, and Doren had swum up to that beach every morning, excited to talk to Jake, eager to see his soft brown eyes and his even softer beard.

Doren wanted to kiss the man so badly it hurt.

The risk of exposure, though, could not be dismissed. Doren forgot it whenever they spent time with Jake, but afterwards, as they made their way back to the depths, the guilt would set in.

This crush was dangerous, and it was spiraling out of control. If Doren were smart, they’d take a couple of weeks off, put on the brakes and listen to their parents. Jake was already suspicious. Doren was certain of that. They had to be vague about so many aspects of their life. Eventually, Jake would question why Dorendidn’t have any friends in town or why no one knew where they lived.

Doren could ask Bard to help, but they’d distanced themself from Doren. For the past few evenings, Doren had returned to the depths to find Bard missing. It stung. Bard wasn’t just their sibling. They were Doren’s best friend.

Doren knew why. Bard was a control freak, and it rankled that Doren was ignoring their advice.

Yet all of that worry dissipated when Doren saw Jake once again.

A few hundred feet from the beach, Doren shifted from alien to human, their tentacles melting back into their body as their slick iridescent skin transmuted into light beige. When they reached the shallows, they stood and berated themself.

They’d been so conspicuous the last few days, not even trying to conceal their entry to the surface. The first time someone saw Doren walk out of the water, they might chalk it up to some crazy surfer or swimmer. But Doren had gone straight to the beach every day that week, exposing themself rather than transforming under the dock.

Eventually, a townie would notice the strange person emerging from the water like the Birth of Venus each morning. But once Doren headed toward the shore, their excitement got the better of them. They couldn’t bear the thought of stealth, of all the time it took to change clothes and walk from the nearest point of concealment.

Doren wanted to see Jake!

They would be more careful, but not today. They were already on the beach anyway, too late to do anything about it. Doren sprinted toward the house, heart racing at the thought of seeing Jake again. How did this human have such a hold on them?

Reaching the front door, they tapped lightly on the window. It was almost noon now. Hopefully, Jake hadn’t been expecting them earlier.

There was no answer. Doren peered in, but the whole first floor was empty. Other than a half-eaten pizza sitting on the kitchen table, everything looked as it usually did.

Knocking again, a tiny whirlwind of confusion sprang up in Doren’s stomach. Did Jake have something else to do today and forget to tell them? Did Jake have to leave town unexpectedly?

For a brief moment, Doren considered they might have misread the situation, that Jake might not have the same affection for them that Doren had for him. But they brushed that idea quickly aside.

Doren was certain of Jake. The man had been guarded, maybe, but he’d made his feelings clear. Yes, Doren misunderstood human social interactions on occasion, but there was a connection forming between them that was undeniable.

Doren wasn’t human, and sometimes that was an impediment, but it also meant they were more sensitive to such things. If Jake were an alien, Doren would be certain they were bondmates. That’s how much potential Doren sensed between the two of them.

Doren could visualize how the two of them fit together, what Doren might be to Jake: a gift, a balm, a soothing light for his mornings.

Should they wait? Should they head back into the depths? What if something was wrong? They could break into the house…

A loud meow sounded on the other side of the front door, and Doren peered in, eyebrows furrowed. If Miranda Priestly was still there, at least Jake hadn’t left town. He’d never leave MP behind.

The beautiful gray-and-white kitten jumped up onto the kitchen table and made direct eye contact with Doren, meowing once more, then stretching her front paws out and arching her back.

Was she lonely? Had Jake gone on some kind of errand without the cat?

Miranda Priestly leapt down to the linoleum floor and pawed at a nearby cabinet. Even in the few days Doren had been coming here, the wooden door had accumulated a decent number of deep scratches. The white primer had started showing through the navy blue paint.

That was where Jake stored Miranda Priestly’s food. Wait, it was noon. Had he not fed the poor thing?

MP meowed a third time, and this one was loud enough she might as well have been right in Doren’s ear. Doren turned the doorknob and pushed.

It was unlocked, but that didn’t register at all. Doren rushed in, opening the cabinet and scooping out a cup of dry food. They poured it into Miranda Priestly’s dish. They didn’t have any experience with cats, but they couldn’t stand the thought of the poor thing going hungry.

Did the animals have to be fed every few hours? Every hour? What if it was every thirty minutes!?

Doren just didn’t know. They’d learned a lot in over a century of coming up to the surface, but they had some blind spots, and clearly pet-care was one.