(Snowe's POV)
When I woke up, I was in my bed, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. The covers were wrapped so tightly around me that I could tell someone had tucked me in.
"Oww..."
"You have a hangover?"
I held my head and looked up to see RJ leaning against the doorframe.
"Come downstairs... I bought coffee and breakfast."
Then he walked away.
It was hard getting up—my stomach was churning. I hoped I could make it to the bathroom before throwing up. I needed to purge some of the Bane from my system before heading out to find Raijian.
RJ had brought me a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, hashbrowns, and coffee with the perfect amount of cream and sugar.
"Feeling better?" RJ asked, placing his elbows on the table and folding his hands in front of his face.
"Yeah..."
"Good. Let's go for a walk after this. I think we should talk."
That made me so nervous I almost lost my appetite.
The fresh air felt good, but the bright sun was pure torture. He grabbed my hand and said,
"Don't fall behind this time."
My fingertips tingled. I fought my nerves and squeezed his hand in return.
"I won't," I said.
"Why are you trying to take care of me?" he asked, walking slower to match my pace.
"Well... until I have something else to offer, I don't want to be a freeloader."
He laughed.
"Letting you stay here is barely an expense for me. Honestly, it makes me anxious having you do things for me... seeing you greet me in the morning. Just having you waiting for me to come home every day..."
"I didn't know having me around was so awful," I said with a pout.
He laughed out loud—something rare—and it caught me off guard.
"I'm saying it's the opposite... I need to know... were you sent by my father?"
He stopped walking and looked at me.
I met his eyes, tilting my head. "Who's your father?"
He looked like he was about to laugh again but covered his mouth.
"Never mind."
We walked in silence for a while. Then I said,
"I wasn't sent by anyone. I don't know why I ended up at your house either."
"I can read thoughts—not deep secrets, but whatever's currently flashing through your mind. When you first arrived, I could see yours too..."
I gasped at his confession. He paused again, then gently hugged me.
"I know you've gone through a lot, Snowe. I'm sorry."
He released me.
"Is it okay if I hold you?"
I always thought RJ was cold… but he was actually very warm. I wrapped my arms around him and clutched his shirt.
"You can hug me," I answered.
He sighed, resting his chin on my head, then switching to his cheek, holding me in a firm embrace.
"Are you sure you weren't sent here to make me weak...?"
I scoffed.
"I'd be surprised if I had any effect on you at all."
He didn't respond, but I could clearly hear his heart racing.
RJ let go, but I kept my arms around him anyway, defiantly. He laughed again.
"I don't know why your mind has gone silent... but I'm going to trust you. Don't make me regret it."
He placed a hand on my head.
"I won't!" I promised, then finally let him go, blushing from my own boldness.
He smelled nice—like fresh flowers.
"Is that the only reason you invited me on a date? To interrogate me?"
His cheeks reddened. Then he grabbed my hand again and started walking.
"I figured a spy wouldn't let their guard down around me. So you proved that if you are a spy, you're a really dumb one."
I pouted.
"I didn't realize it was a date, though," he added.
"Well, my bad!" I retorted, feeling huffy. I guess I got rejected before I even confessed.
"...It's just, I didn't think you'd agree to go on a date with me. I had no idea you had any interest in me."
He looked into the distance. His hand felt so hot now, it was almost unbearable.
"Why wouldn't I? You saved me, RJ. And I really like you. A lot," I said.
He stopped walking and looked at me, brows furrowed.
"Because of Zai..."
I blinked. Why was he bringing up his brother?
"I don't understand. I've barely even spoken to him," I explained.
"...Also... you might leave at any moment. You showed up out of nowhere. You could disappear from my life the same way. It's hard, getting attached to you. I had feelings for someone not long ago... they rejected me—pretty harshly. I'm not 100% over it, and I can't take that happening again."
Then it all made sense—him asking when I'd leave, saying my kindness made him anxious...
"I don't know how I got here, but I remember being more afraid and hurt than I ever was on Infaniya. I feel safe here. I'm not going anywhere."
RJ looked at my face again, searching for any sign of a lie.
"Then... let's go on more dates."
I blushed and smiled awkwardly, then turned away.
"Yeah... I'd like that."
"And... I should also mention... I'm an Afarion."
His confession stunned me. I'd always imagined Afarions as brutish, cold, and cruel. Yet here was one giving shelter and kindness to an Infaniyan. He was putting himself at risk—for me.
"That... I don't know how to feel about that. But you're still RJ. So I still like you."
His expression relaxed completely. He smiled widely.
"I like you too..."
From then on, he started paying for me to get a manicure and pedicure every week. We went out every night—dancing, to the zoo, the aquarium, karaoke (a few more times), a planetarium, and even camping.
The camping was in the forest behind his house. We lay on our mats, side by side, staring up at the stars.
"This really is a different world," I said in awe. After the planetarium, I wanted to see the night sky in person. It's so much more beautiful that way.
"The room I grew up in had no windows. I wasn't allowed outside. I snuck out once, during the day, so I only saw stars when I came to Earth."
I rolled onto my side to look at him.
"That sounds awful."
"It was."
"Why were you locked up?"
He rolled to face me. His aqua eyes glowed in the dark like stars.
"My father..."
"He sounds like a real asshole."
Every time RJ mentioned his father, it was something terrible. Locking him up, sending spies to hurt him... No wonder he ended up on this planet. Where else could he go?
"He is."
RJ flashed me a grin and reached for my hand.
"Can you not see the stars on Infaniya?"
"Umm... we have three suns. It's never this dark."
He closed his eyes and laced our fingers together.
"That sounds nice..."
Then he drifted off to sleep. I moved closer and snuggled against him before falling asleep too.
I woke up wrapped in his arms.
The next day, we went back inside. When I checked my email, to my surprise, there was a message from IIC—they realized my body was never discovered and asked me to come to their headquarters for identification verification.
I rushed downstairs to tell RJ. But his expression was downcast.
"Oh..."
"Isn't this a good thing?" I asked.
"I... can't make you stay, Snowe. Go back home if that's what you want."
After saying that, he walked out of the house.
He looked afraid of my answer.
I rushed after him, slamming the door behind me. He paused at the bottom of the steps.
"I'm not leaving!" I shouted.
He froze.
"I'm just getting my ID. I have no reason to go back. I want to stay—with you."
He came up the stairs and stared down at me.
".... I'm not mad at you. You don't have to say that for my sake."
"I know. You're too kind to ask me to stay. So... I give you permission to be a little selfish."
After my declaration, he tilted my chin up and kissed me—once, twice, and then again, so many times I stopped counting.
"I'm... happy. Of course I'll still take you there. I'm just so glad you're not leaving."
And he did take me.
At headquarters, I found out my dad was dead. My mom had killed him. And my rapist was about to be released—because I'd been found alive.
That sealed it. I was not going back.
I wept the entire car ride home.
After twenty minutes, RJ pulled over onto the side of the highway. He got out, opened my door, and offered his hand.
"Let's take a walk, Snowe. I want to know what's made you this upset."
We walked into the forest—just far enough that I couldn't hear the sound of cars anymore. We sat under a tree, and I told him everything.
He listened silently, letting me rest my head on his shoulder. He brushed the tears from my cheeks now and then.
Once I'd stopped crying, we went back to the car... and then home.