Interstella love

chapter 5- trying our best in a world of confusion

My phone buzzed with a notification and I wake up, when did I fall asleep? I don't know but I lean to grab my phone as Stella stays sleeping against me.

I check the time. It's 3pm, how long have I been asleep for? I lie pondering the events of earlier looking at Stella sleeping by me, her hair messily flopping over me her ears dropped as she sleeps peacefully, I smile lovingly and check the notification on my phone.

'aliens visit earth?' 'the aliens are gay?' 'they aren't green they're blue: alien spotted at roller rink in city' my heart stops. All the articles using a image of Stella and I from the roller rink where her hood has fallen down.

I look at her in worry and decide not to wake her, she didn't need to know just yet, there was only a few articles after all.

Buzz. A comment on one of the articles.

"Hey I know the girl with her in the photo!"

A loud knock at the door breaks my anxious silence and Stella stirs, waking from her sleep and looking up at me in confusion "I'll get it, you just hide okay?" Stella looks at me "okay, I'll hide in the bathroom so that way I can brush my teeth whilst I'm hiding" she smiles contently and I smile back despite my fear.

I unlock the door and see a familiar face, a friend from school who I'd cut off just like everyone else. "Yo heather! Can I come in?" He says attempting to peek behind me. "We haven't seen each other in ages why are you here?" I reply in annoyance but he looks at me and gives me a smug grin "I know you are harbouring an alien! And I am the most expert person on planets so I demand to help you!" He says cockily and cheerily I look him dead in the eye. "Fuck off." I shut the door in his face.

I knew he would be back but the amount I was processing right now made me give very little shits about later. I wanted to focus on now. On her. Even though loving her still felt a little selfish I took on her words and experiences to try to not feel guilty. To not feel broken.

"You can come out now" I say and Stella emerges flinging herself into my arms, she looks at me before pulling me into a loving kiss as my heart fluttered, caught off guard.

I feel my face get warm and I kiss her back, holding her close before she pulls away and rests her head against mine. I feel that sinking feeling again and she looks in my eyes "you're allowed to love me" she reassures as we sit down, but the amount of buzzes from my phone increase and i look at it anxiously as i panic slightly.

She notices this and moves my head to face her "you okay?" She says gently and I nod. It wasn't true of course but I couldn't let her worry. "So. What are we doing today?" She smiles and looks at me as I try to think of something we can do, hoping leaving the house wouldnt cause Stella to be taken away.

"We could go shopping? You only really have my jumper and your spacesuit after all" she seems excited by this idea and gets up and into my hoodie, chucking me my bag. "Let's go, you could use some air" she says letting out another one of her gentle laughs.

I hold her hand tightly as we walk looking around anxiously at passersby, making our way to the Primark in town "I don't make lots of money so don't go crazy okay?" She laughs and looks at me "I'll try".

We walk round the shop looking at all sorts of clothes, and trying stuff on until eventually we find some clothes she likes. "I love fashion, I've loved designing clothes since I was little. Almost as much as I was obsessed about earth" she says as we walk back home her face content.

"HEY!"

we stop and turn around.

"that's the blue geezer from the news!"

Stella looks at me in confusion and fear "the news..?" I look at her in guilt.

"Come ere you blue freak! Lesbo alien!"

I look at the teen boy yelling at us dead in the eye with anger.
"If you don't fuck off right now I'll call the cops on you for harassment, biggot."

He decidedly shrugs and leaves us alone giving me a middle finger as he does and I look back at Stella, she seems hurt but also confused.
"... What's a lesbo?" I look at her taken aback and start to laugh a little bit. "It's a girl who likes girls, it's actually called being a lesbian but that kid was just a twat" I say and she looks at me. "everyone likes 'girls' though?"

She looks at me even more confused and I glance back "does s51 not have different genders?" She looks at me "we all have the same anatomy if thats what you mean" I look at her my face going slightly red at the question that arise in my brain.

"Then how do you.. yknow.. reproduce?" She goes very very red and looks away as we walk up the apartment block stairs. "I think I would physically die explaining that to you" she mumbles, her face very flushed.

"Wait." I say as we go back inside my apartment "does that mean we can have a family... theoretically?" I say looking at her as my heart flutters a little more "I would think so, I don't know a lot about how human bodies work so I couldnt really tell you" she goes redder just speaking about it.

I decide not to let my curious thoughts get the best of me and head to cook us lunch instead. But the fact we could start a family sat hopefully in the back of my mind as I cooked.