Stars, Stripes, & Strange Blinking Lights

9

Bailey woke with a start, her heart pounding. For a moment, she lay there, disoriented, trying to shake off the remnants of a dream she couldn't quite remember. Something about running, maybe something about a ship—it was all too fuzzy.

Zarin.

She sat up fast, the events of the night before crashing back into her mind. It wasn't a dream—all of it had really happened.

She threw the covers off and jumped out of bed, her feet hitting the cold floor as she rushed to the window. Pulling back the curtain, she peered out, half-expecting Zarin to be gone. But no, he was still there. She spotted him crouched by the edge of the garden, poking at the dirt.

A small smile crept onto her face. Of course he's messing with dirt.

Letting the curtain fall back into place, Bailey turned and ran a hand through her tangled hair, still trying to process the fact that everything from last night was real.

But then she glanced at the clock.

"Oh, crap!" she muttered, realizing just how late she was. She had to be at the diner for her shift, and she was already behind.

Moving as fast as she could, Bailey grabbed her jeans and tugged them on, followed by her work shirt. She didn't bother with her hair—there was no time. She yanked it into a messy ponytail, slipped on her sneakers, and grabbed her bag. Just as she was about to rush out the door, she heard the crunch of gravel outside.

Her stomach dropped.

No... no, no, no, she thought, rushing to the window. She peered out to see her boyfriend, Luke, pulling up in his truck. Of all mornings.

She stood there frozen for a second, her mind racing. She cast a quick glance down at the courtyard.

Great. Just what I needed.

She cursed under her breath and ran down the stairs. By the time she reached the front of the building, Luke had already rolled down his window, his familiar cocky grin plastered on his face.

"Mornin', babe," he said, leaning out the window. "Figured I'd give you a ride to work."

Bailey forced a smile, trying to act like everything was normal, though her pulse was racing. "Hey... I wasn't expecting you," she said, glancing nervously over her shoulder toward Zarin.

Luke shrugged, the grin never leaving his face. "Thought I'd surprise ya. You know, be a good boyfriend." His tone had a playful edge, but his eyes narrowed slightly as they flicked past her, noticing Zarin standing up and dusting off his hands.

Luke frowned. "Uh, who's that?"

Bailey's stomach knotted. Zarin was walking toward them now, slowly but deliberately. She could feel the panic rising in her chest. She needed to think fast.

"That's, uh..." The words tumbled out before she could stop them. "That's my cousin."

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "Your cousin?"

Bailey fumbled for an explanation, forcing her voice to sound casual. "Yeah, well... he's just visiting for a bit."

Luke didn't seem convinced, glancing between her and Zarin, his brow furrowed. "Since when do you have a cousin hanging out at your place? And why's he messing with the dirt?"

Bailey swallowed, her mind racing as she tried to keep her story straight. "He's... really into gardening," she said, the lie feeling flimsy even to her.

Luke's frown deepened, and he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "Uh-huh. And why's he staying with you?"

Bailey hesitated, her eyes darting back to Zarin, who was now just a few feet away, looking at both of them with that same odd, unreadable expression. She had no idea why she was lying, but she couldn't stop herself now.

"He needed a place to crash for a few days," she said quickly, hoping Luke would drop it. "It's no big deal."

Luke stared at her for a long moment, then at Zarin. The tension in the air was palpable. Finally, Luke sighed and shook his head, a half-smile creeping back onto his face. "Alright, whatever. Just didn't know you had any family around."

"Long story," she muttered, then without thinking it through, she turned and called to Zarin. "Hey, Zarin! Why don't you come with me to work?"

Zarin froze mid-step, his eyes darting between her and Luke. He hesitated, like he wanted to say something but couldn't. After a moment, he nodded, though it was clear he wasn't entirely sure why she'd invited him. "yes. I can come."

Bailey sighed in relief, glancing quickly at Luke, who was watching the whole thing with a skeptical expression. The truth was, she didn't want Zarin running off to mess with the ship without her.

"You're bringing your cousin to work?" Luke asked, the confusion clear in his voice.

"Yeah," Bailey said, trying to sound casual. "He's... tagging along. It'll be fine."

Luke looked between them again, still not fully convinced, but shrugged. "Alright, whatever. Let's go."

Bailey shot Zarin a quick look, silently hoping he wouldn't make things more complicated, before she hurried over to the truck and climbed in. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but keeping Zarin close seemed like the best option for now.

They climbed into the truck, Luke already fiddling with the radio, flipping through stations as Bailey slid into the passenger seat. Zarin, awkward as ever, hesitated before climbing into the back seat, sitting directly behind Luke. Bailey kept glancing back at him, watching as he looked around the truck's interior with wide, curious eyes. He was running his hands over the fabric of the seats, inspecting the seatbelt buckle.

He's being weird again, Bailey thought, but at least Luke couldn't see him from where he was sitting.

Luke glanced over at her with a grin. "So, you're bringin' your cousin to work, huh?" he said, still clearly amused by the whole situation.

Bailey forced a laugh, glancing back at Zarin one more time. "Yup!"

As they pulled out of the driveway, Luke adjusted his rearview mirror and looked at Zarin. "So, you're the cousin from out of town, huh? Where you from?"

Zarin didn't respond immediately, his gaze still fixed on the strange buckle in his hand. Bailey's heart skipped a beat, and she jumped in before Zarin could make things worse. "Yeah, he's from, uh, Dallas," she said quickly, blurting out the first city that came to mind.

Luke raised an eyebrow, glancing at her before turning his attention back to the road. "Dallas, huh? That's pretty far."

Bailey shrugged, trying to sound casual. "He travels a lot."

Luke frowned slightly but then chuckled. "You gonna let the man talk or...?" He let the question hang in the air for a moment before reaching over and giving Bailey's leg a playful squeeze. "Ah, I'm just messin' with ya. I'm used to it. You never shut up."

Bailey forced another smile, feeling awkward as Luke's hand lingered on her leg. Zarin's eyes suddenly shifted, focusing on the gesture with an intensity that made her heart race.

Then, Zarin leaned forward slightly and, in his usual straightforward manner, asked, "So... Luke is your mate?"

Bailey froze, her face instantly heating up. "Oh God," she groaned, covering her face with her hands. Why was he so strange?

Luke, on the other hand, found it hilarious. He let out a loud laugh, his hand slapping the steering wheel. "Mate? Man, that's a new one!" He looked over at Bailey, who was sinking deeper into her seat in embarrassment.

Zarin blinked, his expression serious as he glanced between them. "You are not mates?"

"No!" Bailey blurted, her voice muffled by her hands. "Let's, just... stop, please."

Luke wiped away a tear from laughing so hard. "Dude, you are one strange guy, but I like it." He grinned at Zarin through the rearview mirror. "So, what's your name, man? Or do I gotta ask her for that, too?"