I NEED A HERO (𝓒𝓞𝓜𝓟𝓛𝓔𝓣𝓔)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Knowing how perceptive her family - especially her mother - was, Nemera had tried not to broadcast her interest in Tau Zuberi all day long. During the meal she had sat at the same table, but so had her cousins. Mylon had sat next to his newfound hero, and taken Tau off after the meal to introduce him to his latest project.

Later she had seen the Roki sitting with Orr and several other males, discussing the latest extreme sports. It was a subject she was also interested in, and she and other females had joined in the conversation before, but she hesitated tonight. Her admission that she had been wrong abut him had let the attraction she had felt from the beginning out of hiding, and, to tell the truth, she was feeling a bit self-conscious.

Several of her cousins had come and sought her out to play video games and that had kept her busy until nearly sundown. Casually looking around, she had not seen the Tau anywhere, so she went looking for Orr.

"Hey, partner, where's Zuberi?" She asked, strolling up to her parner casually.

"I don't know," answered Orr. "Last I saw him, he was on the patio nursing his third bottle of Dad's home brewed Tav ale."

"Third?" Nemera's ears flicked back. "Didn't anyone warn him that Dad's ale is potent?"

"Mom already told him that's he's spending the night." Orr said with a smile. "So am I. Dad's got a security bee in his bonnet and doesn't want us out on the rural roads after dark."

"OK." Nemera shook her head. "Still I don't think he need to get soused. I'll see if he's out there still."

There was a large group on the patio seated around the fire pit, some toasting marshmallows and making s'mores. There was no sign of Zuberi's mane of hair in the crowd, however. She wandered off around the grounds checking each bunch and still not seeing him. Just as she began to worry, she looked across the grass and saw a familiar silhouette against the backdrop of the lake. Crossing the grass to the beach she came quietly up to stand beside him. He was dressed in his jeans and Tee-shirt, but his feet were bare.

"The stars are different here," he said softly, his gaze on the sky.

"I never thought of that," she said just as softly. "But Roki is farther south than Simaliki, so yeah, the visible stars would be different."

"I got a message this morning." He raised the bottle he held and took a drink. "One of my litter sisters had cubs. Two girls and a boy." He sighed. "They don't even know I'm not in Roki. The only reason I got the message is because it was a family mass mail."

"I'm sorry, Tau."

"No need." His gaze was still on the sky. "I was just thinking that I felt more at home and welcome here today than I do in my parent's house. That's sad."

"It is." She lay a hand on his shoulder and he looked down at her, his eyes glittering in the starlight. "I think you're just a wee bit tipsy. My Dad's Tav ale is strong stuff, especially when you don't drink much."

"Tipsy?" He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so. I haven't drank more than one at a time since I left college." He looked at the bottle, took another sip. "But this stuff is tasty, unlike the swill that Roki bars call ale. Since I'm not driving, I'll finish this one."

"Sure, Zuberi," she said with a grin. "Don't let me stop you. It's a shame to waste good ale."

"Does your Mom like coral carvings?" He asked, his gaze returning to the sky. "I'd like to get her a thank-you gift and one of the street vendors near my apartment does some gorgeous artwork."

"I'm sure she'd love it," said Nemera, gazing up at the stars herself. "Wow. Sometimes I forget how much the lights of Om Basset wash out the stars. They're so clear out here, away from the city."