“Actually, I’ve met a ton of girls,’ I say.
Dad snorts. “And…”
“And what?”
“Is one of the many women the reason why you haven’t returned home?”
I grit my teeth. “Actually, Dad, I’ve been thinking.”
“That’s dangerous,” he quips.
Normally, I would’ve teased him right back, but for once, I’m being serious. “Dad, I don’t think I plan on it.”
There’s silence.
The quiet lasts so long that I have to call out, “Dad?” to make sure he’s still there.
“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles. “You didn’t even give your mother a proper goodbye.”
“Dad, it’s not as if I can never return to Kuria to see you all again,” I protest.
“I realize that, but it won’t be the same.” Dad grunts. “Tell me about her.”
“Her name is Ava. She’s strong and smart, and…”
“And what?”
I say nothing.
“Let me guess. She wants nothing to do with your sorry ass, right.” Dad bursts out laughing.
“Go ahead and joke,” I mutter crossly. “I don’t care. I just… There’s something about her.”
"Listen. I get that," Dad says. "I really do. When I first met your mom, I was blown away. She called to me like a siren, and I answered. At first, we took things slow, and when we finally gave in to our feelings for one another…"
“Dad, I really don’t need to know about all of this.”
Dad grunts. “You’re asking for advice, aren’t you?”
“No, actually, I can’t say that I am,” I say a bit crossly.
“Are you sure?” he presses. “I would like to hear about this Ava. You know your mom. If I don’t answer, she’ll be furious with me, and you don’t want your mom to be furious with me, do you?”
“You don’t want to be in the dog house, huh?” I tease.
“Not at all.” Dad burst out laughing.
Not that we have a dog or a doghouse, of course, since dogs are native to Earth, not Kuria.
“I… There honestly isn’t much to tell,” I say haltingly.
“You’re drawn to her. That’s enough for you to get to know her, don’t you think?” Dad asks.
“Yes, but you don’t understand. She’s not like other girls.”
“I figured that,” Dad says, his tone a bit dry.
“Not because… She’s a loner. I think she might’ve been in trouble in the past. I don’t know, but I don’t think she has a lot. She’s a fighter, and when she laughs, you can’t help smiling.”
“Hmm.” Dad tsks. “You’ve got it bad, son.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I say stubbornly.
“I mean that you’re enchanted by this Ava, aren’t you?”
“Maybe,” I say slowly, drawing out the two-syllable word.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Talk to her. Date her—”
“We went on one date already.”
“Wonderful! That will please your mom. How did it go?”
“It went well…”
Dad grunts. “Until what happened?”
“Well, you see, I thought… We only went on the date in the first place because I bartered for it.”
“You bartered what to gain a date night with Ava?” Dad asks firmly. “With my potential future daughter-in-law?”
I burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“I wouldn’t really call her a potential future daughter-in-law,” I explain.
“Why not?” Dad challenges. “Let me tell you. When love hits a Novan, it hits you like a million bricks. It can happen very fast, and it’s very powerful.”
“I wouldn’t say that—”
“You must be open to it,” Dad continues.
“First you say I’m enchanted by her. Now you’re saying that I’m in love with her. Wow, Dad, you certainly seem to know all about me and my feelings from all the way on Kuria. That’s impressive.”
“Go ahead and deny it all you want,” Dad says. “Your mom and I always knew that you would most likely find love with an Earthling woman.”
“Well, considering my options are either an Earthling woman or a female Kurian…” I shrug and smirk. “Do you want me to start clapping.”
“No, I don’t want to hear your sarcastic clapping.” Dad sounds a little annoyed. “What I meant is that we knew you would find love on Earth rather than on Kuria.”
I hesitate. “Are you trying to say that you let me come here because you knew this would happen?”
“That you would have your head all wrapped up in a female? Yes, I figured that would be the case.”
I consider this. “The overlord, do you think he suspects too?”
“Most likely. He’s getting a little older, a little wiser. He knows that love can happen, and when it does, it’s better to accept it versus fight it.”
“We still need more babies,” I mumble.
"Yes, of course, but also, we aren't meant to be alone, Rix. We're meant to be with others. I know plenty of men who say we are a sexual species, and yes, that's true to some extent. However, I think it's far better to say that we're a social species. We can't survive in a vacuum. We need others, not just friends. To be accepted, love… Back in the day—"
“Dad, I really don’t need to hear another story about how you used to fuck every female you saw,” I say dryly.
“Maybe I wasn’t going to say anything like that,” Dad says after a slight pause.
"Dad, I know you, and every time you start a sentence with back in the day, you start talking about your cock. It's more than a little uncomfortable."
“Sex is a natural part of life,” Dad protests. “There’s no shame—”
“I know you have no shame.”
Dad grunts. “You made it sound like women were interested in you, other women than Ava. Have you fucked any of them?”
“No.”
“Had sex with any of them?”
"No!" I wipe a hand down my face. The guys will be around for breakfast any minute now, so I need to wrap this up.
“My point is that you have eyes set on Ava and no one else,” Dad continues. “Why?”
“Let me guess,” I grumble. “You’re going to tell me why, and you’re going to say that it’s because of love.”
“Well, don’t you think that might be the case?” he presses.
“I barely know her,” I argue.
“You don’t have to know all about her past or her hopes and desires to love her. You can love
