15. Unexpected Visitor

It was the song of mourning doves that first woke me. But it was he sound of tires screeching against the gravel outside that jolted me upright. The car's motor died, and my world stood still. A door slammed shut, and I flinched as I stared through the sheer fabric covering the window, looking up at the sunlit sky. Rummaging through my blankets, I tumbled out of bed and onto my feet. Ice melted over my bones, unsure whether it was safer to move closer to the glass and have a look at the unexpected visitor, or stay rooted in space.

Standing vulnerably still, I wrapped my mind around the possibility that it was the end of the road. That the Agency must have found us and waiting to drag us back to the Agency. Maybe Everett had been arrested and forced to tell them the truth about our whereabouts. Come to think of it, my father would surely remember this place from my childhood; For all I knew, it was my father who sent the Agents after me. By now, everyone surely knew what I'd done and noticed my sudden absence at the office this morning.

Just as I was about to fall into a silent but deadly panic, the door to my bedroom whirled open, and I felt all the blood drain from my face.

Greyson closed the door behind him with a gentle click. Keeping his steps as silent as he could make them.

I gripped my chest and sighed heavily. "Good, it's just you," I said in a breathless hushed tone. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said, alarm vibrant in his stare. "Is it them out there?"

"I don't know," I stuttered, trying not marvel at his cute tousled morning hair, the consistent little frown leaving a small pinch between his brows, the way the middle of his smooth chest was peeking out slightly from his dark blue pajamas, or the way... Oh my god, Ashlyn! Get a grip! We have more important things at hand!

Someone knocked on the front door and I slapped my hand to my mouth to keep from gasping.

Greyson crossed the room towards me, an air of worry painted on his charcoal face as he circled the bed. We both winced as the floorboards creaked under his weight the minute he reached me.

"Those damn floorboards," I hissed.

He turned, standing in front of me like some kind of human shield as we stared at the door. Being out of my control, my heart yawned in response. I wasn't used to someone being this protective of me, and it was dangerous how much it impacted me.

"Why are you guarding me?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

He kept his wary eyes on the door. "They won't shoot you if I'm in the way."

"Shoot me?" Holding my face neutral, I swallowed. "Greyson, if they brought guns, and they want to shoot me, they'll find a way to make you move."

He looked over his shoulder, but remained in position. "You stay behind me."

I scrambled for what to say next, not wanting to give him an order, but not wanting to endanger his life either. If the Agents had brought guns, I would make sure they didn't hurt him.

I had no idea when Greyson had gone to bed last night, but the shadow under his eyes certainly seemed to have turned a few shades darker since the last time we talked. Concern gripped my gut. He must have been too worried to sleep. I should have ensured that this potential anxiety-induced insomnia would have been avoided. What could I have done differently? Maybe next time he goes to bed, I could introduce him to relaxing music. An audiobook could also help. Maybe a cozy television show?

The unknown visitor hammered on the door again. We both jumped to attention.

Grabbing Greyson's shirt instinctively, I lifted a finger to my lip cautioning him to stay quiet. He nodded. Our gaze latched on as we waited for whatever was about to happen next.

The front door of the house opened, catching us off guard, and Greyson's hands tensed. My chest sank all the way down to my stomach, and bile climb the length of my throat again.

Just as I readied myself to fight – without rational cause – Greyson's body relaxed, even before the visitor uttered a single word, his disposition shifted and he became perfectly calm.

A question mark formed between my brows.

"Ashlyn?" a familiar female voice called from downstairs. "Ash! Wake your ass up! It's almost noon."

A wave of relief swept over me. "Oh my gosh, it's just Leah," I exhaled. "Ah, what a relief."

"Friend of yours?" Greyson asked, tilting his head to the side.

Sparing him a quick glance, I saw his bemused smirk teasing his lips as tension quickly deflated from my body.

"She's my best friend," I said, stomach still unravelling through the multitude of knots it had accumulated. Greyson's warm gaze lingered on me. From the few sun beams streaming in, I could make out a dark-brown cornea inside each of his pupils. I had never noticed them. Until this very moment, I had always thought his eyes were pure-black. "And she's harmless," I continued, barely recognising my own voice as I noticed our proximity. My chest was practically flushed against his arm. "We can trust her."

"I trust you," He said, gaze latched onto mine.

Alarms rattled through me. I dropped his gaze before I could read too much into these words. I thought I sensed an emotion behind that intense stare of his, but there was no way it was correct.

"Hey, Lee! I'll be right down!" I shouted at the closed door. I twisted my body around Greyson and zipped across the room. "I'll go down and explain our situation to her," I said to Greyson, feeling the heat of his gaze set me ablaze; I could feel him track my every move as I neared the door. "I had to lie, when I asked her if I could stay at the cabin. She has no idea you're here, much less that Aliens exist. So, could you wait here a while, and give me some time to tell her the truth? Once her shock subsides, I'll come right back and you can meet her. Does that sound like a good plan?"

His molars clamped down and his brows lowered, setting a dark shadow over his falling gaze. "I suppose so."

"Hey." I cocked my head to the side, fishing his eyes back to mine. "I wouldn't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, or that puts you in danger. That said, you get to decide whether you are ready to meet new people or not. Me, I'm making the decision to tell my best friend the truth about what's been going on in my life, but that doesn't mean you have to meet her afterwards. You can refuse the interaction, if you want. You have a choice. You always have a choice."

His stare turned molten, and his chest lifted slightly. "Okay."

"Ash?" Leah sang from the staircase. Her steps trotting happily as she climbed. "What's taking so long?"

My chest tightened. "Just give me a sec, Lee!" Gripping the cold handle around my fingers, I pushed the door ajar. "I'll be right down!" I rolled my eyes with exaggeration and glanced at Greyson. "You might have a choice whether you socialise with her or not, but I sure as hell don't."

The corner of his lip curved up as I pulled the door open. A thrill flutter inside of me and I quickly shut the door, metaphorically locking my feelings away in the process.

When I turned, I came face to face with Leah.

"Leah!" I yelped, falling against the door. I tried as best I could to appear cool and composed. "Hey...Girl."

"Hey?" She eyed me, then glanced at the door. "Who were you talking to just now?"

"Mmh?"

She crossed her arms. "What's going on here?"

Her long bleach-blonde hair was in a high pony. She was wearing glasses, today, instead of contacts that made it easier to see her clear-blue eyes. Her outfit was summer-y despite the arrival of fall: pink dress, with a long open-front black cardigan, and heeled cowgirl boots. All she was missing was the hat and she would look like she had fell right out of some country-star magazine.

"Nothing is 'going on'. I was just, uh, talking to myself," I lied openly, though quite pathetically. "You know how I am."

She narrowed her eyes. "Uh huh."

Pushing off of the door, I shook my head at her. "Never mind me. What are you doing here?"

She licked the inside of her cheek and pursed her lips. "Ashlyn, did you bring a pet here?" She asked, calling my bluff. "You better not be hiding a dog in that room. I told you my mother was super allergic! If she finds out that a dog's been sleeping in her bed, I'm not going to hear the end of it. Like, remember the time I brought Nova here for a week?" Nova was her dog, a duck tolling retriever she had gotten from a shelter years ago. The dog was an absolute sweetheart. It's crazy to think anyone would want to get rid o her. " My mom freaked because she couldn't stop sneezing, three weeks after I had left. If you want me to let you stay here, you have to follow the house rules. Because if you don't, It'll be me who get in - "

"Leah." I lifted a hand to stop her - When Leah began to rant, it could be hours until she pauses to take a breath. "Chill. I swear there's no dogs living here"

She narrowed her eyes. "What is it then?" She lifted a visually-pleasing brow. "A cat?"

I held onto a deep inhale, and turned very serious. "We should talk."

"I hate when you use that voice." She displayed her teeth revealing a darling protruding canine. "And it's never a good sign when you look at me like that."

Even her imperfections, like that jetting tooth, added to her exceptional beauty. Being that she was your typical gamer, D&D playing, cosplay-loving girl, Leah had always been a boy magnet ever since I met her. Anyone that surrounded her, thought she was the most precious thing they'd ever seen.

As for me? I was the anti-social artist Leah just happened to make friends with in eighth grade. Boys never really noticed me the way they noticed Leah. Not that I wasn't pretty. I looked okay enough. But there wasn't anything really special about me, or my appearance. Frankly, for all they knew, I was plain boring.

"You didn't deny it. Oh, gods." She deflated. "How bad is it?"

I grimaced. "We should go downstairs and sit down."

Her nose scrunched up in disgust. "I already hate what's about to happen."

A moment later, Leah was sitting on one of the chairs in the kitchen and had folded her hands over her knees. Unable to sit with her, due to my nerves skyrocketing, I paced the length of the kitchen and readied myself to "spill the tea." She watched me expectedly, and did her best not to rush me.

"Okay. Here's the thing." From the window to my left, I could see a beautiful backdrop of trees. The leaves were floating by the garden and twilling in gusty tornados. Distant mountains stood like slumbering giants with peeks so high they seemed to reach the sky. My heart twisted, Greyson is going to love this. "Sorry, um, how do I say this?"

"Just say it?"

"Right." I gestured to her with both hands and nodded. "Right. Yes. Here we go! I'm just... going to come out and say it."

Her gaze bore into mine, and I feel tongue-tied.

"So..." She made a popping sound with her lips. "Are you going to -"

"I kidnapped and alien from government owned facility, and now I'm on the run from the police and most likely from the military as well." I scoffed and rubbed the tightness forming behind my neck. "Honestly, I don't know how long I have before they find me, and put me behind bars."

There was a moment when I wasn't sure she'd heard me. Which is precisely why it caught me off-guard when she burst into a fit of laughter.

"You're joking, right?" When my face kept a serious composure, her laughter lost its vigor. "I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"

"I'm harboring an alien in your mom's cabin."

Her mouth could have been used as a fly trap. "What?"

"Yep."

Her eyes squinted, as she tried to decipher my lie. Problem was, I wasn't lying, and that didn't sit well with her.

I covered my mouth and nose with both hands trying to keep a certain control over my mien. I tend to smile when things get too serious. "I just need to stay here until I can cultivate a new plan and save my ass. Something that doesn't end with me dead, or Greyson back in a cage."

How exactly could I possibly manage to cultivate anything without first acquiring the seed of an idea? I had no clue what I was going to do next. But one thing was for certain, I needed to contact some damn U.F.O's and quick. It is possible that they could take Greyson away before the Agency did.

"Who's Greyson?" Leah asked.

Of course, Greyson chose that very moment to emerge from the doorway. "Me."

Leah screamed with shock, launching herself from her chair at the sight of him. The wooden legs rattle against the floor, as she stood and backed herself into the wall behind her. Her eyes were as big as a bubbled-eyed gold fish and her throat was so taut you could make out every tendon. "Who...?"

Her extreme reaction startled Greyson in return, but only slightly.

"Greyson." I gave him a hard look. "Was that really the time to waltz in and greet her? I was still easing her into the whole... aliens exist thing."

He tilted his head to the side. "Being forced into a sealed room made me feel uncomfortable. It was almost suffocating. I couldn't withstand it any longer, so I came to find you."

Greyson came to stand by me, as if my presence alone was enough to appeased his rising nerves.

God, why did he have to be so adorable? My chest warmed and I nodded in understanding. Last night, he had informed me that closed door made him feel claustrophobic.

After he ate his five slices of French toast, I took him for a tour and showed him how the shower worked. It was different from his shower at the Agency. And this one, unfortunately, had glass doors. Something he was painfully afraid to step into. That's when I noticed he was harbouring some reasonable symptoms of PTSD.

When I showed him his room, he nearly barrelled through me when I attempted to close the door behind us. There was a lot of unresolved trauma that he had accumulated throughout his stay at the Agency. He needed to work on those fears in order to heal, yes, but it was going to take time. And I was determined to help him through it, but I had just closed the door on him just this morning. Not a great start on my part. And now I felt like such a dick.

"I'm truly sorry, Greyson." My remorse intensified. "It slipped my mind when Leah showed up, but it won't happen again."

"No apologies necessary," Greyson told me sincerely, his eyes as soft as molten butter. "I know you didn't mean to."

"What is that?" Leah asked, covering her mouth with perfectly manicured nails. "What is he?"

Greyson winced, slicing his gaze to Leah. "That?"

"That is Greyson: the alien I was telling you about," I said, crossing my arms. "Greyson, this is Leah. My best friend I was telling you about." Without adding anything, I gave her a look that translated to: "be nice to him."

"Right." She gulped. "An alien."

"Mhm," I hummed, observing her mood-change with skepticism. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Her voice was pitchy. "I mean..No. No!" Leah's hand slammed the top of the kitchen table. Here we go. "Are you out of your god damn mind, Ashlyn? An alien!"

"Seems like she's taking this well," I told Greyson with a grimace.

He offered me a blank stare, and took a measly step in front of me to shield me from Leah's wrath. Somehow, her hysteria didn't seem to bother him, even as she continued to yell at me.

"Do you understand the gravity of what you've done?" Leah carried on, "Huh? This is bad, Ash, so very very bad. And to top it all off, I'm now involved in all this!"

"I know, Leah. Don't you think I know how grave this situation is?" My composure seemed to give her pause. "That's why I didn't want you to visit. I didn't want to involve you! Why did you even come?"

"You didn't want to involve me? Well, I guess it's a little too late for that. Wait..." Her features turned deadpan serious. "You bitch! You don't work at an accounting firm at all, do you?"

"No."

She grimaced with dismay. "Oh my god! How long have you been lying to me!"

"It's not like I planned to lie to you. I was sworn the secrecy when I took the job!"

"And what pray tell is that job?"

"I work for a paranormal agency called U.N.P.A." I waved my hand. "I'm one of their investigators."

"Oh, you have so much to explain, missy!"

I looked up at the clock. It was just passed lunch time. "How long do you have?"

"I have all day!" She said, then, without warning she folded over the table and laid her face atop her folded arms in despair. "Ash, please tell me this is just some big joke. Because I am dying to hear the punch line. Please? You've got to be joking." She peeked at me over her forearm with a big frown on her lips. "This can't possibly be real. It can't be."

I shook my head and sighed. "It's not a joke, Lee." With a hand, I motioned to Greyson. "Do you think this is some kind of grey body-paint, or something?"

"I mean, it could be!" She extended her hand in front of her. "Hell, I really hope it is." Pulling herself upright, she took in Greyson's physique with one long-look. "He isn't too far off from looking human, after all."

"You really think so?" Greyson looked down at him legs, then listed his hands to examine them. "I suppose it is quite similar. Does that mean, I don't frighten you too much?"

She smooths a delicate hand behind her ear and straightens. "No, you don't frighten me," she said with no sign of dishonesty. "Truthfully, you're actually kind of cute."

Greyson and I both regarded her with dismay.

Was she blushing? "Fine!" She said abruptly. "Tell me the story. I bet it's nothing less than fascinating." She slumped over her chair again; somehow managing to make the position look graceful. "But no more lies, Ash. And don't you dare skip all the nitty gritty details."

I drew an X on my heart. "Cross my heart."

So, I told her the story and left nothing out. Well...Nothing, except the way I was beginning to feel for Greyson. How I continuously felt the need to get my bearing every time he set his eyes on me. I know that I am perfectly capable of brushing these pesky feelings off. So, why the hell am I allowing them to stew inside me, instead of crushing them before they become too strong to fight off?

What am I waiting for exactly?