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"My love must be a kind of blind love…" I Only Have Eyes For You - The Flamingos The door to the inner courtyard opened, and the ponderously graceful form of Kareinon moved toward us, stopping at a polite distance. Paul acknowledged him with a raised palm. "It is time we left for dinner. Will you tell me more, later? We have so much in common, and I want to know everything about you." I smiled. My insides were unsteady, but I felt good. Sharing with Paul was so wonderful, so fulfilling, almost better than sex… almost. "I'll tell you anything you want," I promised. He reached out to me as we stood, put an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me into a chaste hug. I could have stayed like that forever, that silky sunshine hair brushing my cheek, the scent of apricot blossoms filling my nostrils, that strong, solid body pressing against me. It was being home, at last. * * * Paul's house was unremarkable, a blocky stucco and glass construction perched on the side of a hill a good distance from its nearest neighbor. I had yet to see Paul wearing anything but white or the occasional tan, so I figured I was noting Vaira's influence in the burnt orange and turquoise color scheme. She welcomed Paul into the foyer with a quick peck on the cheek and a, "You're late," looked at me with an echo of her former distaste and ushered us through to the garden. That, at least, was beautiful-a riot of rainbow blossoms and all possible shades of green. A kidney-shaped pool took up a good portion of one side of the yard, but there was plenty of space left for a lawn which probably needed a tractor for mowing. Paul had almost frowned at her, I think, but his face lit up again when he saw the other guests. I was surprised to recognize Phillip Drackett, looking regally discomfited while leaning against a wrought-iron railing, but I didn't know what to make of his seated companion, a small woman with dark eyes and brown/black hair thick around her petite shoulders. Paul hugged her as she stood, then stepped back. "Evan, you remember Phillip, and I want you to meet another good friend of mine. Xintaie, this is Evan." I smiled, more at Paul's reaction to her than at one of my own, but took a second look. She was obviously female and another type of extra-terrestrial, though I can't tell you how I knew that, but there was something appealing about her, even to me. So… this was Paul's "rescuer?" I accepted her small hand and said "charmed" or something while gazing into eyes almost as deep as Paul's. I found myself wondering if her people were telepaths, though I couldn't "feel" anything from her. Empaths, I decided, as her gaze melted into mine and suddenly, unexpectedly, made us friends. She held onto my hand as she smiled, then stepped back, motioning for me to turn around. Bemused but willing, I spun and faced her again. She smiled delightedly, turning to Paul. "Oh, Star, I would have known him anywhere. Except for the differences in coloring, he looks just like you!" Paul reached out with one arm, hugging Xintaie to his side but looking at me. I blushed-again. I tried to compare my mirror memories with Paul's beautiful face, but I couldn't get the resemblance. "Yes, you're right." He smiled with what looked like pride, though in what, I wasn't sure. Vaira looked from Paul to Xintaie and then over to me with a bit more interest. I didn't know if that was an improvement or not. Suddenly it struck me. The dark woman had called him Star. I looked at her. "Star?" I questioned. She opened her mouth, but Vaira interrupted, insinuating her lithe body under Paul's other arm and looking up at him possessively. "Yes, Star is her 'pet' name for him. Isn't that cute?" she gushed, the girly persona fitting her like Kareinon's sweat socks. Out of the corner of one of mine, I thought I saw Mr. Drackett, still busily holding up the porch rail, rolling his eyes. Sensing another possible ally, I smiled in his direction, but he looked away. Xintaie left Paul to Vaira's tender clutches and took my hand again, leading me literally down the garden path until we stopped under an arch of bright bougainvillea. Empath or not, her presence was calming, and I needed all of that I could get. She stopped and looked up at me. Even in three-inch heels she was no more than five feet four. "Star is a good name for him, I think. He has a star birthmark, on his shoulder." She smiled. I took in a quick breath as a very old memory was awakened. It couldn't be…. "Seven points?" I heard myself ask. "Yes, I think so," she said, looking at me oddly. "Do you need to sit down?" Everybody on the planet where I was born knew the ancient legend, far older than the program that had produced me, and now Paul. The story about how the true ruler of the Lecurelan people would be marked by a likeness of Sheerin[1], the star of wisdom… a brilliant star always depicted with seven discernable points. I squeezed my eyes tight. It was him then, not me. It had never been me. Ignoring Xintaie, who was saying something in a concerned tone, I looked back at Paul… Star. Yeah, it was a good name for him. And what did that make me-dark star? Dark and cold while he was the one with life and warmth…. A small but very strong hand took hold of my shoulder and shook. I looked down. "I said," Xintaie said, staring at me intently. "Are you all right?" She smiled then, softly. "If you're going to faint, you're kind of big for me to catch." I laughed a little, shaky but breathing again. "No, I'm okay." So what if he was the real foretold emperor of the Federation? I had never wanted the job, anyway. Why should I be upset? What if my life had no particular purpose… did anyone's but his? I'd just go on from day to day, like I always had. At least I had found Paul now and was no longer really "alone." I had no complaints. Lecurela had to know about that fateful mark. How had they let Paul… no, his proper name was Univa… no, I hated that name and he wasn't claiming it either. Star, then. How had they let this star get out of their sight? I guessed he hadn't given them much choice. I smiled at Xintaie, who was still looking at me doubtfully. Vaira, aided by the bulk of Kareinon, was arraying the outdoor table with food. "Maybe we should go back," I said, holding out an elbow so she could place her pretty hand on it. "Thanks for caring," I said as we walked. "I'd really like to get to know you better." Xintaie squeezed my arm. "Count on it." She smiled. I hadn't been wrong in dressing up for the occasion. Paul was wearing white, like always, a raw-silk blazer and a dress shirt over tan slacks with a tie that was the world's faintest shade of blue. Mr. Drackett was dressed similarly, except for the colors. His jacket was black linen and his shirt cream silk with a tie striped narrowly in black, cream, and white. I was glad for my new clothes, even if the tie felt like a hangman's noose in the humid heat of the evening. The ladies looked much cooler, Xintaie in a spaghetti-strapped calf-length dress in a vibrant shade of red that matched her lips, while the bodice of Vaira's orange paisley creation disdained straps. She would probably have fallen out of the thing upon bending over, had she been better endowed. Paul… I mean Star, took the head of the table, Vaira on his right and me surprised to be on his left, with Xintaie sitting next to me and Mr. Drackett across from her at Vaira's side. I hadn't thought about it, but the seating made it clear that I was a fifth-wheel indeed, unless my date was the behemoth standing like a statue near the back door. I still hadn't heard Kareinon speak, but his built-in message was clear… mess with me and mine at your peril. For Star's sake, I hoped he was as good at his job as he looked. Sitting between… Star and Xintaie was nice. Their double presence kept me insulated from Vaira. Phillip Drackett was always polite to everyone, but I thought he didn't look any more thrilled than I would to be next to her. How did… Star stand it? The first few minutes of dinner were consumed with "Pass the salt," and "This is delicious," but when the huge "butler" cleared the soup and served the salad (I wondered if he had cooked everything, too) Vaira got around to using her knife for more than buttering her bread. "Evan, dear," she began. I winced. "Paul tells me that you are quite a bit older than he is. How is it that you're not married?" P… Star looked distressed, but seemed to have no idea how to stem his wife's curiosity. I smiled in his direction. "I guess I've never found the right woman," I stated blandly, willing to play cat and cat if that was what she wanted. "Really?" she countered, seeming to concentrate on spearing an elusive lettuce leaf. "So you've never had a serious relationship? A handsome man like you?" She batted her eyes in my direction, and my stomach lurched. I put down my fork. What the hell, my sex life was no secret. Drackett and Star already knew I was gay, and I didn't think it would surprise Xintaie, or that she'd even care. "I didn't say I'd never had a relationship… just not with a woman," I said flatly, picking up my fork and determinedly stabbing my innocent salad. I chewed and swallowed the captured mouthful while the table went quiet, then I lifted my eyes and looked at Vaira, who had obviously been waiting for my attention. "Oh," she said theatrically. "You're 'gay'." I could hear the quotes, as though she was bringing up some not-quite-decent exotic disease. "As the flowers in May," I replied, and resumed eating. I would have sworn that Mr. Drackett almost choked. I know that Xintaie smiled and squeezed my thigh under the table. Paul did frown then… at his wife. Vaira pursed her lips, and a little upside-down vee formed between her plucked brows. If she wasn't careful, that was going to turn into a permanent wrinkle. I don't really remember the rest of the menu for that night, only that I ate some of it and that the conversation stayed polite after that, if a bit cautious. I was grateful that Vaira mostly ignored me and glad to return the favor. I was pleased to have escaped her first attack un-bloodied, but I was sure she was busily scheming on the next one. Xintaie shared details of her life while we ate, telling me tales about moving to Earth from her unknown but nearby planet when she was just a girl, and how her present passions included biochemistry and horses. Apparently she owned a large horse ranch, somewhere in Colorado. She mentioned that it was on her ranch that she first met Paul, which made me curious, but I decided that was a topic for a later time. It was obvious that she and Drackett were a couple. His rare smiles were saved for her… and Paul… Vaira and I had to make do without. He still intrigued me, though I'd never really favored the strong, silent type. Of the five of us, six if you counted Kareinon, Phillip Drackett was the only one born on Earth. Maybe that should have made him seem ordinary. If so, it wasn't working. I wanted to peek inside his brain and see what made him tick, and of course I thought I was capable of doing just that. But aside from the fact that I have never been into rape, especially mind-rape, it would spoil the fun of wondering. So I just looked at him now and then and continued to wonder if we would ever be friends, like it seemed he and Paul were.
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