New Host

12 - Rekki's

As Mark backed out of his parking spot, I buckled my seatbelt. "To clarify, I didn't promise him anything."

"Why'd he kiss your hand?"

"I'm not sure." I skimmed Leah's memories for an answer. The only person who'd ever kissed her hand was her boyfriend. "I believe he wanted to date me."

"Sure, that's what he wanted." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Why'd you tell him I was sixteen?"

He grimaced. "I'll explain when you're older."

Great, this again. A quick memory foray explained his odd behavior. "Even if you doubt I'm an adult, you must realize that I have access to an adult human's experiences. It's merely faster to ask questions than to sift through years of memories. But I did sift through them, and I still don't understand why you're opposed to me dating Ethan. Unless you do think I'm going to infest other people?"

"I don't think-" He shook his head. "You're not ready for a romantic relationship."

"According to what metrics?"

"This morning, you tried to prostitute yourself for a portal key. You're not ready."

I rolled my eyes. "That wasn't meant to be my attempt at romance. It was simply a means to an end." Admittedly, I hadn't actually achieved the ends I'd been meaning to, but I was okay with that.

He chuckled. "Exactly my point. You expect me to believe it's a coincidence you flirted with one of the few people in the state who could get access to a portal?"

"Hmm." I'd never said it wasn't a coincidence, and it most certainly was one. I wanted to keep arguing on principle, but it was a stupid argument. I didn't even want to romance Ethan, anyway. I just wanted to keep the portal as an option if things went poorly here on Earth.

We drove for a while before Mark asked, "Do arytas date in the Otherealm? I mean, you said everyone is siblings, so...?"

"Kings and queens do something akin to dating, but the rest of us don't. We don't feel the urge to procreate."

"But you do now you're in a human body?"

I shook my head. "Perhaps if I tried intercourse, I would enjoy it, but I doubt I would enjoy it as much as a human. The pleasant feelings come from a chemical reaction in the brain, and I don't actually think using Leah's brain." I paused. "I supposed I could stimulate Leah's brain to feel such enjoyment, but it's forbidden in the colony for a good reason. Arytas who indulged in manipulating their host's brain chemicals became so addicted to the pleasant feelings that they ceased caring about anything or anyone else."

"Then why flirt with Ethan?"

"I was curious."

"Curious?" He scoffed lightly. "You can't go around seducing people out of curiosity. Either you'll hurt them or they'll hurt you."

"Fair point." Undressing in front of someone for intercourse could incite them to harm my true body. Satisfying my curiosity wasn't worth that risk.

"After you've been on Earth a while, if you really want to date--or sleep around--I won't stop you. Hell, I'll give you some tips. Just make sure you're willing to deal with the consequences."

"Okay."

We soon parked in front of Rekki's and joined the others at a large booth. We were the last to arrive, and Oliva scowled over the communal cheese fries when we sat down.

"I'm still not happy about you, pancake."

"Likewise," I said without thinking. I was too hungry for any more words. There was ranch dressing, which Leah remembered as a terribly fatty yet delicous condiment. I used several fries to scoop the ranch in my mouth.