Tentacle on 34th Street (Tinsel and Tentacles 2.0)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

A fter a second week filled with several days skiing, exploring more of Aspen, and whole lot of time in bed, the start of their third week dawned bright and sunny. Alex had convinced Cryss to give him some lessons so they could share more of the cooking duties. He’d always felt rather lost in the kitchen. His mother had always kicked everyone out of her way, claiming they made things harder—which didn’t help him learn anything. Other than a couple of items he’d picked up in a single high school semester of Home Ec and a few basics he did halfass well through trial and error, he couldn’t cook a lick. Most nights, he and Ethan—when he wasn’t at Keely’s—either ate takeout, pizza, or a microwaved dinner. Why not take advantage of Cryss’s knowledge and expertise—and get to spend more time together?

Though, he wasn’t sure if any men could spend much more time together than they already had. Alex had feared they might start getting on one another’s nerves after a while, spending day after day so close. Three weeks in and they were growing closer by the second.

Alex stepped back from the cutting board, his eyes burning. “Did I cut these right?”

Cryss glided up behind him and peeked over his shoulder. “They’re a little on the large size, but they’ll work fine for what we’re making.” He nuzzled Alex’s neck. Alex closed his eyes a second, reveling in the touch. “You do get high marks for consistency in size.”

Alex smiled at the praise, even as his eyes still teared. “That’s important?”

“Absolutely! Smaller pieces with get done before larger ones and potentially burn, while the large ones could remain undone. Consistent knife work is an essential to a well-cooked meal.” Cryss chuckled when he noticed a tear dripping down Alex’s cheek. He used the back of his hand to wipe it away, “Go wash your hands. That’ll help your eyes. Next, you can sauté those.”

“Are you going to teach me that badassed flip of the pan?” Alex asked.

“As long as you’re willing to clean up any messes you make,” Cryss replied with a wink. “In the nude.”

Once he’d washed his hands and wiped off his face, Alex heated a sauté pan as instructed, adding a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Cryss joined him a few seconds later, grabbing the handle and coating the oil all around.

“That’s a bit too much but should be okay. We need to wait until the olive oil shimmers. The surface stops looking smooth and gets wavy. That’s when we know it’s hot enough to add our items to sauté. If the pan’s not hot enough, whatever you add to the pan is going to absorb the oil and taste greasy,” Cryss instructed.

“Ah. Shimmering oil.” He repeated what Cryss had done, spinning the oil about the pan, but with less grace and splashed a bit over the side. A few seconds later, he noticed the oil almost seem to move. “Is that it?

“That’s it,” Cryss replied, glancing over his shoulder. “Grab your cutting board and let’s toss them in.”

Alex slid his onions off the board and into the pan. They immediately sizzled and crackled loudly. He jumped back, afraid he’d fucked something up already.

“It should do that,” Cryss said, sliding the pan over the gas a few times before flipping the onions with a flick of his wrist. “Sauteing is fast, high heat. You want to move your items quickly, or else they burn. As far as the flip, it’s all in the wrist. Get the food sliding with a couple of shakes, lift, flick, and catch.” Cryss did it a couple more times to show him the motions. “Now you try.”

Alex grabbed the handle, terrified he was going to make a mess or accidentally set the pan on fire. He took a deep breath and slid the onions like Cryss had done before lift-flick-and-catching. It didn’t work out quite right, but he thought he understood what he needed to do next.

“Try again. Practice makes perfect.”

His second attempt was a little better. On the third, he had success—and only lost a few pieces of onion. He slid the pan back on the burner and wrapped his arms around Cryss, excited. “I did it!”

Cryss kissed the top of his head. “You did an amazing job for a rookie. Who knows—in a few more weeks, we might turn you into a gourmet chef after all.”

Lost in Cryss’s praise and loving smile, he reached for the handle of the pan again.

“Alex!”

Cryss slapped his hand away, plunging his own into an eruption of fire. The onions had ignited somehow. Cryss was a blur as he flipped off the gas and covered the sauté pan with a lid to douse the flames—before racing out of the kitchen. It happened so fast that Alex wasn’t sure what had gone wrong, but he sensed Cryss might be seriously hurt. Alex scrambled through the house to find him. When he peeked into their bedroom, the bathroom door was closed, and he was sure he heard water running.

He strode through and knocked. “Cryss? Are you okay?”

“I will be… just give me a moment.”

“Can I come in and help?”

“No!”

The forceful ‘no’ startled Alex with a jolt—and made him worry even more.

“Do you need me to call 9-1-1?”

“No … I’ll be fine, Alex. Just… just… gimme a few minutes. Please.”

The gruff tone to Cryss’s voice only caused his stomach to knot. He needed to see how bad it was. He needed to help. He’d clearly been the cause.

Cryss always protected him. It was Alex’s turn to be the one Cryss leaned on.

“I’m sorry if I caused that. I never meant for you to get hurt. Please let me come in and help.”

Cryss was silent for too long. “It was an accident. I know you didn’t mean for it to happen,” he finally said with pain lacing his words. “I don’t need an ambulance. I’ll be fine in a few minutes. I need you to go out to the kitchen, sit down at the island, and don’t move . Can you do that for me?”

Alex grew alarmed. “Why do I need to do that?”

“Just… please. For me. Promise me you won’t move.”

“Okay… I promise.” Alex stepped back from the door and walked out, not wanting to. He felt terrible he’d not been paying enough attention.

Halfway to the kitchen, an idea popped into Alex’s head. He searched every drawer and cabinet for a first aid kit—but came up empty. He tried the mudroom next and lucked out with a small pack. Flipping it open, he found burn ointment and gauze—and an assortment of other items. He shut it and raced back to the bedroom—just as the bathroom door swung open and Cryss strode out.

Cryss held his arm at the wrist, his wounded hand sliced apart and hanging in shreds.

It took Alex’s mind a few seconds to process what he was seeing. He let out a scream, dropping the first aid kit on the floor, and scrambled back from Cryss and his flailing tentacles where the hand should be. His back hit the wall, and he stood frozen in fear.

“Alex…”

“Don’t!” Alex screamed holding up his palms. He felt a panic attack rising up his throat, and he clawed at the neck of his shirt. “Don’t come near me.”

“I won’t hurt you, Alex,” Cryss said, his eyes shining. “I would never hurt you.”

Alex gasped for air, his throat closing.

“Alex… breathe. Come on, baby… breathe for me.”

Alex’s lungs seized up. Cryss rushed closer, grabbing Alex’s chin with his good hand.

“Breathe. You can do it.” Cryss drew in a slow, deep breath, urging Alex to do the same. “Come on… Please, Alex…” Tears shone in Cryss’s eyes. “You’ve gotta breathe for me.”

Alex’s lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. Black spots formed in his vision. Cryss swooped in and pressed his lips to Alex’s…

Causing Alex to gasp and suck in a shallow breath.

“That’s it, Alex… take another for me.”

Alex’s knees wobbled under him. Cryss caught him in one arm and led him to the bed. He stumbled and collapsed on the corner before bringing hands to his knees, dragging in as much air as his lungs would allow. Cryss knelt at his feet, gently wiping the tears that had fallen unknowingly down his face.

“Keep breathing,” Cryss murmured. “Nice and deep.”

Once his breathing evened a bit, Alex stared at the curling tentacles, his skin growing cold. “What are you?”

“You know who I am.”

“Do I, though?” Alex asked.

“I’m the same man you said felt like home… the same one you’ve been safe with for months.”

Weeks, not months. Realization hit him. “Oh my god… you were in my dreams, weren’t you?” Alex asked in horror. “That was real?”

Cryss winced. “I thought they were my dreams. After you mentioned yours the night before Thanksgiving, I realized we’d shared the same ones.”

“So you’ve been hiding that from me for weeks,” Alex murmured. “On top of hiding the fact you’re an alien.” He shook his head, the shock of it all making him lightheaded. “You’re an alien.”

“I am.” Cryss shrugged. “Now you know my secret.”

Cryss placed his hand on Alex’s thigh, but he shook it away. “Stay back.”

“Have I ever tried to harm you?” Cryss asked, a frown furrowing his brow. “Have I?”

He hadn’t but Alex didn’t know what to believe at that point. Was it all an illusion? “All of these things I’ve felt for you… did you make me feel them? The connection… the desire… None of it’s real, is it?”

“Of course it’s real.” Cryss winced, gritting his teeth as his tentacles stretched farther and then coiled them back. It was obvious the man— the alien —was still in pain.

Guilt gripped him. First he’d caused the accident. Second, his panic attack was delaying Cryss help. “Will that first aid kit help on your… your tentacle?”

Cryss held his gaze a moment, pain in his eyes. “It might.”

“I suppose I owe you for talking me through the panic attack. It would be cruel not to help you.”

“You owe me nothing, Alex. I can take care of this myself. If you wish to leave, I’ll call a car to come pick you up and take you to the airport for the first flight to San Francisco. You might as well go pack while I work on this.”

Half of him wanted to take Cryss up on the offer and run. The other half sensed he didn’t need to run.

Didn’t want to run.

Alex quietly rose, his knees still wobbly. He picked up the first aid kit and gathered the items that had fallen out of it when it hit the floor. Rising, he turned to eye Cryss still kneeling on the floor at the corner of their bed. “Let’s go to the bathroom so I can see what I’m doing.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Cryss said, his voice barely above a whisper. He stared at the bed, not Alex, his shoulders sagging.

“Yes, I do. I won’t leave you in pain any longer if I can help it.”

Cryss met his gaze and held it a few seconds. He rose to his full height and trailed Alex to the bathroom.

Alex busied himself with sorting out the jumbled mess the contents had become. He pulled out the gauze and burn ointment, as well as some aloe vera gel, and sat them on the bathroom counter. After he washed his hands, he gathered the courage to look at Cryss’s tentacle. He moved in closer. The undersides of them all were a faint pink and the suckers ringed in dark red, but one was darker and angrier than the others.

He pointed at the larger, central tentacle. “That one?”

Cryss nodded.

“Can I use aloe and burn ointment on your suckers?”

“Aloe, yes. I’m not sure about the burn ointment. We can test a small bit and see,” Cryss murmured, his voice flat. He held out his hand. “Just give it to me and I’ll do it. I won’t make you touch me.”

Alex opened the tube of burn ointment and squeezed a little bit onto Cryss’s outstretched finger. Cryss slathered it on one sucker, almost instantly groaning. His hand fisted, his face a mask of pain. Instinctively, Alex flipped on the water and quickly urged Cryss’s tentacle under it. It took him a few seconds to realize he was cradling Cryss’s tentacle in both hands. Cryss’s chest was against his side, the man’s heartbeat thundering against Alex’s arm.

He turned his head slightly, his lips not far from Cryss’s, both of them breathing heavy. Cryss seemed to lean in a little closer, lips parting.

No.

Alex blew out a shuddering breath before focusing on the tentacle. He gently rubbed his thumbs over the sucker, washing away the burn ointment under the cool stream from the faucet.

Cryss relaxed some.

Once he thought it was clear, he opened the aloe package and squeezed some into his palm before dabbing it gently on the affected area—focusing on the outer rims of the suckers. “I think you said the center of the suckers are super sensitive. With it hurt if I rub this on there?” He gasped, remembering something from his dreams. “Will you taste this?”

“I will, but it’ll soothe the burn.” His gaze flipped up to Alex’s. “Just… be extra gentle please.”

Alex opened one of the packs of gauze, assuming it might be softer than his touch, but it only caught on the suckers and adhered. It took a couple of minutes to carefully pull all of the bits of gauze away. Once he did, Alex used his fingertip and ever so lightly smoothed it over each burned sucker as gently as he could. It took a while to get them all coated… and he gave each one a second coat as it seemed they’d absorbed the first.

“Is that all of them?” Alex asked as he checked over his handiwork.

Cryss pointed to another. “Just the upper half.”

Alex added aloe there and then leaned back. “I was going to wrap it in gauze but after what happened earlier, I don’t know if I should. Is there something we can use to protect it?”

“No. It just needs time to heal now.”

“We’ll have to keep an eye on that and make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

“We’ll have to keep an eye?” Cryss asked, his gaze searching Alex’s face.

Alex stood straighter and took a step back. He didn’t know how to answer that. They’d swiftly become a we, and it had felt so natural—but he didn’t know if he could trust his own wants and desires, or if any of it had been real. If Cryss could enter his dreams, what other powers did he have?

“Just so you know, I don’t have control over minds or emotions. What you felt is what you felt… What you still feel.”

“Says the man who invaded my dreams,” Alex snapped. “No, not man… alien! You’ve been lying and deceiving me for months. Why should I trust you now?”

“As if I could’ve just walked up to you and say ‘Hi, I’m your friendly neighborhood alien. I come in peace.’ and expect you to be okay with that? You would’ve run screaming from me from the jump!” Cryss shook his head. “The moment we met, I…” He paused, his jaw rocking side to side. “I knew that we belonged together. I didn’t know why or how—and I still don’t. All I did know was that I had to know you. I had to be near you. I couldn’t let you slip away without figuring out what this intense connection is between us.” He blinked, his eyes growing shiny again. “Yes, I withheld that I’m from another world and that I can shift so I could get closer to you without scaring you. Everything else I’ve ever said or done has been all me.”

Alex’s mind was a riot, questions and doubts spiraling. “Is this the thing we talked about—the world you were running from that you couldn’t share?”

Cryss nodded. “You don’t know how much it’s killed me not to tell you my secret. I want you to know all of me. It’s against our laws to reveal ourselves to a human. I didn’t care. I wanted you to know everything —but I was also terrified you’d leave me the minute you did.” He blew out a long breath. “And from the reaction I got, maybe I was right.”

Alex stared at Cryss’s tentacle hand, numbness washing over him.

“I love you, Alex. I want to be with you—and be my authentic self. Tentacles and all. In one way, I already have. Those dreams… I swear I didn’t know we were sharing them. Had I known, I probably never would’ve shown you the real me, that’s for damned sure. I’ve been terrified you’d put two and two together since our first night in the townhouse.”

Alex blinked, his mind struggling to process everything he’d learned and seen—melding dreams into realities. Cryss had never harmed Alex, only fiercely protected him. But is that all a ploy to soften me up for the kill?

“It’s no ploy,” Cryss said. “All I want to do is love you and take care of you.”

“Can you read my mind?”

“No. I hear occasional bits and pieces of your thoughts. Most often when you’re feeling a strong emotion.”

“You can hear my thoughts and enter my dreams. What else can your people do?”

“As far as I know, my people can’t do either of those things.”

Alex frowned.

“Well, they could. Maybe. Eons ago. If I recall, we’ve had part of this conversation before. My people speak telepathically in our fully tentacled form. We lost the ability in human form centuries ago. I don’t know why I’m suddenly hearing you. But it’s only you. I hear no one else, and I don’t know how to turn it off.” Cryss winced, moving his tentacled hand close to his chest. “I wish I could. Especially right now.”

Alex stared at Cryss’s curled tentacles, writhing some as if in pain.

“What happened in the kitchen, Cryss?”

“You pushed the pan too far back on the burner. A little olive oil on the outside of the pan likely sparked and set off the oil inside. It erupted into flame— just as you were reaching for it. You weren’t paying attention, and it nearly burned you. My tentacles move faster than my hands, and I guess they unconsciously came out to push your hand out of the way.”

“And you got burnt instead of me.”

He was injured saving me.

Cryss nodded. “I got burnt instead.”

“I’m sorry I caused this.”

“It was an accident. Don’t feel sorry.”

I’m only sorry I know the truth now.

Cryss dragged his gaze away, jaw tight. “If you want to go home, you’ll need to check for flights. My right’s worthless, and I’m not much of a leftie. My tentacles are too big for the keyboard.” He paused a moment, appearing to swallow a lump in his throat. “I can put you up in a hotel if the next flight isn’t for a few days.”

I don’t want to go. I don’t want to stay.

“What do you want me to do, Alex?”

“I don’t know,” Alex whispered. “One minute my mind’s screaming for me to run all the way back to San Francisco on foot if I have to. The next, I’m not sure what to make of any of this.”

“What does your heart say?” Cryss asked, his voice low.

Alex backed away. His heart needed to stay out of it. He couldn’t trust what it felt. “I think I’m going to call it an early night. I’ll sleep in one of the guest bedrooms upstairs.”

Cryss nodded, his face a mask of pain. “Goodnight, Alex.”

“Goodnight.”

Alex grabbed a few things from the bedroom before racing out and climbing the stairs. In their time there, he’d never even made it up to the second floor. He took the bedroom at the far end of the house, putting as much distance between them. After locking the door and changing into his pajama pants, he slid between the covers of the cold bed, but his mind wouldn’t slow enough to allow sleep. He lay there for hours, replaying everything that had happened from the minute he’d met Cryss.

Finally, at some point, exhaustion won. He drifted off. When he woke again, he was cuddled against Cryss in their bed. He climbed out of it, furious. “I asked for space.”

Cryss sat up, groggy. Once he’d blinked some of the sleep away, he sighed. “I think this is a dream.”

“Stop coming into my dreams!”

“I don’t know how to shut them off, Alex. I told you that. I have no manual. No one to ask for help. I have no idea why it’s happening.”

“I haven’t had you in my dreams since Thanksgiving. Why now?”

Cryss shook his head. He didn’t answer for a minute. “Maybe because you’re not in my bed? That’s the only thing I can guess.”

Alex tried to ignore the tormented look on Cryss’s face. “You’re not going to force me into your bed, dream or not.” He burst out of the bedroom and marched back upstairs. As soon as he opened the door, he found himself back in Cryss’s bed. He roared in anger and leapt to his feet. He ran to the living room and sat on the couch… but in a blink, he was back in that damned bed beside Cryss.

Cryss closed his eyes. “I swear I’m not doing this. Not on purpose, anyway.” He reopened and searched Alex’s face a moment. “If I could wake myself up to stop it, I would.” He rose from the bed. “Since it seems you’ll just keep coming back if you leave, take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Cryss was right. There was no point in running again. He slipped into the bed, achingly alone. Cryss’s presence—so close, but so far away—only made it harder to slow his troubled mind. How he could long to be back in Cryss’s arms, knowing what he knew, he didn’t understand. It wasn’t normal. It never had been. It was something alien.

He closed his eyes and seemed to drift off, but when he reopened them again, he was laying on top of Cryss on the floor. Alex rolled off and to his feet. Cryss sat up, hanging his wrists on his bent knees, his head hanging forward.

“Since I can’t seem to get away from you and I don’t want to sleep on the floor or you, we might as well share the bed. Maybe then I’ll stop waking up somewhere I don’t want to be. You stay on your side. I’ll stay on mine,” Alex said. He moved some of the extra pillows between them and got in, rolling to his side, facing away from Cryss.

He lay awake for what felt like hours, both frightened of and missing Cryss. Heartsick, he fought the tears that had been threatening all night.

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but the next time he awoke, he was back in the upstairs bedroom. He felt like hell. Like he’d not slept at all. He rolled over and lay back down, hoping to pass out again. At some point he did, sleeping fitfully.

Not sure what time or even what day it was, he dragged his eyes open. The sun was low in the sky—meaning he’d slept most of the day away. He sat on the edge on the bed with his feet on the cold floor and noticed extra blankets were on the bed. On the nightstand sat a plate with a sandwich and chips with a can of sparkling water beside it.

He looked at it and wanted to cry. Alex had no appetite, but his stomach spasmed from hunger. He picked at the sandwich, eating less than half before downing the can of water. After a trip to the adjoining bathroom to relieve his bladder, he fell back onto the bed—drained, mind, body, and soul.

He missed Cryss, but he still didn’t know if that was real or manufactured. He lay in the bed numb, watching the shadows move on the wall as the sun set. Not long after dark, Cryss quietly knocked on the door. Alex didn’t reply. When the door opened, he feigned sleep. He cracked a lid and watched Cryss lay another plate on the table beside the bed with a fresh bottle of water. He collected the plate with the sandwich and crossed to the door.

Cryss lingered there a moment, silent. “I sense you’re awake. I’ll stay up tonight while you sleep so I won’t come into your dreams. It’s the only thing I can think of to protect you from me. Once you’re up tomorrow, I’ll sleep.”

Alex lay there, his heart breaking, not sure what to say.

Before Cryss closed the door, he whispered, “Thank you.”

The door stopped, inches from closing, Cryss’s fingers wrapped around the edge.

Seconds ticked by, neither of them speaking.

Alex’s mouth grew dry. He didn’t know what to say. “How’s the hand? Or tentacle, rather.”

Cryss opened the door a tiny bit, just so Alex could see a sliver of him. “Already healing. I heal faster than humans. I should be almost as good as new by tomorrow. Hopefully I can reform into my hand then.”

“You’re stuck like that?”

“Until it heals, yes. Whatever form I’m injured in, I have to heal in.”

“I’m glad it’s already improved. I feel guilty enough that you were hurt trying to save me, so a speedy recovery helps lessen it a tiny bit.”

“There’s no reason for you to feel guilty. Accidents happen.”

“I was careless.” I couldn’t take my eyes off you.

“I struggle to take my eyes off you, too,” Cryss whispered.

Alex cringed, closing his eyes. He’d need to better protect his thoughts.

“I’m sorry I’ve hurt and scared you. All I want to do is spend my life protecting you. Not this.”

The roaring sound returned in Alex’s ears… that same tingling feeling all over that he’d felt at the shoot. The magnetic pull to be closer to Cryss made it harder to breathe.

“Too far,” Alex barely got past his lips, anguish swamping him.

Cryss didn’t reply. He silently shut the door behind him and left Alex alone.

Alex yearned to chase after him and pull him close, but fear wouldn’t allow it. He didn’t eat the food Cryss brought. He rolled over and went back to sleep. The next time he awoke, it was late morning. There had been no dreams. No seeing Cryss…

He rose from the bed and noticed the plate from the night before was gone. In its place was another filled with crackers, apple slices, and cheese. Like the one he brought me at the shoot. After he saved me from Thor.

Cryss had been protecting him since the moment they met. He rose from the bed and scrambled out of the bedroom, down the hall and the stairs. Peeking in every room, he sought Cryss out. He finally found the man in the house’s gym, running full tilt on the treadmill, drenched in sweat. Cryss ran like he was being chased by the devil. Impossibly fast. Outside the wall of windows, the mountains loomed. The minutes ticked by and still, he ran until finally slowing to a jog. He cut off the machine and hopped off, turning, and noticed Alex.

They stared at one another for long seconds.

Alex dragged his gaze to the side of Cryss’s head. “How’s the hand?”

Cryss silently lifted it. It was a human hand again. There were a couple of faded, healing round scars along the palm, but nothing more.

“The things… that you told me and showed me in our dreams… it was all real?”

“Yes,” Cryss replied.

“I guess that means you technically didn’t withhold what you were from me,” Alex murmured. “You were honest almost from the very beginning. I can’t be angry for that part.”

“While I’d hoped your forgiveness and acceptance would come easily, I won’t distort the truth to get it. I didn’t know they were real. I didn’t have the courage in real life to tell you the truth. I can’t say that I ever would’ve revealed myself, no matter how much I wanted to.”

Alex frowned. “You might have never told me?”

“When I realized we’d shared the same dreams, I wanted to tell you right then and there. I was seconds away from it. I called your name, ready to let it all out… but you’d fallen asleep, and it seemed like the universe was giving me a sign not to share. I came close a couple more times but chickened out both of them. It didn’t feel right to withhold who I really was from you, but… like I said… I was scared you’d run screaming from me.” He closed his eyes. “That moment you screamed and ran away from me is burned into a continuous fucking loop in my head and I can’t turn it off.” He opened his eyes, shining with tears. “I don’t want to see it anymore, Alex. I don’t want that to be one of my last memories of you.”

Alex rushed forward a few steps, wanting to grab hold of Cryss and hold the man tight. But at the last minute, he froze. He couldn’t move another step closer.

Cryss watched him warily before blinking back the tears.

“I’m sorry it hurt you… but realizing I’d been sleeping in the same bed as an alien for weeks wasn’t exactly easy for me to process,” Alex said. “You were only half right about me, though.”

“Half right?”

“I may have screamed, but I’m not running away.”

Cryss held his gaze.

“I’m also not running into your arms quite yet, either.”

“Just tell me what to do to make this better for you and I’ll do it,” Cryss whispered. “I don’t want to lose you, but I won’t force you to stay, either. My offer stands. I’ll put you on the next flight to San Francisco if you want me to. It’ll break me to do it, but… I’ll respect your wishes and give you space and time to think.”

“I’m stuck somewhere in between wanting things to go back to the way they were before I learned what you are and wanting to walk away and forget any of this ever happened.”

“Not what I am. Who I am. And you knew who I was way before that accident.” Cryss stepped closer. “I’m the same man. The same Cryss. Nothing’s really changed.”

“Nothing’s really changed? You’re from another fricking planet! Everything’s changed.”

“It doesn’t have to. We can go back to being who we were before you ever saw my tentacles, and I’ll go back to hiding them if that’s what you need me to do. Please, Alex. I can put the other me in a box and never let him out again if that’s what I have to do to be with you.”

“I can’t ask you to hide who you are to comfort my fears,” Alex murmured. He took a step back. “I’m going to go change and go for a walk. I need some fresh air. If you’ve been up all night, maybe you should get some sleep now.”

Cryss nodded. “Be safe out there. The plows have already been through with salt and ice, but there might still be slick patches going down the mountainside. I’ll use the shower in another bedroom so you can change in peace.”

Alex stepped out of the room without another word and marched to their bedroom. Getting out of the house for a few minutes might help him clear his mind and help him see what was real and what wasn’t.