That Alien Feeling

Planet: Earth

Harry loves Earthlings.Everything about them is so fascinating.Even their names are fresh, concise and full of fun, which are very different from the names of people in his hometown.

Take Harry's name as an example.Well, the point is, it's not his real name.For earthlings, his real name is too difficult to pronounce.The muscular structure of the Earthlings' tongues limited their articulation, and they were unable to produce certain sounds, including Harry's native language.

Anyway, compared to his real name, Harry also prefers the earth name he chose. "Harry" is similar enough to his name, and it's very sweet and unconventional.He couldn't help but smile every time someone called him "Harry."When he smiled happily at the earthlings, he often drew strange looks, but he didn't mind.He had read on the Internet that it was okay to be different, as long as it wasn't too much.Hope he doesn't.

"Hey old man, are you going to laugh at me all day, or are you finally giving me my money?"

Harry, who was wandering, was awakened, and he smiled peacefully at the tall pink man who was frowning at him. (Harry couldn't figure out why people on Earth called pink people "whites" and brown people "blacks". Are Earth people colorblind? Besides, is skin color so important? Aren't people just people? What the heck Don’t understand these earthlings.)

"That goes without saying, old man." Harry imitated the other's way of speaking.His research has shown that imitating the behavior of Earthlings elicits positive responses from them.Harry was good at it, and he liked the man's accent.

The man frowned and looked at Harry strangely. "Are you laughing at me?" For some reason, he cracked his knuckles.

"No?" Harry was confused, and handed him the change.

The man glared at him angrily, grabbed his coffee and change and turned away, the doorbell jingling softly as he emerged from the café.

Harry works part-time in this small shop called "Star Cafe".He loves it here!Despite its apt name, the store was quiet and charming, and no other store would have hired him.Harry has discovered that money is essential to survive on this planet, and the easiest way to make money is to find a job.Unfortunately, he also found that job opportunities for an uneducated young male Earthling were very limited.Two months (Terra calendar) ago, his parents gave him only false documents - bearing the earth name of his choice - and a little money from the earth people, and dumped him in a "London" City, Harry was still a little mad at them.

"This will teach you a lesson," they told him. "We doted on you so much. Maybe you can finally grow through this experience."

At that time, Harry was secretly happy.If his parents thought it was punishment, they didn't know him too well.He has always dreamed of leaving his home star and seeing the vast universe.In his hometown, the people on earth are called "Terra people", and he has always yearned for them.The social, technological and cultural level of the people on earth has not yet reached the requirements for contact, but it seems that they will reach it in a short time, at most 1000 years, as long as the people on earth do not commit suicide before then.Right now Earth can only be used as a destination for short-term educational trips—or some children are sent here by their parents for mischievous behavior, such as reading other people's minds without permission. (Harry had already told his parents that he didn't mean to, but no one believed him, unfortunately.)

Note ①: Terran, the Latin name of the earth, later became the name of the earth in many space themes including "StarCraft".

Anyway, it's awesome to be able to work like a real earthling.Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with working at Star Cafe.His boss kindly agreed to pay him a cash salary, and he didn't mind even though his salary seemed to be lower than other employees.He is proud of the little wad of Earthman money he receives every month.In Kaluvia, physical money has disappeared for thousands of years.

The cafe job was a perfect fit for him.A young male Earthling would not raise suspicion for doing this.It's the age on his fake papers.Harry isn't really; he's 23 by the Kaluvian calendar, but Kaluvian years are shorter than Terran ones, so he's probably eighteen by the Terran calendar. nine years old.Harry wasn't so sure; math had never been his strong suit.

"Hey."

Harry was jolted out of his daydream again, looking at the next customer.

A young man in a dark suit.His complexion is not as pink as the man just now, but golden yellow.He has very dark, beautiful eyes.Harry likes dark eyes.Unlike his own blue-purple eyes, black eyes were rare in Calluvia.

"Hello," Harry flashed a friendly smile at the Earthling.He has experience. When he smiles like this, people on Earth will tip more generously.Harry thinks it's not good to make money with a smile, but as the people on Earth say, people depend on food.

The earthling smiled back at Harry and handed him a five pound note. "Give me a cappuccino, please."

When Harry returned with his coffee, the man said, "Thanks, Harry."

"Oh!" Harry was overjoyed. "How did you know my name?"

The earthling gave him a strange look: "Your name tag says it."

"Oh," said Harry, blushing.Super embarrassing.

The man smiled wider, and something flashed in his eyes, probably amused by Harry.Harry wanted so badly to know what the earthling was thinking that he had to dig his fingers into his palm to divert his attention.Bad, bad Harry, he blamed himself.His parents wouldn't find it funny if they found out he was abusing telepathy again. (Harry was never mean. He was just literally curious.)

"There's no need to look for it, my dear," said the man.

Harry decided: he liked the Earthling.Actually, he likes all Earthlings, but this one is especially good.Maybe he'll make a good friend.

Harry jumped at the thought.He wanted to make friends as soon as he arrived on Earth, but for the first few weeks he wasn't confident enough in his ability to pretend to be an Earthling, and he didn't dare.Maybe it's time to give it a try.Harry felt that he had successfully penetrated among the earthlings.Of course, everyone thought he was a weirdo, but no one ever doubted the truth.

"What's your name?" Harry asked enthusiastically.

The Earthman slightly raised his thick black eyebrows: "Adam."

"Really?" Harry was glad he knew something about the name so it wouldn't chill the conversation. "The first earthling also had this name!"

Adam stared at him.

Harry was a little discouraged.Was he wrong?

"Yes," Adam said slowly, "sort of."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and smiled even wider. "Have you found your Eve yet?"

Adam blinked, tilting his head to look at Harry. "Not yet," he replied at last, "I'm afraid I didn't get that hang."

Harry frowned, confused again.There must be something wrong with his translation chip.Adam doesn't look scared or terrified, and Harry doesn't understand what's "hanging" on Adam's relationship status. "The hang?" He hoped that his question would not appear too abrupt.

"Are you a foreigner?" Adam smiled slightly.

Harry nodded, thankful to have such a cover-up for his ignorance.

"Strange," Adam said, "you don't have an accent."

"I'm pretty good at imitating accents," Harry said truthfully.His translation chip is not omnipotent, and he has to deal with accents and colloquialisms by himself. "So, what did you mean by what you just said?"

"I mean, I'm not that interested in women. I'm afraid Eve doesn't exist for me."

"Oh," exhaled Harry.When Adam started to frown, Harry smiled. "Cool! I've never seen a gay man in my life!"

"I doubt it. You may have seen it, but you just didn't recognize it. We look exactly like straight. Sorry, we really didn't think about you."

Adam spoke seriously, but didn't frighten Harry.

He pouted. "Yes, make fun of foreigners, they are still trying to learn your culture and language."

Adam smiled and tapped the tip of Harry's nose lightly. "Sorry, couldn't help it—you're a lovely kid."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "I'm not a kid. I'm a so--."

"Well, I'm 26." Adam glanced at his watch. "I have to go."

Harry frowned: "Is this going?"

He couldn't hide his disappointment, so Adam smiled and said, "You don't want me to go?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

Adam laughed out loud. "My lunch break is almost over."

"What do you do?"

"I work as a financial analyst at the bank across the street," Adam replied, smiling, and Harry suspected he was just pandering to him.

"Sounds like fun," said Harry.

"Nothing interesting," said Adam, "but the pay is good, so I won't complain. I really have to go. Nice to see you, Harry."

"Me too," said Harry solemnly, "again!"

"Yes." After speaking, Adam stretched out his hand and touched the flower Harry had pinned behind his ear. "Honestly, it would be weird for other guys to wear it, but it suits you."

Harry smiled brightly at him. "Thank you!" The purple flower against his sorrel hair almost made his eyes look more purple, and he liked it.

Adam left with his coffee, and Harry looked at his back, a little sad.

Hope this isn't the last time I see him.

***

Two days later, Adam did come again.This time he took someone else with him.

Harry watched curiously as Adam and his companion chatted and drank.He hadn't been able to take their order—it was his turn to take a break just now, and Samantha had served him—and now he was a little overwhelmed.Should he come over and say hello?Adam didn't even look in his direction.Maybe he didn't remember Harry.

"What's wrong with you, Xiaohu? You look sad." Samantha asked.

little ha.The nickname of Earthlings is really intoxicating.

Harry told her about his struggles. "Should I go over and say hello?"

Samantha looked back at the pair. "Better not. They might be dating."

"Dating?"

Samantha shrugged. "Yeah, they're both hot, and I think they hit it off."

Harry was puzzled, so he looked again at Adam and his male companion.They did seem to hit it off.Adam's companion is a dark-skinned young man with a regular face and regular features, which is good-looking in the general sense.But Harry wasn't sure if he had the instantly recognizable sex appeal of an Earthling.Racial differences can be really frustrating at times.

"Do you find Adam's date attractive?" Harry asked.Adam was his friend (hopefully), and Harry wanted him to be happy.

Samantha shrugged again. "He's good-looking. I think your Adam beats him a few blocks, though."

Harry smiled.He understands the meaning of her common saying!

"You really think so?" He tried to look at Adam objectively.But it is too difficult.The sexuality of the Kaluvians is far from that of Earthlings.Among the sexuality of the Earthlings, the closest he could think of to the Kaluvians was "semi-sexuality②", but it was not entirely accurate.Two years later, Harry will be 25 years old. At that time, his "child contract" with his fiancé will be converted into a "marriage contract". Before that, he has no sexual desire, and even then, he will only You will have feelings for your "mate".Hmm - he'd heard gossip, too, that people sometimes had sex outside of Bonding, but Harry didn't think that made sense.Everyone knows that your bond completes you and that the telepathy between your bond leads to perfect sex.The Kaluvians have practiced marriage contracts for thousands of years, and science has proven that bonds are superior to old-fashioned marriages.Each Kaluvian child forms a telepathic bond with another child, whom they recognize at an early age and grow into adults.Harry thought it was brilliant.

Note ②: demisexual, only have sexual interest in people with emotional foundation (regardless of the other party's physical and mental gender).

But now there is a problem - Harry can't see the earthlings through the eyes of other earthlings.

Adam was tall and stocky, and Harry saw his dark eyes and dark hair, and took a kind of beauty in them; but he couldn't quite appreciate how sexy Adam was.Alas, Harry didn't yet know what sex was - rather, he only knew it theoretically.

"Yeah, he's a piece of meat," Samantha said, letting out a dreamy sigh, "look at the line of his jaw... look at the stubble... those black and sexy... um... tasty!"

Harry couldn't help laughing.At times like this, he was very glad that he would not make a fool of himself because of indulging in beauty.He thought it was hilarious.

His laugh made Adam turn his head.Adam smiled and nodded at him, and Harry waved him cheerfully.Adam's smile deepened, an amused smile, and... something else.He said something to his companion and walked towards the counter.

He leaned against the counter: "Hey, Harry." Harry should have been worried about his perfect suit, but he knew the counter was spotless.He wiped it himself.

"Hi there!" Harry said, "How was your date?"

Adam snorted. "I'm not dating Jack. He's my friend and co-worker. You think I'd be so stingy and bring someone to this cafe for a date?"

"Hey—" Harry pursed his lips, drawing out his displeasure.

Adam smiled playfully. "Just kidding, baby. This place is first class and anyone should be honored to be invited here."

Harry nodded solemnly: "That's too true." Baby.Adam called him "Baby".It's kind of weird because he's not a little baby.But now Harry understood that people on Earth often didn't mean what they said literally.He felt that he still liked being called "baby".

Remembering that it was working hours, he asked, "Would you like to order something?"

"No," Adam glanced at his friend, who was watching them both with raised eyebrows. "Just came to say hello."

Harry smiled brightly. "Hello too! Actually, I'm just thinking about you too—whether you'll come or not. I like you so much, and I hope you can be my friend."

Adam stared at him for a moment. "Are you always this brave?" He shook his head and muttered under his breath, but his eyes were smiling. "Okay, give me your phone, and I'll give you my number."

Harry was deflated. "I don't have a cell phone," he admits quietly.Even he knew that it was strange and rare for an earthling without a mobile phone.

Adam blinked. "real?"

Harry nodded.He thinks he can tell a lie and tell Adam he lost his phone, but he hates lying and isn't very good at it. "I don't know many people in this country, so I didn't bother to buy a mobile phone." Harry smiled awkwardly and shrugged. "However, I don't really have much spare money to buy a mobile phone."

Adam's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you an orphan?"

"No!" said Harry quickly.Just thinking about the death of his parents made him feel sad. "My parents are back home. They do their best for their children like other parents, but..." He bit his lip. "I did something bad and made them angry. They said I should learn to be a responsible adult, so I'm kicked out now. Don't look at me like that, it's only temporary and they'll let it go. They Love me, I'm their youngest child - the baby in the family."

Adam smiled and pinched his face: "I believe it."

Harry touched his hand without thinking—

You are the cutest little thing I've ever seen.

oh no.

Harry really didn't mean to, he didn't!He just forgot that, as a non-sensing race, people on Earth have no protection against "contact sensing" - this is the easiest way of telepathy. In his hometown, even children can easily use the lowest level of spiritual shields To isolate this feeling.But he is not at home now, and he has no right to sneak into the minds of earthlings and invade their privacy.If his parents found out, they would be furious.

"I'm sorry," said Harry, pulling his fingers back and clenching them into fists behind his back.However, Adam finds him "likable" and he can't help but gleefully.That means they're friends, right? "Whatever!" He ignored Adam's quizzical look. "If you're not dating Jack, where's your other half?"

"Nowhere. I'm afraid I'm married to work."

"It's too bad," said Harry, feeling sorry for Adam.He knows that Earthlings are social creatures. "Everyone needs a strong bond."

Adam glanced at him with interest. "You talk like my granny. How much bond do you have, sage?"

"You're laughing at me." Harry pouted. "Then I'll tell you, I already know the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with."

Adam's playful smile disappeared, and after a while, he said: "Little Maotou doesn't say such serious things. Who is that lucky girl?"

"Her name is..." Harry hesitated for a moment.He hated to lie, but he couldn't tell Adam his mate's real name—Raylan 'Heaney' Goole—just as he couldn't tell Adam his own.So he chose a Taila name that sounded close enough. "Her name is Leila, and we've known each other almost all our lives."

"Whoa," Adam said, wrinkles forming on his forehead. "Are you sure you want to be with her forever? Do you love her so much?"

Harry suppressed a sigh.It is difficult for an earthling to explain the principle of bonding.

"We have a special connection," he tried to explain.They do.He and his mate were bonded at the age of two. "She's always on my mind, and I'm with her too." Harry smiled, glad he'd said all that without a single lie.They do have telepathy, although the physical distance is too great for him to perceive on Earth. "We're engaged, and...we'll be married in two years," he added, proud of being able to explain his bond to Earthlings by analogy.

Adam's smile was a little dazed. "Twenty is really early enough to get married."

Harry shrugged. "It's not too early. In my hometown, everyone gets married at this age."

"Where is your hometown?" Adam asked. "You haven't told me where you're from."

Harry froze, and it took him a moment to recall the advice his buddy had given him: "If the people of Terra ask, tell them you're an alien. They won't believe you, they'll just think you're joking."

Harry took up the conversation: "Actually, I'm an alien from a galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius."

"Ha," Adam said with a smile, "no wonder your eyes are so scary, you don't look like a human at all."

"What! What's wrong with my eyes?"

Adam looked at him strangely. "You have dark purple eyes, Harry. Surely you know that's rare?"

The corners of Harry's mouth drooped.Why didn't anyone tell him his eyes don't look very earth-like?If I had known earlier, he would have worn colored contact lenses.He saw an advertisement on TV.

"Hey," Adam cupped Harry's face with his thumb.He frowned. "Aren't you happy? Don't be silly, your eyes are beautiful—uncommon, but beautiful."

Harry blushed and smiled. "You're so nice to me! I like you so much. Would you like to be my friend? It would be great if you could be my friend."

Adam laughed out loud. "Are you serious?" he murmured, brushing his thumb across Harry's cheek. "Yes, I am very, very willing to be your friend, little boy."

Harry smiled, looking into Adam's smiling dark eyes, warmth and joy filling his chest.He missed this feeling - being connected to another human being.It might not be the telepathy he's used to, but it feels good.For the first time since his arrival on Earth, he admitted to himself that he felt a little alone here.Just a little bit.

But never again.