Earth: Population 2 (Paradise Lost Book 1) (20 page)

In his hands, he held a single rose.

Hailey pulled me up. “I know you worship the ground he walks on, but hold it together. You’re at work.”

I stood shakily. What was I going to say to him? How did he know I’d remember?

Then it hit me. He didn’t know. All he knew was I worked at a Save ’n Shop in the middle of Nowheresville, in Maine, and that I had a crush on him. Maybe he hoped he could start a relationship all over again, even if I didn’t remember a thing about him. The thought was so swoonily romantic, I almost died on the spot.

Hailey hmphed. “This must be some publicity stunt for his new movie.”

“No.” I shook my head. “He’s here because of me.”

“What? Earth to Julie. You can be delusional in the comfort of your room, but gosh, girl, we’re in public.”

I turned to Hailey. “There’s a reason why I won’t make out with Mike. I’m already taken.”

She gawked. “What do you mean? Already taken?”

I couldn’t answer Hailey’s questions. I had a date to keep.

Gale broke through the crowd. He wore the same Twisted Minds Think Alike sweatshirt that clung to his body in all the right places and a pair of ripped jeans. Our eyes met, and the electricity between us could have powered the whole store. His face brightened, and fireworks exploded in my soul. The temperature in the store rose by five degrees.

I stepped forward as the bodyguards held everyone else back. The crowd blurred around us, whooping, hollering, and shouting Gale’s name. Cameras flashed, and a news crew videotaped the whole thing. In the chaos, I focused on Gale. He fell to one knee and produced the rose. “I’m sorry about all the ruckus. I had to get to you as soon as I could, and my bodyguards wouldn’t let me come alone.”

My whole body shook. I stared in disbelief. Never had I had a wish come true like this. “How did you remember?”

He laughed. “I was playing cards, and Pete beat me at Go Fish.”

I accepted the rose and smelled the sweet scent. “You never were good at bluffing.”

“But that’s not the reason why I remembered.” He stood up and placed his arms around me, holding me close. Our foreheads touched, and I felt complete. “I remembered because I love you.”

EPILOGUE

My shift leader let me have the rest of the day off. In all of her time at Save ’n Shop she’d only done that for Judy, when she went into labor. So, yeah, she thought having Gale Williams march into her grocery store was pretty special.

By the way, I won’t be working there anymore. Gale contacted NASA, and they were so interested in our story, they invited us to Texas, Mom included. We’re going to help the scientists reconstruct what we can remember of the event and the alien technology. And, I’m telling you, after I saw Gale, I remembered a lot. Every detail.

Mom is learning to walk on a new prosthetic leg. I think all the excitement finally got her out of the apartment. With the money from NASA, I bought us a handicap accessible house and hired a physical therapist and a personal trainer. I’m hoping, with a little encouragement, she will become independent, and I might be able to leave for college in a few years.

Hailey and I talk on the phone once a week. She loves studying English at UCLA. We’re planning to get together during her spring break and swim in the Gulf of Mexico. I hear there are jellyfish, but after dealing with those Sparkies, I can handle just about anything.

Gale and I are still an item. I can’t get over the fact that my face is plastered all over every teen magazine in the grocery store where I used to work. But, that’s what comes with fame, and he’s worth it. He’s trying to get me into one of his movies, even if it’s just a small part. It’s not something I want to do with my entire life, but I think it’ll be fun to try.

The best part is, NASA thinks the aliens are gone for good. They’ve scanned all electromagnetic energy as far as their instruments can go, and the only Aurora Borealis they can find is the one we have here. The other me—I can’t decide if it really was me or another copy from another time—must have wiped them out. I wonder, sometimes, if she died that day for me to be happy, or if she’s here, inside me, like the memories are.

THE END

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aubrie Dionne is an author and flutist in New England. Her books have received the highest ratings from Romance Times Magazine, as well as Night Owl Reviews and Two Lips Reviews. She has guest blogged on the USA Today Happily Ever After Blog and the Dear Teen Me blog and signed books at the Boston Book Festival, Barnes and Noble, and the Romance Writers of America conference. Her writings have appeared in Mindflights, Niteblade, Silver Blade, Emerald Tales, Hazard Cat, Moon Drenched Fables, A Fly in Amber, and Aurora Wolf. Her books are published by Astraea Press, Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Publishing, Inkspell Publishing, Lyrical Press, and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. Her latest contract is with Harper Impulse, a division of HarperCollins for two contemporary romances about classical music. When she's not writing, Aubrie teaches flute and plays in orchestras.

You can contact Aubrie and read about her latest releases at her website and blog.

http://www.authoraubrie.net

http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com

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