Rain pattered the window. Becky propped her head up on a hand and watched the rain drops collect on the pane. Droplets would start to roll, bumping into other beads of water and leaving a clear trail behind them.
“All by myself.” Becky sang to herself. Her phone was silent, had been for a few days. He hadn’t even replied to her last good night text.
Raymundo was gone, so was Lucky, and yes, she had sent Penny and Chris away because she had felt smothered, but now…
Becky sighed. Despite no one else around, it was a lugubrious sigh. She rolled out of bed before pulling on her thick blue robe. She tried calling Raymundo again, but when the voicemail answered she set her phone aside.
A rattle on her fire escape shook Becky from her moping. She turned towards it, peering through the rain. A black squirrel sat on the metal railing. She blinked as the squirrel leaned towards the window, and then hit the pane a few times in a row with its tiny paws.
She stood still, watching. The squirrel flicked its tail, a few stray water drops hitting the window. It knocked, for surely there was no other word for what the squirrel was doing, again. As the rain came down harder, it spread its paws wide and pressed them up against the glass.
“Strange-” A flash of white lightning jumped between clouds. In that same moment, Becky’s breath hitched. It was like a cartoon, because before the light faded, before the deep rumble of thunder, Becky saw the squirrel’s fur disappear. For that split second which was less than a blink, she could see the squirrel’s skeleton. Small bones nearly washed out from the lightning’s light.
“Squirrel.” She finished automatically even as her mouth went dry and her mind raced. She crossed her living room as the thunder roared. Hands shaking she unlocked the widow and threw it up. Water blew in with the squirrel, but that would dry.
In fact, she didn’t even care about the open window, forgetting for a moment her recovery as she whirled to see the tiny creature shaking the water from its fur. “Okay, maybe I’m just crazy.”
The squirrel made a strange set of noises, an odd grin showing off its teeth. And then, Becky was comforted she wasn’t crazy. Because as the noise changed, the squirrel’s body did too. Growing in size and loosing fur, she stepped closer and knelt by her shape shifting half alien boyfriend.
He was gasping and giggling, his hair dripping onto the floor. Water glistened on his bare skin.
“Are you okay?” She shrugged off her robe and draped it over him.
“You, are not the crazy one in this relationship.” He pulled the fuzzy cloth around him.
“No, just the lonely one.” She ran a hand through his wet hair.
“Not anymore I hope.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“Yeah, not anymore.” Becky leaned into the hug.
Word count: 498
