"After the appointment I will be free. Would you like to have coffee at about 5:30 and I could answer any question you have?"

He looked surprised but nodded his head. I told him to meet me at this little coffee shop close to my house.

"Goodbye, Professor."

"Call me Wanderer."

Chapter 4:

WPOV

I triumphantly walked out of the room with a rarely worn smug smile on my face. Meanwhile, Melanie was fuming in the back of my head screaming profanities. I flinched a little at the words that she filled my head with. Perhaps it was wrong to use Ian in this way but it was not as though I was not drawn to him at all. In fact, I was surprisingly curious about him and unexpectedly eager to see him at the coffee shop. I had not been attracted to anyone in such a fashion before. Partially because Melanie's frequent dreams about Jared made me long for him as well. But even in the other worlds that I resided in, I never felt any attachment to anyone and never felt the need to stay because of it.

As I stepped into the Comforter's office, my smile was wiped off my face as I prepared myself mentally. My Comforter was a kind soul who truly wanted to help me but I felt uneasy at the idea of expressing my emotions and telling about my life to another.

"Hello, Wanderer."

"Hello…Kathy." It was still awkward calling people by human names though many of the souls that I knew adopted them. Like Ian. A slight smile crept from the thought of Ian. A smile that did not go undetected. Kathy opened her mouth slightly about to ask something but appeared to have thought better of it and closed it quickly.

We talked awhile about my job and interaction with other souls. She knew how reluctant I was to associate with others and how uncomfortable I felt with them.

I didn't know what to tell her. The fact that I felt alienated among my own kind. The fact that I was too weak to get rid of the person whose body I currently occupied. Or the fact that the only people I loved were people that I had neither met nor seen in person and only in the dreams that wake me up each night.

Beyond my thoughts, I could hear her voice in the background suggesting that I find new friends and perhaps a partner. Suddenly I remembered what I would be doing soon after my appointment. I mentally deemed the information important and leaked out my plans for the evening knowing that it would ease her concern about me. Her worries about my interaction with other humans have increased because of my lack of friends.

"I have already found a new friend. I met him at the university and I am going to meet him at 5:30."

She smiled at the newly acquired information and congratulated me. She started what seemed like an interrogation about him. I told her what I knew about him leaving out that I mainly asked him to coffee to irritate Melanie.

I was relieved after leaving Kathy's office and welcomed the cool breeze. I walked quietly to the coffee shop unsure how to act around Ian. Although I felt a slight attraction to him, I was uncertain whether I should act professionally or…Melanie thought the word flirt when I couldn't think of what to call the alternative option. I decided to just act naturally and to not think about it too much.

I sat at a table as I mentally prepared for his arrival while trying to ignore the never-ending complaining in my head. I didn't realize that he had entered the café until he cleared his voice to get my attention. I couldn't have looked away from his blue eyes if I tried. Suddenly I could no longer hear Melanie as I completely focused my mind on Ian.

IPOV

When Mel—I mean Wanderer walked out of the room, I stood in place for a few minutes from shock. I was planning on getting closer to her but I wasn't prepared for her trying to get closer to me. She actually asked me out tonight. I went to the hotel that Jared and I were staying at and took a deep breath before entering. I knew he would interrogate me about her the moment I stepped in and was immediately proved right.

"What happened? Did you see her? What did you find out about her? Have you spoken to her yet? What did she say? What did you say? Did they believe you were a parasite? Why aren't you answering me yet?!" He ranted impatiently.

"Because you keep throwing questions at me. Calm down and ask one at a time."

Jared took a deep breath and looked at me with surprise. "So they actually believed you were one of them?" He looked slightly amused as well as disturbed at that thought. "So what happened exactly?"

"Well I went to her class like we planned. No one questioned me when I was there. The parasite that took Melanie's body is known as Wanderer and has been known to have been to like 8 other planets. That's what she teaches about. She teaches about the other planets that she has been to. Today she was teaching about this one called the See Weeds'—"

"Ian. Can you get to the point and tell about Melanie some more? Did you talk to her?"

I didn't want to tell him that I was rambling about the See Weeds' planet in order to keep my mind from thinking about how much I was starting to...Don't even think about it. You would think you're in high school the way you're acting, Ian. Ugh. She's a freaking parasite. I quickly stopped thinking about it and answered Jared.

"After I introduced myself, I told her I had a few questions about the planet. She told me that she had an appointment but would meet me for coffee at 5:30."

Jared looked shocked for a moment before wiping his face clear of emotion. I knew him well enough to know he was jealous but did not want to admit to being jealous of me going out with one of them. We didn't talk again until I realized that I should be going to meet her. I told him I would see him later before walking out.

I was grateful for the breeze as it helped me relax after sitting in a room filled with tension for so long. I started walking to the coffee shop that she told me to go to next to the university. On the walk there, I started thinking about ways to start the conversation and ways to get her to loosen up around me. Nothing seemed right though. I finally gave up trying to figure out what to say before entering the café.

I immediately spotted her and walked to the table. She looked a little nervous and didn't notice me approach her. I cleared my throat to get her attention. She looked up at me with those wide hazel eyes and suddenly all my nervousness and worries about saying the right thing disappeared.