Page 49 of My Tiny Giant

Dumbfounded, I stared at the box in my hands. It was rose-pink, with white lacy designs with the words Earth Girl’s Cupcakes printed on it. A satin ribbon was tied in a pretty bow on top, with a small bunch of fragrant flowers tucked under it.

I took the tiny bouquet out, inhaling their sweet, fresh scent.

“What are these?” I asked Helix.

“Orli flowers. They are not native to Neron. They grow in the jungle of Ravie on Tragul.”

“Tragul?” Now, I recognized the delicate pink and violet petals of the tiny blossoms. I’d seen them on the jungle floor. Among so many larger and brighter plants, however, these had been hard to spot.

I doubted Rick and the guys would go through the trouble of ordering flowers from another planet just to play a joke on me.

Suspicion stirred inside me.

“Can you put them in a vase on the night table next to my bed, please?” I placed the bouquet into the pincer at the end of one of Helix’s drone’s chrome arms.

Then, I spotted a card under the ribbon where it had been covered by the flowers before. Placing the box on one of the couch’s wide armrests, I sat down and opened the card. It was written in a language I couldn’t read, the swirly characters looked to me like decorations at first glance.

“Helix, what language is this?” I asked when the drone returned. “Ravil?”

“Yes. Would you like me to read it out loud, for your translator to convey its meaning to you?”

“Yes, please.”

“‘Happy belated Valentine’s Day,’” Helix read. “‘May you have it all—the treats, the flowers, and a date.’ There is no signature, Lieutenant Nowak.”

“There doesn’t need to be.” I dropped my hands into my lap.

The box must be from Agan. I’d told him about Valentine’s Day back at the professor’s house. He sent it probably because we’d never had a chance to say goodbye that day. And now, we never would.

“I know who it’s from.” I tugged at the end of the ribbon, untying the bow. It appeared Agan had put some thought into this gift. “It’s from Lieutenant Drankai. His way to say goodbye, I guess.”

Was I never to see Agan again? The thought echoed with an odd feeling of longing.

“‘Earth Girl’s Cupcakes,’” I read out loud. The writing was in English, with the Voranian translation printed on top. “Are those real cupcakes, you think?” I lifted the lid.

“Finally!” A voice suddenly exclaimed from inside the box.

Alarm shot through me like lightning.

I screamed, dropping the lid and nearly tumbling off the couch myself.

“Really? Agan!”

“It’s been so fucking stuffy in there.” He casually made his way between the four pink-frosted cupcakes and climbed out of the box onto the couch next to me.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” I tried to catch my breath, pressing both hands to my chest.

He beamed a smile at me.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Eleven. Are you surprised?” He climbed onto my leg, straddling my knee in his usual way.

Struggling to collect my thoughts and regain my composure, I only managed, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Agan.”

“Are you happy to see me?” He cocked his head.

I rubbed my temples.

“Sure.”