Now, there was a lot I learned from human television. Emotions properly explained through movies or "talk shows," fully eclipsing the human brain and heart with just a few words. But after I brought Luz to the building that hides the portal to Earth's clockwork system and let her step inside, I see an unfamiliar emotion.

I'm not sure if happiness or excitement are words that can sum it up. Or it can be that my knowledge of the English language is limited and simple terms didn't do her reaction judgment.

Back home, the look of her face would've been described as meer-a look of complete amazement, as if light captures and engulfs one's soul.

That is the look on Luz's face as I close the dimension portal behind us. I let her look up at the massive machine, at the golden-brass clock recording Earth's very life. She's unmoving, fixated on one spot.

And I stand beside her. "The piece I picked up in that abandoned building is for this here," I say, pointing at the clock in front of us. "They sent here me to fix this."

"They?" She blinks.

I nod. "The Overlords, yes."

"Oh. Overlords," she repeats, shimmers of light passing over her eyes as she watches the stars hover above our heads. "They sent you here to fix this big clock."

I smile because it seems she's accepting this so easily. And galaxy officials say Earthlings are dumb as rocks. How wrong they are.

"Yes." Gently humming to myself, I rock back and forth on the balls of my feet. "I should have fixed it over a week ago but-"

"You said they sent you here."

When I look down at Luz, her wide brown eyes as staring at me. There is no fear on her face, no confusion. I think this emotion passes curiosity, but I can't pinpoint on what to call it.

I purse my lips and dip my head to one side. "Yes, that's what I said. Sent. I'm not from here."

"Well, yeah, I know that." Luz crosses her arms, still looking at me. Not blinking. "I always thought you were a little weird, but shit, an alien? You're an alien, right?"

My frown deepens. Humans aren't dumb, no. Just... lacking education. "Alien is the term you use here, yes. That's what I am, an alien. Every other planet would call me a dimension-traveler."

Her eyes widen further and I'm afraid they'll pop out of her head. My hands quickly hold her shoulders as if it can help. Human television never showed me this.

"Other planets." She finally blinks.

And I let out a sigh of relief.

"Other planets... and dimension-travelers?" she asks.

My hands slide off of her shoulders. "Yes," I say as I nod. "It's common these days, especially after the overlords created dimensional portals connecting every galaxy known to space-kind. Sure, there are visas and permits one would need to pass through and explore, but once the government grants that type of access, well... it's smooth sailing."

As I ramble on about the universe I know like the back of my hand, I realize I've said too much and this is not why I brought Luz here with me. She simply wanted to know about the "spear" I placed in my jacket. Nothing else. And yet, in my normal Franklin behavior, I gave more information than I should have.

I can tell because her face is red, her eyes water. And I'm not sure if she's breathing.

Good job, Frank.

I bite my tongue and turn back to the clock. Change the subject. "Anyway, this clock." I clear my throat. "The piece I recovered earlier was a second hand that needs to be replaced here. All I have to do is swap out the malfunctioning piece and Earth will be okay."

Luz hasn't moved. She stands still, eyes focused on my face. I can feel the stare. My cheeks burn.

I clear my throat again. "So, um, like I said... they sent me to repair this clock and ensure Earth moves on like normal. It's my job as a Cog-"

"I have questions." Luz finally speaks and I clamp my mouth shut, looking down at her as she blinks at me. "A lot of questions."

I let a small smile lift my lips. "I can answer them-" most of them. "-so, ask away."

Her foot taps to the rhythm of the broken clock. "What's a Cog? Is it your last name or...?" Her question hangs in the air.

I sigh gently out of my nose. "It's what I am. Cogs are, in a sense, a clock mechanic. But our specialty goes beyond that of simple time and little watches." I glance behind me. "I am trained to repair clockwork systems just as this one here. A machine that controls the years of the planet."

She slowly nods. "And... every planet has one?"

"They do. Some easier to use than this one." I shrug and look back down into her dark eyes. "Earth is an ancient planet with cogs and wires so out of date... many hate coming here."

Luz frowns, looking back at the clock. "So, like what, we're vintage?"

"You can think of it in that way, yes." I turn back around and press my hand against the bottom of the clock's face. The electronic pulse of Earth's energy brushes across my fingertips, a weak sweep. As if Earth is pleading with me to fix it.

That feeling alone makes me regret taking so long, and I frown. "Earth may be old and complex, but her soul is vibrant and full of life. It took just seconds from the moment I landed for me to love this planet." My frown lifts into a smile as I look at Luz. "It's beautiful here."

Luz's eyes meet mine. Our gazes lock for what feels like minutes. Stars and must pass between us, creating a wave of white and purple streams of iridescent smoke.

Luz lifts her hand and I think she wants to disrupt the flow of light. Her fingers brush away the tiny stars, sending them in opposite directions. But as those same fingers reach for my face, pressing against my cheek, I sigh and know she only wished to touch me.

I smile again.

Just as she does. "You know, I always thought you were just a weirdo. Not like..." Luz glances at the clock, slightly shrugging.

"Regardless," she looks back at me, "I think that's what I liked most about you. All the weird stuff. It was... alluring." She giggles. "And I think all of this is cool."

"You do?" I feel a light turn on inside of me, warming my chest. "This doesn't terrify you at all?"

"Boy." Luz shakes her hand, moving her hand back down to her side as she laughs again. "Did you really see this city? Like for real look at it? And you think some mysterious clock machine is gon' scare me more than the reality I live in."

I shrug, thinking about it. There were plenty of television shows that explained the horrors of Earth. Even a station dedicated to it, with a variety of dramas and problems plaguing human life.

I see why they called it Lifetime...

"Besides..." Luz looks back at the clockwork machine. "To know there's like a group of people out there making sure we stay alive. It's a relief."

What she says warms me even more. I want to hug her.

"But anyway..." Luz looks back at me. "Once you fix it, put that spear thingy where it belongs, you're leaving, right? Since you're not from Earth and all."

I think back to the call from earlier, when I asked her to meet me at the diner near her house. The reason I had called her finally comes into play. And my heart sinks. "That's why I invited you to meet me for morning meals."

Luz lifts a finger. "Breakfast," she corrects me.

A small chuckle leaves me as I close my eyes. "I wanted to tell you I was leaving. Just..." I look back at her. "I thought I'd have more time."

When she looks up at me, she lifts a brow. "You mean you were going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"What?" I lift both of my hands in defense. "No, I invited you to eat with me-"

"Yeah, but you didn't show up." Both of her brows lift now. "I saw you and had to follow you with your pancakes."

I drop my hands, defeated. She had a point. "I would've said goodbye," I whisper, looking down at the tips of her flats as they step closer to my shoes. "I thought I would quickly fix the broken seconds and then seek you out once more, just to say how much I'll miss you."

There were plenty of movies that should have prepared me for this moment, but the differences made the similarities vague, non-existent. So, her moving even closer to me took me off guard. When her hands slide up my chest and around my neck, I hold my breath. I feel my cheeks burn, my heart pound.

All while Luz looks at me with hooded eyes and a smile. "Now that you say that, you know you can't leave without giving me a goodbye kiss."

"A... a kiss? A good... goodbye kiss?" I stumble over my words.

"Mhm." She nods and inches her lips towards mine. "Just one."

My hands wrap around her waist, fingers settling on her hips. She leans into my touch, chest to my chest. I suck in the breath she lets out. I taste the hints of coffee and gum in the air. Without thinking, I smile.

This is happening.

Her fingers curl into the locks of hair at the base of my head. A gentle tug. My head moves closer. The tips of our lips meet.

What a goodbye.

I open my mouth slightly, fully prepared for the moment I never thought could happen.

But right when she closes her eyes to fall into our kiss, a chime erupts in my ear, and my body freezes, blood running cold.

"Franklin Cog, you have a communications request."