Why Is There An Alien Princess In My Room? (ONC 2023 - Alien Romance - Complete)

4: Tristan Is Very Late For His Astronomy Test

Slowly ascending from his blissful slumber, Tristan couldn't remember the last time he felt so well-rested. Between intense studies toward his Major in computer engineering, competing on Val Tech's quiz bowl team as well as the chess team, and working at the local mall's movie theater five evenings a week, peaceful rest was hard for him to come by. But right now, as he relived the dream of glittering kisses, every cell of his body felt relaxed.

The sensation lasted until he remembered his upcoming Astronomy test.

What was the time? Tristan's alarm, which had been set for 8 a.m, hadn't gone off but it felt like he'd slept forever. Looking over at the digital clock on the bed stand, he realized the display was blank. He must have accidentally pulled the cord out or something, or maybe something had short-circuited the device during the night. Perhaps a power outage... or a glittering woman arriving from a galaxy far away.

Tristan rubbed his face to erase such impossible thoughts. That had just been a beautiful dream.

Besides, he had more important things to think about. Like finding out what time it currently actually was. Panicking about having already missed the test, Tristan bounced out of bed to find his watch. After having rummaged through the whole room, he finally found it on the window sill.

8.50 am. 10 minutes to his test. He hadn't missed it but he was certainly in danger of doing so.

But he could still make it! If he left like... now. Ten minutes was usually how long it took for him to get to class since he lived on campus but if he ran he should be able to make up the time needed to dress and find a pen. Because his Astronomy professor was very stingy about students who didn't bring pens to class.

While Tristan located his shirt on the floor, because turning up shirtless for a test seemed like something his professor might be stingy about as well, he heard muffled voices from the shared living room outside. Which was odd, since neither of his flatmates, Yeong and Brody, should be at home this week.

Actually, Tristan had barely seen Yeong, a Korean exchange student, since the first week of the semester. He'd met a girl with purple pigtailed hair and a penchant for K-pop at a party and soon thereafter ditched his roommates to bunk with her instead. Although Tristan had briefly caught a glimpse of Yeong last week when he popped in to get a jacket that he'd left behind.

Brody was usually present though and Tristan had to admit he missed his jock friend, who he had bonded with through late-night video gaming. Being the star center of Val Tech's hockey team, Brody was away in Toronto for the team's playoff campaign. Which meant Tristan was all alone this week.

Well, not all alone. He also had Bobby, the cat who he and Brody had saved from the dumpster behind the dormitory and now hid when residence services came around with their pesky rules about pets not being allowed. The cat's name was a frequent source of friendly arguments between him and Brody since Tristan's roommate claimed the feline was named for hockey legend Bobby Hull while Tristan knew that the true namesake was chess wiz Bobby Fischer.

Regardless of where the name Bobby came from, it had stuck even after Tristan's friend Des, a self-appointed animal expert, had visited to make sure the cat was properly cared for and explained to the clueless guys that the already-spoiled kitty was in fact a female.

Speaking of Bobby, where was she? Usually, Tristan's feline companion was reliable for waking him with some well-placed paws to the face before his alarm even went off.

Maybe Brody had arrived home in the wee hours of the morning and was now catching Bobby up on the events of the playoffs? That would explain both the voices from the living room and the absence of an attention-starved cat.