A Soldier in Love (21 page)

“I’m not sure I’ve ever
been considered that before,” Michelle replied. During the war she had been
just a soldier. Her own needs, wants, and desires had been buried for a very
long time. She wasn’t sure she had ever experienced being looked at in such a
way by a man.

“I’ve always considered
you that, that and so much more,” he confided.

Before Michelle could
reply the blue man was back.

“I have some fresh
izanf
mixture for you,” he said as he placed two glasses on
the table. There was a dark colored liquid and several floating bits that
Michelle thought could be fruit. It reminded Michelle of sangria. She had never
had it before but she remembered when she was a child her mom used to make it
when her dad would cook Italian food. She remembered the way it smelled and how
giddy they would get, never drunk but just a little tipsy.

“Ladies have first
drink,” Serik smiled.

“Ah, OK,” Michelle said
taking the cool glass into her hand and hesitantly bringing it to her lips. To
her surprise it tasted like a mixture of light beer and a tart flavor that was
reminiscent of lemonade. She took another sip,
and maybe a cough drop somewhere in the mix too,
she added. It
wasn’t the best thing she had ever had but it was interesting, most of all it
was bearable and she didn’t want to offend anyone on their planet.

“Do you like it?” the
blue man smiled and held his hands together.

Michelle nodded and
smiled. “Yes, it’s great.”

“Oh, excellent!” he
squealed in delight.

Michelle watched as he
darted back into the kitchen. She decided it was best she didn’t know what she
was eating or drinking.

“He’s really excited,” Michelle
whispered with wide eyes.

Serik chuckled. “I
know.”

He took a sip of his
drink. “Does it taste OK for you?”

Michelle nodded. “I think
so.”

“What do you think of
Kano so far?” he asked.

“It reminds me of New
Shanghai. It was a place I used to live on Earth,” she replied.

“With your sister and
her mate,” Serik grinned.

Michelle nodded and
smiled.

“And here we are,” Their
blue host beamed as he presented what looked like a roast.

With a tong-like
contraption he placed some morsels on both Michelle and Serik’s plates.

Michelle picked up her
chopsticks and bravely took a bite. The flavors hit her tongue. The taste was
decadent and rich. She had never experienced anything like it before.

“It’s amazing,”
Michelle said to their blue host whose eyes hadn’t left her since placing the
food on her plate. She wondered if he was going to stare at her the entire time
she ate. Thankfully, he watched her take a few more bites and then went to
check on his other customers.

“Who would have ever
thought?” Michelle mused.

“Thought what?” he
asked.

“I’d be on another planet
sampling their delicacies.”

“I’m glad you are. I’m
glad you’re here with me,” Serik smiled.

They finished their
leisurely meal and Serik paid the bill despite the blue man’s protests. He came
back to the table and gathered Michelle and they made their way back out into
the city. Michelle looked at the street corner. There was a young male that had
to be the same species as their restaurant host. His blue skin shimmered in the
fading sunlight. He stood at small stand with a sign that
read,
download your galaxy knowledge now!

“Serik, is that a
newspaper stand?”

“A what?”
Serik replied with an intensely confused look on
his face.

“A newspaper was
something on my Earth that told of current events,” Michelle began to try to
explain the antiquated term.

“Ah, yes the galaxy knowledge
download
?
 
Yeah,
baby let’s go check,” Serik said as they made their way over to the corner.

Serik fumbled in his
pocket for a coin and handed it over to the bored looking boy. The boy handed
him over a small tablet.

“Does it say anything
about the Earth Wars?” Michelle asked as she tried to calm her racing heart.
She felt as though it was going to beat right out of her chest.

“Not yet, let me keep
reading,” he replied.

He looked up to the
boy. “Do you know anything about the Earth wars?”

The boy gave an
exasperated sigh. “No, I don’t know anything about the Earth wars.”

“The Cabaka?”
Michelle asked.

The boy shook his head.

“We’re too far out.
They don’t know,” Serik said taking her small hand back into his in an attempt
to try and comfort her.

“Would anyone else
know?” she pressed.

Serik shrugged his
shoulders. “I’m not sure but I will try to find out.”

“So, you were telling
the truth after all,” a deep voice interrupted them.

Michelle looked up at
the male who looked incredibly similar to Serik. He was incredibly tall, but
still a few inches shorter than Serik. He had a set of warm brown eyes and convict
short hair. It was too short for Michelle to make out what color it was. His
arms had brightly colored intricate tattoos along with several scars of which
none were as serious as those Serik had.

“And that’s Bock,” Serik
grinned giving his friend a quick embrace.

“Ah, brother it is good
to see you. This is your female?” Bock turned and smiled at Michelle.

“Well, not exactly.
This is Michelle,” Serik motioned.

“It’s nice to meet you,
Bock.” Michelle stood still unsure whether to shake his hand or what the custom
was. To her surprise, he gave her a somewhat crushing embrace.

“Come friends, let’s
get to my abode before sunset,” he exclaimed.

“I trust you will keep
Michelle safe while I conduct my business dealings?” Serik questioned.

Bock nodded. “Yes, I’ll
tell her all of your embarrassing adolescent moments while you are out.”

Michelle grinned. “I
think I like your friend, Serik.”

Serik rolled his eyes.
“Seriously, Bock.
Keep her safe. I’ll be back in a few
hours. I swear if anything happens to her…If any other males come close to her…”

“
Oi
,
don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe,” Bock replied holding his hands up in an act
of surrender.
 

Serik turned his
attention to Michelle. “Baby, I’ll be back as soon as I can. I know you’ll be
safe with Bock.”

“I’ll be OK until you
return. I don’t want to hold you up from your business deals,” Michelle said. She
didn’t want him to lose out on any deals because of her.

“Come! I’ll show you
around my abode,” Bock said with gusto.

Michelle followed Bock
around as he quickly paced around his abode showing her all of the rooms as
well as his artwork and vases from
Kivet
, a planet he
recently visited. After a somewhat dizzying experience, Michelle sat down on
the
luvoo
,
a couch like piece of furniture.

“Bock?”
Michelle asked.

“Yes?” he said as he
took a seat in the chair across from her.

“I was
wondering,
do you know what happened to my planet?” she
questioned.

He shook his head. “I
wish I had an answer for you. Many of the satellites got torn down with the
fighting when you get closer to the
Phair
belt.”

Michelle sighed and
tried to mask the look of frustration she knew was showing on her face.

“If there was anything
else I’m sure I could answer it for you,” he offered.

“There is something
else,” Michelle hesitated.

“What is it? Anything
else I’m sure I could help with,” Bock generously offered as he straightened up
his posture.

“I was wondering what
happened to Serik?” she inquired.

“Ah, Serik…” he began.

“Please tell me because
he doesn’t talk about his past much.”

“
Ahm
,”
Bock replied nervously

“You said you would
answer anything else for me,” Michelle grinned.

Bock sighed. “I did,
didn’t I?”

Bock thought for a
minute before speaking again. “Serik has had a hard life. He was a Baat warrior.
In fact, one of the best… no, no that is unfair. He is the best.”

“A warrior?
I guess like a soldier?” Michelle questioned.

Bock nodded.

“But he said exploring
the new worlds. I didn’t know he fought battles,” Michelle said perplexed.

“The new worlds were a
dangerous place and Serik is a very humble male. He’s one of the strongest I’ve
ever met. He’s saved my ass more than once.”

“Mine too,” Michelle
added softly.

“I’m afraid he will
have to tell you the rest… I’m sure he will open up to you. Give him time,”
Bock replied in a serious tone.

“Bock, I have a favor
to ask if it’s not too much trouble,” she requested.

“Sure, anything at all.
Name it.”

“Serik has been real
good to me. He does almost all of the cooking,” Michelle began.

“As a Baat male is
supposed to do for his female,” Bock quickly interjected.

Michelle paused. She
wasn’t sure if she was Serik’s female. She wondered what that even meant. “Uh,
well on my planet couples usually share that task or the female does the
majority of it.”

“Really?
What a strange custom,” Bock replied with a pensive
look how on his face.

“I wanted to see if
this planet, being as how it is a trade planet, might have some Earth food. I’d
like to make Serik a special meal.”
 

“I will see what I can
find,” Bock said as he flashed
her a
bright smile.

“I’ll let you get
settled in for the night. I’m sure you’re tired.”

Michelle nodded in
agreement. She was unable to fight the overwhelming sleepiness that was
starting to hit her.

“I’m certain Serik will
be back soon,” he added.

***

Serik made his way back
to his old friend, Bock’s house. He quietly entered the door expecting both
Bock and Michelle to be asleep as such a late hour.

“When are you going to
mark her?” Bock asked from his seat on the
luvoo
.

“Shit, you’re still
awake?” Serik mumbled.

“When are you going to
mark her?” Bock repeated in a more stern tone.

“I’m not,” Serik
sighed.

“She is to betrothed to
someone else then? She did not mention it. She seems to care for you deeply.”

Serik shook his head,
“Old friend, you know why.”

Bock was shocked and
his expression couldn’t hide it. “You mean to tell me you haven’t told her?”

Serik shook his head.

“But why?”
Bock was barely able to say.

“I don’t want her to
hate me. I want her to remember me as being the good guy,” Serik said with his
head hung low.

“She seems happy with
you, she cares about you. Just tell her…”

“She will be better off
without me,” Serik replied trying to hide the anger his voice.

“Brother, I can’t make
you make that mistake. Don’t let her go. I know she loves you. Love can go
deeper than this.”

“I know better than to
love someone who can’t love me back, who won’t love me back. I will do what is
right by her, what is best for her and not for me,” Serik replied freely
letting the anger rise in his voice.

“Let it go. It’s your
chance to be happy,” Bock said with his hand held out an expression that said
be
at peace. His patience was unfaltering.

“Bock, I love that
little female more than anyone or anything. I would do anything for her. Her
happiness means more to me than my own. If I tell her the truth, she will only
feel betrayed. Hell, she’s an Earth Army soldier she might even try to kill me.
I will take her to Sora. It is a safe planet with a small human settlement,” Serik
replied decisively.

“You know the only way
to guarantee her safety is if she is with you. You saved my life and you saved
hers. Let it go. You will not bring her
trouble,
you
will save her from trouble just as you did before.” Bock offered.
 

Serik balled his hands
into tight fists in an act of frustration. Bock as a great friend but Serik
knew that it just couldn’t be with the little female. He couldn’t let the evil
he was marked with reach out onto her.

Bock paced back and
forth as he pondered the complexity of Serik’s situation. It was indeed a
tricky one. “Did you even ask her what she wanted? Did you just assume that you
know what’s best for? How will you know if you don’t tell her?”
 

“She will know what she
wants when I take her back to her people. She will easily forget about me once
she sees them,” Serik replied quietly.

“Did you ask her what
she wanted?” Bock repeated.

“I know what’s best for
her,” Serik replied decisively.

“You exhaust me,” Bock
sighed. “I’m going to get some rest just know you are wrong.”

***

Michelle groggily
opened her eyes to see Serik getting undressed down to his boxers.

“Serik?” she called
out.

“Hey baby, I didn’t
mean to wake you,” he whispered.

“It’s OK. It was hard
to get to sleep without you,” she smiled.

He climbed into the
sleeping platform next to her small warm body.

“Well, I’m here now,”
he replied as he held her body close to his.

Serik relaxed his body
as Michelle fell back asleep. He loved Michelle, truly, and deeply he loved
her. He didn’t know what was worse telling her the truth and having her hate
him or letting her go.