A Soldier in Love

by A. Petrov

  “Here,” Serik said holding out a small purple fruit.

  Michelle took the fruit into her hand. She hesitated for a moment studying its soft texture. She slowly brought it to her mouth and chewed.

  She savored its taste. It reminded her of strawberries but it was sweeter and richer than any strawberry she ever ate on Earth. “Serik, that’s good.”

  He grinned and handed her a few more.

  “So, is it true that on Earth you eat the eggs of your fowl there? The membranes covered by shell.”

  “Yes, mostly from a bird called a chicken. I haven’t had any eggs in years because of the food shortages but they were delicious,” Michelle reminisced.

  Serik made a disgusted face. “I don’t understand how you could eat such a thing. It sounds revolting.”

  “Well, on Earth the food wasn’t all the same. I thought a lot of other cultures on my planet had strange food customs,” Michelle replied.

  “Like what?” Serik asked.

  “I guess a lot of things sound strange when I think about it. Like sushi, have you heard of that?”

  Serik shook his head.

  “It was raw fish, sea creatures, rolled in a sticky grain called rice.”

  “They were alive?” Serik exclaimed.

  Michelle laughed. “No, no it was just uncooked. It was delicious. I don’t know,” she shrugged her shoulders. “On Baat, do you cook all of your meat?”

  “On Baat, we don’t eat as much meat but we have far more protein sources there than you did on Earth. I will tell you Yegrek meat is delicious and yes we cook it.”

  “Well, if food tasted like this on Earth we probably would have eaten less meat. What is a Yegrek?”

  “Ahh, hmm… like your Cervidae,” Serik replied.

  Michelle thought for a moment, Cervidae? What the heck is that?

  “Cervidae?” Michelle questioned out loud.

  “Ah, let’s see it is a grazing animal it runs quickly,” Serik explained.

  “Oh, like a deer!” Michelle guessed.

  He nodded.

  “Tell me more about Earth food. What kind of foods did you like?”

  “When I was a little girl me, my sister, and my mom used to bake cookies. Chocolate chip ones. It has been many years since I’ve had them though,” Michelle said as she thought fondly of those warm days in the past. The rush of memories she had experienced had made her sentimental.

  “Cookies? This is Earth meal?” he asked.

  “Not a meal but a dessert, well, I guess you make a lot of meals that remind of me of desserts.”

  “Michelle, forgive me but is it also true I read you boil a snapping crustacean to its death and eat it.”

  “Ah, sounds like lobster. Yes, that was also an Earth delicacy. I guess a lot of things sound strange now that you mention them. Remind me to never ask what you what we are eating or where it comes from.” Michelle grinned.

  “I’m going to have to tell you if you want to learn how to cook,” he responded.

  Michelle sighed. “I guess you’re right. I just don’t want to eat any bugs.”

  “I promise I won’t feed you any insects. My people also find them revolting,” Serik chuckled.

  Michelle said moving closer to the stove like contraption. There was a giant microwave type device as well, it was what Serik used to make their first meal every morning. She watched as he poured and measured different foods into a mix and prepared their meal.

  “You are very thin,” he said.

  “I know we had to ration food,” Michelle replied quietly.

  “Not here you don’t. I have plenty and I want you to eat. Now that you are feeling well enough, I want to make you a special dinner tonight.”

  Her emerald green eyes met his blue and golden gaze as she smiled.

  “I’d like that but everything you’ve made has already been incredible,” she replied.

  He shook his head. “That stuff was nothing. Just wait ‘til I cook you an actual meal.”

  “Serik, I feel bad. I should help you with the cooking,” she protested. She felt a tinge of guilt that he had been so incredibly generous to her and expected nothing in return.

  “You can… but let me do this for you first,” he smiled.

  Michelle smiled back unable to refuse his offer. She knew it was strange to feel so strongly about someone she barely knew but she had never experienced anything like it before. Despite Serik’s giant stature and rough exterior he was gentle. He was gentle yet strong, loving, patient, intelligent, and not to mention an amazing cook. His touch was comforting and his words were kind. The way he cared for her and nursed her back to health. The way his strong muscular arms felt around her body at night.

  I have to stop. I can’t feel this way about him. I barely know him.

  But part of her didn’t want to stop. It was a good feeling and she didn’t want it to end.

  “Here you go, baby,” he said breaking her train of thought as he placed a bowl in front of her.

  “This is delicious,” Michelle said after taking a few bites.

  Serik smiled and continued to eat. He knew it was only a small offering but he loved that he was able to please her with his cooking.

  “Everything you make is delicious and smells amazing. Actually, you smell really good too. I’ve been meaning to ask are you wearing cologne?” she said sniffing the air.

  “What is call-all-alone?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

  “It is something we had on Earth. It is a product you put on to make yourself smell good,” she answered smiling.

  “No, we don’t have that on Baat,” he replied furrowing his brow as he tried to understand the purpose of call-all-alone.

  No, no, that’s impossible. How can this be? How can she smell me? Only females that are attracted to you can smell your mating scent. No, she must be smelling something else.

  “If you’re not wearing cologne that must just be your natural scent. Too bad my natural scent doesn’t smell as good as yours,” she added.

  He gave her a serious look. “But it does.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “I’m sure it doesn’t. I’m sure I still smell like the dust from Redex.”

  “You don’t, you smell… well, to be honest I’ve never met a female who had a better scent than yours.”

  The truth was her scent drove him crazy. It filled his nose and went straight to his head making him feel somewhat intoxicated at times. It then traveled lower to make his shaft throb with need for her. He wanted her badly but he knew he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. He was meant to be alone. He was bad luck and the sooner she got away from him the better off she would be, no matter how much he enjoyed her company. The little female was fierce, she was brave, she was a fighter. In all of his life he had never met anyone like her. She had been through much pain and suffering. He just wanted her to be happy. As long as he was with her he would do everything in his power to contribute to her happiness, she deserved it.

  He enjoyed just being with her. Her soft voice, her stories of Earth, her scent, those things somehow worked around the wall he had built up around his heart. He thought of the way her emerald eyes seemed to sparkle. It was both torturous and heavenly having her with him. He loved sleeping next to her each night, especially when her small feminine body was pressed up against his. It felt good, it felt right. It was torturous because he wanted her badly, no not badly, worse than anything else he had ever wanted in his entire life. Heavenly because when he could feel her small warm body next to his; it felt like she was his. It felt real, even though he knew deep down it was only temporary. Deep down, he knew she would hate him if she knew.

  Everything in life is temporary, he reminded himself.

  Not her, a small unknown voice called out to him.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Michelle inhaled the sweet scent of what Serik was cooking. The scent reminded her of fresh baked blueberry muffins. The homemade ones that mom, Amy, and her would bake on weekend
mornings. Its aroma brought back such a strong memory. She took a sip of prasna savoring the sweet taste and the relaxing effects. Serik had told her it was a lot stronger than her Earth alcohol but it didn’t have the hangover effects. You could drink as much as you wanted but past a certain point it wouldn’t do you any good. She needed a drink after everything she had been through.

  Abruptly the room spun and she stepped backwards grabbing on to a chair. A shooting pain filled her head. It pierced between her eyes. She groaned in pain and then just as suddenly as the pain came it left.

  It was as though everything were the way it always was in her mind. Just like that, everything seemed clear. The pieces all came back together. The mild headache that had been lingering was gone. The fuzziness became something sharp and focused. Michelle looked up to Serik who had put the skillet-like device down and was hovering over her with a concerned look on his face.

  “Are you feeling OK?” he said coming closer to her.

  “I used to be a teacher on my home world,” Michelle blurted out, surprised by her own words.

  “But you are a solider?” Serik replied.

  “I, well, before the Cabaka came into play. I was an elementary school teacher,” she continued.

  “Are you OK? Maybe you shouldn’t be having any prasna yet,” he asked taking her small delicate hands into his large rough ones. The concerned look didn’t leave his face.

  “It’s back, my memory. I think it’s all back. I mean it was back… but now it’s really back. I don’t know to explain it. It was fuzzy but now all of sudden, everything is clear again. The headache is gone,” she said giving his large hand a gentle squeeze.

  He smiled. “That’s good, baby. I knew you’d get over the memory fog fast. You’re a fighter.”

  He made his way closer to the stove and he continued cooking. She sat herself on a stool and watched him meticulously prepare their dinner.

  “So, teacher? I could see you being real good with kids,” he called from the stove as he turned it off and finished preparing the dish.

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Will you tell me more?” he said making his way over to the table.

  “You really want to hear?” she said trying to hide her surprise as she followed him to the table. She was a bit shocked he would want to hear about her teaching days filled with tying shoes and reading stories.

  “I want to know all about your life. I want to know everything about you,” he said as he sat the food on the table and served them both a slice.

  Michelle sat down, she still couldn’t get over the fact that furniture on the ship made her feel like a dwarf.

  I wonder if everyone is this big on Baat?

  “You know, I want to hear about the good and the bad too,” he said before taking a bite of his food. The truth was he wanted to know everything about the little female that caused his heart to skip beats. Her presence did something to him; something that he could not explain.

  Michelle took a bite of hers as well.

  “This is delicious,” she said as she took another bite. She savored the flavors in her mouth. The dish tasted like the most amazing blueberry cobbler she had ever had. It was kind of strange to be having something sweet for dinner but she was getting used to the Baat meals.

  “I keep telling you, you were starving on Redex and that’s why you think everything I make tastes good,” he grinned.

  She shook her head, “No, that’s not why.”

  “I’m waiting on the story.”

  “What story?” she questioned.

  “Your life story,” he responded.

  “If I tell you about my life, you have to tell me more about yours,” she shot back.

  “OK,” he agreed with a smirk.

  “Well, let’s start with the good,” she replied.

  She thought for a moment before beginning. “I grew up… on Earth, I’m sure you probably guessed as much. I grew up in the United States in a state called Utah. It got hot sometimes but never as hot as Redex.”

  He poured her another glass of prasna and then put a piece of what looked like bread on her plate. She paused and took a bite of the bread. It was spongy and flavorful in her mouth. “This is so good.”

  “I’ll win you over yet with my cooking,” Serik smiled and took another drink of his prasna.

  Michelle wasn’t sure if he had to really win her, most of the time it felt as though he had already won.

  “Thank you again for cooking,” she said warmly.

  “Of course, it is a great pleasure to cook for you. I want to hear more. Tell me more,” he encouraged.

  Michelle wasn’t sure if she had too much prasna but she could swear his blue and golden eyes twinkled. She shook her head. “Really? No one has ever been that interested. My life was pretty boring until the Earth invasions. Not that I mind boring anymore.”

  Michelle thought back unsure where to start. She paused for a moment then began again, “I grew up in Utah, like I said. It was a nice place. I had two loving parents. They were real good to me,”

  “Did they have hair your color?” he questioned.

  Michelle grinned. “No, no they didn’t but my grandfather did. I had a sister too. All of them were light, like my squad mate, Aaron, I told you about. I was always dark compared to them. I was always different.”

  “I know about being different,” he offered.

  Michelle looked at him. She expected him to say more but he didn’t.

  “Tell me more,” he said breaking the silence.

  “I had a dog growing up. A pet. Did you have those on Baat?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I had a pet walafano.”

  “What’s a walafano?”

  Serik sat for a moment with a pensive look on his face. “A very loyal creature who was not concerned with looks.”

  “That sounds a lot like a dog,” Michelle smiled.

  “Tell me more about your life,” Serik encouraged.

  “Well, my life was pretty normal and uneventful until the Cabaka attacks. My parents and sister loved me, so did my dog.”

  “Did you have to leave your dog on Earth?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Where I lived dogs weren’t allowed any more. They were all rounded up and caged. Most were either euthanized or given an injection that made them aggressive and vicious so that they could be used in the Earth Army.”

  “What do you mean?” Serik replied with a horrified look on his face.

  Michelle bit her lip and frowned. “It depended on their size, most of the smaller ones were euthanized. Things…” Michelle paused for a moment breaking his gaze. “Things are different when there is a war. People become afraid and take it out on others. People try to control others and control things out of fear. Thankfully Gus had died of old age before all of that happened. I don’t know if I could endure the thought of him being chemically altered into something he was not.”

  “But you didn’t have weapons? Why do that to the creatures? From what I remember Earth had weapons and resources?” Serik asked.

  “We did but we used a lot of them. I’m not sure if you know what a car is?”

  “Yes, Earth cars now are very popular on other planets,” he replied before taking another drink of his prasna.

  “Most everyone’s car got taken away from them. Many people on Earth had much money invested into them but money became meaningless as well. I guess a few of the cars were shipped off to different planets in exchange for weapons. Some were taken for use by the Earth Army. Then, the majority were melted down for materials to use to build space shuttles.”

  “A lot had happened on Earth. A lot more than I knew of,” Serik said quietly.

  “What did you hear of?” Michelle inquired.

  “Ah, I knew it was a place preparing for war but I didn’t know your people had gone as far as doing all of that. I wish they would have called to the other planets for help.”

  “I think Earth had a bad experience with other planets
,” Michelle replied.

  “My people will always fight for a good cause. That is what we do, we are natural warriors,” he offered.

  She shook her head. “It is the past.”

  “You’re right, tell me more about your life,” Serik replied a bit uneasy.

  “Well, I was happy and my parents and my sister loved me very much. I had a normal life until the wars began.”