by A. Petrov
“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.
Chapter Thirty-one
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 li
ttle 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.
Chapter Thirty-two
Much to her delight Bock brought her a box of canned foods.
“Luckily, your food isn’t considered a delicacy here. It wasn’t too hard to bargain for,” Bock said with a shrug of his large shoulders.
Michelle shifted through the box there were spaghetti noodles, canned tomato sauce, mushrooms, and a packet of seasoning. She grinned when she realized there was also a bottle of wine. She didn’t know if she could have better luck, spaghetti would be a perfect meal for the two of them.
Michelle smiled. “Bock, this is amazing. Thank you. How will I ever repay you?”
“No need to repay me,” Bock said waving a hand in the air.
“But this must have cost,” Michelle rebutted.
“Just make my old friend happy that is the only payment I require from you.”
Michelle nodded and went upstairs to put the things in her pack. She returned to the living room to see Serik had come back in.
“Hey, you’re back,” Michelle smiled.
“Hey,” he smiled. “I am. I’m all done now so if you want I’d like to take you around the city,” Serik replied warmly.
Michelle smiled. “Of course.”
“I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it,” Bock winked.
Serik rolled his eyes and took Michelle’s hand as he led the way.
***
“Mmm, this is delicious, Serik,” Michelle replied between bites of the frozen, custard like confection. It had a sweet taste that she couldn’t quite place. She had never tasted anything like it.
“I knew you’d like,” Serik replied warmly.
Michelle took another bite. “It reminds me of a food we had on Earth, it was called frozen yogurt.”
“I’m glad I could give you a taste of home,” he smiled.
“Gosh, I’m going to weigh a ton if I keep hanging out with you,” Michelle sighed putting a hand over her full stomach.
“What is a ton?” Serik asked.
Michelle smiled. “Eh, it is a lot.”
Serik shook his head. “You are so thin. I don’t know why you worry.”
Michelle took another bite.
Serik furrowed his brow. “So, this frozen youbert, you had to travel to the frozen areas of your planet to obtain it?”
Michelle laughed.
“No, no, we had freezers that we could make it in.”
He let out a chuckle as well. “That makes much more sense.”
“Bock told me about the time you changed the ink out with berry juice in his desk when you were kids,” Michelle said.
“You should have seen him! It took him at least ten minutes to notice. He was there smelling the paper, like this,” Serik held his napkin all the way to his nose. “He was a big sticky mess in the end with juice on his nose.”
Serik began to chuckle infectiously causing Michelle to laugh as well.
As their laughter died down, Serik took a more serious tone.
“Michelle, do you.. do I…”
“What?” Michelle asked furrowing her brow. Serik was a quiet one but he always spoke eloquently.
“Are you happy with me?”
“Of course, Serik. You are real good to me… too good, I don’t know why you are,” she replied softly.
“Because you deserve it,” he replied taking her small hand into his large one.
She smiled as his golden blue gaze met her green one.
“We had better go back. Bock will be expecting us soon,” Serik said.
Michelle nodded.
***
“Sit my friends! I just opened the prasna,” Bock exclaimed.
“Great!” Michelle exclaimed as she sat down at the table.
“Dinner will be done in a few minutes,” Bock said with pride in his voice. “I will get us some glasses, yes?”
Michelle gave Serik a look.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess you are going to get closer to be a ton.”
She rolled her eyes and gave him a smirk.
Bock returned with the glasses and poured them each a plentiful serving.
“You know when we were children me and Serik used to get into all kinds of mischief,” Bock said.
“Oh, really?”
Bock nodded.
Serik let out a small laugh. “Ah, the days of our youth.”
“Yes, remember the time…” Bock began as he recounted stories of their youth and they began to laugh.
Michelle couldn’t help but start to laugh as well. She wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about at all times but their laughter and happiness was infectious.
They were all laughing so hard they were crying.
Chapter Thirty-three
Michelle had enjoyed the pink planet, Kano, immensely but their time had come to end. They had spent several days enjoying the city and hanging out with Bock. Michelle enjoyed listening to Bock’s stories and trying the different delicacies Kano had offered. She watched as the pink planet slipped farther and farther away from them. She wondered if Serik ever missed any of the planets he visited after he left.
She turned her attention to Serik. She watched over him as he looked at what seemed to be a map and configured the controls into the shuttle’s computer system. He had been quiet ever since they had returned.
He probably wants to be rid of you, a snide little voice whispered from the back of her mind. She wondered where she would go and what she would do without Serik. With no news on the Earth Army or the Cabaka she felt out of place. Where did she belong? What was she to do?
“Serik?” Michelle called.
“Yeah, baby?” he replied looking up from his work.
“When you were out doing your deal, Bock helped me to find some Earth food,” Michelle smiled.
“Really?” he grinned.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to make you a special dinner tonight.”
“I’ll help you,” he said as he got to his feet.
Michelle shoo
k her head. “No, it’s my turn to do something for you. I just hope you like the taste of Earth food.”