“No, but it can maintain temperatures inside the unit.”
“That damn thing has spoiled me and for your sake, you’d better hope it starts working soon because I still haven’t figured out how to fix some of this alien food yet. Back home, I could make some mean casseroles, but the last time I looked, we were missing the key ingredients — cows, pigs, and chickens.”
BuK loosens his arms around me only to grab my hand, leading me into the kitchen area. “Please sit. And you are lucky as I am an alien and can cook accordingly. Any requests?”
“Fruity Pebbles and chocolate milk.”
“What?”
“I’m assuming that is not on the menu, so just surprise me. I’ve eaten so many odd things at this point that I’m no longer picky.”
BuK pushes his long hair over his shoulder, and I sit back, simply enjoying the view as he just stands there with those dark pants hanging low on his hips. I feel like every time I look at him, I notice something different, like the fact that his pointed ears twitch slightly when he’s agitated or thinking hard about something.
The man is beautiful in a way I would’ve never imagined, and now that I keep seeing how diverse his family is, I realize how narrow-minded I was until I arrived here. I see how different most aliens are, but they’re all still seeking out the same thing really. No matter where they come from, they want love, acceptance, a home and that one person to spend the rest of their lives with.
That’s when my mind floats off and I ponder that age-old question … Why do you love that one person in particular? What’s the one thing that makes your mind and heart attach themselves to a specific individual? We love so many people in our lives, but never like the one our hearts choose. These are questions I’ve asked myself so many times, but no matter what, I can’t find the answer. BuK setting a plate down in front of me startles me and I actually jerk.
“What has you so deep in thought?”
“Love.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not unless you have the answers to the universe.”
He just laughs before turning around to get his own plate. When he doesn’t sit down, I look around the room. “Where are the other chairs?”
“When I was unpacking the crates for this area, there was only one ordered.”
“Well, that has to be a mistake, or it’s just damn depressing.”
“I had that same thought, even though my own dwelling is not much better as I do not even have a chair. I simply sit on the sleeping platform.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been living in a tent this entire time. That just goes back to me not knowing anything about you.”
“What do you want to know, Briar?”
I hold up my hand when I take my first bite. “It’s not Fruity Pebbles, but this is good. Okay, first question … what’s your favorite color?”
“I did not have one until you, but it quickly became the color blue. When you laugh, your eyes sparkle like rare gems. I could simply watch your reactions all rising and never get bored. And two of us can play this game. What is yours?”
“Pink, and before you think I’m copying off you and that silver tongue of yours, it was always pink. It looks great with my complexion.”
His laughter echoes across the room, and my heart flutters in my chest as all his words sink in. This beautiful creature loves me! Briar, a girl lost in the cosmos, with no money, no family, and no roots. Sitting in a frozen pod, only hours since surviving death and once again, eating food prepared by an alien.
“My turn,” BuK says between bites. “What does the perfect rising look like to you?”
“Do you mean when the weather is not trying to kill us, or something I enjoy doing?”
“Well, both if you look at it like that.”
Pushing my now-empty plate back, I get up and walk over to the viewer, thankful to be warm as I look out. “If we don’t include present events, I’ve come to love the constant sun here. One of my happiest memories since arriving was our beach day, until it ended in horror with Lace. Until she came up missing, I’m notsure I’ve ever laughed so much in one day. Volleyball was never that fun back home and I realize now, after watching you dance with your brothers, that it’s because you don’t care to act silly or have fun trying to figure out the things you don’t understand. What about you? What’s your favorite day or even place?”
“Place? Well, I have several of those, actually. Targres Four has a wonderful vacation sector. Zelta 11 probably has the prettiest waterfalls and shopping of any moon in this part of the universe. Marin’s market is the one place where you can find anything. Even though I have traveled extensively and seen many of the wonders of these worlds, I have never had a particular favorite. Maybe it was because I was seeing them alone or with one of my brothers. All of my risings have been wonderful since Father paired me with you.”
“Are you saying you had nothing to do with that?”
“I am innocent, even though I got a knowing grin from father when he saw I could not take my eyes off you.”
