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“What about Danielle? Did she gain back to her previous age too?” Baird asked, taking a sip of his own whisky.
Bravik shook his head.
“She’s gained a bit of her age back—maybe ten years? She’s fucking gorgeous, of course. But then, I thought she was fucking gorgeous back when she was a mature Elite.” He sighed. “Guess I won’t get to see her age back to where she was when we first met, though, since she hates my fucking guts.”
“Oh, come on, Brother,” Baird objected. “From what you’ve told me, you haven’t given her a chance to like you—let alone love you and want to spend her life with you.”
“She felt that way for me on Soluu Four,” Brav growled.
“Yes, but she’s forgotten all that,” Baird pointed out. “And it sucks that she’s forgotten you and everything you meant to each other—I understand that. But it only means that you’ve got to woo her all over again. Why don’t you ask her out on a ‘date’ as the humans call it?”
“You think she’d go?” Brav asked, frowning. “I mean, she still thinks I’m an asshole.”
“Prove her wrong,” Baird said reasonably. “Go to the Med Center tomorrow and ask her out. I know she and Olivia are working together on the morning shift.”
“But what if she says no?” Brav asked. “What if she still hates me?”
“She might.” Baird shrugged. “Olivia hated me and rejected me several times during our Claiming Period.”
“What?” Brav frowned. “I don’t believe that! The two of you are so well-matched!”
“So are you and Danielle,” Baird said. “Didn’t you tell me that the Goddess herself spoke to her and told her that the two of you had to bond in order to save your life?”
“Well, yes—but she doesn’t remember that now,” Brav pointed out.
“Doesn’t matter if she remembers—the Goddess herself told the two of you to bond.” Baird poked the table emphatically with one finger. “That means she wants the two of you to be together. In fact, if I were you, I’d be saying a prayer to the Goddess before you ask Danielle out tomorrow. Ask her to put a hand in the situation—she knows how you feel and what the two of you need.”
“I suppose I could,” Brav said unwillingly. He still wasn’t sure about the idea of asking Danielle out in the human fashion. It seemed wrong and backwards to have to go through the awkward ritual of courtship when the two of them had been so close on Soluu Four they could barely stand to be parted, even for a few hours.
But maybe his friend was right—maybe he needed to start at the beginning and try to win Danielle’s heart all over again. Maybe he needed to try and remind her of how they’d felt together back on the strange little planet that had so completely changed their lives in such a short time.
“Well, I’ve got to get home.” Baird finished his whiskey and grinned. “It’s my turn to make Last Meal and I’m making Olivia’s favorite—spaghetti and meatballs.”
Brav frowned.
“What in the Seven Hells is that?”
“An Earth dish with long, worm-like things called noodles in a sauce made from crushed red fruit called tomatoes. You serve it with ground up animal flesh that you form into balls and fry first. Then you season the whole dish with aged and hardened bovine squeezings that smell like dirty feet,” Baird explained.
“Sounds fucking awful,” Brav said frankly.
“I know, but it tastes a lot better than it sounds,” Baird said. “Olivia loves it, so I make it for her as often as I can.” He frowned. “The only time she didn’t like it was when she was pregnant with our son. Then even the smell of it made her sick.” He shook his head. “But after the pregnancy, she was right back to loving it.”
“It certainly sounds like a unique dish,” Brav said, nodding.
But inside, he was thinking of how he would approach Danielle and what he would say to her to get her to give him a chance. If only he hadn’t been such an asshole to start with, before they left for Soluu Four! Now that previous behavior was all she could remember of him—she didn’t know how much he loved her or how badly he missed holding her soft, curvy body against his own.
As he nodded an absent goodbye to his friend, he thought of Baird’s other piece of advice—to ask the Goddess for help. Well, what could it hurt?
Closing his eyes, he sent up a silent prayer.
Goddess, I don’t know why this is happening—why Danielle had to forget me. But even though she has, I still love her—still need her in my life. I feel like you put the two of us together for a reason, Goddess—though I don’t know what it is. Please, can you take a hand in this situation? Help me to convince Danielle to give me a chance—let me win her heart all over again. I’ll do anything I have to, Goddess—I’ll stay the course no matter how long it takes to earn her love. Just please—let her give me a chance. The bond we have between us is withering and I want so damn badly to be able to use it again—to feel Danielle in my arms and in my mind—to love her and care for her like she deserves to be loved and cared for.
