In the meanwhile, Korum had prepared a gourmet feast consisting of five different varieties of salads, exotic sushi-like vegetable concoctions, various types of noodle dishes with delicious-smelling sauces, and fresh fruit for dessert. A bottle of Cristal was chilling in a bucket of ice, and the table was decorated with a large centerpiece of gorgeous flowers. He had really gone all out, and Mia’s heart tightened at the realization that he was actually trying to impress her family.
And impressed they were.
Her mom kept asking Korum for recipes of all the dishes they were eating, and even her dad seemed to be in a much better mood, his earlier headache gone without a trace. The atmosphere at the table was surprisingly relaxed, with her family questioning Korum about life on Krina and her lover telling amusing stories about his parents and the pranks Saret used to pull on him when they were children. Watching him, Mia realized he had deliberately steered the conversation toward those topics that would be most likely to put her family at ease . . . that would humanize him in their eyes. And even though Mia knew that he was putting on a show, she couldn’t help the little melting sensation she got inside when she thought of Korum as a little boy, playing in the forests of Krina and getting in trouble with his friends.
The dinner lasted until ten. Finally, replete and happy, everyone departed. On their way out, Mia’s mom kissed Korum on the cheek, and her dad shook his hand. Marisa blushed and stammered a little, thanking Korum again for the anti-nausea medication, while her husband gave him a huge smile and told him they would be coming over for dinner every night, given the awesome meal they’d just had.
As soon as her family drove away, Mia wrapped her arms around Korum’s waist and hugged him tightly. Still holding him, she looked up and found him regarding her with a tender look on his beautiful face. “Thank you,” she told him sincerely. “This really meant a lot to me.”
He stroked her cheek gently. “I would do anything to make you happy, darling,” he said softly. “You know that, right?”
Mia nodded and buried her face in his chest, feeling like she couldn’t contain all the emotions filling her chest right now. She loved him so much it hurt. And in that moment, she was almost certain that he loved her too.
* * *
The next morning, Mia woke up to the sound of Krinar language being spoken. A soft female voice, oddly familiar, could be heard, interspersed with Korum’s deeper tones. The doctor, Mia realized. She must’ve already arrived to inspect Marisa.
Getting out of bed, Mia quickly dressed and washed up, checking the time. Sure enough, her sister was supposed to get there in a few minutes.
Entering the living room, Mia saw a beautiful Krinar woman sitting there, chatting with Korum about the local beaches. Tall and slim, she reminded Mia of a Brazilian supermodel, with her bronzed skin, dark brown hair streaked with golden highlights, and sparkling hazel eyes. Again, something nagged at the back on Mia’s mind, some elusive memory that she couldn’t quite place.
She approached them, and the K female rose and extended her hand to Mia. “Hi,” she said warmly. “I’m Ellet.”
Smiling, Mia shook her hand briefly, surprised at the human greeting. Other than Korum’s cousin Leeta, Mia hadn’t spoken to a lot of K females. All four of the other assistants in Saret’s lab happened to be male, and Mia hadn’t really socialized with anyone else yet.
“Thanks for coming all the way here,” Mia told her. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your help with this.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure,” Ellet said, beaming with a megawatt smile and causing Mia to like her immediately. “This is my first time in Florida, and I’m loving it so far. So much like Costa Rica, yet so much more developed and with so many humans!”
Mia raised her eyebrows in surprise. Developed and teeming with humans were usually negative factors for most Krinar, but Ellet seemed to be saying just the opposite.
“Ellet loves humans,” Korum said dryly. “You’re her specialty. I don’t know why she’s even bothering to stay in Lenkarda – New York would be a much better place for her.”
“It’s a little too cold and dirty for my taste,” Ellet said, smiling. “But Florida seems much more promising . . .”
“Really?” Mia asked, staring at her. “You would move here and do what? Open a clinic?”
Ellet smiled. “I would like to, but I probably won’t be able to get permission. It goes against the mandate.”
“The mandate?”
“The non-interference mandate – one of the conditions under which the Elders have agreed to let us live here, on Earth,” Ellet explained, shooting Korum a quick and unreadable look.
“Oh, I see,” Mia said, though she didn’t really. She knew that the Ks hadn’t shared any of their technology and science, and she presumed it was because they wanted to see how their grand evolutionary experiment would turn out. However, she hadn’t realized there was an actual mandate in place.
Before she could ask any more questions, the doorbell rang. Marisa had arrived.
Mia went to open the door.
Once again, her sister looked wan and pale, the dark color of her hair only emphasizing the unhealthy pallor of her face. The medication Korum had given her yesterday was obviously no longer working.
“Ellet is already here,” Mia told her. “She’s very nice – you’ll like her.”
Marisa nodded, looking a little green. “Mia,” she whispered, “what if they find something really wrong with me or the baby? Something that our doctors haven’t been able to diagnose? What if it’s something bad – like truly bad?”
“What? No! I’m sure you’re perfectly fine. It’s probably just some weird hormonal imbalance . . . You can’t start stressing about crazy what-ifs before the doctor even looks at you! Here, come here . . .” Mia pulled her in for a hug and felt her slim body shaking in her arms.
In that moment, Ellet and Korum entered the hallway, having apparently overheard something with their sharp Krinar hearing.