They went to New York together, since Korum was reluctant to have her so far away on her own. He knew it was illogical; after all, she had lived in the human city for years before they met with no harm coming to her at all, and both Saret and the Resistance had been eliminated as a threat. Still, he couldn’t shake his irrational fear for her safety. It was either go with her or forbid her to go at all, and Korum knew she would not take well to the latter option.
On the morning of their trip, Mia used the fabricator to make them human clothes.
“Hmm, let’s see,” she said, grinning wickedly. “How about a pink T-shirt for you?”
“Sure.” Korum stifled a laugh at her crestfallen expression. “I’d love a pink T-shirt.” His people didn’t associate colors with gender, and he personally liked all pastel shades. He knew she’d been hoping he would bristle at what she viewed as a feminine outfit, but he couldn’t care less – as long as she didn’t make him wear a skirt. He would draw the line at a skirt.
“Fine,” she grumbled, “you’re no fun.” But she created a pink T-shirt anyway, which Korum put on without any hesitation. Thankfully, the jeans she handed him were of the regular dark blue variety.
“You know,” she said thoughtfully, studying him after they were both dressed, “pink actually looks hot on you.”
Korum laughed. “Why, thank you, my sweet. I’m flattered.” She looked very sexy herself, dressed in a pair of well-fitting jeans, high-heeled ankle boots, and a silvery tank top that showed off her newly toned arms and shoulders. With the nanocytes in her body, Mia had significantly more endurance when it came to physical activity, and her recent interest in hiking and swimming had done wonders for her slim body. Korum had always found her irresistible, but now he could barely keep his eyes – and hands – off her.
“You told Jessie we’ll be landing on her roof?” he asked as they entered the ship.
“Yep. She knows we’re coming and even got permission from the building manager.”
In order to save time, they had decided to go directly to Jessie, instead of flying to one of the designated Krinar landing areas. The idea behind these areas was to minimize disruption to the human population in the big cities. Even today, the sight of Krinar aircraft frequently resulted in car accidents. Apparently, frightened human drivers tended to be distracted drivers. As a Council member, Korum could get away with not following this landing guideline, but he still tried to be circumspect in large cities like New York.
Jessie greeted them on the roof when they landed. She was standing there with a young human male who could only be Edgar, her new boyfriend. Korum recalled seeing him once before, at the nightclub where Korum found Mia dancing with another man. That particular incident wasn’t one of Korum’s favorite memories.
Nevertheless, he smiled at Jessie and Edgar, determined to play nice. He knew Mia’s former roommate was concerned about her. She had been a witness to the rocky start of Korum’s relationship with Mia, and he still wasn’t her favorite person – something Korum planned to remedy today.
Mia smiled too, and he could see that she was genuinely happy to see her friend. She was also nervous, judging by the tight clasp of her fingers around his palm. For some reason, she still hadn’t told her friends or family about her memory loss. When Korum had confronted her about it, she’d given him some vague answer about not wanting to worry anyone and he’d had to be content with that.
“Mia!” Jessie flew at her as soon as they stepped out of the ship, and the two girls hugged, laughing and squealing.
Korum grinned at their exuberant reunion, then stepped forward, offering his hand to Edgar in a human greeting gesture. “Hello. I don’t think we formally met.”
“No, we haven’t,” Edgar said dryly, accepting his handshake. “The last time I saw you, your hand was wrapped around my friend Peter’s throat. I’m guessing that wasn’t a great time for introductions.”
“Indeed,” Korum said, his eyes narrowing a bit. This human dared to remind him of that day? Peter had been lucky Korum had been able to control himself as well as he had. Every time Korum thought of that boy kissing Mia, he saw red. Play nice, he reminded himself, and rearranged his features into a more friendly expression. “So you’re an actor,” he said, steering the conversation toward a topic the human would be sure to enjoy.
“I am.” Edgar took the bait. “I’m on that newest show on CBS. It’s called The Vortex. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”
“I’ve seen all the episodes,” Korum said. “I’m actually a big fan. I couldn’t believe what happened with Eva last week – I never would’ve expected her sister to turn up like that.”
Edgar’s eyes lit up. “Oh no way! You watch the show? Is it popular among the Ks?”
It was popular among one particular K who needed to watch it as preparation for this trip. “Sure,” Korum said. “We like entertainment as much as humans.”
Mia had finished hugging Jessie and came up to Edgar as well. “Hi, Edgar,” she said. “It’s great to see you again.”
Korum concealed a smile. Little liar. She didn’t remember the guy at all, but she was putting on a good show. Edgar wasn’t the only actor here today.
“Hi, Korum.” It was Jessie. There was a familiar look of distrust on her pretty face, and Korum inwardly sighed. Out of everybody, this particular friend of Mia’s would be most difficult to win over. He could see it in the stubborn tilt of her chin as she looked at him. She resented him for taking Mia away from her – and for his initial high-handed tactics.
It was a good thing Korum was always up for a challenge. “Hello, Jessie.” He gave the human girl a warm smile.
They went inside, to the apartment Jessie had shared with Mia. Korum knew that a number of NYU students lived in the building due to its proximity to campus and reasonable (for New York) rent, but Korum had always thought the place was unfit for habitation. The paint in the hallways was peeling, and he could smell the rot in the old, musty walls. When he’d first met Mia, he couldn’t wait to get her out of there and into his comfortable penthouse.
Jessie had prepared a veggie platter, beer, and some chips for them to snack on, and the four of them sat down in the living room. Later on, Korum planned to take them all out for a restaurant meal, but for now, this was as good of a spot to hang out as any.
Korum purposefully sat down next to their hostess. Mia sat on her other side, and Edgar made himself comfortable on a beanbag chair across from Korum. A couple of beers later, any hint of initial awkwardness had dissipated and conversation flowed freely. For a couple of young humans, Mia’s friends were actually quite interesting, and Korum found himself unexpectedly having a good time. Jessie and Edgar had great chemistry together, joking around and teasing each other, and he could see Mia’s initial tension draining away as nobody seemed to suspect anything about her lack of memory.
When everybody was sufficiently relaxed, Korum began his charm campaign against Jessie. He started off by inquiring about her summer, and then listened attentively as she told him all about her internship with a large pharmaceutical company. Korum already knew this, since he’d done his research prior to coming to New York. However, he also knew that people liked to talk about themselves, so he kept asking Jessie questions. In the meantime, Edgar was showing Mia posters of his latest show on the other side of the room.
“Is this company your first choice for full-time employment?” Korum asked Jessie, and she nodded, a hopeful look on her face.