A year and a half ago.
Hud: Pardos
I stood at the kitchen counter cutting vegetables for a soup I was making. The counter was way too short for me and it always hurt my back to hunch over it. But it was what we had to work with.
The kitchen was dimly lit and very small, just like the rest of the house.
Put honestly, the place was a dump. Although Natilliea and I never said it aloud, we thought it. But she and I needed to lay low, and this was the perfect place to do just that.
I caught a glimpse of her as she walked in from the bathroom. Her beautiful golden hair flowed behind her and down her shoulders, shining in the dim light. She wore a dark pair of pants that were close to skin tight, and a large tee shirt that made her thin body look even smaller. She was actually fairly tall for a female Human, but next to me she looked like a beautiful little doll.
I couldn't help but stare. She was beyond gorgeous.
She caught me staring and I bashfully smiled at her. "Dinner is almost ready, beautiful."
She beamed as she walked over to me, and we kissed. "Thanks, Hudson." She said softly, and we kissed again.
That was her nickname for me: Hudson. She said it was a river back on her planet, and that's what my name reminded her of. She said the river was like me; big and strong, but gentle. I didn't think I was very gentle, but maybe she knew me better than I knew myself.
She walked to the other side of the counter and pulled out two bowls and utensils for the soup. We didn't even have matching bowls. I felt sure this was a worse life for her than she had ever had before.
But she was happy, I could tell. And that was all I cared about.
"Did that head Kaziraby talk to you at work today?" She asked, holding the bowls in her hands as she walked over to the small beaten down table we had.
I tossed the vegetables into the soup and added a couple of spices. "Yeah, yeah. He says he wants me to start working for him in the next few months. Says he can keep it on the down low—no questions asked."
"That's wonderful, Hudson! Oh I'm so happy!" She put down the bowls and rushed over to me. I turned to her as she wrapped her arms around my torso. "See?" She said softly as we looked into each other's eyes. She had to tilt her head all the way back to look me in the face. "I told you that everything would be okay."
I smiled and kissed her forehead, embracing her gently. "Actually I'm pretty sure it was me who said that to you."
She laughed and rested her head against my chest. "I'm so happy, Hudson."
I held her there, feeling her small body next to mine in the dim light, the aroma of the savory soup filling my lungs.
I wished I could have known how much I would miss this moment. If I had the choice, I would have made that hug last forever. I'm sure I'm not the only one that wished they could make time stand still, but time doesn't ever give a damn.
Natilliea looked up at me. "What do you want to do after dinner?" She smiled.
"Well..." I was trying hard to suppress a sly smile. "I kinda wanted to make love to you all night."
She giggled and pushed away from me. "Hud, you're such a cowboy!" She walked back to the bowls and neatly arranged the spoons and water glasses next to them.
I grinned. "What's a cowboy?" I asked sincerely, going back to stirring the soup.
"A cowboy..." Natilliea thought for a moment. "Well I guess a cowboy is somebody who works with cows."
I tasted the soup. "What's a cow?"
Natilliea wrinkled her nose. "It's a big animal that eats grass and smells really bad."
I clumsily walked over and sat across the table from her.
She was so pretty. Her calm green eyes shined in the dim light, the color emphasized and brightened by my forest green skin.
"What?" She laughed, noticing my stare.
"I just..." I stammered. "I don't know if I really want to be a cowboy."
Natilliea laughed. She had a cute laugh too.
"The soup is done, by the way." I said to her.
She grabbed one of the bowls from the table and waltzed over to the cooking pot. "When I say you're a cowboy I mean... more the way you act." She waved her hand in front of her lightly, as if conjuring up the words. "You act so cool and tough." She said, then she laughed again.
I smiled, although still a little unsure of what she meant.
She poured a bowl of soup for herself and me.
"...But I think it's cute." She said with a grin, walking back with the two bowls and kissing me on the forehead.
"Well that's good." I said with a smile. She placed the bowl in front of me and sat down on her seat. Nothing matched in our small hole-in-the-wall kitchen; Natilliea sat on a wooden armchair and I sat on a small stool.
The soup turned out good; I liked it and so did Natilliea. It was a classic Pardos dish made with a few alterations; I replaced a few of the Pardos vegetables that Natilliea didn't like so much with other alien vegetables, some of them from earth.
After eating dinner, we washed the dishes together. I tried to get her to sit down and let me clean everything and she tried to get me to do the same. In the end we might have made the kitchen messier than it was before, but neither of us cared.
We made love that night, and soon after fell asleep in each other's arms.
We didn't have any beds, or even a bedroom. The only place to sleep was on the hard floor. I had her sleep on top of me each night so that she was comfortable, and I didn't mind.
I always thought the pressure on my chest was relaxing and helped me sleep better anyway.