Making Memories - Part One

Posted on 07 Apr 2016 @ 5:21am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Ensign Aidan Crehan

6,072 words; about a 30 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: New Risa
Timeline: MD-5

The light from the sunrise began to slowly pour through the windows. It crept across the bed and fell on the divan where Aidan slept. He slowly began to wake, yawning and stretching his arms. He pushed the covers back, revealing his black, thigh-length silk boxers, and sat up. He rolled his shoulders and felt a slight twinge in his neck. Then he looked down and saw his pillow on the floor. “Ugh, well, that explains that. Ouch,” he added, moving his head from side to side.

Mila opened her eyes and squinted when the sun met her eyes and she closed them again. She turned her head away from the window and opened them, but with the glare still in her eyes, she saw only a blurry outline of Aidan. She rubbed her eyes and pushed the covers aside to reveal a thigh length, embroidered purple silk night dress and yawned. "Mornin'," she said sleepily. "How did you sleep?"

Aidan yawned again. “Mornin’ songbird,” he replied. “I slept well enough. A bit of a sore neck and shoulders, though. Apparently I tossed the pillow on the floor sometime last night.” He kicked it over towards the bed as he rubbed his eyes again and brought them into focus. “Purple, huh. It looks great on you. Did you sleep well?”

"I did," she said as she got up and went over to pick up the pillow before she set it on the bed and looked at him. "Do you wish a massage to get the kink out?"

“If you would not mind, Mila,” answered Aidan. “It would make for a less stressful morning. Besides, it would be easier for me to prepare breakfast for us. I think I remember some sort of a kitchenette in here.” He turned around on the divan so that his back was towards Mila.

Mila smile and came up behind him to lay her hands on his shoulders. She applied a gentle pressure as she began to kneed his muscles in a circular motion while slowly applying more pressure. She moved up to his trapezius muscles and ran her fingers over them lightly with her eyes closed before she found an area that was tense. She extended two fingers and folded them at the second knuckle and began to work her way around and over the area until the knot began to loosen.

“Uhhhhhhh,” Aidan moaned as she started. “Ohhhh myyyy…. That…feels…great,” he said slowly. He began to sway and move with the motions of Mila’s hands as she massaged the kink out. “Where did you ever learn to do that?”

"I have dealt with many tense Captains and Executive Officers who have needed to appear less tense," she said as she worked on the muscles at the base of his neck. "You would be surprised what often is requested behind closed doors. I once had a Captain beg me for foot massages because he stood instead of sitting on the bridge."

Aidan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Perhaps I should not have asked,” he said. He breathed deeply as she continued. “I could almost go back to sleep. So relaxing.” He paused for a couple of minutes and enjoyed the moment. “So, what do you want for breakfast, Mila.”

"Breakfast steak, eggs over easy, toast, fresh fruit and orange juice," Mila said without hesitation as she continued to work on his neck. "Do you think that little restaurant we went to yesterday is open this early?"

“That was fast,” he said. “The restaurant…I don’t know. I am sure we could find out easily enough, though.” Her massage felt good. Aidan could move easier now, but he really didn’t want to ask Mila stop. However… “Oh, that feels much better. Thank you. How can I repay you?”

"Take the bed tonight," she said instantly as she finished the massage. "I think that isn't too big a price to pay."

He smiled. “No, it isn’t. But knowing how I woke up this morning…I could not allow you to go through this.” He stood and took the covers off the divan to put them on the bed. “Is there any other way? Cook that breakfast you wanted, perhaps?”

"I will take the cushions off the sofa and make a fort so I cannot toss the pillow off the divan," Mila said. "Although I would appreciate a home cooked breakfast."

“You have thought this through already, I see,” said Aidan. “I will gladly make you breakfast, but I suppose there is no changing your mind about the bed?”

"You changed it for me yesterday," she said. "Why do we not just take turns sharing it? That way, we will not have to go through this each day. You know that I will not give up trying."

Aidan laughed. “Oh, I know you will not give up. That is one of the things I like about you, you are a challenge. And that is a good thought about the bed. Let’s do that, think about it for a while.” Aidan turned, “Do you still want your original menu?” He had not put on a robe or anything in addition to his silk boxers.

"As I said," Mila said with a smile. "I have had to deal with Captains." She looked down and then back up with an even bigger smile. "Could you remind me of what I wanted, Aidan?" She asked, her accent thicker.

“Have I mentioned that I love your accent, Mila. And what in the world could make you forget what you wanted?” he teased. He stood there, hands on his hips, looking at her big smile. Then he looked her up and down, slowly. “What was it that I was going to do?”

"Da," she said, her accent still thick. "But...I...I think...we were going to...have breakfast." She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she looked up at his eyes.

Aidan grinned. “Well, I guess I'll be repeating myself at least every day, then. After you,” he said, gesturing towards the bedroom door. He couldn’t but help chuckle a little. Especially after the conversation they had last night on the way out the door.

Mile laughed. "No, after you," she said. "I know you, Mister Crehan. You are most certainly being a rogue while posing as a gentleman."

“If you insist,” he said. Aidan quickly grabbed a pillow from the bed and put it over his behind before he started down the hall. A second later the rogue in him came to the surface again as he purposely dropped the pillow. “Oh my, look what I have done.” Even though Mila couldn’t see it, he grinned as he bent over to pick-up the pillow. Aidan slowly stood, turned his head to, and said, “Rogue enough for you?”

She began to laugh when he hid his butt with the pillow and shook her head. "You are something else," she said before he dropped the pillow. When he bent down though, she moved up behind him quickly and popped him on the butt. "You are a bad boy and should be punished for that."

Aidan stared at her for a moment, and then raised an eyebrow. “No you are something else.” He then winked at his hazel-eyed Russian songbird. “Though, I should warn you to be on your guard now, Miss Rasputin.” He wanted to say something about the method of punishment, but decided to leave that for another time. “For your butt is not beyond being swatted.”

Mila smirked. "Is that a challenge, Mister Crehan?" she asked. "If it is, I suggest that you read Russian history where battles are concerned. We have been known to burn our own earth to prevent others from taking it from us. Of course, I would not go that far, but it is something which has happened in the far past. Enough of the past though, I will put you over my knee if I do not get breakfast soon."

Aidan straightened up and cocked his head to the side. This was something new, another star worth exploring it would seem. “Oh I will get your breakfast, but now I am not sure whether I want to do it immediately or in an hour,” he said smiling. He took a few steps towards Mila, closing the short distance between them. “What do you recommend?” he said, in a hushed tone.

A warning went off in her mind like a red alert klaxon and she suddenly felt nervous. She wanted to take a step back, but held her ground as she tried to think about what she wanted to say. Then she raised a hand and put it gently against his chest. "I am sorry, Aidan," she said after a moment. "I should not have done that." She took a breath. "I find myself liking you, but I do not rush in where only fools dare to go."

He relaxed. “Very good,” he said. “I now know my boundaries, as well. See, it is good to get to know a person beforehand isn’t it?” He backed off, hoping that Mila would relax as well. “Shall we go to the kitchenette and see what we have to work with?”

"It isn't about boundaries," Mila said softly. "It...scares me."

Perhaps breakfast could wait a bit longer. Aidan turned to face her, the rogue gone and nothing complete gentleman. “Mila, I am truly sorry if I have done or said something that scared you. Believe me, frightening you is the last thing I wish to do.”

"It isn't you," she said. "It's me. I have had two relationships in eleven years, Aidan. I do not get into them lightly and as I said, I like you. I haven't felt like this in a long time and it scares me to realize how attracted I am to you and it's hard to remind myself that I just met you yesterday. You are wonderful, smart, funny, and make me think, laugh, and blush. You're not like most men I have known and I want to take the time to get to know all about you."

Aidan nodded throughout Mila’s statements. “Thank you for being honest and talking to me about it. The other night after you sang, I had little talk with Chow. I know, I know, but…anyway, I told him that you are a wonderful woman; smart, funny, and simply a joy to be around. I also told him that you are too great to be talking about sadness and being alone. I said that wish I could fix that. Perhaps I try too hard. Sometimes I forget that my lifespan is much longer. But, I like you, too. And I find myself attracted to you. I don’t want to ruin what we are building. We can take as much time as you need. As I told Chow, I could wait for years. And enjoy every day talking, laughing, teasing…getting to know you. And of course treating you the way one should treat an Antarian Moon Blossom”

A smiled crossed Mila's lips. "You talked to Chow about me?" she asked. "That is sweet, even if he doesn't know many words in Standard. Still, it is something that I did not expect and it pleases me to know that you took him into your confidence, Aidan. So let us spend time together, get to know each other, then decide what our mutual future brings." The fact that he would far outlive her only bothered her for a moment, but she shook it off and reached for his hand. "Now that we have that out of the way, shall we work on breakfast together?"

Aidan smiled and nodded. "Let us do that, then, get to know one another." He realized that he had taken his teasing a bit too far and made a note to keep it in check. Roads were never smooth. They had their bumps and so did these roads. He was glad that they were able to navigate them together. He grasped her hand as she took his and led her into the kitchenette. "Over easy eggs was one of the things you wanted, I believe."

She headed to the kitchenette with him. "Breakfast steak with sauteed onions, eggs over easy, toast, fresh fruit and orange juice. If they do not have it, then we shall make do with what is available and feast on the light of the day to see what joys it brings us."

“You know, you really should write those things down,” he said. “Oh, by the way, can you help me with some of Chow’s gestures? You said he didn’t know many words in Standard, and I didn’t expect him to, honestly. But he did respond and I have now idea what he meant.”

"Write what down?" Mila asked him. "As for Chow, it is sometimes hard to figure out what he is gesturing. Usually, it is repeated gestures associated with actions to which I assign a meaning. It is more like he is teaching me than I am teaching him."

“What you just said…‘feast on the light of the day to see what joys it brings us,’ that one,” he replied. “Oh, okay. So when he held out a paw and waved it from side to side, then patted my head and looked towards the hallway where you were about to come out, it could have really been anything.”

She laughed. "It was a saying that my father said all the time. Back in the early days of Russia, people were so hungry that they feasted on the light of day just to have a little joy." She thought for a moment. "Unless I know the context and phrasing of what and how you said it to Chow, he could have been saying that he wasn't sure with the waving of his paw from side to side, but a pat on your head indicates that he approves."

Aidan chuckled. “Well that’s good enough for me.” They had made it into the kitchenette by that time and Aidan had walked up the replicator. “This will be the easiest meal I have ever cooked,” he said with a laugh. “Though I do wish there was an actual cooking area.” He turned to Mila, “You have no idea what you are missing.”

Mila looked at the replicator and frowned. "This is not a cooked breakfast," she said. "I could go to the ship and get service like this. So you are correct; I do know know what I am missing. Still, I guess it is the thought which counts, da?"

“Yes, it is the thought that counts. But perhaps I can make good on that thought for you at another time, a ‘rain check’ I believe is the phrase,” said Aidan. He wasn't too pleased either that there wasn't a cooking area. “As for a cooked breakfast, I suppose we could go out if you wish. Though, I think we should put on something more that what we have on right now.”

"I think I would rather enjoy a private breakfast, replicated or not, with you first," she said. "But if I do not get a cup of coffee soon, you may be talking to the top of my head because I will faceplant into the table."

“We cannot have that,” said Aidan. “What in the world would you tell the Captain when asks how you came by a bruised face?” Aidan walked over the replicator and was about order a cup of coffee, when he realized that he had no idea how Mila took her coffee. Or what kind of coffee, for that matter. “Um, what kind of coffee do you like and how do you take it?”

"I do not bruise easily," Mila said. "As for coffee. Make it black. Make it strong. Give it the ability to kill someone and bring them back to life again. Oh, and a teaspoon of sugar."

“A teaspoon of sugar?” Aidan asked. “After all that….” He turned to the replicator and spoke, “Coffee, black, strong enough to kill someone and bring them back to life, and a teaspoon of sugar.”

“Please restate the parameters,” said the computer.

Aidan started laughing. “Computer, do you have a reference for an ancient Earth coffee blend called Death Wish Coffee?”

“Searching…,” spoke the computer. After a few compliant beeps, it responded, “Death Wish Coffee found.”

“One twelve ounce cup of Death Wish Coffee and teaspoon of sugar,” said Aidan. It shimmered into existence and he reached for it, only to bump the cup and spill some. “Heh, it looks like you will get a little bit less than twelve ounces. Okay, there must be some napkins or towels here someplace.” Aidan began opening drawers and found some napkins in the third drawer he opened. He took some out and cleaned up his mess before handing the coffee cup to Mila. “Enjoy.”

Mila accepted the coffee and took a sip and made a face, but she managed to choke the hot rancid liquid down after a moment of internal conflict and a severe lack of desire to spit it all over the place. "I think...that whoever made this...used it to torture people," she said. She really wanted to take the napkin and wipe her tongue off, then brush her teeth.

“Hmm, I wonder what else is hidden around here.” He began checking the cabinets and in a few minutes found some pans and skillets. “Hey! Look at that!” he exclaimed. “We can cook! Uh, as soon as we find something to cook on.”

"I sincerely hope that the food it replicates is nowhere near as vile as that coffee," she said. "Does it have Jamaica Blue Mountain dark roast?" She asked hopefully.

He raised up from the bottom cabinets. “Let’s see. Computer, Jamaica Blue Mountain dark roast coffee.” Once it materialized, he handed it to Mila. “So sorry about that last cup. I’ve never had that brand before. An Academy roommate of mine once drank it during finals week. He said it was good. I guess will check it out next time, especially before I give it to you. I hope this one is better.”

"I would rather drink cold blood wine," Mila said as she gratefully took the offered cup and took a gulp of the live-saving liquid. "Your roommate obviously had no taste buds or the palette of a Denebian slime devil."

Aidan laughed, “Knowing my roommate, the slime devil. That kid would eat anything.” He watched Mila take a drink. “I presume that you like that much better?”

"Da," she said with satisfaction. "It is so perfect that it was only grown at once place on Earth and at a specific altitude. It does not need cream, sugar or anything else, has no bitter after taste, and provides a pleasant caffeine rush from which there is no crash."

“It sounds like nectar of the gods.” Then he remembered who he was talking to. “Er, rather, the gods and goddesses.” He smiled at Mila.

"Gods, goddesses, omnipotent beings, humans, Klingons..well, maybe not them, Betazoids, Romulans and every other civilized being in the known universe," Mila said. "You really should try a cup."

Aidan hadn’t tried the coffee from his Academy roommate and it had been a long time since he had any. But he was willing to give this one a go because of its rave review. “Okay, I think I will.” Aidan ordered himself a cup from the replicator and took a sip. “Wow,” he said. “This must be the perfect cup of coffee.” He took another sip and set it down.

She smiled and took another sip of hers with a sigh of contentment. "Bless the first person who decided to roast the coffee bean and soak it in hot water," she said. "And further blessings on the person who cultivated this nectar to the height of caffeinated perfection."

“You certainly have a way with words, Mila,” said Aidan, as he went back to cabinet with the pans. He pulled out one of them and spun the handle in his hand. “I’ll take care of the eggs and toast,” he said. “If you still want to work on breakfast together?”

"Certainly," Mila said as she went to the replicator. "Four breakfast steaks, two point five centimeters thick, uncooked." She waited until they materialized on a tray before she said it aside. "Point two kilograms of raw button mushrooms and one medium Vidalia onion, raw." She set these aside as well. "Six uncooked terran chicken eggs in the shell and four pieces of wheat bread." Once she had everything, she took it over to where he was. "As for a way with words, most of it is a simply a positive outlook which is inspired by my surroundings."

Aidan watched as Mila brought the raw foods over. He opened a couple of other cabinets and slid some things in and out to reveal a small cook-top and a recycler. “I found these while I was looking in the pots and pans cabinets. The interior looked a little odd.” He pulled out a larger skillet for the meat and looked at the button mushrooms and Vidalia onions. “It looks like you have cooked this before, or at least eaten it.”

She smiled. "I just know what I like and what tastes good," she said as she looked at what he had found. "it looks like we are going to have a home cooked breakfast after all. I am impressed with this place."

“As am I,” he replied. “I am looking forward trying your breakfast steak, then.” He fired up the cook top and placed his pan on it. “Excuse me,” he said, reaching for two eggs. “Heh, do you have enough room or do you need me to move over a bit?”

"You're fine," Mila said as she went back to the replicator and requested a bit of steak seasoning mixed with garlic, sea salt, and a dash of Italian herb. When she retrieved them, she came back and began to heat the pan. "Do you have any allergies to any herbs or seasonings?"

“No, I don’t. Do you?” asked Aidan. He hadn’t thought about that before. “Also, do you have an aversion to Extra Virgin Olive Oil? I usually use a little more than a teaspoon in the pan so my eggs don’t stick, especially with over easy. I don’t know many yolks I’ve broken.” He laughed, "And non-stick just isn't."

"None at all," she said, laughing lightly. "I've broken a few myself over the years." She added the seasoning to the steaks and began to rub it into both sides before she laid it in the hot pan and listened to the sizzle as a burst of aroma came from the seasoning.

“Okay.” Then he took a deep breath. "Oh, that smells wonderful!" he exclaimed. Aidan went back to the replicator and returned with a few ounces of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. He poured a little bit in the warming pan and watched for the oil to begin rippling. Once it did, he cracked the eggs one at a time and slowly poured them into the pan. He then turned the heat down as he didn’t want them to finish before Mila’s steak and be cold. “Do you mind a little cracked peppercorn cooked into your eggs?” he asked. “I usually put a little salt in unless I am cooking for someone else. I let them add it if they want it.” He walked around Mila and picked up the other four eggs.

"Not at all," she said. "I prefer a little garlic sea salt on them as well to bring out the flavor." She flipped the steaks quickly and once again, there was a burst of smell to accompany the sizzle. "I like to dunk my toast into the yokes before I eat the whites. How do you like to eat them?"

Aidan had gently flipped the two eggs and put a little cracked peppercorn on them. “Garlic sea salt, okay.” He quickly went back to the replicator to get some as he didn’t want to leave the eggs too long. Once back, he sprinkled a little on them for her. “Well, I like to break the yolks, cut the whites up, and mix it all together. Then I’ll drop a little from a fork onto the toast and eat that way. Did you learn to cook before you joined Starfleet?”

"Da," Mila said as she pulled two steaks from the pan and seasoned two more before she put them in. "Father always hated using the replicators when we were growing up. He insisted on growing his own food but Mama put her foot down at killing animals for the meat. He would growl and complain, but she would not budge on that point. What about you?"

“The short answer to that is, yes,” said Aidan. He removed the two eggs and put two more in the pan. “I didn’t learn on El-Auria, but after we left. Specifically, it was after we arrived on Earth.” He was reluctant to tell her the date. “My parents taught me then. When they were settled, I began traveling around the quadrant. I picked up many different things regarding cooking then.”

"It was not until I joined Starfleet and left home that I ever cooked anything other than Russian dishes," she said. "My first attempts were not very good, I am afraid to admit. I did not know that charbroiled meant that I should broil something until it was charred."

Aidan turned to look at her. “I’d like to try your Russian dishes sometime. You wouldn’t mind, would you?” he asked. He turned the two eggs in his pan. They were almost done and the last two were ready. He still had to find something to put the wheat bread into so it would toast.

"As long as you do not ask me to make Borscht," Mila said and made a face. "It is cabbage, beets and potatoes mainly, but has other ingredients in it. Many who have tried it said that Borscht is name it makes when stomach rejects it."

Aidan started laughing. “Oh, then I will not be asking you to make that. How about you prepare one of your favorite Russian dishes?” He took the two eggs out of the pan and put the last two in there.

"My favorite is Knish," she said as she pulled the last two steaks out of the pan and turned the cooker unit off. "It is deep fried mashed potatoes, ground beef, onions and cheese filled inside thick dough pastry. It will make your taste buds beg for more after each bite."

“It sounds delicious,” said Aidan. “Perhaps today? Lunch? Dinner? The way you describe them, I cannot wait to taste them. Maybe if my taste buds start begging now?” He flipped the last two eggs and started looking for a toaster of some sort. A couple doors down, he found one and set it up. Once he got the toast in, he returned to check on the last two eggs.

"You do not have to beg," Mila said. "It will be my pleasure to make it for us tonight. I take delight when others wish to eat native Russian dishes and put extra care into them." She retrieved her coffee cup and took a satisfying drink of it with a sigh of pleasure.

Aidan brought the eggs out of the pan and shut everything off. “Oh good, I look forward to it and it’s extra care.” Right then, the toast came up. “Perfect,” he said. He put them on two plates and carried them over to the table in the nook. He came back and took a drink of his coffee. “I cannot believe how good this is, Mila.” He took another sip and put the cup on the table. He went back and carried Mila’s plate of steaks over. He stood behind the chair, “M’lady.”

"Why, thank you kind sir," she said as she took the offered seat. "You are a perfect gentleman. Never in a thousand years did I think that I would be having breakfast with such a charming man on a tropical paradise."

Aidan smiled as he gently scooted her chair in. He wanted to lean down and kiss her on the top of her head but was unsure what taking her by surprise like that might do. Instead, he opted for a gentle touch, hoping that it wouldn’t be as much of a surprise. He put his hand on her shoulder and replied, “Thank you, Mila. And I did not expect to spend two whole days with a woman whose inner beauty is as radiant as her outer.” Aidan gingerly squeezed her shoulder and then went to take his seat opposite her at the table.

Mila looked up at him when he gave her a gentle squeeze and favored him with a warm smile. "I am thinking that if you keep up your current line of flattery, you may have me eating out of your hand soon, Aidan. I will try not to bite when that time comes, though."

“Thank you for that,” he said. Then he laughed. “I can hear the other Cadets now. ‘Hey, Aidan got his hand bitten! That must have been some R and R! Come on, Grandpa, tell us all about it!’ I would hate to have to explain it only to have them not believe me.”

"Grandpa?" She asked and looked confused. "Why would they call you Grandpa?"

Aidan took a deep breath. “Because of my age,” he said. “It started during my Freshman year at the Academy and circulated as fast as rumors. Some of the Cadets on the Black Hawk brought it with them.”

"That is not very kind," Mila said as she cut her steaks up. "Age should not delineate you as an elder who has had children and grandchildren. If I had to guess, I would say that you have neither."

Aidan had already cut up his eggs and mixed them up. He was in the process of getting some put on a piece of toast. “You are correct. I have no children or grandchildren. As a matter of fact, I am considered still young among my people. But I also realize that they are still young for humans. They will learn and grow out of it, eventually.” He took a bite of his over-easy-egg-toast and nodded. It was just right, and the garlic sea salt was a good addition.

She wondered how old he was, but was certain that she was extremely young compared to him and didn't want to think about that with how things were progressing between them. Instead, she tore off a piece of toast and burst the yolk on her egg and took a bite. Once she washed it down with a drink of coffee, she looked at him. "It is good that you can have such a view of something like that," she said finally. It seemed like a good, if neutral, answer to something like that and she was pleased with herself.

Aidan had cut his steaks and was about to take a bite, when he looked up at Mila. “Thank you,” he said, and took that bite. It was delicious. Mila was a great cook and this only made him look forward more to the Russian dish she was talking about. He absentmindedly stretched his legs out under the table and accidentally kicked Mila. “Oh, I didn’t mean to do that, sorry. I am accustomed to eating breakfast alone and usually stretch my legs out.”

Mila was glad that he hadn't been wearing shoes, but the feel of his foot impacting with her leg caused her to drop her fork and the bite of steak that was on it. She gave him a coy look. "Here I thought you were playing..what is the term? footsies...with me. You may wish to do it a little gentler." She reached her leg out under the table and caressed it against his. "Like so."

Aidan breathed in deeply then out slowly as he felt her leg against his. This was a new…sensation…for him. And he was liking it. “Okay…let’s see if I have this…” He then moved his leg in the same manner against Mila’s, returning her coy look. “How am I doing?”

"Da," she said with a smile. "But do not do look. It is making you look effeminate when you are manly. I prefer handsome, charming, strong features which you have in abundance."

“Well, thank you,” he said. “I will keep your preferences in mind for future reference.” He winked at Mila and then took a bite of his steak while continuing to play footsies with her. After swallowing, he said, “This steak is delicious. You are a terrific cook, Mila.”

Mila suddenly realized what she said and looked horrified at his response. "Aidan, I am sorry," she said quickly. "I did not mean to suggest that you should not have your own looks and such. I do not have the right to tell someone how they should express themselves." She looked down, deeply ashamed.

Aidan put his silverware down and looked at Mila, her head hanging down. He reached over and took both of her hands in his, gently rubbing the back of them with his thumb. “Look at me,” he said in soft and calm voice. “Please?”

It took her a moment, but she looked up with chagrin written all over her face. "Please forgive me, Aidan. I did not...I should not have said that."

“Shhh, just listen for a moment,” he said quietly. “I forgive you, be at ease. I understand what you are saying, and I did not take it like that. What you said did not bother me, no matter how I may have sounded. Mila, things like this are going to happen as we continue this journey. I am certain that we will have other instances when we will be apologizing to each other. Let this be our first step towards understanding one another’s personalities.”

Mila nodded and let her expression relax. "I...it has been a while since I was last in a relationship, Aidan," she started slowly. "I almost do not know what to say or do and sometimes do not stop to think. When I am on duty, I must think all the time, but...I am letting myself relax around you. I promise that I will try to be more thoughtful and more relaxed."

He smiled. “I only ask that you be yourself, Mila. That is all anyone can ask.” He stood from the table and, still holding her hands, lifted her arms in an attempt to lead her to stand.

She came to her feet at his urging and looked up into his eyes. "I will try," she said softly.

“Good,” said Aidan, looking down into her hazel eyes. He walked up to her, wrapped his arms around her, and drew her in for a hug. A comforting, reassuring hug. “Good,” he whispered.

Mila wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his chest. "You have a way about you, Aidan, and I am glad to have met you."

He whispered in his native El-Aurian and then translated it. “And I am glad to have met you, Mila Anastasiya Rasputin.” He held on to her for a few more moments. “Are we okay?”

"We are," she said with a smile as she looked back up at him. "And thank you for saying that I am a good cook. Shall we finish our meal before it gets cold?"

“Let’s,” he said. Aidan released his physical hold on Mila and returned to his chair. “You are quite welcome. I look forward to the Knish.”

"Anticipation is often more addicting than the Knish," Mila said as she took her seat again and began to eat.

TBC

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