Image credit: Jasper Wilde edited in Canva
His shuttle ship slowly descended on a green field adjoining a town in the capital of Mexico. That's what his cosmic map locator indicated. The exit door of the shuttle ship swished open midair and Bran Brenbert jumped six feet to the ground.
He was a warrior. Little jumps like that kept him in shape.
His shuttle ship landed behind him with a dull thud, causing the ground to tremble for a few seconds, an act that would go unnoticed by the humans except by their meteorological agency. Hopefully, he would be gone before they traced the action to him. He pressed a tiny button behind his ear and his ship faded into invisibility.
Dressed in thick, black leather overalls and big military-grade boots that emphasised his nearly seven-foot height, Bran donned a dark spectacle and took a glance at his environment. His dark shades doubling as a mini-computer displayed a screen before his eyes. It triangulated Celia Cephrane's location to an orphanage just on the outskirts of the town. Within minutes, he faded and appeared in front of the entrance door.
A young lady, brown hair, with tiny freckles on her nose area and a wide smile sat at the reception desk. A message appeared on his screen:
female human, friendly, showing signs of infatuation…
"Welcome, sir. How may I help you?" The lady asked with a big, warm smile.
Bran paused for a moment and attempted a smile. "I seek an audience with Celia Cephrane."
Confusion clouded the lady's face for a second. "Uh, we don't have anyone here by that name. Are you…"
Bran's screen released a timely information:
Signature heat of Celia Cephrane, two feet behind you, to the left…
Bran turned immediately to see Celia pausing in shock. She was six feet five, white-blond hair in bob style framed her heart-shaped face and her hazel eyes sparkled. His heart lurched. He felt as though he hadn't seen her in ages and not just two months ago.
Celia gaped in shock at the sight of her lover, Bran. His posture unyielding, he narrowed his deep-set eyes, the colour of warm coffee. "You ghosted me and ran to hide on this planet?" His dark voice gave no room for argument. "I was worried something terrible had happened to you."
Celia coughed softly and directed a glance towards Kayla at the reception desk who gazed at them intently. Not ready to be the topic of gossip in the office, she grabbed Bran by the arm and pulled him along with her.
Once they entered the tea room downstairs, she let go of his arm. She pointed to a table. "Sit. How did you find me?"
Bran smirked. "You underestimate my investigative skills, Celia. Why did you not respond to my calls and ectograms?"
"What will you both be having?" A waitress with a small notepad walked up to their table.
"A cup of warm Luo pea juice, please," Bran said without taking his eyes off Celia.
"Luo what??" The waitress asked.
Celia blanched for a moment. "Sorry, he's kidding. Just water will do." She smiled and watched the waitress walk away before whispering, "Do you want to give me away?"
"If it will make you return to our planet with me, then yes." Bran took off his dark shades and folded them into his breast pocket.
"Look, stop following me. I'm staying here for good."
"What do you mean for good? You must come back home with me."
Celia shook her head, her hazel eyes ablaze with anger. "Bran, wake up! You are from Nanak and I'm Ozsrik. Our government will prosecute us for inter-tribal mating. What's worse, you are a key member of the military. We were stupid to have feelings for each other. It was best to leave and start a new life here."
Bran gazed at her for a long moment. "You fear the judgement of our people because we are of different tribes but fail to see my affection for you."
"I want your affection as much as I want to give you mine but we have to be real. They won't let us live a happy life. That's why I came to Earth, to start afresh."
The couple sat in silence for a long moment. The waitress placed two glass cups and bottled water on their table and walked away thinking they were adorable but weird.
Bran cupped Celia's hands in his. "My life will be lonely without you so we'll make a life together on this planet—"
Celia gasped. "Are you sure?"
"I'm very sure. Earth is not bad though its technology needs some upgrades. If they will hire me, I can help improve them. Will you be my mate?" He interlocked their fingers together on the table.
Celia blushed and smiled, her hazel eyes sparkling. "Yes, Bran Brenbert. I'll mate with you but no one on Earth must discover our identity. We must blend in."
Bran stood, moved the table out of his way with a slight push and held Celia in his arms. The crash of the glass cups and bottled water on the floor made no difference to them. "Take me to your residence at once, my mate," Bran mumbled into Celia's ear.
