at me in surprise. She holds the red fruit out to me. “You know what this is?”
I shrug. “We call it bright-tongue because it makes your mouth as red as the skin. But it tastes best when fresh off the vine. If it falls to the ground, it is too late.” I tap my mouth. “Too sweet.”
“I like sweet,” she says, and takes a big bite out of it, a defiant look on her face. A moment later, her expression contorts, and she spits out the mouthful. “Okay, maybe not that sweet.” Her tongue flicks out as she makes a face, and it is as bright as the fruit in her hand.
I chuckle. “You think I would trick you?”
H’nah studies the fruit in her hand, and then glances up at me. “Maybe not trick me, but you guys don’t eat the same things we do. Everyone thinks kah is delicious when to me it tastes like eating a mouthful of pepper. I was hoping maybe this would be something that tasted good for humans and not for aliens.” She squints at it and then holds it out to me. “I dare you to take a bite.”
I snort, crossing my arms over my chest. I like this playful side of her. “What do I win for such a dare?”
“A mouthful of fruit?” H’nah smirks at me and then tosses it aside. “Fine, don’t play my games then. Be that way.” She studies the walls of hanging greenery and then steps toward a vine covered in overripe berries. “You know what this is?”
I nod. “Bitter on the tongue but pleasant when crushed and left to sit overnight. We call them ‘little suns’ because they are pale in color.”
“Oh, that’s pretty,” she says, smiling at me. “So you know all of this stuff?”
“I do. They are from my homeland.”
“Do you suppose the people that built this place went to your home and then came back with seeds and made this place?”
I shrug. “The ancestors have many stories of how they came to be. I am sure some of them must have seen the island, but I do not know why they would have left it to come here.”
“The volcano, obviously,” she says, fingering one of the berries. After a moment, she gives me another shy look. “Do you think you would share your stories with me? Someday? Or would it be too painful? Because I’d like to hear them.”
There is a knot in my throat. “I would share them with you, yes. You have but to ask.”
The smile she gives me makes my cock ache, and my khui sings loudly in response. “It won’t make you too sad to talk about them?” H’nah asks.
“It will make me sad, yes, but I would also like to share them with you.” I reach out and brush one damp lock of her mane away from her brow. “Will you share your stories with me?”
“Of course, if you want to hear them.”
“I want to hear everything,” I reassure her. I like that she does not shy away from my touch when I reach for her. That she looks shy, but she meets my gaze more and more often.
I like that she is speaking as if we will be together. She is not talking of leaving this place anymore.
Perhaps it is time to push forward, to show her that I want to be her mate in all ways. I need to show her what I want.
I study the fruit and vines covering the walls of the cave. There is a variety of good things to eat, but H’nah mentioned she liked sweet things. I reach for what my people call heart-fruit and pull one off the vine. “You will like this one,” I tell her, holding it up.
Her eyes light up with pleasure. “Oh?”
I nod, and using my hands, rip the fragile fruit in half, exposing the small pit. Sticky juice spatters my hands, but H’nah looks impressed at this show of strength, so it is worth the mess. I take one half of the fruit and hold it up to her, offering it. “Trust me.”
For a moment, it feels as if I am offering her more than a mere bite of fruit. She gazes up at me, her eyes full of questions, and just when I think she will decline, she changes her mind. H’nah moves forward and takes what I am offering. She grabs my wrist and pulls my hand toward her lips, taking a hearty