Eloped with a Pard Ch 3

 Chapter 3 The Date

“There’s a cafeteria near the campus pool. I doubt that our ex-teammates would choose to walk there,” Keedi said. “I have a feeling we will get interrupted, otherwise.Zheryk snorted. “No doubt.”

The campus pool was enormous, under a dome that could open and close, depending on the weather. The campus was large, probably the size of the city they lived in on Bella Shen. Most building were of  white shiny stone, with arched doorways and windows. Vegetation, trees, and flower beds decorated curved walkways. Small outdoor meeting areas and amphitheaters filled green areas. Different fields and buildings were marked for sporting activities or relaxation. Complexes of buildings for classrooms and labs around different fields of study. “Oh, this is the area where math and science classes are held,” Zheryk said, looking at the campus map.

The campus had many housing options, high rise dorms like where they were staying in the center of the campus. Single houses of all sizes and row housing filled the perimeter of the campus. There were many cafeterias, an enormous, centralized library, and a grouping of small stores. 

“This is like a small city. There are even schools and play areas for small children,” she said, looking at the data on her com. 

“We should come visit the stores here sometime,” Zheryk said. “People here dress differently than we do on Bella Shen.”

“So I heard,” Keedi said.

The pool had plenty of swimmers, with a family area for small children, a water game area, and places for serious swimming.

“Do you have a bathing suit?” 

Keedi wrinkled her nose. “I don’t swim. Never learned.”

“I bet they sell them in the campus store. I could teach you.”

Did she dare buy and wear one of those skimpy, nothing suits? Then she thought of Talarika insisting she wear modern clothing. “Maybe Talarika could help me find a suit. She seems to know current Alliance fashions.”

“Tomorrow we will rough out a schedule and include swimming. We’ll need exercise to offset all the studying we’ll be doing. After a month, you’ll be good with the basics.”

They found a table with a view of the pool and ordered.

 “It is really beautiful.” Artificial islands were randomly placed through the huge pool. “They have amazing landscapers.”

“Aesthetics seems to have a much higher value here than back home,” he said.

“I like that. Their beautiful things aren’t hidden away for fear they’ll be stolen.”

***

Zheryk’s heart pounded in his chest as he walked alongside Keedi. Her beauty had captured his attention from the moment he saw her, years ago in the Upper School. He had never been alone with a female and found his mind kept swerving to sexual areas. Her scent was intoxicating. This was probably something to do with his Pard heritage. Maybe they married young? The idea of marriage was so appealing to him. He knew the Bella SHen males his age wanted to put off marriage as long as their families would let them. Those that were betrothed treated it like some kind of unpleasant event. 

He could tell by watching her that she had the same plan he did in school. Stay quiet, don’t do anything to be noticed. And get away from Bella Shen as soon as possible.

Now that he was getting to know her he found her bright and not shy at all. He dared to take her hand, and she gave a quick glance but held his hand. 

The vibrant colors of the Arcadis campus added to the ambiance, with lush greenery and floral beds creating.  It made him feel…hopeful. Bella Shen was rock and concrete block buildings, and farm fields. No planned gardens for beauty.

“It’s so different here. So much landscaping. No mud.”

“Probably a field of study here we know nothing about,” Keedi said. “Because all this requires planning.”

As they approached the outdoor venue, Zheryk couldn’t help but marvel at the array of desserts spread across the tables. Each table had a sign, so different species could find palatable desserts.

Students were arriving, in different styles of clothing, different races. Bella Shen was so homogenous. Other than himself, Keedi, and a handful of Trengulu people, Bella Shen was dominated by the bronze skinned, white-haired Shen.

 Fragrant scents of exotic ingredients wafted through the air.  

“Do you know the number for your type of food? I can eat two, three and four, but prefer three,” Keedi said. “Four is full of hot spices.”

“I can only eat seven. But they have a far wider variety of type seven foods here than they do on Bella Shen.”

Keedi’s eyes shimmered with excitement as she surveyed the desserts. Her white and coral streaked hair caught the light, adding a subtle glow to her already radiant appearance. Zheryk couldn’t tear his gaze away from her, mesmerized by her beauty.

“Isn’t this incredible, Zheryk?” Keedi exclaimed, her voice filled with childlike wonder. “I’ve never seen anything like it back on Bella Venn.”

Zheryk nodded, his gaze shifting from Keedi to the desserts. “Back on Bella Shen, I ate three types of protein unless Mother imported something special.”

Keedi turned to face him, a gentle smile playing on her lips. “It’s a celebration. I’m not even upset to be off the team. Tonight we’re going to indulge ourselves. We’re free to experience everything Arcadis has to offer.”

Zheryk felt a warmth spread through his chest at her words. It was true—they were free here, away from the repressive society they had left behind. And in this moment, he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but here, with Keedi by his side.

 Keedi’s eyes sparkled as she reached out to grab a small, bite-sized treat, its glistening surface reminiscent of stardust.

Zheryk watched her take a delicate bite, savoring the flavors. She turned to him, her eyes shining with delight. Watching her eat the sweet made his breath catch. Maybe there was a reason couples always had chaperones back home. She was potent. Her scent…He sucked in a breath. He could barely do anything but stare at her like an idiot.

 “Try something, Zheryk. Mine’s like tasting a sugar cloud.”

Unable to resist her infectious enthusiasm, Zheryk reached out and took a piece off the table seven desserts, bringing it to his lips. It was a white creamy substance, icy cold, on a stick. The moment the sweet flavors touched his tongue, a rush of sensations flooded his senses. The taste was unlike anything he had ever experienced, a symphony of flavors that danced across his palate. “Like honey but with other flavors,” he said. “I’ve had honey before but no other sweets. My parents fed me only meat. But from the menu here I see I can eat a wider variety than I thought.”

 He couldn’t help but feel free from the constraints of the past on Bella Shen. That world had never embraced him, but here he felt welcome.

“I can believe Bella Shen wouldn’t have foods for your type,” Keedi said.

“Do you feel welcome here? I don’t think I’ve ever felt that before. Well, unless the combat disciplines team was struggling. Then they appreciated me.”

“I only felt welcomed by my mother,” Keedi said. “I never met my father. Mother won’t talk about him. Her parents refused to meet me as a baby. She brought great shame on the family. I think he was a gambler or maybe even a thief.”

As Zheryk and Keedi continued to explore the Dessert Extravaganza, their hands stayed intertwined. Zheryk couldn’t help but notice the gentle sway of her hips as she moved, her every step graceful and alluring. The Fera style clothing…He really didn’t need that much distraction. Coming from Bella Shen, he was used to flowing baggy gowns that barely hinted at a woman’s figure.

Do Pard people bond? He’d heard some races bonded, both emotionally and physically. He really needed to learn about his heritage.

He found himself captivated by the way her coral hair fell in loose waves around her face, framing her delicate features. The soft glow of the campus lights accentuated her skin, giving it an alabaster glow. Zheryk’s feline instincts heightened and his senses attuned to every detail—the way her eyes sparkled, the curve of her lips when she smiled, the warmth radiating from her body. It was intoxicating.

A subtle breeze swept through the campus, causing Keedi’s hair to flutter delicately. Zheryk’s gaze lingered on her as his mind wandered, wondering how it would feel to run his fingers through those coral strands, to cup her face gently in his hands, and to lean in for a kiss.

“Would you like to go for a walk? Maybe find one of the swings in a flower garden?”

“I’d like that.”

The Dessert  Extravaganza faded into the background as they found themselves momentarily alone, near a stone bench under a grouping of small trees. Zheryk’s heart raced, the intensity of his desire and affection threatening to consume him. The boundaries of their repressive world seemed to blur, leaving only the two of them in this moment

The branches of the trees shimmered and long iridescent leaves caught the light form pole laps along the path.. Its limbs flowed down to the ground, like a curtain. While others were nearby, the branches gave them a bit of privacy. 

Zheryk’s eyes locked onto Keedi’s, his heart pounding as he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. Did she even feel half of what he felt? The accidental glide of his fingertips against her soft skin sent shivers down his spine, igniting a fire within him that he always squelched down. He took a deep breath, taking in her soft floral scent, and the underlying scent of just Keedi.

“It feels odd to me to be here alone. No chaperon or parent. Yet other students live like this every day,” she said.

“Yes. Though maybe they have a point on Bella Shen. You wouldn’t want to be alone with, say, Gurki.”

“Ugh. Or Pelss. Or even Instuctor Pyn. His eyes rove, and I’ve heard ugly stories about him.”

“I would not force attentions on you.  Though I do feel…being alone with you. It’s kind of…” He frowned. “Not sure of the word. And I would never harm you.”

She turned sideways on the swing, facing him. “I think the word is intriguing?”

“Keedi,” he whispered, his voice laced with a mixture of vulnerability and desire. “There’s something about you, something that draws me to you like a magnet. I can’t explain it, but being with you feels like finding a missing piece of my soul.” He frowned. “Maybe I come from a race that bonds?”

A blush crept across her cheeks, adding a rosy hue to her already radiant complexion in the soft glow of the globe lights. Her voice, barely above a whisper, carried a mixture of awe and uncertainty. “Zheryk… I feel it too.  And I doubt I come from any bonding race. Shen and Aliarrette. Even using the Shen system, I could research Alliarettes. Like Trengulu, they are a huge population in the Alliance, and there is much data about them. No bonds.” She paused. “But I do feel something.”

“From the moment I saw you at school, wanted to get to know you. We were the only two in the school who weren’t Shen. But of course, there was no way to get to know each other. I was so glad we were both on the team.”

“I must warn you, my interest is a grown male’s interest, not a boy’s. This might complicate things, since I don’t feel like just a friend.”

He brushed a lock of hair off of her face. “But I’m also not a criminal, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t feel like just a friend toward you, either. Perhaps our not-Shen ancestry makes us grown up faster? Ready for relationships faster? I don’t know. The Shen society is just so repressive. Talarika asked if I was on a pregnancy controller. From what she says, it is very common at University to use one. The medical facility on campus just gives them to you. No marriage or parent’s decision needed. So I guess the rest of the Alliance is more free about such things.”

“So different from back on Bella Shen,” he said. He could barely speak, the idea that students here had relations was stunning.

“I noticed you don’t call it home,” she said.

He flashed a small smile, glad she changed the subject. He would talk to Booker about relations with females.

 “It was hard to ever relax there.”

“Yes. I could relax at home with my mother.”

“My mother, yes. My father was demanding. But his work kept him away from home a great deal.”

“Pretty,” Keedi said after a silence. “Do you feel like this is a place where you can enjoy living?”

“Arcadis? I have high hopes for this world.”

“I do, too.”

They stayed at the fountain until others began drifting away to the dorms. “I think we should go back. But I’m glad we came together,” Zheryk said.

“Me, too.”

They walked back to their dorm, and Keedi noted a few other couples kissing in shadows.

 The hallway was empty as they walked to her door.

 “Should we kiss?” Zheryk blurted out. 

Keedi’s heart gave a leap. She tilted her head up toward him, a soft smile on her full lips. “Yes. In the interest of our Alliance education, of course.”

He grinned and then slid his arms around her, pulling her close. In a breathless moment, Zheryk slowly leaned in, his lips brushing against Keedi’s in a soft, hesitant kiss. 

Time seemed to stand still as Zheryk’s lips met hers. A burst of electric energy flowed through Keedi’s core. Their lips pressed together harder, then parting, the kiss deepening in a thrilling but almost shocking way as the tips of their tongues touched.

“Was that all right? Should I have asked? I heard about the, um, deep kissing,” he whispered when they finally broke apart.

“I liked it. I’d heard about it too and didn’t think I would like it. But it was…” Words failed her.

“Intoxicating,” he whispered and kissed her again.

They didn’t quit kissing until they heard voices down the hall.

“I’m so glad we got to come here. Back home we could never have…this.” Keedi wasn’t quite sure how to describe her reactions to him.

“Keedi,” Zheryk murmured, his voice filled with a tender vulnerability. “I don’t want to presume or make you uncomfortable. This is all new to me, and I don’t know what’s appropriate. But I want to be close to you, to touch you, if that’s something you desire too.”

 She reached out, taking Zheryk’s hand in hers, interlacing their fingers once again. The gesture brought a slight smile to Zheryk’s face.

“You’re not alone in feeling unsure, Zheryk,” Keedi replied. “This world is so different, but we can navigate this together. We’ll talk, and take one step at a time, following what feels right for both of us. Not what’s right for Shen couples.”

 The speaker down the hallway had entered their room and it was quiet again.

Keedi’s lips curved into a gentle smile, and she stepped closer to him, their bodies aligning in a natural embrace. Zheryk wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in softly, his touch tentative yet filled with tenderness. She reveled in the sensation of  warmth seeping into her skin, feeling a sense of completeness wash over her. Even if he isn’t the male I will marry one day, this is so good. Freedom.

In that instance, Keedi made a secret, impulsive decision. She was going to throw herself into this relationship. Zheryk would be her first lover, here at the University. What the future held for them, she couldn’t know. But she knew what she wanted in the present.

Pulling back after more kisses, she smiled up at him and drew a finger over his bottom lip. “We’ll do this again,” she whispered before slipping into her dorm.