Close Remembrance Read Online Free PDF Page A

nowhere . . .”
    Korum’s eyes narrowed a bit, and Mia sensed that this was likely the point of contention between father and son. She determined to ask Korum about it later. For now, she was curious about this new tidbit she’d learned about her lover. “So you’re not a designer baby, huh?” she teased, smiling at him.
    “Nope.” Korum grinned. “I’m as natural as they come.”
    “Well, you came out perfect anyway,” Mia said, studying his beautifully masculine features. She couldn’t imagine how he could look any better.
    To her surprise, Korum shook his head. “No, actually, I didn’t. I have a small deformity.”
    “What?” Mia stared at him in shock. This gorgeous man had a deformity? Where had he hidden it this whole time?
    He smiled and pointed at the dimple in his left cheek. “Yeah, right there. See?
    Mia gave him a disbelieving look. “Your dimple? Really?”
    He nodded, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “It’s considered a deformity among my kind. But I’ve learned to live with it. Apparently, some women even like it.”
    Like it? Mia loved it, and she told him so, making him and his parents laugh.
    “We should probably get going,” Korum said after a while. “It’s dinner time, and Mia needs to get some sleep before getting up early for work tomorrow.”
    “Of course.” Riani gave her a warm look of understanding. “I know humans tire more easily . . .”
    Mia opened her mouth to protest, but then she changed her mind. It was the truth, even if she wasn’t particularly tired right now. Instead she said, “It was very nice to meet you, Riani – and Chiaren. I really enjoyed talking to both of you.”
    “Same here, dear, same here.” Riani gently touched her cheek again. “We hope to see you soon.”
    Mia smiled and nodded. “Definitely. I look forward to it.”
    “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mia,” Korum’s father said, giving her a smile. Then, turning to Korum, he added, “And it was good to see you, my son.”
    Korum inclined his head. “Until the next time.”
    And the world blurred around them again, causing Mia to close her eyes. When she opened them, they were standing back in Korum’s house in Lenkarda.
     
    * * *
     
    “I like your parents,” Mia told Korum over dinner. “They seem very nice.”
    “Oh, they are,” Korum said, biting into a piece of pomegranate-flavored jicama. “Riani is great. Chiaren too, although we don’t always see eye to eye on certain things.”
    “Why not?”
    He shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s always been that way. In some ways, we’re too alike, but in others, we’re completely different. He’s never understood why I spent all my time building up my company instead of just enjoying life and finding myself a mate, the way he did. And he hasn’t really forgiven me for leaving Krina and depriving Riani of their only son, even though I frequently visit them in the virtual world.”
    Mia smiled, seeing shades of her own family in that dynamic. It had been difficult enough for her parents when she’d gone to college in New York; she couldn’t imagine how they would’ve coped if she’d disappeared to another galaxy. She couldn’t really blame Korum’s father for being upset, particularly if he didn’t understand or appreciate his son’s ambition.
    Still thinking about Korum’s family, Mia slowly ate her stew, enjoying the satisfying combination of richly flavored roots and vegetables from Krina. Suddenly, a disturbing thought occurred to her, causing her to put down her utensil and look up at Korum.
    “Would you ever want to go back to Krina?” she asked, frowning a little. “You must miss your parents, and it seems so nice there . . .”
    He hesitated for a couple of seconds. “Perhaps one day,” he finally said, watching her with an unreadable golden gaze. “But probably not for a long while.”
    Mia felt her chest tighten a little. “What about me?”
    “You’ll come with me, of course,” he