Lunchtime goes by faster than usual. Occasionally, Tsaja runs in to tell us about the next order when Claire is busy with the customers. Tryox and I seem to fall back into our routine while cooking, joking around and knowing exactly what has to be done next. When the rush of customers is over, Tryox leans against the counter and watches me wash the pans.

“While being out there, I heard your little restaurant is a great success. Everyone talks about the human who prepares our dishes better than our parents do,” he mentions, waiting for me to look up at him. When I finally do, he comes closer again and wraps his arms around my waist, making me blush even more. “Do you think you could use another cook in here?” I nod so quickly that it makes both of us giggle.

“So, you’re moving back?” He nods.

“Tsaja’s moving in with Claire and she offered me a room but I think there’s somewhere I’d rather live if that place is still open after everything I’ve done,” he says confidently but with a bit of insecurity in his eyes at the end.

“Everything you’ve done? You’ve done nothing wrong!” I mention, confused by his statement and the fact that he’s implying that he wants to move in with me again.

He chuckles, “I accused you of things you’ve never done, got angry at you for no reason and left you-”

“You saved my life,” I cut him off. Our eyes are focused on each other as if he can see that I mean more than just that one night when I got poisoned.

“I left you when you needed me,” Tryox finishes his sentence.

I shake my head, “I let you go.”

“And I came back. So, now I’m yours.” His smile widens when he sees the slight surprise in my eyes. This happens faster than I expected but it feels so right.

What feels even more right are his lips on mine - despite the two-people audience at the entrance to our kitchen.

***

“So, Tsaja knew where you were?” I ask Tryox two days later, sitting under the “apple” tree in the park. He leans against the tree while I sit comfortably between his legs, my back against his chest.

He intertwines our fingers, a habit that seems to help him stay calm, “No, she just made a good guess. She started stealing the same things I had stolen before they took me away. Eventually, that got her caught as well.” I squeeze his hand softly to reassure him. Despite being happy that he still has his sister in his life, he’s angry about everything she had to endure. During their time away from this town, they made sure the rest of the planet was informed about the conditions they had to live in which lead to a huge public discussion. They had to make it clear that humans weren’t the cause of all of this.

One of the fruits drops down next to us and I grab it. Tryox immediately takes it from me, “That damned fruit almost ruined our lives.”

“But it also brought us closer together,” I mention, cuddling closer to him. “The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.”

He sighs, “We could have done that on our own with much fewer risks.” He wraps his arms around me tightly and places a gentle kiss on the top of my head. “I’m thankful your choices led you to this moment but I wish you didn’t have to endure all of that.” I don’t reply and just let him turn me to the side a bit so he can kiss me properly. We had talked about my experiences on Earth and, probably because I had already worked through it all in therapy, listening to the stories hit him harder than retelling them did to me. “Are you okay, zota?” he asks.

I nod and look up at him, “What does it mean?”

“What?”

“Zota.” He smiles softly as if he was waiting for the time to answer this question.

“It’s a word from my native language. It means something like ‘the one I love completely’ or ‘the love of my life’, the correct translation isn’t that clear.” He gives me a kiss on the cheek while I process the new bit of information.

“You’ve already been calling me that before you left!” I exclaim, surprised by his sudden openness about his feelings.

“Why do you think I used a word that you wouldn’t understand? I didn’t want you to know that I had fallen for you.” I giggle and try to hide the blush on my cheeks but there’s no way he hasn’t noticed it already.

“You’re the love of my lives, too,” I mumble.

“Lives?”

“I got a new chance here, a new life. Now, it’s a life with you, hopefully.”

“Definitely,” he kisses me again.

Yes, I love this blue guy who turns green when he’s hungry. Yes, we’ve got a lot to work on as a society and as a planet that is trying to move on from a crisis in space. Yes, we’ll get through everything this time, no searching for ways to flee. We have a dark past but a bright future.

I’m happy, complete - from A to Z.