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“Welcome to Mellifera”, he heard a soft voice say.
Caine was still standing on the shuttle ramp, his eyes adjusting to the brightness of the day after the short flight through the darkness of space. His sense of smell didn’t take as long; he already registered a pleasant, if slightly overwhelming fragrance of flowers.
Just a short moment later Caine jumped off the ramp and addressed the person in front of him. They were slender, at least two heads taller than himself and dressed in flowy, yellow robes. Their face was covered by a silky veil which was draped over a large hat. Behind the veil Caine could barely make out large, black eyes which reminded him of a dragonfly. “Thank you. This is my first visit.”
“Better late than never”, said a different, male voice with a chuckle. Caine looked around the open-air shuttle port, just as Stinger was climbing up a set of stairs to join the two. “Good to see you, mate”, he said, while pulling Caine in a well-meaning but slightly awkward embrace. In general, they both hadn’t been the most affectionate people in the past.
“Good to see you, too”, Caine said with a smile. “I was just about to introduce myself.” Turning back to the tall, yellow figure, he added: “My name’s Caine Wise. Nice to meet you.”
“I am Rudbeckia of House Heliantheae”, she replied with a slight bow of her head. “I’ll be your host on this journey.” She gestured both men to follow her and led them away from the shuttle. Caine used this short walk to take in the scenery: As far as he could see, the landscape was covered with flowers in all colors of the rainbow, with some trees or small houses here and there. There was no sound but the wind moving through the vegetation and the faint buzzing of insects. Just a few clouds were floating across the violet, sunny sky. Caine was already starting to get used to the always present, flowery smell. Stinger walked beside him in silence, letting him appreciate all these new impressions with a smile on his face.
They stopped in front of a small yellow building with angular, translucent walls. Rudbeckia turned around. “Lunch will now be served. Afterwards we recommend a short hike through the flower fields. The Eudicot Lake is very beautiful during this season.” She led the two men around the house to a little terrace with two wicker chairs and a small table. Gesturing them to sit down, she disappeared inside the building.
“She’s someone of few words”, Caine said as he took his seat.
Stinger smirked. “Takes one to know one.” After a short pause he added: “I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for accepting my invitation.”
Caine had been taking in the view, slowly coming to think that all these flower fields started to all look the same a little. Just now he had been inspecting a four-inch-long bee that was buzzing through the nearby shrubbery. “No need to be so formal, Stinger. Hearing from you was a very pleasant surprise.” He looked up.
“I needed time.” Stinger swallowed. “Time to think, about what happened … about what I did.”
“Jupiter and I have forgiven you a long time ago, you know that.” Caine looked directly into Stinger’s eyes, trying to communicate a sense of honest trust he couldn’t put exactly into words. “I’m just glad you reached out again, I was starting to get worried.”
“That’s why we’re here today”, Stinger agreed. “Mellifera is my home away from home. I always come here to relax and get my head clear. I thought both of us could need this.”
For lunch there was an assorted selection of local salads, topped with fruit and edible flower petals. Caine enjoyed it, even if his diet was usually more on the meaty side. He also skipped the dark chocolate mousse dessert (“Remember the whole dog DNA thing?”) and didn’t mind when Stinger suggested to get moving again.
Rudbeckia’s recommended hike turned out to be a pleasant walk across the flower fields. It gave both men time to wind down, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and chat about their lives in the recent months. Lost in their conversation, they almost didn’t notice when they had reached their destination.
Eudicot Lake was a welcome change of scenery. The water reflected the violet sky like a mirror and the humid biotope appeared to give life to a very different sort of vegetation. Caine took a closer look at a plant with purple, star-shaped petals.
“Solanum dulcamara”, Stinger explained. “Also called ‘Bittersweet’. It’s one of the plants I brought here from Earth. They’re thriving.”
Caine thought that these vines were really pretty, but in the end he just mumbled: “I like them.” Stinger smiled and seemed to understand. Without another comment he walked on, eventually sitting down by the lakeside.
“Rudbeckia said the water is fine for swimming. I also brought some …” Stinger couldn’t even finish this sentence, as Caine was already starting to strip off his clothes. The warm, fragrant atmosphere of the planet had started to feel slightly oppressive, so he didn’t think twice about this chance for refreshment. He already was wading into the water, diving inside, getting up again and shaking the water from his hair.
“Come in! It feels amazing!” For the first time during this visit Caine felt completely free, leaving the past and all the awkward tension truly behind. Stinger seemed to realize that, too, got up to his feet and started to undress. Caine couldn’t help but notice that he seemed a little shy; there had never been any reason or time for unnecessary modesty back in the military. Nevertheless, he averted his gaze and started swimming farther into the lake. Once he finally heard a big splash from the shore, he turned around and saw Stinger swimming towards him. Any last bit of tension was now melting away, as they chased each other around the lake, laughing and splashing water in each other’s face.
As the sun was setting, the two men were lying in the grass near the water, their wet bodies slowly drying in the last warmth of the day. There was no need to talk, as they watched the first stars appear. Bumblebees the size of watermelons were flying above them, looking for a place to sleep.
“There’s something I need to tell you”, Stinger said eventually. He rolled on his side, facing Caine. “It’s something I’ve been trying to tell you for a while. You’re … more to me than a friend.”
“I’m sorry”, Caine said. The words were out of his mouth before he could think them through, and Stinger visibly flinched. “I’m not sorry you feel this way, I just …”
Stinger interrupted him. “I know, and I don’t expect anything from you. I know we’ve known each other for such a long time, and I know Jupiter and you are meant for each other, but …” He hesitated. “I wasn’t even aware of these feelings myself.” He gave a sad chuckle. “It was Kiza. My own daughter. Asking me about the way I look at you, why I do all these things to you instead of letting you go.”
Caine just looked at him, knowing that right now the only thing he could do was to listen.
“That’s one of the reasons I’ve been so distant lately”, Stinger said. “I wish Jupiter and you all the best, honestly, but seeing you two together just hurt. It hurt that part of me I didn’t even know existed.” He shook his head, like he was losing his train of thought. “I just needed to let this out, because it was eating me up inside … and it started to change our friendship for the worse. I couldn’t let this happen after all we’ve been through.” He took a deep breath. Caine opened his mouth to finally reply, but Stinger continued: “I said what I had to say, I think we should leave.”
The two men dressed in silence. Caine felt more awkward than ever before, as if he hadn't said enough – or had just said exactly the wrong things. Stinger was avoiding his gaze; he had never seen him as vulnerable as this. He seemed to feel the same way, because finally Stinger said: “I’m sorry for bringing this up in the first place. I should have kept this to myself. I know there was never any chance that something could happen between us.”
"That’s not true.” Caine grabbed Stinger’s arm. “It’s not true that there was never any chance. It’s not true that I never thought about you this way.” He pulled him closer. “It might be in the past now, but don’t you ever feel sorry about it.” Caine kissed Stinger softly on the mouth.
“I think that’s something I can live with”, Stinger said, as he hugged Caine tightly. Not as a lover, but finally as a friend.