I could hear the heave and flow of my own heavy breathing as I rushed towards the launchpad outside of Eternity. No taxis were available.

"Of course..." I muttered to myself, jabbing the touch screen with my fingers to call a cab. I inserted my credit chit to cover the costs, my eyes fixed on the screen as it processed the information on the chit far slower than I would've liked, yet likely faster than any could've expected.

I didn't realise that my mouth was hanging agape until I saw those blinkering words in red.

ERROR IN SCAN DETECTED. PLEASE CONTACT C-SEC FOR DETAILS.

"By the Goddess. Can anything else go wrong today?" I drawled, tugging out my credit chit and frowning as I scanned its features, as if somehow able to diagnose the problem with my eyes.

After watching the screen refresh, I carefully re-insert the credit chit, watching the scanner read its information upon entry. A hopeful breath caught in my throat for a moment before the same error message appeared.

ERROR IN SCAN DETECTED. PLEASE CONTACT C-SEC FOR DETAILS.

"Normally my dates at least say 'goodbye' before rushing out."

I freeze, recognising the voice of the male human at the bar. I try to form words, something witty to say. My lips eventually clamp together, remembering that I had decided not to say goodbye and how rude I had probably come across.

"Well I'm.. I mean, we weren't, on a date. So..." I shrug, my face still turned away from him towards the shuttle launchpad. Silently I begged for a shuttle to fly by, releasing me from any further obligation to converse with this human.

Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was smiling. I could hear a short chuckle escape his lips, although it took him a few moments to follow it up with words.

"Alright. Why don't we start again, then?" he reached out his hand, outstretched past my shoulders so I could see it.

"I'm Alex Charleston.." he starts introducing himself, moving his hand from out towards me to the centre of his chest. My head turns, eyes following his movement as he seems to pull out a staff badge from underneath his shirt.

"I work at Huerta Memorial. Best care on the Citadel." he grins, speaking as if reading from a teleprompter. I consciously turn my body to face him, a small wary smile plays on my lips, my hands weaving together in front of me like they do before I'm giving a presentation to the councillor.

Running through my head is the speech I've practised a handful of times in the past. That thanks-but-no-thanks conciliatory speech that could be coded as I-could-kill-you-if-we-mate. My mind had already shaped the picture of his eyes looking down in embarrassment, subtly edging himself away from where I stood, the realisation dawning on him that our meet-cute had ended at the returned jacket and he had been foolish to follow me out here in the first place.

I open my mouth to speak when we are interrupted by the blaring error alert from Avina coming from the holopad behind me.

ERROR IN SCAN DETECTED. PLEASE CONTACT C-SEC FOR DETAILS.

I let out a low groan as I realise that I left my credit chit in the pad. I sharply turn around, straining my thumb and forefinger with a few unsuccessful tugs before ultimately pulling the chit out.

"And... I can give you a ride, if it helps?" Alex chimes in, indicating towards the persistent error message.

Councillor Irissa did need those figures. There was no reason not to deliver my cutting I-won't-date-you speech on the way back to the Councillor's office. Detaching my nervous fiddling hands, I open up my palms in an exaggerated gesture, making my best attempt at non-verbal approval.

"Sure. Why not? I mean, if you're offering. I actually do need to get to the Asari councillor's office as soon as possible. That's, uh, why I left in such a hurry." I said, smoothing down my dress slightly, my eyes trying not to fixate on him at all even as he was offering a kind gesture. Something about the way he looked at me made me feel self-conscious, fixed in place and observed under a microscope.

We walked into the elevator together, where thankfully the ride to the docking bay was too brief for me to need to generate conversation topics to make the time move faster. He didn't seem to feel the need either.

When the double-doors to the docking bay split apart, I saw rows upon rows of small docking bays for the space-faring transport best equipped for travel across the Citadel, but less designed for traversing through space. Alex's space-car was blue with a metallic sheen covering the front, as if reinforced. I shifted inside, dipping as gracefully as I could muster over the plush leather seating.

"Are you strapped in?" he asks, I give a nod in reply.

"Yes.. yes, thank you."

"So now do I get to know your name?" he replied, even before I had finished thanking him for his courtesy.

"Ah, uhm. Yes. It is Falere." I replied, idly running my hand across my scalp crest and down my neck, keeping my gaze transfixed on the views from the space-car window.

"Pretty name. I like it." he replied, pushing back a stray strand of brown hair that had fallen over his left eye. I scoffed a little to myself, amused at the notion that I had voiced my name for his approval.

We travelled in comfortable silence for a while after, watching the clinically white walls of the citadel grow in size and scope. I smiled to myself as I watched the fountains of the Presidium run in mesmerising motion as many different alien species wandered and conversed. I saw the flesh-coloured appendages of the Hanar, the avian-mandables of the Turians, even one or two asari. Humans, even now, were still an uncommon sight.

Maybe that was why I found Alex so peculiar.

We docked outside the Embassies, the car doors splitting apart in both north and south directions, leaving the side clear for me to step out.

"Thank you. You know, for the help. Especially after I just ran out on you..."

He waves a hand to dismiss the sentiment.

"I get it. You don't have to explain yourself. And for the record, I just wanted to help. I'm not expecting anything to happen here."

It took me several seconds to process what had just happened. Was he turning me down? Perhaps I had mis-read the signs, perhaps he really was just being friendly. I started to berate myself for assuming the intentions of someone I didn't really even know.

For the first time since meeting Alex, I smiled at him without feeling the nerves and anxiety in my stomach of having to cut our acquaintance short or setting immediate boundaries to avoid a misunderstanding further down the line. Could it be that I could befriend Alex, without any pressure to mate?

"Thank you, Alex. Perhaps if I... I don't know... hurt myself getting up out of bed, maybe I'll see you at Huerta sometime?"

He shrugs one shoulder while his other hand lies placidly over the car controls.

"Maybe. We'll see. Have a good one, Falere." He lifts a hand up to give me a quick wave, the car hovering for about half a minute before it speeds off into the distance.

I give my own solemn wave before turning towards the councillor's office, only now turning my thoughts to whatever new disaster could be waiting for me inside.