Undaa, Hakar, Senes, Stardate 2275.274

Vensar, like most of the girls and women Losha would find himself involved with, was older. Not that she was old - she was only eighteen when she and Losha first met in the Intermediate Level Ursai class at Undaa City University. He was sixteen. Losha had become interested in Ursai after hearing stories from Kadren about his homeland. Ursai was the second largest state on Senes - nearly as large as Hakar in area though the population was about twenty percent smaller due to the fact that much of the country lay in extremely cold regions. Ursai and Hakar did not border each other and had never officially been at war though there was longstanding hostility between them. Unofficially, both Hakar and Ursai had supported smaller states that were hostile towards the other of the two large states. But that had changed six years ago when the Hakaran Civil War had begun and Hakar no longer had the resources to supply other states in their ongoing hostilities with Ursai. Losha had often imagined visiting Penalyaf, the city Orat and Kadren came from. It was famous for its museums, frozen rivers, and snow. He had seen a dusting of snow once when he lived on Earth but he only knew this from his parents - they had left Earth when he was four and he had little memory of it.

Vensar was also interested in Ursai culture, though for a different reason. As a student of economics, knowing the planet's second most widely spoken language would be a career asset - if the war ever ended and she was able to pursue a career. Losha had noticed Vensar the first day he saw her in class. It wasn't her appearance that he first noticed - nothing about her stood out in particular - but her accent. She was from the Eastern part of Hakar and the Haka spoken there was softer and more fluid than that which was spoken in Undaa and its surrounding region. Just listening to her voice was pleasant - he paid close attention to her whenever she spoke. Soon he realized that she was intelligent and witty. They frequently chatted after class but where they got to know each other best was at the stalta.

Staltas were an old tradition in Hakar. A stalta was a table in a tavern, cafe, or restaurant that was designated for discussion of a certain topic or theme. There were staltas for everything imaginable - sports, politics, culture, hobbies, and professions. Staltas ranged from tiny round tables for four to large, long benches that could accommodate twenty or more. Some establishments had appointed times for certain staltas, others had tables reserved permanently for specific staltas so patrons could sit at them at any time and strike up a conversation with a like-minded individual.

Such was the case with the Ursai stalta at Menezkes, a tavern near the university. The permanent status of the Ursai stalta was owing to the large number of Ursai ex-patriots living in Undaa. Students of Ursai also liked to attend so they could practice their language skills with native speakers. A number of students from Losha's class, including Vensar, were regulars at the Ursai stalta. One evening, several months after they'd met and become friends, Losha and Vensar were walking from class to the stalta, lagging behind the some of their classmates.

"Can you believe Barhaa?" She turned to him, a look of disapproval on her face.

"He's hopelessly in love," Losha offered. Barhaa was annoying but Losha understood what it was to be hopelessly in love with someone. He was just better at hiding it than Barhaa.

"So is every boy in our class. Why couldn't our teacher be a fat, old man? Then only people who were really interested in Ursai would sign up."

"I'd much prefer Ehenzar to a fat, old man." He grinned.

"Not you too!" Vensar gave him a look of disbelief.

"Me too what?" He feigned ignorance.

"You think you're in love with her too?"

"Her? No. But she is nice to look at." At that, Vensar gave him a disapproving look and smacked him lightly on the arm.

"So if not her then who?" she asked.

"Who what?"

"You said, Her? No. As if there is another her."

"Why are you so interested?" he teased. This flirtation between them was becoming increasingly common and he enjoyed it, though he didn't think he would ever be able to reveal his feelings for her. He knew she liked him and enjoyed his company, but she had someone, a boy her own age back home in Nisaya. She rarely spoke of him, though, and that had given Losha hope. Still, even if this other boy weren't in the way, he knew it was unlikely she would be interested in him. He was too young. Even this boy in Nisaya seemed too young for her - he imagined her with an older man, someone who was mature, responsible.

"You're my friend. That's why." Losha pondered how he could change the subject but before he had a chance, she continued, "You can tell me. Is it Karlaas?"

"No."

"Jaanaat?"

"No."

"Someone I don't know?"

"No."

"No I don't know her or no I do know her?"

"You know her."

"Belesen?"

"No."

"It can't be Halaj!" Losha wasn't sure what came over him but he suddenly felt confident, even bold. He was becoming more and more confident as he got older but where girls were concerned, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable and shy.

"No, it's not Halaj. It's you." He smiled at her. She froze, a look of surprise on her face, which then turned to puzzlement. She said nothing for a moment but then returned his smile.

"Are you teasing me?" The smile faded from Losha's face, replaced by seriousness.

"No."

"I really wasn't expecting that. I thought that if there was anyone, it would be Karlaas. She's very pretty."

"Yes, she's pretty. And nice. I like her. But she isn't you." The more he said, the easier it became. They were looking in each other's eyes and it didn't seem anywhere near as awkward as he'd imagined. Perhaps he was ruining their friendship but he wasn't thinking about that at that moment. He only felt relieved to have finally admitted his feelings to her. Vensar wasn't saying anything, though, and he began to feel nervous, so nervous that he was unable to sense anything from her at all. But then she reached out and took his hand.

"Come on! Let's go to the stalta. Everyone will be wondering where we are." And so they proceeded hand in hand to the stalta. With her hand touching his, Losha perceived affection from Vensar, but he wasn't sure what it meant. It could be simply the affection one felt for a friend.

At the stalta, his thoughts were only of Vensar. She sat across from him and he made a great effort to talk to other people but it was futile. He found himself having to ask those he was speaking with to repeat themselves because he wasn't really listening. Fortunately for him, they assumed this was because he wasn't fluent in Ursai. It was a great relief, then, when the stalta began to break up a few hours later. He needed to talk to Vensar alone.

They left the stalta together and this time, Losha took Vensar's hand. She did not object. They walked in silence, hand in hand, until they neared Vensar's dormitory. It was dark now. Vensar stopped before they reached the lights coming from the building. She turned towards him and before he knew what was happening, she was kissing him. He was surprised for a moment but began to return the kiss. They stood like that for several minutes. He didn't want to stop - it seemed too good to be true - so he pulled her tightly to him. Finally, she pulled away.

"Do you know how much I wanted to do that when I was sitting across from you at the stalta?" A smile spread across his face. "I don't want you to leave but I really have a lot to do tonight." She sighed.

"I understand." He leaned in and kissed her again.

"Well, you'd better go catch your tram or else we'll be here all night and I'll never get anything done," she said, pulling away again.

"See you on Nahaat?"

"Yes, I'll see you Nahaat." He smiled and turned towards the tram stop across the street. Nahaat was two days from now - the day of their next class together - and it could not come soon enough.