Jennifer grinned, glad John agreed to go to meet her parents. "Really? You've never met anyone's parents before?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow. She knew John wouldn't lie to her but it was still hard to believe he had never been serious enough about someone to meet their parents. But obviously he hadn't, which made Jennifer feel even more special.
She gave him a soft smile when he asked what her favorite place on Neo was. Shifting a little, Jennifer knew the answer without even thinking about it. "This clearing beside the eastern base of the mountains. It's right by the river, and there's a small pool fed by hot springs," she said with a grin. "I found it during a scouting assignment I was doing for my father."
Jennifer knew she would have to explain why she would out on a scouting assignment for her father. "Naguals don't get married. At least not by Earth standards. When a couple gets engaged, the village elder performs a commitment ceremony, and then the couple has six months to before they take part in the bonding process," she started to explain as she laid her head on his shoulder again. "The bonding ceremony is very private. The couples go out in the woods to small huts, where they sit naked and perform the ceremony themselves. They then have to spend one wedding night and day there before coming back to the village.
Since my father is a village elder, he asked me to look for a new spot for them to put a hut. That's when I found the clearing. Never did tell my father about it. It's just too beautiful out there, and I wanted a place I could call my own."
Jennifer turned her head and looked up at him. "I want to take you there when we visit. It's wonderful out there," she whispered just as the door chime went off. Jennifer sighed and untangled herself from him. "Guess I can't snuggle with you all the time."