Stella and Han live a simple life. They are both young and vibrant college students. Their story began in 2045. They had been classmates in a few classes but had never interacted until the night of their school's last football game. After the game, one of the popular cheerleaders invited everyone she knew to a party at her house. At the party, a group of girls tried to flirt with Han and seduce him while he talked about his performance earlier that night. Han is a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He is muscular and very tan, with a sharp chin and a military-style haircut. He looked like a movie star, so all the girls at the party were fawning over him. Han was unamused by their actions, so he went out to the balcony. Sipping on his beer, he overheard a chilling conversation. "No, Gert! STOP!" An anguished voice was calling out into the night. Han sighed and muttered under his breath, "I hate people."
Making his way over to the intrusion, he hears scuttling noises from behind the locked door. From the sounds he heard, Han could conclude his worst fears for the situation were likely unfolding. Not bothering to knock, Han kicks the door down. In front of him was a scene even the best script writer wouldn't be able to write up. A large, dark-haired man with green hair, two black gauges, and all-black leather apparel was pinning down a young woman. "Gert", stared down Han as he walked in, allowing Han a better look at his face. Gert was a tall man who had the typical "High School bully" look. A mean sneer constantly plastered on his face was always present next to his bald head and failed, patchy beard. Gert constantly told anyone who listened to him that the bald head made him look tough. Everyone knows it doesn't, but no one would tell Gert that. "Get the fuck out of here," Gert said with clenched fists. Han just laughed and rolled his shoulders. "Or what," he answered with a nonchalant expression. Gert then stood up and stared down at Han. His brown eyes did a quick scan of Han, and he chuckled. "Just because you play football, you think you can win in a fight, bitch boy?" Gert says with a snarl.
Han rolled his eyes as he looked up at Gert. The man was taller, but that was it. It was apparent that Gert was just trying to look tough. Most guys that couldn't fight acted like that. Han stepped up to Gert and pointed to the door, but he ignored what Gert had said. "I suggest you leave and never show your face around here again."
In high school, news spread fast. Han, like every other high schooler, was on social media. He knew about Gert and Stella's breakup just like everyone else did. Stella was the school princess, and everyone always loved to gossip about her when her back was turned. It was no secret that Gert was trying to get back with her. It was also no secret that she didn't feel the same way.
Gert stood there for a second, his eyes scanning Han, but he knew that he wouldn't beat Han. "Tsk. Today's your lucky day. Don't let me catch you outside."
Ignoring Gert's presence, Han turned to Stella. Like always, Han couldn't help but think "She really does look like a princess", and it was true. Her brown hair shined in the light, its luster showing, glowing her green eyes. He tried not to look, but his eyes peeked at her perky breasts and her thighs poking out of her skirt. She wore a black skirt with a red corset and black vans. "Thank you, Han," Stella says as she looks up at him. Her eyes were distant as she sighed and leaned back against the bed frame, exhausted. "That asshole keeps trying to get back with me even though I've told him to fuck off." Han nods, not wanting to be awkward. "Assholes like that should just do us all a favor and die," Han says with a soft sigh. Stella unexpectedly chuckled at his dark joke. She flipped her hair as Han made eye contact. In that moment, he felt an electric shock in his heart. He had never been shy or bashful in front of a girl, but suddenly, he could no longer look her in the eye. Taking a deep breath, Han meets her eyes. "Do you have a ride home?"
Stella's eyes widened in surprise and realization. She had told her father that she was studying at a friend's house. If she had to call him and ask him to pick her up, he would get angry. Even though she was 17, she would be dead if he had to pick her up from a party. Stella sighed and looked up at Han. "No. Is there any way I can ask you to take me home?" Usually, she would hesitate to ask for something like a ride from a boy she barely knew, but something about Han let her know she could trust him. Little did they know then, but that drive home would be the first night of their fairy tale.
A year later, Stella and Han graduated from High School. Before they went off to college, they had promised each other they would go on a trip to visit somewhere neither of them had ever been. Their dates had turned into competitions. Every time they went to a pool hall, a golf course, or an arcade, they kept score of who won. Han wanted to go to New York City, but Stella wanted to go to New Orleans. Eventually, Stella had won the bet. After the bet was decided, Han worked nearly every day for 3 months to save money for the trip. His father owned the company, and he would jokingly assign Han to the hardest jobs, but Han never complained. He was serious about this trip. He knew in his heart that Stella would be the only woman he wanted for the rest of his life, so he planned to propose.
Han was raised in an old-fashioned way, so he knew that before the trip, he would have to ask Stella's father for his blessings. A week before the trip, Han had done just that. Han had been nervous. For the first six months that Han and Stella had been dating, her father had seemed to hate Han. Over the last few months, that attitude had seemed to change. Now, Han had a key to their house. All Han had to do now was propose and make it official.
Thinking back to that moment, Han chuckled.
He had been nervous as he approached the house. Stella lived in a quiet neighborhood outside the town of Belton, Texas. It was the kind of town you stop by on the way to Dallas or Austin. As such, nothing much ever happens there. It was another quiet August night as Han approached the house. Stella's family had invited Han over to dinner because his own parents were out of town for the weekend. Han gulped nervously as he stared at the house. He had been here many times over the last year, but tonight it felt like he was facing off against a monster. Han steeled his nerves as he approached the house after getting out of his car. The walkway was well-lit, as usual. Four walkway lights were installed on the sides of the walkway, which illuminated the front of the house.
The house itself was a large two-story building. The wooden fence shielded off the backyard from the observation of onlookers. One acre of land was wrapped inside that fence. In the front of the house, four large oak trees taller than the house towered over Han. Their thick, tall reach protected anyone entering the house from the sun's vengeance. Walking into the house, Han always had to admire the arched hallway. The hallway spanned into the living room, where a brown sofa and armchair adorned a spacious living room. The television mounted on the wall was blasting sports talk shows. As always, football news was blaring at top volume. Football was a way of life in Texas, after all.
Stella's mother, Janel, greeted Han with a hug. She was a petite older Hispanic woman, still resembling a young woman. Her kind face displayed very few wrinkles, and she shared Stella's eyes. She was wearing a blue shirt with black jeans and an apron as she smiled at Han. "Go ahead and take a seat, dear. Dinner will be ready shortly." Han turned to the four-seat table and greeted Stella's father.
Stella's father, Rick, was a tall man with broad shoulders and brown hair cut into a comb-over style. His green eyes seemed to pierce the soul of anyone he talked to, and his strong, proud face was covered with wrinkles. His military service seemed to flow in an aura around him. The man shook Han's hand as dinner was served minutes later. Stella would not be attending since she was still at practice with the cheerleading squad.
Before taking the first bite, Han blurts out, "Can I have your blessing to marry Stella?"