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He was in a lousy mood, and he was hungry, and he didn't know where he could get a meal without showing his sorry face in the dining hall. He hadn't lied about needing to attend the wedding, but maybe he could just duck in for the ceremony and then duck out. Since all the weddings were televised on the ship's closed-circuit network, figuring out the timing was no problem. He'd just turn the television on and wait for the right moment.
Besides, all the previous ceremonies had started close to midnight, and this one would be no different. He had plenty of time to mope around.
Maybe he could somehow sneak into the kitchen without anyone noticing. Or better yet, he could go to the staff kitchen and see if there were any leftovers he could eat.
It was cowardly of him, but he felt like an ass for hurting Gertrude's feelings, and he couldn't face her. If only he was a better actor, he could've pretended to be more into her and given her a good time tonight. After all, it wasn't like she'd expected them to become a couple. She'd known it was supposed to be a one-time thing.
Then again, she might have hoped for more, so it was good that he'd stopped that runaway train from hurtling toward the disastrous end of the road.
Look at him. He was using analogies from the human world like a pro.
As a knock sounded on Negal's bedroom door, his gut clenched, thinking that it was Gertrude coming back to rage at him. Maybe slap him.
Hell, he would have welcomed it. Maybe he would feel a little less guilty.
Why the hell was he feeling the need to be loyal to a female who had shown only a passing interest in him and did not desire him? He could have been with Gertrude, who was very interested and clearly lusted after him.
Reluctantly, he walked to the door and opened it.
Aru looked him over. "Why aren't you dressed?"
"I'll come later to the ceremony. I'm not in the right mood for a party."
"Why?"
Negal shrugged. "Do I need a reason? I'm just not in the mood."
Standing behind Aru, Gabi leaned to the side to peek at him. "Does this have anything to do with Frankie's friend?"
"Who, Margo? Of course not. Why do you ask?"
She gave Aru a slight shove to move aside. "Come out here so we can talk. I want to know what happened to put you in such a foul mood."
Frowning, Negal did as she instructed. "I'm not in a bad mood. I'm just not in the mood for a party."
Gabi looked at his feet. "You are wearing flip-flops, and I've only seen you wearing them once when you went to the pool. It's the equivalent of an old T-shirt, which is what I wear when I'm depressed." She glanced at Aru's worried face and smiled. "Correction. What I used to wear when I got depressed. I don't anymore. Since you entered my life, it's all sunshine for me."
"That's better." Aru wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side.
Negal still didn't get the analogy between his choice of footwear and Gabi's T-shirt, but he was in no frame of mind to ask for clarification. Curiosity demanded a certain level of energy that implied an upbeat attitude, and he was anything but.
"Sit." Gabi pointed at the couch.
"Yes, ma'am." He planted his butt on the sofa.
"Tell me who rained on your parade?"
He didn't know that phrase either, but it was easy to guess its meaning. "I did."
"What did you do?"
"I disappointed someone who didn't deserve it, and I feel bad about it."
She arched a brow. "Can you be a little less cryptic? Aru and I still need to stop by the clinic, and I don't want to be late for the wedding. I don't have time to pull it out of you one syllable at a time."
He really didn't want to tell her, but knowing Gabi, she would pester him until she got it out of him, so it was better to just get it over with. Besides, maybe she could offer suggestions on how he could make it up to Gertrude.
Negal let out a breath. "Last night, I promised Gertrude a fun time, but I had to leave on the mission, so I promised to make it up to her tonight. I only meant to show her a good time at the wedding and fulfill the promise that way, but she showed up here with other ideas, and I wasn't as responsive as she'd hoped." He let out another breath, hoping Gabi wouldn't need further clarification.
