That gets a breath of amusement. Barely.
She squints at me. “You look like crap.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you finally do it?”
My spine stiffens. “Do what?”
She rolls her eyes. “You know what. Tall, dark, and snarky. The flight risk with the stupid hair. Did you finally?—”
“Don’t.”
She pauses. The grin fades.
“Nova.”
I shake my head. “I can’t talk about it.”
“That bad?”
“No. That… good.”
Kelsey’s quiet for a beat. Then, softer, “You fell.”
I don’t answer.
“You don’t fall for people. Not really.”
“I know.”
She leans closer to the camera. “So why do you look like someone just carved you open with a maintenance spanner?”
“Because I can’t do anything about it.”
“Because of the rules?”
“Because of the stakes. Because it’s my job to lead, and he’s—he’s not just a risk. He’s the risk.”
“Nova—”
“I can’t lose everything I’ve worked for because I couldn’t keep my feelings in check.”
Kelsey studies me. “Then why does it sound like you already did?”
I close the comm without saying goodbye.
Later, lying in bed, I stare at the ceiling until it blurs. My skin remembers his touch like muscle memory. My throat aches with words I never said.
I could reach out.
Just one message.
I don’t.
Because I’m afraid he won’t answer. Worse—because I’m afraid he will.
CHAPTER 17
