Page 164 of Every Almost

"So, you'll come?" Charlie asked.

"I shall be there," Torvax answered.

Charlie turned to Reyna. "And... will you be there?" Reyna's gaze captured hers again, and Charlie leaned forward slightly, anticipating the answer. Somehow the idea of Reyna not being there made it feel smaller.

"I wouldn't miss it," Reyna said. And then she smiled at Charlie, that same real smile with a slight twist that Charlie had seen the night in the galley. Charlie realized it was the one Reyna gave her when it came fromher, not the Captain.

Something about knowing Reyna would be at Earth Night while Charlie shared stories and information and music, felt like something akin to giving the entire crew of the alien ship a glimpse into Charlie's soul.

"I'm really glad you're going to be there," Charlie responded, the truth coming so easily.

Reyna studied her, her gaze lingering.

"You'll be sure to let me know the exact plan? I need details."

Charlie nodded. "I'll send it over to your datapad."

"Soon?"

The look on Reyna's face made Charlie linger. Maybe Reyna did want to be there as much as Charlie wanted her there?

Huh.

Charlie turned and grabbed her datapad off the table. She went to the screen that stored all the events and tasks she had on her schedule, including the ones she still had to finish for Cael. She found the entry for the Earth Night, clicking on it and selecting to share it with Reyna. She finished the steps, placed her datapad back on the table, then turned back to the group.

Reyna's datapad made a small chirp-like sound. She pulled it around and began tapping buttons.

"Does now work?" Charlie asked, a slight tease in her voice. Reyna's eyes looked up at Charlie, her face still bent over the datapad. She looked back down at the screen, tapped a few places, and then let the datapad return to her side.

"Now's perfect," she responded, just before Charlie's own datapad made the same chirp-like sound. Charlie chuckled.

Reyna turned to Orion. "I originally came in here to see how everything was going with our resident Earthling here," she said, indicating Charlie. "But I feel this new information has given me a good idea of just how well everything is going."

"Couldn't be better, Captain," Orion replied.

"Good to know," Reyna said. "So, I'll see you both on Earth Night?" Orion nodded.

"It's a date," Charlie answered. Reyna blinked once before a warm smile spread across her lips.

"It's a date."

As the Captain and Torvax left the library, Charlie recognized she felt warmer and lighter than she had in weeks.

Later that nightwhen Charlie was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, she replayed the interaction she'd had with Reyna today in Orion's library. It was the way knowing Reyna would be at Earth Night made the event feel different. Somehow more real, like it mattered more because she'd be in the room.

But that's just because she's the Captain,Charlie told herself.Having the Captain there validates the event. No longer a 'lowly planet' event.

Charlie knew this was a perfectly logical explanation and accepted it immediately.

But later, in the dark, her excuses started to run out.

There were two reasons not to reach for Reyna. Charlie had gotten quite good at lining them up, thank you very much.

The first was the chemistry hallway, and a hand pulled back, and Charlie left that one there.

The second was that, even if she reached, and on the completely alternate world she'd have to live on for Reyna to reach back, they were headed straight for her home planet, the shuttle with Earth's coordinates in it. Charlie understood that nothing could happen after she was back home. Not a message, not a signal, not one damn word.

Two walls now stood, paired together, both blocking the same path. She'd built the first one at thirteen and the universe had given her the tools to build the second one.