Page 250 of Every Almost

The library continued its raucous merriment around them. Somewhere behind Charlie, she could hear the song change over the sound system.

Charlie made herself look up.

Reyna was looking directly at her, her gaze locked, not saying anything at all.

"It's not a big deal," Charlie said, which was one of the stupidest sentence she had ever produced. She rolled her eyes at herself immediately after.

"Right," Tavi said, drawing out the word. "Well, onthatnote." He clapped his hands once. "Maren, Orion, I do believe there is a cake situation requiring immediate leadership attention from all three of us."

"There's no cake situation?" Maren said, looking at Tavi like he'd lost his mind.

"Maren," Tavi grumbled. Charlie watched Tavi's nostrils flare as he looked at Maren, and caught the quick flick of his eyes towards Charlie.

Maren stared at Tavi and then followed his gaze to Charlie. She took it the rest of the way and looked at her captain, standing very still in a room full of gold light with her eyes locked on Charlie.

"Thereisa significant cake situation," Maren said, letting Tavi take her elbow.

"We will go handle that," Tavi added to Charlie. "Don't worry." And he gave her a wink.

She wanted to punch him in the face.

Orion was the last to leave the circle. He didn't say anything as he left, but he touched Charlie's shoulder once, warm and comforting. And then they were all gone, lost into the noise of the crowd.

And Charlie was standing in the middle of the best party she'd ever been to with nobody left in front of her but Captain Reyna Solas.

"You did all this," Reyna said.

"Tavi did most of it," Charlie stated.

"Charlie," Reyna said, her voice soft, slightly exasperated, but full of warmth.

"Okay, Tavi did the music."

Reyna's mouth twitched into a small smile, but she said nothing. She just looked at Charlie, who made it about four seconds before she cracked.

"Okay, fine. I found out it was your birthday and you weren't going to do anything, so sue me," Charlie said, her words coming quickly. "That's the whole reason. Beginning, middle, end. Orion told me it was your seventy-fifth, and I asked what the crew does for something like that, a milestone birthday, for theircaptainof all people, and he had the audacity to saynothing. Nothing! And all becauseyouapparently don't let them. And so I thought,well." She scoffed. "That was going to end with me whether you liked it or not."

Charlie was breathing slightly heavier than before. She noticed the music had moved on to something with a beat to it, and across the library, somebody had gotten Torvax to dance, which he was doing exactly the way you'd expect, with total commitment and no rhythm whatsoever.

"Thank you," Reyna said.

"You're welcome."

"No." Reyna said, turning so she was facing Charlie fully. Her voice had gone rough at the edges. "Charlie. Thank you."

Charlie had about four more sentences ready, but every single one of them disappeared instantly.

Reyna was looking at her. She was standing three feet away in a room full of people who loved her, and she was looking at Charlie like there was nobody else in the room. And being this close to her, Charlie could see the amber of her eyes catching in Maren's light, a piece of hair come loose at her temple.

Charlie's hand came up to put it back.

It got halfway there before she remembered where they were standing.

Charlie made her hand into a fist and put it back down at her side.

"Yeah," she said. "Of course, Rey." And then, because she couldn't hold it back. "Next year we're going bigger."

"Yes," Reyna said. Then, "I would like that very much," she whispered so only Charlie could hear.