Page 320 of Every Almost

Tavi was already there up on the platform by the primary console. He didn't look up when she came in.

"Morning, Tav," she said.

"Mm."

She got to her station and pulled up the overnight diagnostics. She scrolled through the numbers but fully felt Tavi not-looking at her from across the bay with an intensity you could probably touch.

She gave it two seconds.

"Just say it, Tav!"

"I didn't say anything," he remarked from his perch.

"You're radiating and I'm sure you've got a whole speech queued up. I can feel it from all the way down here."

Tavi turned around on the platform, grinning. It was the big one, the one that took up his whole damn face.

"The Captain," he said, "walked into the galley this morning, holding your hand, wearing a color I have never once seen on her in the entire time I have known her, which is a long time, kid. A very long time."

"Yeah," Charlie responded, drawing out the word.

"And you're just going to say 'yeah?'" Tavi scoffed.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to sayeverything else.I have been watching this, Charlie! Do you understand that? I have had a front-row seat to the single slowest thing I have ever witnessed in the history of this damn ship! Two people, bothallegedlyintelligent?—"

"Allegedlyintelligent?"

"—orbiting each other formonthswhile the entire ship placed bets?—"

"You placedbets?"

"—and last night a building decided to head butt you and now, this morning, she's the fucking color of a flower!" Tavi was actually breathing hard. "And all I get is a 'yeah.'" He spread his hands. "I built the program that played the song, Charlie. I feel I've earned more than that."

"How did you know about the song?"

Tavi looked at her with a blank face. "Do not insult my intelligence."

"Your intelligence, orallegedintelligence?"

Tavi's face didn't move.

Charlie leaned back against her console and stared at him, this small solid copper-colored person who had been there for her, days ago, as well as countless other times, on a night she realized she was in deep.

"You told me to sing," she said.

Tavi's grin softened at the edges.

"Yeah," he said. "I did."

"That's everything, Tav. That's where it started. I sang the song because you blindsided me in the middle of the party, and she heard it, and—" Charlie stopped, because she felt her throat tighten, and she would not cry in Engineering after breakfast. "So. Thank you. That's what I'm saying. Under all theyeahs."

Tavi stared at her for a moment. Then he cleared his throat aggressively, and turned back to his console, because he was apparently no better at this than she was.

"Don't make it weird," he said, thick.

"You made it weird. You had a speech."