Page 326 of Every Almost

Behind them, Charlie heard Reyna say to nobody in particular, a little unsteadily, "As you were."

Charlie hoisted the coil back onto her shoulder and kept walking toward the junction, grinning like an idiot, because for once in her life, she'd made the better choice.

"I haveseenasupernova, Charlie," Tavi called after her, still recovering.

"I know you have, buddy."

"It wasless impressive!"

Dinner that nightin the galley was loud, and Charlie sat in the middle of it, completely enjoying every second.

Tavi and Maren were arguing two tables over, with Tavi up on his knees on the bench to make a point and Maren's shimmer flaring every time she cut him off. Borran moved behind the counter in a cloud of steam, throwing insults over his shoulder without turning around. The galley playback was running what Charlie had put there herself, months ago, and two crew from the habitat wing were murdering the harmony on it.

Charlie stopped eating for a second, just to sit in it.

She'd landed here over six months ago. On this exact floor even, forty feet from where she was sitting. At the time, she waspretty certain she was going to die a long way from anyone who loved her.

And now she had a seat at a table with her people. Just a roomful of aliens from a dozen worlds who'd quietly decided she was one of them.

She realized, in earnest, that home wasn't a coordinate. Frank had told her that once, but she'd been too young to hear it. She heard it now.

Down the table, Reyna was on her feet saying something that made Kess roll her eyes, the rose from the markings soft along her arms in front of everyone, easy now.

Charlie had everything. A crazy bunch of people she saw as family, a place to hang her tools and her coveralls at the end of the day, work that mattered in more ways than one, and a woman she loved lit in the color that meant she loved her back.

And a hole in the middle of it, exactly the shape of one person.

Katie.

Charlie let the thought come and didn't push it away. She'd stopped doing that. The hole was going to be there for the rest of her life, but it didn't make the rest of it any less true. You could be home and still miss someone. Both could sit with her in her same heart and, mostly, now they did.

Reyna looked up then, finding Charlie already watching her, and her expression turned warm. She said a last word to Kess before moving down toward the seat everyone somehow knew to leave open next to Charlie.

She sat down, put her knee against Charlie's under the table, and stole a piece of cake off her tray without asking.

"Hey," Charlie said. "You have to pay for that."

"I don't have to pay for anything. I'm the Captain of this ship," Reyna said, almost in a challenge.

Charlie raised an eyebrow, then scoffed.

"That's what you think."

Charlie reached up, holding Reyna's jaw, and kissed her. Reyna laughed softly into it before relenting.

"Debt paid, Captain," Charlie said against her lips.

Reyna smiled. Then she reached over without breaking eye contact, and stole a second piece off Charlie's tray.

"What the?—"

Charlie started laughing, catching the appearance of the little curve in Reyna’s mouth and the rose gone warm along her throat.

"I'm ready to repay my debt again, Chief Wickett," Reyna said.

Charlie caught on.

"It seems you like carrying Gula Cake debt, Captain."