Page 338 of Every Almost

Reyna’s eyebrow rose.

Smooth, Wickett.

“There is classified information in here.”

A smile began at the corner of Reyna’s mouth.

She reached beneath Charlie’s hands and took one, drawing it away from the paper. She lifted Charlie’s fingers to her lips and kissed the underside of her wrist, then her palm, and then each fingertip, one after another.

Charlie watched her intently, seeing the soft shirt, the loose hair, and the rose beginning to gather along her near where they touched.

Their connective color.

“Did it help?” Reyna asked.

Charlie thought about the letter.

“Yes and no.”

Reyna’s thumb moved over her knuckles.

“No?”

Charlie closed her eyes.

“It still hurts.”

Reyna raised her other hand to Charlie's cheek again, and Charlie leaned into it, opening her eyes to see Reyna nodding gently.

Charlie looked over at the pages again.

“But yes, too. Because now it's here," Charlie pointed at the pages. "And not here," Charlie pointed to her head.

Reyna brought their joined hands down to rest between them. “Then I believe Kess will consider the assignment complete.”

“And Orion?” Charlie asked.

“I'm sure he'll want to archive it. Just for the paper alone.”

“He isneverseeing this," Charlie insisted. "But he'll be tough. I know his tactics."

“I’m sure you can defeat a librarian, Charlie.”

“You say that like you’ve never met Orion.”

Reyna laughed and that sound loosened Charlie’s tension, as Reyna's laugh always did.

Charlie turned back to the table and folded the pages over carefully once, and then again.

She wrote Katie’s name across the outside and placed the letter inside the desk drawer.

When she closed it, Reyna was still beside her, still holding her hand, exactly where she’d said she would be.

Soon, Charlie had written.

She looked at Reyna and smiled, knowing full well the whole crew had been helping her prepare to propose to Reyna tomorrow.

Exactly one year since she'd arrived on the Emberkind and fallen in love with its captain.