Lee was still thinking on what Zane had said when his hyperband buzzed.
The Greatest Romp You’ll Ever Find: hey—we’re just hanging with the twins now. I’ll come find you soon.
His mouth actually hung open, a laugh escaping in a sound equal parts bewilderment and amusement.
Zane arched an eyebrow. He didn’t need to see the message to know from Lee’s face the root of his reactions. “Good luck with that,” he added, nodding a little too sharply towards Lee’s hyperband as he left the room.
Lee stared down at his hyperband long after Zane had left. Because she was the other factor. The only factor, really. It had never been solely about him, or what he wanted.
He would be a fool to give this up. A fool and avoid-bentlife-shatterer. Because in what world would their futures alignso perfectly if not here? The path was spelled for them, their tickets purchased, their lives an interwoven tangle of adventure and freedom.
His hands shook as he tried to type out a response. The weight of his decision now weighing heavier than ever on his shoulder blades. Could he stay and see this through?
Still staring down at the lifeline glittering on his hyperband, Lee followed Zane out.
He heard the knock on his portal door later that evening. “Greatest romp I’ll ever find,” he said as he opened it. “I’m assuming this is your doing?” Lee asked, with a ghost of a smile, as he tipped his hyperband towards her to show her the name behind the message on the screen.
“I don’t know,” Kat sang, playfully evading his comment as she ducked under his arm. “It’s only on your personal device though, if you were wondering,” she called as she dove onto his bed.
“Oh, I don’t care about that,” Lee waved it off, following her with his eyes. “Nice trick, though.”
“I’ll let them know,” she winked. Her carefully even tones turned into shrieks as he tackled into her, caging her there on the pillow with his arms. He could feel her heartbeat sprinting beneath him as she blew the hair out of her face in a flutter of vanilla-blonde strands.
“You’re not going to change it, though, are you?” she asked, suddenly sitting up on her elbows.
She was in no place to bargain, still pinned beneath him, with only her eyes left to do the pleading. Those mockingly innocent, always laughing eyes…
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he promised her.
But speaking of her friends, “About what Kiara said, you being my girlfriend and all… We never actually talked about that…”
“You asking me to go steady, Waters?” She cocked her head to the side. He was playing with fire this one. “Sure. I’m your girlfriend.”
Even with her nonchalant words, he could see the satisfaction in her smug smile, and glowing in the planes of her face; the dazzling, fearsome one in front of him. And there was that part of him that wished again that they had never gotten involved in any of this with the General. That his focus right now could just remain on her and him and finally taking that next physical step with their relationship.
“Hey, look at me.” Kat slowly lifted one of her arms out from under her. Lee allowed her that—lifted himself just high enough, so that she had adequate space to run that free hand lightly down his cheek, and to his jaw, drawing his eyes right to her. “It’s like we said, whatever this is, we’ll ride it out. It’ll be okay.”
There were no present outcomes that made any of this okay. But he intended to change that. He would change that. For her, he’d transform this galaxy.
But they would do it on their terms.
He bridged some of that gap between them, until his lips hovered just above hers. Her chest heaved, her breath catching as her eyes flicked down to his lips, sparking something more predatory in his gaze.
He’d show her just how he treated his girlfriends…
CHAPTER 25: KAT
FRIDAY NIGHT, to shake things up, she and Lee met Whistler down on one of the lower training levels. They’d intended to go for a climb at the Wall with the twins, but it seemed everyone had thought of that same idea tonight. Her ears still thrummed from the splat of noise and chaos that had met them upon opening those doors.
So instead they ended up across the hall, where Kiara and Kamata engaged Demi in an open pull-up contest from the doorframe.
“Blue or Green?” she asked Lee, dumping the last of her vending machine vita-snacks into her palm and crinkling up the bag.
“I’m good thanks,” Lee said. Shrugging, Kat popped them both into her mouth.
“Another week down,” Whistler said, fist-bumping them with his free hand, while he adjusted his airy up-do with the other. “It feels like this term has been flying by.”
“Too fast,” Lee said. And Kat would have to agree. She could barely keep the ground under her with everything hitting them all at once.
