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Without looking away from the window, I asked, "Did you?"
"A few months later, yes, for the equinox festival. It's an old tradition on Frey-T, as we call it. Some think it's silly to keep celebrating it. It goes back to times when we believed in gods and demons."
I glanced over to him and nodded. "Some humans still believe in those things, but we have celebrations that go back a long time, too. Christmas, for example."
"Ah. Turkey and a man in red who fits down a—" He paused and looked uncertain. "Chimney?"
I smiled. "Something like that. Don't tell me, you didn't ace Earth ceremonies."
"Uh." He rubbed his smooth chin. "Earth ceremonies only takes up half a page in the book about galactic traditions."
I sniffed. "I think I should be offended we're not considered more interesting."
"Oh, microns," he swore under his breath. If you can call that swearing. "I didn't mean to offend you. The IF knows comparatively little about your culture and it takes a while for them to start to teach them. They spend m-more time talking more about updating the syllabus than doing it. Or s-so my teachers say."
"It's okay." Without thinking, I took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm not really upset. Everywhere else seems more interesting than Earth."
He looked down at our hands until I felt uncomfortable and drew mine back.
"Please tell me that didn't mean something rude on Frey-T," I said tentatively.
He looked surprised. "Not at all. It's considered intimate."
"As in sexual?" I felt my face heat.
"Oh no," he said quickly. "Like two people who care for each other. If you had laced your little finger into mine, that might be construed as, um…"
"Yes?" I prompted. "As what?"
"As you wishing to have sex with me." He blushed.
"Oh, I see. that's good to know." It really was. A girl didn't want to get herself into trouble accidentally. On purpose, well that was another story, but we had just met. He seemed cute and sweet. Okay, a little hot too, but ten minutes was too soon to jump into anything with someone, no matter the size of his biceps.
"I'll be sure to keep my hands to myself from now on," I said. "Just in case I do something wrong."
"Yes." He grimaced. "I don't mind. Most people understand—well, have misunderstandings, but some get offended easily."
I knitted my brows slightly. "You seem to be referring to something in particular."
He exhaled and lowered his voice. "Some of the folk from Parvora 12 can be cranky. A few of the trainers on Agus are from there and they…" He inhaled through his nose. "Most of the cadets and ensigns are terrified of them."
"So they're assholes?" I suggested.
Danec looked confused. "Oh, you mean they aren't very nice. You used body parts to say that?"
I grinned. "Like I said, we're obsessed with that area of the human body. Dickhead, asshole, butthead, wanker…"
Danec looked even more confused. "Isn't that last one another word for masturbation?" Just as he spoke, silence fell across the shuttle and his words seemed to echo through the cabin.
Several dozen eyes turned to Danec and several people snickered.
"Yes, it is," I said, my voice softer than his. "It's considered something people don't talk about in the open. Is it different on Frey-T?"
He shrugged. "It is as talked about as any other act of sex, which is to say not much. It's not considered strange or shameful."
"Right. But you wouldn't do it in public?" Wonderful, now I was imagining him doing just that, his hand wrapped around his throbbing…
Gods, stop it, Edie, before you leave a puddle on the seat.
