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Later that evening, Cyburn and I were in his private quarters eating dinner alone together, just as we’d planned.
I was a little nervous because I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but Ididexpect to get to the bottom of what Amada’s beef was with me.
Cyburn and I were dining on a mixture of vegetables and meats… none of which I understood what they were, but Cyburn assured me they were safely prepared by the on-board chef in the kitchen and that the ingredients were made organically and perfectly safe for humans.
Whatever it was, it tasted good, and it filled me up. The texture didn’t bother me, and it was an overall pleasant meal.
I had been starving ever since getting on boardThe Bladeand I was just happy to be eatinganythingof sustenance.
At first, we stuck to the basics. We talked about banal things, just making chit-chat kind of conversation. The conversation flowed smoothly between us, something that made me feel more comfortable around him.
“You have amazing living quarters here,” I admitted, glancing around. “I would never want to leave if this was my personal space.”
We were sitting at a table in the corner of the room. On the other side was a relatively large sized bed, along with night-stands and lamps on each side.
Cyburn also had his own private en suite bathroom attached to his room, along with a little eating area which was where we were.
“I could take it or leave it,” Cyburn said, pausing to chew as his gaze roamed humbly around the room. “I don’t spend a lot of time in here.”
I grinned at him. “You have a tight ship to run. Literally.”
He laughed and nodded along. “Yes, that’s true.”
I watched his structured jaw line as he took another bite of food from his plate. He was perfect in every way. If someone had told me a month ago that I would be on an alien ship — having it bad for the alien captain as well — I would have told them they were crazy.
We were seated at a table near the windows. There was nothing but blackness out there. It was incredibly beautiful and incredibly terrifying at the same time.
To look outside made you feel like you were so small, not evendustin comparison to the vastness of space. We were living in an infinite universe that stretched out across an unfathomably endless horizon.
An ever expanding universe, sending the galaxies further and further apart to unimaginable distances. It just made a person wonder sometimes. What was the purpose? What was it all for? What were we here to do? Create, protect? The possibilities seemed as endless as the density of space itself.
“What are you thinking about?” Cyburn asked, taking another bite of his vegetable medley.
I took a deep breath, still staring outside the windows.
“That everything that exists on the other side of these windows could kill us in an instant if we were exposed and not wearing life support equipment. It’s hard to think about it. At home you can just open a window or step outside. Here, you can’t do any of that unless you’re fully prepared beforehand. There is no room for critical error when you’re riding on a spaceship.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Cyburn nodded, taking a moment to gaze outside the window himself. “It is quite humbling.”
“A little scary, too,” I admitted.
“Are you feeling scared right now?” Cyburn focused on me, his features etched with concern.
I contemplated. “Notrightnow. Not if I don’t let myself think too hard about it.”
Cyburn reached across the table and cupped his hand over mine. He gave me an endearing smile. “I told you before, you don’t need to worry too much about anything. You are safe here.”
I slowly inched my hand away from his grasp and placed it down in my lap.
Cyburn frowned. “Is everything alright?”
I supposedIwas going to have to be the one who was going to have to bring up the sensitive topic that we’d tiptoed around earlier.
“You… told me we were going to talk privately about the whole…” I trailed off a moment while Cyburn continued to give me an expectant stare. I scratched the side of my cheek and shifted my weight awkwardly in the seat. “You know, the whole Amada situation.”
Her name felt sour on my tongue, like a bad aftertaste of a food you didn’t enjoy.
Cyburn placed his fork down on the plate and released a heavy sigh. He leaned back in his chair and suddenly looked pensive.
