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She walked around town some more, no longer getting strange looks and sometimes even getting a friendly smile and wave from a stranger passing by. She made her way home, hoping to get back before Altair so she could hide her new dress from him. She had no trouble finding her way back. She’d trained herself years ago to always pay attention to where she was going. In some situations, having a good sense of direction could make the difference between getting away with the object you stole or getting caught.
* * *
Nova decided to repair the damage she’d already done to her relationship with Altair. She still had no idea what information Elizabeth wanted her to find out, but she figured being on good terms with Altair could only help. Though she had to be careful not to be so friendly that he would try anything physical.
She went to the kitchen intending to prepare dinner but had no more idea how to do that than she had known how to make breakfast. Raw ingredients were the only food available, some of which she didn’t even recognize. She gave up and waited at the dining room table instead. It’s not like she could sit on the couch. Not if she wanted a view of the front door.
There was nothing fun to do in the apartment, and she felt weird without her comm. She kept thinking of things she wanted to look up, like “How to make a meal from raw ingredients?” but couldn’t. She wondered if this was how they got their women to submit sexually, by keeping them so bored that they finally caved just so they’d have something to do.
When Altair walked through the door, she smiled shyly at him. He eyed the empty spot where the couch had been with a raised eyebrow but stayed silent. Maybe he was too charmed by the smile to complain.
“I put it in the empty bedroom,” she said. “So I can have a private place to sleep.”
He didn’t answer, just nodded.
She walked up to him, feeling dwarfed by his size the closer she got.
“I’m sorry if I was…unfriendly yesterday. I was scared and tired. But maybe we could start over.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, and she worried she’d gone too far in the other direction. “You are ready to be my wife?” he asked, sounding a little doubtful.
“No,” she said quickly to avoid suspicion. “How could I? I don’t even know you.”
“If you knew me, you would want to be my wife?”
She shrugged. “If we got along, maybe. As they say, we’re a match.”
“What do you want to know?”
He was going to make it that easy for her? She needed to take it slow though.
“Well first, I’d like to know how you prepare a meal. I’m starving, but I can’t find any food in your kitchen.”
Altair smiled back at her, looking into her eyes, and her stomach did a flip.Shards, he was handsome.
He walked into the kitchen and started pulling things out of drawers and cupboards.
“Sit,” he said pointing to the kitchen table. “I will make the food. Ask me your questions.”
She sat and looked with interest as he used a knife to remove the outer layer of a green vegetable she’d learned the name of as a child but couldn’t remember now to save her life.
“How was work?” she asked, again not wanting to sound too eager.
From the look on his face, he’d hoped she’d ask something else.
“Fine,” he said.
He hesitated like he wasn’t going to say anymore. He picked up the vegetables he had cut and put them in a large pot.
“Everyone I work with is hostile toward me. It makes my job difficult.”
Hostile towardhim? They probably didn’t like working with an arrogant ass.
“Maybe you should try being a little nicer.” Hadn’tshedecided to be nicer to him? Why was that so hard?
He didn’t look at her as he answered. “People don’t respect ‘nice’.”
It didn’t sound like they respected ‘mean’ either.
