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We caught a shuttle at the spaceport. The ride to Luna Abra was quick, but the local time when we arrived was midmorning. I felt like I had been awake for a full two days. Whether the sun was out or not, I would need to get some sleep soon.
Julia and Alexi’s house was not large, but it was more than enough for the two of them. There were three bedrooms, two baths, and a separate office for Julia. The kitchen was modern and up to date, if not a little tiny. Wood floors spread throughout the house, and their furniture was an eclectic mix of different styles. It seemed to fit Alexi’s style more than Julia.
Just walking in the door caused Julia to relax. All the tension seeped out of her shoulders, and she immediately headed for the kitchen. “I’m starving.”
The three of us followed her and obediently sat around the kitchen table when she insisted on making breakfast for dinner. It took only a few minutes for her to whip up some French toast, eggs, and some fruit. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I smelled the food. My stomach growled loudly, and I laughed when everyone looked at me.
“My stomach is ready for your food,ami.” I stood up and went to help her carry the dishes to the table.
She allowed me to help while she fetched some drinks. “When’s the last time we ate? Sometime this morning, but this morning for us was ages ago. I can’t even remember.”
Both of us sat down next to each other and Julia gestured to the food. “Help yourselves.”
None of us needed to be told twice. We passed plates around and dug in. Alexi sighed with pleasure. “I’ve missed your cooking. Jordan’s not that great at it.”
Julia winked at her sister. “I do know how to make a mean French toast.”
Jordan glared mockingly at Alexi. “You don’t appreciate my food? Really? You could have offered to cook at any time. Or we could have gotten takeout, like I normally do.”
Alexi sneered. “You gotta learn how to cook sometime.”
Julia reached for my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. She was smiling at me with a look of pure happiness on her face. It made me smile too. She almost looked like a different person. I wanted to kiss her, to share the happiness, but I wasn’t sure we were ready to do that in front of others.
“So, Ethan,” Jordan asked between bites, “how long are you staying?”
My brain honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. I shrugged. “Well, for a while, I guess. My company is having my ship repaired, and I can’t go back to work until that’s ready.” My eyes went back to Julia. “I’ll have to finish the job I was working on before I’ll have some time off. Shouldn’t take me too long since I was already almost done.”
She nodded as though she understood what I wasn’t saying out loud. Once I was done on Cadium I’d come back to see her. Being apart from her was unappealing to me. Of course, since both of us traveled for work we were likely to be apart often. I’d have to figure out a way around that.
“Are you two dating or something?” Alexi’s bluntness spilled out again and she gave us questioning looks.
Julia looked at her sternly. “Alexi, that question is rude. But,” she hesitated and looked at me. When I nodded, she continued. “Yes, we are.”
Jordan’s mouth dropped open, and his fork clattered onto his plate. “Come again?”
“Don’t look so shocked.” Julia bristled. “It’s notthatsurprising.”
“Yeah, but you never date.” Jordan shook his head. “And don’t try to use Keith as an example because that’s not dating.”
Julia’s face reddened. “It was too.”
I felt lost in the conversation. “Who’s Keith?”
Alexi smirked. “Julia’s excuse for not dating.”
“Lex.” Julia sounded annoyed. She turned to me. “He and I would go on dates. The last time we went out, months ago, we decided we weren’t compatible and that we weren’t going to continue seeing each other.”
Jordan squinted at her. “I knew you were hiding something from me about that.”
“Oh, don’t get all huffy. You know how I am.”
“Stubborn. You are stubborn and independent.” Jordan took a drink. “Can’t admit when anything is wrong.”
I laughed and Julia smacked my arm, making me laugh harder. “What? He’s right. Youarestubborn.”
There was laughter in her eyes even though she tried to frown. “You haven’t seen nothing yet, mister.”
There was a knock at the door, and we fell silent. Alexi immediately got to her feet. “I’ll get it!”
