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Chapter 15
Ana
Tzelik has a giant greenhouse hidden away on his expansive property.
That’s where I’m standing right now, before a huge, domed glass building surrounded by perfectly manicured grass gleaming so crisply in the light of the two moons I can see the stars reflected on its surface.
This is a bad idea, I think, gazing at the structure that looks like its own little glistening planet. I should have canceled the date. I shouldn’t be doing this.
Since the moment I watched Asili eating his ice cream in the same distinct way as Elena earlier this afternoon, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. A heavy pit opened up in my stomach, and although it’s only ice-cream, and it doesn’t mean anything, and I know that… I just couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding that came over me.
Because suddenly, I can’t stop finding similarities between my sister, and the son of the man who I’m about to go on a date with. The way that they both tantrum, their flares of temper that spike at the slightest provocation and disappear just as easily, the way they both act up whenever they feel out of control or like they aren’t getting enough attention. There are all these underlying personality quirks that Asili displays that are so much likethe way Elena was when she was young, it actually shocks me that I hadn’t noticed it earlier. And the deep, uncomfortable pit in my stomach won’t go away, even though I opened up Asili’s file on the surrogacy website again and found nothing out of place.
Something still feels wrong; something is still nagging at the back of my brain… And now I’m standing in the moonlight with Asili’s father, getting ready to begin a date, and I just don’t know how to feel.
“I’d sort of…thought we were going out,” I murmur nervously as I stare at the greenhouse because I don’t know what else to say.
Tzelik shifts beside me, lifting a hand to the back of his neck briefly before turning to look at me. In his formal slacks and grey-blue shirt, he seems so much less…severe than usual. His top two buttons are casually undone, he has no sword or glistening medals or stiff presidential jackets to obscure the lines of his body. He looks relaxed, more casual than usual, and very, very handsome as he stands pale and tall in the moonlight before me.
“I didn’t want to leave Asili home without the both of us,” he says. “I hope this is alright…”
“Oh! No, of course! I’m sure it’s great, I just—I don’t know if I’m overdressed, or I don’t know…” I shift in my heels, the gravel path beneath us making little crunching noises and amplifying my awkwardness. I should have canceled. I could have told him I felt sick and then just postponed the date indefinitely until the day I died. What am I doing here?
He smiles a little and shakes his head. “You look lovely.” His eyes travel briefly over the long cloak covering me, as if curious to see what’s beneath, and then he puts his hand on my back and steers me forward. When he pushes open the glass doors and we take a few steps in, it’s just…wow. For a moment, all my worries leave me.
Back on the station, I was never really exposed to much greenery—just a potted plant here and there when somebody had the credits and the UV lamps to bother with growing something. It was crazy enough seeing so much casual nature all over this planet when I first got here, but this…
The actual air feels different in here. Thicker somehow and warm, and as we step inside and a butler by the door takes my cloak, I can’t help but gape at what’s before me. The space is absolutely lush with vibrant plants and curling architecture. Bright orange flowers as tall as me line the path from the entrance, leaning over with spotted petals that curl backwards and bell-like protrusions that sweep out from the middle, and as my gaze flows past them, I struggle to take everything in at once. Pinks and blues and yellows and reds flash among the thick greenery, vines wrap themselves up along the walls and over each other, glossy green leaves drip along the underbrush, and in the middle of it all, the domed ceiling caves back in on itself and down towards a pond, depositing a flat stream of trickling water that backdrops where a table has been set up for us to dine at.
“Oh my god,” I whisper in awe. “This is beautiful.”
“Yes,” Mr. Tzelik says quietly, and when I turn back to him, I find that his eyes are dragging all across my body. Suddenly I feel overwhelmingly self-conscious in my emerald green dress, with its spaghetti straps and low, scooped neckline. I brush my hands nervously over my thighs.
“I am overdressed, aren’t I?”
“You look…” Tzelik’s eyes track the movement of my hands, lingering for a moment at my hips before he finally lifts his gaze back up to mine. But he doesn’t continue, just stares at me, and I can’t help but finish the sentence in my mind with an ugly little voice.
Stupid. Like a desperate assistant trying too hard. Why did I pick this dumb dress? I never expose my arms, and my boobs probably look ridiculous all plumped up like this…
I look down, twisting my fingers together and feeling heat rise to my cheeks. “I wasn’t sure what to wear, I just—”
His large, pale hand comes up between us, his fingers slipping around my palm as he draws me a little closer.
“Analina,” he says softly, his thumb brushing lightly over the back of my hand, and when I look back up at him, his expression is warm. “You are breathtaking.”
The fluttering in my stomach intensifies, and I think my heart is going to thud straight out of my chest. He looks impossibly handsome standing over me, broad and intent, and the way a little tendril of his silver hair has slipped forward as he looks down at me, hanging slightly over one of his bright blue eyes as he tilts a tiny bit towards me, his fingers brushing along my palm…
My gaze darts down to his pale lips, but when the seconds tick by and he makes no further moves, I once more begin to feel unsure of myself. Is he going to kiss me? Or am I misreading him? What’s going on?
I frown and look away, feeling awkward all over again. “Um, so,” I say, and clear my throat. “Are we having dinner here?”
Then I wince at my own words—of course we’re having dinner here, why else would there be an entire table set up near the water with servers hovering around holding silver trays?
But Tzelik doesn’t mention how dumb my question is. Instead, he just slips my hand into the crook of his arm and leads me down the lush green path.
“Yes,” he says in his mild way, “although I’ve no idea what we’ll be served. Chef’s choice tonight.” He pulls out my chair and waits for me to sit, before looking across the exceptionally long table towards his own seat down the other end. Then he lifts his arm and clicks at one of the servers. “Move my chair down here, will you?”
I feel a frown begin to pull at my lips as the staff scramble to bring his chair and place-setting down beside me.
