The Space Between Us (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 23

Waverly had grown closer to her father since their return from Argon. They laughed, teased each other. Nicole would watch as he pretended to sneak up on her, she pretending not to notice. A silly game, meant for children, one they both enjoyed. Waverly's mother was intent on fattening Nicole. Always offering more food, Nicole too polite to refuse, Waverly grinning at her obvious awkwardness.

The pace of life in Waverly's house was slower, more relaxed, its rhythm tied around farming. Up at first light to check the fields, retrieve any malfunctioning bots. Nicole excelled at spotting a rogue bot, learning an early lesson not to chase after one. Waverly cried with laughter watching Nicole's first attempt at rounding up a wayward mechanical worker, it cleverly evading her until Waverly demonstrated the trick of capture.

Harvest time was upon them. Long hours. Frequent trips to the food silos to deposit the produce, Waverly's father standing in line waiting for payment. A simple life. Uncomplicated. Satisfying. All essential needs catered for.

Once a week they would drive to the ocean, spend the day enjoying each other's company. Nicole was now a strong swimmer, still no match for Waverly. Waverly seemed even more alive than before, if that was possible. Her eyes shone with a brighter light. Her mother said it was love. Perhaps, although Nicole knew Waverly was in love with her before.

This was different.

Waverly had gained an inner strength from her experiences. Nicole was in awe. Waverly had suffered so much and yet, here she was enjoying life to the full. Waverly too had noticed a change in Nicole. Present. Fully present. Attentive, to the point of suffocating on occasions. A few tense conversations had resulted as they navigated their own life around the other.

"Why can't I come with you?" Nicole asked.

"Because."

"That's not an answer."

"You're sulking again."

"I'm not sulking. Only wanted to know why I can't tag along."

"Because, if you tag along I can't do what I need to do."

"Now I'm more intrigued."

Waverly rubbed her thumb across the tips of her fingers. "Don't be."

Nicole had come to know Waverly's subtle tells on how she was feeling. Thumb across finger tips when nervous, a pull on an earlobe when tired.

"Fine. If that's how it is. I hope you have a wonderful time, wherever you're going, without me."

Waverly laughed. "So childish. I really should spank you."

Nicole grabbed Waverly's hand. "Now would be a good time."

"Are you ever not turned on?"

Nicole shook her head, leading Waverly upstairs for the afternoon.

Waverly took their cruiser that evening, still having not revealed where she was going. Power games. Her reason for not saying in part to see Nicole's reaction, in part for what she had planned. Nicole rattled around the house, unsure what to do with herself. It was the first evening they had spent apart on Keplar. She was worried, her mind looping on worst case scenarios. Ambushes. Or, the cruiser hitting a rock, as had happened on a recent trip to the ocean, Waverly brushing it off as nothing.

The family had no communication screen. She rarely watched on Gideon. Tonight she would have gladly accepted its company, even those infuriating infomercials for products she would never buy. She sent a few messages to fill her time. One to Wynonna confirming she would put squishy fruit on Waverly's side of the bed, as instructed. One to Dolls to ask how his new ship was progressing. His had been damaged beyond repair in the war, Legion struggling to keep up with replacements. Long delays. He had busied himself on other ships. He and Doc spent a month working together. An interesting experience according to Dolls. Doc was more forthcoming. It was the first time he had used expletives in a message to Nicole. She missed their company. Missed the thrill of leaving a planet on route to somewhere new.