Starborne

Chapter 14

The Temple was separate from the Palace, perched at the top of a massive rock formation jutting out from the rest of the city. Made of the same crystal as the other building, it somehow refracted with even more rainbows and glassy luminescence. I was out of breath by the time we reached the top of a winding staircase, and Stefin gave me an annoyed look as I stood for a moment to calm my racing heart. 

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s your fault I didn’t get any exercise for over a week.” Apparently I chose to go with a pouty reaction. Something about Stefin always made my level headedness and maturity go right out the window. 

“Ah, yes, and you were truly a specimen to behold before that.” 

My jaw dropped open in surprise at his sarcasm, not being able to hide my hurt for a few seconds. What a… bitch. Well if that’s how he wanted to play it. 

“I’ve never heard any complaints about my stamina before.” I stuck my nose in the air and stomped righteously past him and up to a carved stone door. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Right, like you have so much to do. Are you going to take advantage of your free time to plot against me even more?” He remarked flippantly, but something inside me snapped. 

Stefin moved to knock on the door, and I slapped his hand down.

“Nope, nope, nope. Don’t you dare. I’m not going in there until we talk about this.”

“Talk about what? It all seems very clear to me, and quite frankly I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth anyway.” He was exasperated, but I made the decision to stand my ground. 

“I don’t care what you believe. I’m going to set the record straight, you’re going to listen, and then at least you can’t say I didn’t try.” Stefin huffed, turned to face me, and gestured reluctantly for me to continue. 

“I snuck into the Terran hangar. That part is true. But I wasn’t trying to escape, I just…. wanted to see my ship.”

Stefin rolled his eyes, and I sighed. 

“You’re never going to understand this, but here it goes. My ship is my home, it’s where I spend all of my time. The command module - Terrans found out that humans need interaction, so every Pilot has a compatible AI personality developed as a copilot and companion. It’s not just a ship, it’s a conscious life.”

He stayed silent, so I continued. 

“ALYX runs my ship. The others met her before, she’s annoying, and brisk. and sarcastic -” my tone dropped a little as I continued, “and she’s my best friend. My- my only friend, most times.”

Stefin’s silence was deafening, I knew he was judging me to high heaven, but I forced myself to continue. 

“When I left, I promised her I would be back in a few days. That’s not going to happen anymore, for obvious reasons, so I snuck in to let her know. The ship was off for repairs, anyway, so I left. That’s when I ran into you.” I'd neglected to think about how ridiculous the truth made me seem before I started my tirade, and I sighed, burying my head in my hands. 

“That’s very touching, and all, but what about your meeting with the Terran commander? That doesn’t quite fit into this sob story.” 

I looked up at him questioningly. 

“I didn’t talk with anyone there. I had a meeting scheduled after to discuss my absence, but you pulled me out before I went.”

“That’s not what I was told.”

“Well you’re clearly getting faulty information. Just ask them, you’ll see there is no log of any meeting.” My tone hardened with frustration. Who the heck could be more reliable than the person who was actually there?

“My staff talked to the Terrans, and I have no reason to believe they would mislead me.” 

“Maybe it wasn’t purposeful, the information probably just got misconstrued. Stefin, please, why would I still be making an effort if I didn’t truly believe this would exonerate me?” I looked at him pleadingly, hoping he could see the sincerity in my face.

That was possibly the wrong move, because instead he took the opportunity to look me right in the eyes. 

Holy hell. 

I'd spent a lot of time loathing everything about the man, and purposefully avoided looking at him as much as possible. I wasn’t stupid, I knew what his presence did to me, and I wasn’t about to let my hormones dictate my decisions any further. 

But hell, when our eyes met, I swear the air crackled with electricity. Is that an exaggeration? Definitely. Was it still super intense in a way that made me feel lost in the stormy depths of his gaze? Unfortunately. 

I couldn’t help but shiver a bit, and my eyes unwillingly cut to the rest of Stefin’s face. I drank him in like I was lost in a desert, and his features were an oasis. His lips were so full, soft, and I noticed how he had a habit of biting the lower one when he was contemplating something. His jaw was cut, defined, but the dimple in his right cheek softened his bone structure when he smiled. Although, right now, he definitely wasn’t smiling. 

Stefin looked confused, conflicted, and impossibly tense. While my body was alive with sparks, he was rigid and uncomfortable. Everything about his stance read of internal conflict, and I wondered which one of the emotions flitting behind his eyes would win. 

Too soon, he looked away, and the mask of indifference closed over his features once again. 

“I’ll call the Terrans myself, see if your story checks out.” Stefin’s voice was level, but I caught the edge of gruffness underneath. 

“When you do that,” I wavered, before shaking off the encounter and straightening up, “you’re going to owe me big time. For the wrongful imprisonment. And not warning me about the stairs.”

It’s possible I was still flustered, but I swore I saw a hint of a smile grace his lips before Stefin turned away. I stood back as he knocked on the door decisively, and it immediately swung open.