"Um, Adiron?"
I can hear him sigh from under the desk. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice I was here."
I pad over to him, curious. "It's late. What are you doing? Shouldn't you be asleep?"
He slides out from under the station, his uniform rumpled, the collar open and loose. He gives me a boyish grin. "Shouldn't YOU be asleep?"
"I asked first." I nod at the station, because I can see a bunch of wires hanging down. "And I want to know what you're doing. Don't change the subject."
"I couldn't sleep." Adiron sits up, shrugging. "I was worried about you. You seemed real sad that the others are gone and I wanted to fix that."
I move to the chair the next station over. It's mounted to the floor, just like each station's “desk” and covered with a million controls I know nothing about. Everything's covered in a fine layer of dust because we don't know how to use most of the switches. I cross my legs, and as Adiron's gaze goes there, I can't help but feel a little…vulnerable. I'm wearing a knee-length tunic, but no panties and no bra. I wasn't exactly expecting to see anyone tonight, and seeing Adiron's focus makes me feel…strange. Uncrossing my legs would be awfully obvious, so I pretend not to notice. "So you decided to, what, play hide-and-seek?"
He laughs, a look of sheer delight on his face. "Did you play that, too? That was my sister's favorite when she was just a little runt. Man, she crawled into everything." With a smile, he shakes his head. "Nah, I was trying to override some of the systems, maybe get a vid-comm working for you."
That's kind of sweet. "Were you going to surprise me? Is that why you didn't want me to ask?"
"Uh, not exactly. I figured you might not approve of my methods."
"Your methods?"
To answer me, Adiron reaches up to one of the wires, yanks it from its home, and cocks his head, waiting. Then he puts it back into the socket and taps on a button.
I can't help it; I laugh. "Is this your equivalent of 'Have you tried turning it off and turning it on again?'"
"Huh?"
"Just a tech support thing on Earth." I chuckle. "So what happens if you unplug a wire and it breaks something?"
"That's why I thought I'd do it while you were sleeping." He grins. "Hide the evidence before you woke up."
I should probably be mad, but I'm just amused. It's not like I'm doing anything with most of these controls anyhow. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to watch anything even if you get the vid-comm working."
"I know. I like being able to help you, though. Makes me feel less like a useless piece of keffing shit." He sighs and yanks on another wire, staring morosely at it. "I don't want you to be angry at me forever, so maybe if I do a few small things to make this next month better, it'll help."
"I'm not angry at you," I tell him, surprised he'd think that. "None of what's happened is your fault."
Adiron shrugs. "But I could have done more. I ran into him on the ship last night. I should have asked what he had planned, or stopped him, or something."
"You didn't know," I say gently. "None of us did. If we had, I'm pretty sure Ruth wouldn't have gone over there to spy. Now she's stuck with him…or he's stuck with her."
A reluctant smile curls the corner of his mouth. "They're both probably making each other miserable…or falling into bed together."
"I am very certain THAT is not going to happen."
He tilts his head, regarding me. "You don't think so? Some males like a fiery female. They like someone that fights them at every turn."
"Do they?" I arch a brow at him. "Do you?"
Adiron is quiet for a long moment, and I want to kick myself for asking it. Why do I care if he likes a “fiery female”? I'm not one. I'm definitely more on the calm end of the spectrum. But Adiron gives me a thoughtful look and shakes his head. "I'm into other stuff."
"Like what?" The words come out before I can stop them. Why am I encouraging this? He's made it clear that he likes me. Why do I need to hear it again?
He grins. "Small brown feet, for starters." And his big hand curls around my bare ankle.
I suck in a breath, fascinated at the pulse of attraction that zings through me. It's just a touch. Nothing more. It's a gentle one, though, and it feels good. I'm reminded of how he held me and comforted me when I cried.
And then I remind myself that it's only been two days. It hasn't been enough time for me to see who Adiron truly is. He could be pretending to be this big, lovable goof with a protective streak. The real Adiron will come out in a few days, when the sheer monotony of being trapped on the Star sets in.