A shiver ran up her spine as she remembered the very first time he’d said those words to her.
“I’m failing aero,” he’d said, slamming his books down onto the table near her.
She’d come to the library to study for the same class he was complaining about, but not because she was failing. As it was, she had the best grade in the class and intended to keep it that way. If she had a prayer of getting a pilot-training recommendation from the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, her grades as well as her military record from the Air Force Academy had to be as perfect as she could possibly achieve. Even then, she’d be faced with almost unsurmountable opposition in the form of one Général de Brigade Aérienne Pierre Mondreau—her father.
One would think he’d be proud that she wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a pilot, but from the first she’d told him it was what she wanted to do, he’d adamantly refused to discuss it further.
With his endorsement, she would’ve been accepted regardless of her grades. Without it, she had a better chance of becoming the queen of France.
Alegria looked up at Gehring, seated across from her. He had his chin rested on his hand and was staring.
“What?” she said, wondering if she had something in her teeth or on her face.
“I like looking at you. I can’t help it.”
She smiled. “I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing.”
“It’s a very good thing. At least for me. I could do it all day and night.”
It wasn’t unlike Gehring to flirt with her. Tom did too. But weren’t the three of them friends? Most of the time, she thought they were both teasing her, but sometimes, especially when she and Gehring were alone, she found herself wishing he was seriously interested in her in the same way she was in him.
“Hey, Gehring,” said another one of the female cadets, who walked by but then circled back and stood next to the chair he was seated in.
“Hey, Mel,” he said, not bothering to look up.
“A few of us are going to Cowboys later. We thought maybe you and Tom would want to come along.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he said, still not looking up.
“Okay. See you later.”
“I hate it when they do that,” he said once the cadet had walked away.
“When they do what?”
“Act like you’re not even sitting there.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me.”
“It does, but you know why they do it, right?”
She shook her head.
“Because there isn’t a single woman at this academy who is even half as beautiful as you are.”
“You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” Mantis said, as though he could read her thoughts. “But you’re so much more than that.”
“Mantis—”
“No, I get it. You’re with Dutch now. I can’t say things like that anymore.”
Alegria nodded, but inside, the idea of never hearing words like those pass through Mantis’ lips broke her heart.
“So what about getting you back in the pilot’s seat?” he asked.
“I don’t know. It might be…”
“What?”