Ace cocked his head to the side. There was a gleam in his eyes. “Life’s not safe… It’s wondrous but not for the timid.”
That comment made me roll my eyes and huff. “Q said that after killing eighteen members of the fleet.”
“But he prepared them for the Borg. Without his actions, they wouldn’t have known what was coming, and many more could’ve died.”
“I—” I paused and widened my eyes.
Ace’s smirk grew into a smile. As if we both realized what was happening.
“You’re a Trekkie?” we asked at the same time.
“I used to watch with my mom,” I said before clamping my lips shut. I didn’t want to talk about her.
Ace’s eyes narrowed before he said, “No one else gets it when I say that line.”
I shrugged. “I don’t like Q, but he had his place, I guess.”
It was hard finding fans of my favorite sci-fi show,Star Trek, that were my age. What were the chances that this beautiful boy standing before me was a fellow Trekkie?
“Live long and prosper,” we said at the same time while holding up our hands and making the famous Vulcan salute.
“No way, man,” one of the boys from the group came over. He wrapped his arm around Ace’s neck. “You found a chick into the same sci-fi crap as you,” he said.
Ace’s face changed from grinning to anger in a flash as he pushed the boy away from him.
“Her name’s Savannah.” He turned back to me. “Right?”
I nodded. “Uh-huh, like the city in Georgia.”
He gave the guy another dismissive look before turning back to me. “Is that where you’re from?” he asked, moving in closer.
“I was born there, but mostly lived in Atlanta.”
“What brought you to Texas?” he asked as if interested. Not only that, but it was like I held his full attention.
I bit my bottom lip, not wanting to talk about why. Instead, I shrugged. “Life, I guess.”
His gaze softened, as if he could read between the lines. He stepped closer and looked down at me as if we were the only two people out there by the river.
“Which is your favorite Star Trek film?”
“I haven’t seen them,” I replied.
“Oh man, you’ve got to watch them in order,” Ace said.
“No way,” I said, a few minutes later, with a shake f my head. “Everyone knows Picard is the best Captain the Starfleet has ever seen.”
Ace huffed. “Everyone says that, but it’s bullshit. Kirk is where it’s at,” he insisted. He looked at me with a light in his eyes. “When I’m a pilot, I’m going to be as kickass as Kirk.”
“A pilot?”
He nodded, self-assured. “In the Air Force.” He stopped talking and tilted his head as if an idea had formed. “Do you have time? I want to show you something.”
“Yeah, sure.” I had no idea where this was going, but I wanted to follow wherever he led.
Ace took my hand in his and helped me to stand. My insides flooded with a rush of hormone-induced warmth. I’d had crushes on boys before, but nothing like this.
“We’re leaving,” Ace said to the group with a wave of his free hand. He continued to hold onto my hand with his other one.
