If only that were true.
They sat in silence for a while, Tony drinking his whiskey and Tula sipping her diluted juice and watching the clouds drift past the window. When she got bored with the monotony, she turned to see what the others were doing.
Across the aisle, Tamira sat next to Elias, their hands linked on the armrest between them, looking at peace. They'd foundsomething real in the harem, but Elias was human, so their relationship was just as doomed as Tula and Tony's.
Her other friends were either napping or watching entertainment on the provided tablets, and she considered doing the same. The movies they'd gotten to see in the harem were usually a few years old, and only those that had been approved for their viewing by their lord and master.
She wondered if he was still among the living, and if he was, whether he would survive the rest of the journey.
Hours passed. The sun set outside the windows, painting the clouds in shades of orange and purple before fading to darkness. The cabin lights dimmed. Some of the ladies reclined their seats and tried to sleep. Others continued watching entertainment on their tablets, the glow illuminating their faces in the dim cabin.
Tony got himself another whiskey from the bar. Then another. His eyes grew glassy, his movements slower and less coordinated.
"Maybe you should stop," Tula suggested.
"Maybe I should drink until I can't think anymore," he countered. "I know what you are gathering the courage to say, and I'd rather be drunk for that."
Tula's throat tightened. "Tony?—"
"It's okay." He took another sip. "Well, it's not okay, but it is what it is. I'm not immortal."
"Perhaps we should wait until you are sober for this conversation."
"I'm not drunk. Just fortified." He set the glass down on the table with exaggerated care. "Go ahead. Say what you need to say. I promise I won't cry."
Tula glanced around the cabin. Most people were asleep or absorbed in their entertainment. Yamanu sat at the front with headphones on. Across the aisle, Elias and Tamira were sleeping or just resting. It wasn't ideal privacy, but they weren't likely to get better.
"I care about you," she started, keeping her voice low. "You know that, right?"
"But?" Tony prompted.
"But we can't keep deluding ourselves that this can work. The longer we drag it out, the more it's going to hurt. We didn't plan for this to become serious because we knew from the start that this relationship couldn't last. But it was good, so we stayed together for longer than we should have, and then I got pregnant, which was a miracle, and I'm not sorry for one moment that I'm having your child."
"I'm glad." He lifted his glass and emptied it down his throat. "I want this kid, Tula. I hope you are not thinking of keeping me away from him or her. You won't know if that's a boy or a girl until you get an ultrasound."
"I want you to be part of our son's life, even though it will be difficult for him knowing that his father is mortal. And yes, I'm convinced it's a boy."
Tony smiled, which was a good sign. She didn't want to break his spirit. "You know what I was thinking?" he asked.
"I'm not a mind reader."
"I might be a Dormant. Hey, if Kaia was a Dormant, why not me? We won't know until someone induces me, right? The universe keeps sending me to places where I find myself around Dormants or immortals. It has to mean something."
She hadn't thought of that, but he wasn’t wrong. There was a very small chance that Tony was a Dormant. "You are most welcome to try. We can ask Yamanu how inductions are done in the village."
He pinned her with a hard look. "Would you stay with me if I transitioned?"
"We are not each other's truelove mates." She let out a breath. "You know it, and I know it. We both deserve the chance of finding that special someone. Someone that the Fates designed specifically for us."
He was quiet for a long moment. "Love can come in many forms. We made a child together, Tula. If I can become immortal, we should give this child a home with both parents, even if it means compromising on that mystical, special kind of love. Once the child becomes an adult, we can part ways and go searching for that magical unicorn called a truelove mate."
He was making an awful lot of sense for someone who was drunk.
"So, what are you suggesting, that we stay together until you find out whether you can transition?"
He nodded. "Would it be so bad?"
"Yes, it would. I've already said goodbye to you in my heart, and it was hard. I don't want to have to do it again. Do you want to go through this pain twice? Do you want to live with theuncertainty? I think it's better we separate when we get to the village. Neither of us is going anywhere, so if you transition and I still haven't found my truelove mate, we can get back together. But frankly, I think we should not compromise on love. We can raise this child together in this village easily. We can live right next to each other."
