I let that absorb, waiting to feel hurt or angry that Yiri had lied to me. But the feeling never came. He was okay. I saw that with my own eyes. And… maybe I didn’t want to know how it happened.
“I should be mad about that, I think.”
“Are you?” Qhev wondered.
I took another tour through my brain, andyep. Nothing.
“No,” I frowned.
“Yeah,” Qhev snorted. “So the trip is two months in stasis. I’ll be hitting Eissoi about two weeks later, and I’ll be there through the summer. When you get here, hit me up, okay? I can’t wait to see you without the mods and frames.”
“I’mnotgoing to marry him.”
“Yeah, I know, babe. You’re going to break up with him when he calls tonight, and you’ll tell me all about it in the morning.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
He sobered, and the loneliness that hid under all his humor and charm showed through. “Seriously, Cori. Don’t forget about me. We can still be friends, right?”
“Yeah, we’re friends,” I said. “And Iwilltell you about it in the morning.”
“Can’t wait, babe.”
His smile was sad, and it hurt my heart. But it was fine. He’d see tomorrow. As soon as Yiri, the lying, vaping, probable womanizer, called, I was breaking things off with him for good.
CHAPTER 10
YIRI
Two days.Probably less. I couldn’t wait till the end of the day to give Zacal something. And I had to have something to give him. The alternative was unacceptable.
I checked my reflection in the mirror before I called Cora. My hair was freshly trimmed, my face cleanly shaven, and I’d had the hygiene tech deal with the bags under my eyes. I wasn’t getting enough sleep, and it showed.
I took a deep breath and settled on the edge of my bed, the nexus mod hovering nearby with Cora’s messages on the screen. I studied the image she’d sent me earlier in the day, unsettled by the tension in her eyes. Usually innocently wide-eyed, myAneahlooked troubled, and I didn’t like it. If she were here, I would take care of whatever it was that made her unhappy. On Venastea, here in Eissoi, here in my arms, what could possibly worry her? I would see to her every desire and concern. But I had to get her here first.
If I were confronting a violent criminal, I wouldn’t be nervous. But a beautiful female with eyes I couldn’t swim out of?Fuck me.My hands were sweaty. Wiping them on my pants, I initiated the call.
She appeared, the same lines drawn between her eyes as before. I knew it was late for her, but she was fully dressed in the strange blue pants so many humans wore, and a thick, oversized shirt. A brightly lit room with lots of little doors on the walls made up her backdrop.
“Not in bed yet?” I asked.
Her shoulders rose, and she took a deep breath. “No. And I have something I need to say before… um. I just need to say something.”
Would she tell me why she was unhappy?Confide in me, Aneah.Let me make it better for you.
“I can’t keep talking to you.”
I leaned my head to the side, sure I had misheard her.
“It’s for the best,” she said. “I can’t leave Earth. I’m not planning to. I feel terrible for making you think I might, but… I can’t. So…. That’s it. I’m sorry.”
I waited, letting her get every bit of her little speech out, and the longer I waited, the more she volunteered, almost as ifImadehernervous, too.
“I did enjoy… this. Um. But I can’t keep taking your money and… and wasting your time. It’s wrong. I don’t usually do things like this. I just… I lost my job, and I was kind of desperate. But… I shouldn’t have. And today, Andrew said some things that… I just think it’s for the best. Better now than later when…” She gave a timid laugh, her cheeks burning red. “You know. Before we… I… or either one of us, really. Not that I think you feel… um. I just mean before someone starts to develop feelings. Regardless of who it is. And this way, you can spend more time talking to women who are really interested in… in leaving Earth, you know? Who want to get married and have… lots of babies or whatever. So… I’m sure you have other women lined up already. That’s… um. That’s fine. That’s…. Good.”
Is it now?I didn’t believe her for a single click. She couldn’t meet my eyes, and her hands were shaking. Shit, her whole body was vibrating with anxiety.
“I’ll… I’ll go ahead and hang up. You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you. Not just ghost you, you know? Um. B-bye… Bye, Yiri.” Her voice quavered as she said my name, her lip trembling. She reached for her phone to end the call, looking up to finally meet my eyes at the last second.
