He handed me a familiar dark cup, steam rolling off the rim. I cradled it carefully in both hands and sniffed, inhaling the familiar sweet herbal scent of green tea.
I giggled.
Kaede had served me the same drink Xylo had that first night. I was touched Kaede had remembered something so minor. It was also the tea that smelled like Xylo, and I wondered if Kaede knew.
“What’s funny?” Kaede asked, sounding confused.
“You really have been paying attention. This is the drink Xylo served me. I’d thought you’d give me something you liked or something you thought I’d like.”
He set his drink down on the table and focused his attention on me.
“I assumed you liked that one, and since I tend to keep my cabin cooler than yours, I didn’t want you to get cold”—he shrugged—“so I got you something warm. Do you want me to grab you a blanket from my bedroom?”
Now that he’d pointed it out, his cabinwasslightly chillier than mine. “Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”
As I sipped my tea, he brought a dark green blanket—the same material as the silver ones on my bed—and tucked it carefully around me. He sat beside me when he finished, careful not to sit on the legs I had tucked up beside me, then turned to face me.
“How do you want to do this?”
“I don’t know. Are you really so scary, you’re worried you’ll cause me to go into labor?” I asked, tilting my head to the side as I examined him. A sly smirk pulled at my lips.
“Some considered me to be. I don’t want you to be disgusted or afraid of me after I show you. That’s my biggest fear. How am I supposed to protect you if you’re scared of me?”
To my surprise, he seemed serious. I leaned forward and placed my hand on his knee. He looked down at it.
“I promise I’m open-minded. I’m used to a variety of species, and as far as I can tell, you don’t have any extra appendages. You’re bipedal like me. And I don’t judge someone’s worth based on their looks. How someone behaves is what matters. Who they are, instead of what they are. I mean, I’m attracted to both Xylo and Odelm, and they are quite different.”
Kaede looked up at me, considering for a moment.
“I need to dim the lights for this. My eyes are extremely sensitive to the light. It’s one of the primary reasons I wear this visor all the time. I can’t handle all the light on the ship and do better in the dark. The mystery helping my job is just a side benefit. Just promise me you won’t scream and run off.”
I squeezed his knee, surprised at how pliable and spongy his bodysuit felt.
I whispered with a smile, “I promise I won’t run off. I asked you to do this, and I won’t make you regret it.”
He touched a button on the ship’s wristband and the lights dimmed as the curtains lowered. Only the filtered light coming in from the terrarium remained.
He turned away and placed both of his elbows on his knees with a sigh. Leaning forward, he grabbed the visor with both hands, his fingers moving as though he was hitting a release or a button. The front of his visor slid forward, taking the attached green cloth drape with it. He was twisted slightly and was able to pull the entire thing free. He looked at the visor in his hands for a moment before placing it on the table between our drinks.
I studied it for a few moments before returning my focus on him. His hair hid his face from me like a black curtain as he remained frozen, his arms resting on his legs.
“Kaede?”
He didn’t respond or move.
I pushed the blanket off my lap and slid to my knees in front of him. He didn’t move—almost as if he wasn’t even aware of my presence. With both hands, I reached out to touch his face.
His gloved hands grabbed my wrists, halting me.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Selena? You can’t unsee it.” His voice was raw with emotion, and I wondered why.
“Yes.”
He gave a slight nod and sighed, releasing my hands and allowing his own to fall back on his knees.
I cupped his face in my hands and tilted his face up to mine.
A gasp escaped my lips before I could prevent it, and my heart sped up.
