“I’ll hack us a reservation on the way over so we don’t have to wait,” Katie offered on her way out of theconferenceroom.
Alexei snagged Sean by the elbow and led him to the hallway. “Takemycar.”
“All right,” Sean agreed easilyenough.
It didn’t take long for all of them to make it down to the sublevel garage and part ways to their cars. Alexei’s vehicle was the closest, and they were buckling up before the others even got their carsstarted.
“Will beat them,” Alexei said as he pulled out of theparkingspot.
Sean rolled his eyes. “With the way you drive, I have nodoubt.”
“Rude.”
“I call it like Iseeit.”
Alexei tilted his head a little as he drove them to the security gate and scanned them through. “You call yourparents?”
Sean’s wince was easy enough to read. “Notyet.”
“Should call them. Have time before we get torestaurant.”
Sean rubbed at his left wrist and the newly implanted bioware there. “I’m used to not thinking about letting them knowI’mokay.”
“Change isgood,da?”
Warm fingers curled over Alexei’s thigh, giving him a gentle squeeze. Alexei glanced over at Sean and found a pair of warm brown eyes staring backathim.
“Yeah,” was Sean’s quiet answer as he smiled faintly at Alexei. “Changeisgood.”
They weren’t even off base before Sean’s quiet voice filled the car, a steady stream of words that didn’t hurt Alexei’s ears. “Hi, Mom. You wanted metocall.”
Alexei took his hand off the wheel and placed it over Sean’s, tangling their fingers together as he drove them to their destination beneath the bright lights of the Washington, D.C.megacity.
NOW
2285
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18
Sign of theTimes
Three weeks later,in the muggy height of summer, Alexei decided that flying on Jamie’s account had spoiled him. Waiting in the Arrivals terminal of Reagan National Airport, it was all Alexei could do not to elbow anyone who got too close. He normally didn’t voluntarily wait in crowds like this, but he hadn’t seen Sean in a week and Alexei wasimpatient.
Alexei glanced at the chrono shining through the skin of his left arm. Sean had landed twenty minutes ago, which meant he should show up soon. Shoving the brim of his baseball cap a little higher, Alexei scanned the crowd again, finally catching sight of a familiar face a minute or twolater.
“Miss me,kotyonok?” Alexei asked with a grin, spreading his arms wide ingreeting.
“Do I want to know why you’re carrying a stuffed cat?” Sean replied, eyeing the gift Alexei held inonehand.
Alexei held out the ginger stuffed animal to Sean with a flourish. “Winforyou.”
“Where? A festival? It’s wearing a pirate hat, Lyosha. And it smellslikebeer.”
“Beat Kilyusha at darts at bar. Winprize.”
Sean took the stuffed cat that had seen better days and tucked it under his arm. “You cheated,didn’tyou?”
