Simon detected her temperature cooling a bit.Nervous.He knew the telltale signs from before, programmed as he was to be able to read humans, but they took on a different meaning as he assessed Nora now.And that heat earlier? Hmm?Thankfully, the drone did end up leaving a few moments later, and Simon saw Nora let out a shaky sigh of relief.
The hover moved quickly, the ground smooth enough to not make it jolt like it did on the way to the mall. Soon they came to a place where valleys opened in the ground and mountains rose overhead.
“Okay, we’re here,” Nora said as she turned off the hover, now back to her normal temperature readings at his side.
Simon stood up to see over the cracked hover’s windshield better.Here?The overlook was a wash with pretty canyon walls that rose high. Again, it was not on his sensors as to where they were. In his time this would have just been another canyon, not worth noticing. In fact, it was almost unremarkable.But to Nora . . .Simon turned to her as he saw her expression light up, looking at the sights. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her. At her face,excited in the afternoon sun.
She looked over at him with bright eyes, then tugged on his shirt sleeve. “Give it a few. The light. It hits just right at sunset. I traveled this way first when we left the town. Almost settled here. I sat here and saw the sunset and actually camped here before moving on. It felt so good to see something beautiful. Something real. Helped to let me know that out here in the desert wasn’t all bad.”
Simon looked away from Nora reluctantly to see the sun slowly setting, revealing a scene prettier than anything he had seen since he awakened as the sun’s rays reflected off the canyon’s walls. “It is pretty. Why didn’t you settle here then?”
Nora kept her eyes on the rocks, on the shadows playing over the surfaces. Her face was softened by the setting sun’s light, the dimple on her cheek more evident from the shadows. “Not any good houses. Where I am now has a lot of stuff already built. But . . . the sunset is nice, isn’t it? Looks like what you remember? Like that plant picture on the board?”
Simon nodded, his eyes lingering on Nora’s wistful expression. He liked the sight of watching Nora look at the canyon walls more though.I like seeing her happy like this.It was breathtaking. The beauty of her face in the afternoon sun struck a chord deep within him. One he never knew existed. It flared in him now, filling his sensors with a sense of well-being.
He recognized this. That feeling of attraction, now in the forefront of his mind once again. An overwhelming sense of longing. Only that feeling was not as unwelcome as before. His posture softened and his hand twitched, wishing he could reach for hers but not wanting to overstep.How would she even respond to that?
Nora turned back while Simon kept his eyes trained on her rather than the sunset. “C’mon up here, Tilly. Anna gave you something sweet to eat. Let’s sit and enjoy it for a moment.”
Nora leaned over Simon as she scavenged around in the bag by his knees. Soon she pulled out three cookies and handed one to Tilly, who crept up until she sat between the two of them on a bucket much like Simon’s.
Nora bit into the other cookie, grin on her face. She shook a third one in front of him, crumbs falling on his lap. “Oops, sorry. But, here. You said you can eat? What’s better for a first meal than a cookie?”
Simon took it from her and broke off a corner, tasting sugary sweetness for the first time in forever. The taste lingered on his processors while he watched Tilly finish her cookie and then eye what he hadn’t eaten.
“Here, Tilly.” He chuckled and gave the rest to the little girl, who hugged him in response. The hug, the genuineness of it, caught him off guard. Tilly let go before he could hug her back, shoving the entire cookie in her mouth at once.
Nora laughed. “Savor that a bit, Tilly.”
Simon smiled back, feeling Nora’s joy as he again resisted the urge to reach for her hand.
Chapter twenty-four
Nora
Nora’s heart felt light after the seeing the sunset, and the cookie. The sugary sweetness lingered and gave her an extra sense of comfort.
Once back in the garage, Nora climbed out of the hover, not reaching for Simon’s outstretched hand after he lifted Tilly down. She didn’t take it this time because of indifference or fear. No, Nora just didn’t like how her stomach quivered when Simon touched her. The feelings were getting stronger and confusing her more every day. She avoided his eyes as they both began to unload the hover.Best to avoid that altogether.It didn’t matter that it was happening regardless of her attempts to ignore.
Each of them took a few bags and carried their purchases inside, laying them on the chipped counter. Nora was then busy organizing, reaching high to put things away.
Simon stopped helping after a minute, and Nora turned around to see him crack a few eggs into the skillet, burner already started.
She finished folding the fabric shopping bags and put them to the side. “We got the bars, Simon. Been a long day. Don’t need to. . .”
A few cut potatoes followed the eggs. “I don’t mind cooking. But I noticed you didn’t buy many ingredients.”
Nora shifted her feet. “Yeah, well, the money.”
Simon’s gaze was cutting. “You didn’t spend it all I thought?”
Nora backed away, lining up some of the dried produce. “Well, I am trying to get my savings up. Kind of cleaned them out a bit.” She bit down, not wanting to say any more.The wires to fix you weren’t so cheap.
Simon put away a jar of flour before grabbing a few potatoes and cutting them to add to the eggs. His fingers drummed on the counter before he bit out, “I don’t like this. Seeing you struggle.”
Nora’s mouth went dry. She let out a breathy chuckle while pulling on her hair. “I don’t like it either. But we’re doing okay. Here—need me to cook?”
A huff left Simon. “No, Nora. I like doing this.”
