Not yet.
Not when he looks this peaceful.
Not when the storm in my chest might tear us both open.
So I press my hand to his.
Tangle our fingers.
And let the truth wait one more night.
CHAPTER 33
TROKA
The storm rolls in like it’s got a personal grudge.
Barrakus weather doesn’t follow rules. Itlunges. One minute the sky’s clear, the next it’s black and bruised with clouds fat as star freighters and twice as mean.
I watch from the apartment window as wind hurls grit down the alley like it’s trying to skin the world raw. Rain follows hard and sideways—needle-sharp, almost metallic. It hits the window in waves, like it’s trying to get in.
“Don’t like storms?” Alaina asks behind me.
I grunt. “I don’t like surprises.”
She hums a sound that’s half amusement, half understanding, and drops a blanket over my shoulders. “Barrakus weather’s like you,” she says, moving to the kitchen. “Loud. Moody. Looks worse than it is.”
“Flattering.”
“I try.”
The power flickers once. Twice. Then stays steady, but the lights in the hallway die with a buzz.
“Neighbors’ll be thrilled,” she mutters.
I watch her put on a kettle, her movements automatic, practiced. Her hair’s up in one of those messy knots that alwayslooks like it should fall but never does. She’s barefoot, tank top stretched over one shoulder, soft pants clinging to hips I’ve learned too well to ignore.
And I think,This is it.
This is the closest thing to home I’ve ever felt.
Not a base. Not a barracks. Not even that shitty prefab bunk back when I tried civvie life for five whole minutes after the war.
This.
This storm. This kitchen. Her hums. The smell of warm water and cheap tea leaves.
The sound of Caelix giggling in the other room while his toy croaks some annoying holo song on loop.
It feels like a life.
It feelsreal.
By the time the emergency alerts go out—flooding in the lower levels, transit shut down, “shelter in place until further notice”—we’ve already settled into a weird little rhythm.
Three days.
Three days trapped in 750 square feet with a toddler and too many unspoken words.
