Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Y ede stared unseeing at the component in his hands as the soft murmur of voices drifted down the corridor—Gemma’s warm laugh mingling with Liam’s excited chatter.

Two days. They had only been here for two days and already they sounded as if they belonged.

He set the component down with more force than necessary and grabbed his tools. The work needed to be done—the auxiliary power coupling wouldn’t fix itself. But instead of focusing on the delicate circuitry, he found himself straining to catch snippets of their conversation.

Liam burst into laughter and his hand slipped. He growled as he scraped his knuckle against a sharp edge. He’d worked alone for three years without incident. Now he couldn’t even manage basic repairs.

The smell of fresh bread wafted from the kitchen and his stomach clenched, remembering how Gemma’s fingers had felt wrapped around his. That memory had played over and over in his head despite his best attempts to dislodge it. He’d come so close to using that hand to pull her closer. To seeing if she tasted as sweet as the food she’d made for him.

“Stay focused,” he muttered to himself as he picked up his tools again, determined to lose himself in the familiar routine of repairs. But nothing could stop him listening for their movements through his house, tracking their presence like stars in his personal sky.

A rustle at the door caught his attention, and he looked up to find Liam peeking around the doorframe, green eyes sparkling.

“I’m not bothering you.” The boy’s voice carried the lilt of someone repeating words they’d been told repeatedly. “But I brought you something.”

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards as he set down his tools and beckoned to the boy. “Come in then.”

Liam bounded through the doorway, clutching a stack of papers to his chest. His feet tangled beneath him and he pitched forward with a yelp. Yede lunged, catching the boy against his chest before he hit the ground. The papers scattered across the floor like autumn leaves.

“Whoops!” Liam giggled, completely at ease in his grip. “Good catch!”

The sound pierced straight through his carefully constructed walls. His brother Davi used to laugh just like that—bright and fearless. The memory rose up sharp and jagged in his throat.

His first instinct was to send Liam away. To try and rebuild the distance he’d maintained for so long. But as the boy wiggled free and dropped to his knees to gather his drawings, the words of dismissal died on his tongue.

“Look what I drew!” Liam thrust a paper toward him, beaming. “It’s your tools!”

He settled back into his chair, forcing his expression into its usual stern lines as Liam scrambled onto the workbench beside him. The boy’s knees knocked against tools and parts, but Yede found himself steadying items rather than scolding.

“See, this is your computer thing with all the lights.” Liam pointed to a surprisingly accurate rendition of the proximity monitor, complete with blinking sensors drawn as star-shaped bursts. “And that’s the funny box that makes food hot.”

“Thermal regenerator,” he corrected automatically, then caught himself. He shouldn’t encourage this.

“That’s what I said!” Liam grinned, undaunted. He shuffled through more papers, each one depicting various pieces of equipment from the workshop. The details were remarkable for such young hands—the boy had clearly paid attention during his previous visit.

But it was the final drawing that made his chest ache. Three figures stood in a swirling white cloud—one towering over the others, arms spread wide against the storm and sheltering the two smaller figures. All three figures smiled, safe in each other’s presence.

He swallowed hard and quickly shuffled the papers, trying to bury that last image beneath the others.

“These are quite…adequate,” he managed gruffly.

“Can I put them up? Mama says artwork needs to be displayed.”

“I suppose.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. He watched helplessly as Liam began decorating his pristine workspace with childish drawings, unable to summon the will to object. And when the boy had everything arranged to his satisfaction, he found himself demonstrating the calibration sequence on his diagnostic scanner, carefully guiding Liam’s small fingers over the controls. The boy’s intense focus reminded him of himself at that age, always taking things apart to understand how they worked.

“Press here, then slide to activate the?—”

Footsteps sounded behind them.

“Liam! You shouldn’t be bothering?—”

“He’s not bothering me.” The words came out before he could think better of them. He turned to face Gemma, standing frozen in the doorway. “As long as the door is open the boy can visit. If he wants.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Are you sure? He can be…enthusiastic.”

He looked over at Liam, clutching the scanner like it was made of precious gems. “I’m sure.”

The smile that spread across her face hit him like a solar flare – bright, warm, and dangerous.

“That’s very kind of you. But Liam, you’ll need to finish your lessons first.”

“Lessons?” he asked.

“Reading, writing, basic math.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I’m doing what I can with what we have. Thank you for letting us have the paper and pens.”

“You may take anything you need,” he said automatically. “There are more materials in my office. If you wish to use them.”

Her smile widened. “Thank you. I’ll check it out. Come along, Liam.”

Liam hopped down reluctantly but obediently, and he found himself fighting back the urge to insist he stay. The pair of them walked away and he tried not to notice the enticing swing of her hips as they left him alone once more.

That evening he settled into what had become his usual spot at the dinner table. He’d been unable to resist sharing meals with them even though it made him increasingly conscious of his own loneliness. Liam was already sitting at the table, kicking his heels impatiently against his chair.

“What’s for supper?”

She smiled at the boy over her shoulder

“A surprise.”

Liam groaned, his small head falling back dramatically. “Not a surprise! Can’t you just tell me?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” She picked up the three plates. “But if you want I could blindfold you and feed it to you. It could be anything. Even worms!”

“No, Mama,” Liam giggled. “I don’t want to eat worms.”

“Well that wasn’t the plan but if you prefer?—”

“No!” Liam shrieked, then burst out laughing.

She smiled at him as she set the plates down, and his breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t stop his eyes from tracing the delicate curve of her lips, or imagining them pressed against his own.

“See?” Her teasing voice drew him out of the dangerous daydream. “No worms.”

The food was as delicious as it had been since she arrived. She put ingredients together in ways that he would have never chosen to combine, but the results were always excellent.

After the dishes were cleared, he retrieved the package he’d prepared earlier.

“Here.” He pushed the bundle across the table. “For your lessons.”

Liam eagerly untied the cord and spread the contents across the table. He pounced on a set of counting blocks while Gemma picked up the small illustrated booklet of local plants and animals. He’d placed lines beneath each image so that she could print their names in her language and Liam could copy the words.

“This is perfect. Where did you get it?”

He shrugged uncomfortably.

“I printed it out. I can make others if you tell me what images you want.”

“That would be wonderful. How did you know what I needed?”

“I had a younger brother.”

His throat tightened and he rose abruptly, ready to retreat to his workshop, but then she reached out and put her hand on his arm. The touch of those small fingers stopped him more effectively than an iron chain.

“Thank you,” she said softly, her eyes warm. “I really appreciate it.”

His chest felt strangely tight, and his skin tingled beneath her fingers. He looked down at the slender hand resting against his arm, at the delicate bones that seemed so fragile and yet somehow held such strength.

“Why don’t you stay and play a game with us?” she added, and Liam gave him a hopeful look.

“Please?”

His resolve crumbled and he sat back down as she set up the game she’d created from a sheet of paper and some dried beans. The boy’s laughter filled the room as they played, and he found himself relaxing.

When she told Liam it was time for bed, he asked them both to tuck him in. He hung back as she kissed her son goodnight, then stepped forward to adjust the blanket around the boy’s shoulders. His chest tightened again when Liam gave him a sleepy smile.

“Goodnight, Yede.”

“Goodnight, little one.”

Gemma was waiting outside the door. He moved to step past her, but his body accidentally brushed against hers. He froze, unable to move.

“Yede?”

Her voice was soft as she tilted her head back to look up at him, her big green eyes full of warmth and promise. The space between them felt charged, dangerous. He yearned to cross that distance, to discover if her lips were as soft as they looked, but he couldn’t. He didn’t deserve to know.

“Goodnight, Gemma,” he said hoarsely, and started to turn away.

But then she reached out and placed her hand on his arm again.