Chapter Twenty
Votra
Two weeks later
Votra was endlessly grateful that Candy ended up spending the night before the launch party, because the only thing that managed to ground her was waking up entangled in the limbs of the most beautiful creature she’d ever laid eyes on.
She’d stolen one of Votra’s very few t-shirts, and Votra didn’t think she’d ever have the heart to take it back.
She let Candy sleep, sneaking out of the bedroom as quietly as she could and closing the door carefully behind her. If she stayed in the bedroom, she’d just end up restlessly wandering around the room, trying to find something to do with herself.
If she were alone, she would have gone to the office. But it wasn’t just about her now. And anyway, she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to leave Candy alone, especially not today.
She trudged into the kitchen and started on a pot of coffee–she kept it around now, having developed a bit of a dependency on it since Candy started bringing it in most mornings.
She hadn’t developed much of a finesse to making it beyond chucking the grounds into a paper filter and dumping an estimation of hot water over it, but it did the trick.
“I am surprised to see you here,” came Qaed’s sleep-graveled voice. He yawned, a hand coming up to scratch his chest. Her eyes shifted to the long, shiny scar that stretched from the base of his throat to the middle of his chest. Somehow, she still hadn’t gotten used to seeing it yet.
“Candy is here,” Votra said, watching Qaed as he pulled a mug from the cupboard and placed it next to Votra’s. She added another scoop of grounds to the filter and poured more water over them. “She sleeps like the dead.”
“She spent the night?” Qaed leaned against the counter, arms over his chest as Votra poured the coffee into both of their mugs. “Why?”
Qaed knew fully well why Candy had spent the night.
But it was up to her to say it now. She owed Candy that much.
“I have not asked her for titles, but… we are together.” Warmth blossomed in her chest, and she ducked her head to hide the smile stretching her lips.
“Which you would know if you ever spent the night at home.”
“Hey, do not turn this around on me.” Qaed dumped an ungodsly amount of sugar into his coffee, and briefly, Votra regretted making it for him.
Surely his poor, weakened heart wouldn’t be able to handle much more of this.
She plucked the sugar container from his hands once she reached a point of not being able to stand by in good conscience anymore.
“Good. That means Vendi owes me fifty credits.”
“Fifty credits?”
“We were taking bets on whether you and Candy were together or not. Vendi did not think so, but I know you.” He grinned. “I am happy for you. Candy is lovely, she really is. Certainly a step up from your last relationship.”
Votra scoffed. “More than a step.” She leaned back against the counter next to him, nursing her mug between her hands. “Do you think that Zeele is going to show up at the launch party?”
“I would be doing you a disservice if I said no. You know she is going to want to know what you are doing.” Qaed shifted towards her, resting his arm against hers.
“But it will be alright. You will have Candy with you. And me.” He tugged Votra’s head to rest against his shoulder, resting a comforting hand on the side of her head.
Generally, she wasn’t the biggest fan of physical affection, but Qaed’s touch quelled her nerves. “How are you feeling?”
Terrified. Votra was fighting a losing battle with her nervous system, which seemed to want to worm its way out of her body. But “nervous” was what she settled with. “I did not sleep last night because I could not stop thinking about what could go wrong.”
“What could go wrong?” Qaed asked. “Starcrossed is already so beloved by everyone who has tested it. All you have to do is show up and allow everyone to tell you how fantastic you are.”
Votra took a sip of her coffee, averting Qaed’s gaze.
She wasn’t particularly in the mood to rehash all of her feelings about her family, but Qaed was no stranger to what her parents were like.
She didn’t have to explain anything to him.
“Does it sound ungrateful to say that being praised by strangers also sounds rather awful?”
“A little bit. But knowing you, it is unsurprising.” He chuckled. “Is Vendi coming?”
Vendi was probably at their parents’ house right now.
Votra’s chest ached at the thought of them eating breakfast together, her parents more than delighted that their favorite child had come back to visit.
How lucky for them that it wasn’t their other child, their failure child.
The child who wasted her time on something as flimsy as love.
The beginnings of tears tickled Votra’s sinuses, but she was distracted by the creak of a door opening.
Candy shuffled into the kitchen in nothing but Votra’s shirt and the cute pink underwear Votra had reveled in pulling off her last night.
Her eyes were heavy-lidded with sleep, and a yawn stretched her pink lips before her eyes snapped open.
“Shit, Qaed! I forgot you—” Candy grimaced, possibly not wanting to confess to Qaed she forgot he lived here. She didn’t try to cover herself up, but Qaed politely shifted his gaze away from her. “Sorry. I just woke up. I promise it wasn’t my goal to show you my ass first thing in the morning.”
“It is alright. If I looked like you, I would be walking around without pants on as well.”
“Aww, thanks,” Candy cooed, any trace of shyness completely disappearing. “You’re looking pretty good yourself. You work out?” She squeezed one of his biceps and he flexed it for her.
“Occasionally,” Qaed said. She knew he was actually enjoying this—the one tenet of his life as a bounty hunter that he’d clung to since his forced retirement was staying in shape.
Candy finally relinquished her hold on Qaed and shifted her attention to Votra, plucking the mug from her hands and taking a sip. She immediately made a face. “Ugh, I forgot you drink this without anything in it. Could you make me some?”
“Of course, ta’qel,” Votra said, and immediately froze. Had she actually said that out loud? Qaed’s eyes snapped to Votra, but if Candy noticed, she didn’t say anything.
She’d come so close to uttering that word so many times now, but this was the first time it had actually slipped out. And it felt… nice. She’d never felt even close to comfortable calling someone by that word, but it felt like it was meant for Candy.
Votra poured Candy’s mug and passed it to her with the sugar. Qaed shot her a pointed look, and something told her she was going to hear about this later. But maybe, if she was lucky, Qaed wouldn’t want to stress her out before the launch party.
“To answer your question, yes. Vendi is coming,” Votra said quickly, in the hopes of steering Qaed’s conversation away from her slip. “I told him about it yesterday.”
“She is still in Kratos?” Qaed asked, watching Candy as she dumped nearly as much sugar into her mug of coffee. Votra was surrounded by monsters.
Votra chewed her lip. “She is… taking a break.” Concern flashed across Qaed’s face. “Maybe you can ask her about it at the party.”
Qaed seemed to get the message. “Right. Yes, I will.” He cleared his throat, pushing himself away from the counter.
“Alright, I am going to go and get ready. I promised Xyxy and Yule I would come and help them prepare the venue for tonight, and from Xyxy’s message, I am assuming she has quite a lot planned for me. ”
“Let us know if you need anything,” Candy said, clutching her mug between both hands.
“No. You two stay here and relax until the party. Tonight is a big night for you both, and you should be as rested as possible.” Votra didn’t miss the fact that Qaed stared directly at her as he spoke. “I will see you both tonight.”
She hated to admit it, but Votra was grateful for a quiet day before the inevitably overstimulating night. And selfishly, she was glad for a day with just Candy before she had to share her with the masses.
Qaed took his coffee to his room, leaving Candy and Votra alone in the kitchen. Candy shuffled closer to Votra and leaned into her. “I can’t believe it’s tonight,” she murmured, staring into her coffee. “Did you prepare your speech?”
“I did. But we will see how well I actually deliver it,” she chuckled, taking one more sip of her coffee before putting it back down on the counter. “What should we do with our day before the party?”
Candy pursed her lips. “Well… we have your apartment to ourselves…,” she purred, shifting to position herself between Votra’s legs.
She placed her mug on the counter and stood on her tiptoes, her shirt riding up as she draped her arms lazily around Votra’s shoulders.
“A little stress relief before the party would probably do us some good, right?”
“I never grow tired of your endless libido,” Votra laughed, hooking her hands under Candy’s thighs and lifting her into her arms. “I think you are right. If anything, it will help us go into the party much more relaxed.”
“Exactly. You read my mind.” Candy’s lips found the length of Votra’s neck, trailing hot, slow kisses down it. “Take me to bed, ta’qel.”
Votra felt as if her heart might fling itself out of her body through her throat. “Do you know what that means?” she asked, her voice thin.
“No, but you called me that earlier, so I assumed it was a term of endearment.” Candy’s eyebrows shot up. “Unless you were secretly calling me a bitch or something.”
Votra laughed, making her way back to the bedroom with Candy clinging to her torso. “Not at all.” She lowered her mouth to the shell of Candy’s ear, and every tiny hair on the back of Candy’s neck stood on end. “I will tell you in bed.”