CHAPTER 4
Mooralan opens the door, scooping me up and turning me through the door so quickly, I barely see the kitchen before I’m plopped onto the couch beside Ferrok.
“Hi,” I say breathlessly.
“Hi. Did you have a nice trip?” Ferrok presses his beak against my hand in a way I’ve come to think of as a kiss.
“No, but that’s neither here nor there.”
“I think it’s both here and there.” Mooralan says, lifting me up so that I’m on his lap while still between them. “What wasn’t nice?”
“You don’t have to tell us,” Ferrok says quickly. “Family visits aren’t always fun to relive.”
“Thanks.” I lean on him. “I don’t want to talk about my mom. But someone tried to steal my bag when I got back, and that was almost as irritating.”
“What?” They both sit up straighter.
“It’s fine. The station administrator took care of it. I got everything back; it’s fine.”
They share a glance that tells me they don’t think it’s fine. “It’s not that big of a deal. Promise.”
“We were going to watch a movie,” Ferrok says, changing the subject. “Have you seen it?”
The cover on the screen is completely unfamiliar. “Nope. Where’s the popcorn?”
There is no popcorn, but that’s okay. I settle in between them as the screen shows a group of friends on an interplanetary journey with plenty of hijinks, and I lose the plot quickly. My eyes get heavier with each passing moment.
I close them and the next moment when I open them, I am snuggled down in the soft sheets of one of their beds, tucked between them.
All three of us are buried in blankets, and I let my eyes drift closed again, falling asleep while I wonder how bad it would be to let myself hope this could possibly be a part of my future…