CHAPTER 5
“Move in with me.” Sirin says as he helps me put my shirt back on.
The solvents cleaned the stains from my hands and, with the exception of a few wet tendrils of hair that escaped my bun, I look almost normal.
Kissing me sweetly, he says, “I don’t want to spend even one night without you again.”
The last week had been pretty magical. “Okay. I wouldn’t mind being at home waiting for you every night.”
He groans and takes my hand as we step outside, thanking the Trulavians and when we’re back out in the corridors, he says, “I’m actually going to look forward to coming home now.”
“You didn’t before?”
“It was just a bed before.” He kisses me. Right there, out in the open corridor. And when he reluctantly pulls back, he asks. “How much time will you need to pack?”
He’s seen my apartment. “Barely any. We could do it now.”
“Yes.” But when we’re in the elevator, his comm chirps and he lets out a frustrated little sigh as he answers.
I don’t hear the words on the other end, just a harried pace.
“You have to go,” I say when he disconnects.
“I do.”
“The station never rests.”
“Go pack up. Send me your apartment number and I’ll be right there.”
I kiss him on the cheek before he gets out on the entertainment district level.
“I love you. I’ll see you soon.”
He nods. “As soon as I can.”
Riding the elevator the rest of the way up, I feel a little giddy.
He’s mine. My mate. The word feels strange… but right.
The door opens to my code, sliding a little too fast.
It closes a little too slowly.
Maintenance came, they saw, they seemingly said fuck this and left without fixing most of the problems.
I close the access panel they left open behind them and put the cup back under the leaky water dispenser.
Asshole.
The lights flicker while I open my drawers and pile my clothes on the bed. I am not going to miss that.
I’m done with my drawers before I realize… I don’t have any bags.
Kita took mine shortly after we moved here, and she never gave them back.
I cannot carry my things… even if there isn’t much. And even with all his tentacles, Sirin isn’t going to be able to help me get it all in one go. And I do not want to come back.
My options are limited, but… Aoe!
My next door neighbor has rolling carts. She told me I could borrow them any time I needed them.
She’s home.
She’s always home.
And she hates when I call before I come over, so I don’t.
But I don’t get out the door, either.
When I slap the door release, there’s a mechanical clicking, but nothing moves.
I hit it again. And again.
Nothing.
It’s a very good thing I’m not claustrophobic.
Even still, it’s too small in here to hang out when you don’t want to.
This time when I connect to maintenance, I actually call and I wait to talk to a real person.
It connects quicker than I expected it to.
A Mitske man answers. He’s a cute furball of an alien.
“How can I help you?” the words come across a moment after he says them. The system translator is lagging.
“I need you to send the tech that came to my apartment back here right away. Whatever they did, I’m stuck in here now.”
There’s another pause while he gets his translation, and then, he looks away from me, his face glowing with color from a different screen.
“The technician hasn’t gotten to your request yet.”
Something cold slithers down my spine and I look at the access panel, at the cup… “Then who was in my apartment?”