17
I never noticed the empty spaces between my fingers until I met you.
Khalani didn’t stop to contemplate the consequences.
Pure instinct drove her.
Her lips brushed against Takeshi’s, coaxing his unyielding mouth open. He was frozen, his muscles stiffer than the walls surrounding them.
She kept her hands by her side, knowing that if she moved even an inch closer, something terrible might happen. But when she swept her tongue across his lower lip, he took a huge breath, inhaling her very essence.
Takeshi practically vibrated with tension, his tightly held composure perilously slipping through his fingers.
And when she did it again, his restraint shattered.
Takeshi gripped her throat.
She gulped as his fingers squeezed and caressed her fragile skin. In such a precarious position, he could easily snap her neck, but his tongue slipped into her mouth, and he pulled her closer, as if the space separating them was offensive.
She gasped as his mouth clashed with hers in a fiery battle, giving and taking in equal fashion.
The kiss wasn’t sweet or loving. It was pure domination.
He devoured her fear. She drank in his intoxication.
He bent her back, his other hand still fisted by his side as he kissed her like a man possessed. Khalani moaned between his lips with the same carnal need.
For that one dark moment, their bodies intertwined, and she forgot all the reasons they’d been separated.
He was simply hers.
Irrefutably.
He chased the sounds of her surrender, and the second he felt her stop breathing, his fingers softened, massaging her throat, coaxing her to inhale for him.
So he could take more.
Make her his sustenance.
Unable to contain her writhing need any longer, Khalani wrapped her arms around his neck. But as soon as she touched him, Takeshi abruptly pulled back.
His chest heaved in the same fashion as hers, the vehemence in his eyes staggering.
She stood motionless, staring into his wide eyes.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
The awkward tension rose to greater heights, stretching toward the moon.
Khalani opened her mouth…but what could she say?
I’m sorry for kissing you.
I get it if you want to kill me, because right now, I want to do the same.
Do you remember me now?
But Takeshi never gave her the chance to decide. He pivoted and strode into the house, leaving her behind.
Khalani scraped a shaky hand through her tangled web of hair.
She didn’t know what to think. Feel.
His face was torn and twisted with contempt when he pulled away.
But for a moment, Takeshi held her like he remembered. Kissed her like he needed to make up for every second they’d been apart.
His memories might not have returned, but the part of him that cared, the part that went through hell and back with her, was still there.
She knew it.
Most people would call her desperate and naive. Maybe they were right. But for once, she welcomed the disease of hope.
Because once that spark faded, she’d have nothing left to spur her past her own fears.
When Khalani entered the house, Serene immediately greeted her at the door.
“You all right? We thought giving you and Takeshi some alone time might be able to help him…you know.” Serene pointed to her head, miming being zapped.
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“You sure?” Serene threw a wary look over her shoulder. “Takeshi looks like he’s one breath from killing us all with that knife.”
Khalani followed her gaze.
Takeshi stood in the far corner of the living room, leaning back against the pink-polka-dot wall, with one foot propped up behind him and his arms crossed. That was the beginning and end of his calm demeanor.
He palmed a knife in his hand.
Takeshi stared at the worn carpet, deep in thought as he absentmindedly spun the sharp blade between his fingers.
And with the speed the knife was twirling, she was shocked he didn’t cut off an appendage.
“I don’t know if I messed up,” Khalani whispered.
Serene turned. “What do you mean?”
“I kissed him.”
“What?!” Serene whispered in shock, grabbing her hand, pulling her out of earshot. “How did that go?”
“I’m still alive. So that’s a plus.”
Even to her ears, that sounded pathetic. But Serene gave a serious nod. “I guess we’ll take that as a semi-win.”
“There she is.” Derek walked over and pulled Khalani into a tight hug, lifting her off the floor. He wore tan sweatpants and a beige tunic, his hair unkept like he’d just woken from a nap.
A short laugh escaped her until she noticed Takeshi shifting his gaze from the carpet to Derek’s arms around her, and he switched the blade into his throwing hand.
But Derek’s goofy smile was stuck in place, not recognizing the renewed friction in the room as he lowered her to the ground and tugged on her palm.
“We were waiting on you both before we caught up on everything.”
He pulled her farther into the house. A tall green lamp illuminated the living room in a soft yellow glow. The pictures of smiling families on the wall still made her feel like she was intruding in someone else’s private space.
Elise wandered between the frames, studying them with a wistful look as she played with her dad’s ring on her finger.
Serene plopped down beside Adan and Winnie on the cracked leather sofa in the center of the room. Khalani sat on the big gray plush chair with a strange wooden handle on the side.
“Check this out.” Derek pulled on the handle.
Khalani yelped as the bottom part of the chair suddenly shot up to her hips.
“Winnie remembers reading about something like this. Ahh!” Winnie snapped her fingers. “A lazy boy. That’s what they called it.”
“Marvelous engineering,” Adan whispered, scanning the bizarre contraption like he was already figuring out how to build one.
“Yep, that one’s my favorite.” Derek grinned. “After a hard day’s work, I take a shower and sit there naked.”
Khalani immediately scrambled off the chair.
“Speaking of work.” Serene glanced at Derek. “What have they had you doing here since we left?”
Derek took Khalani’s spot on the chair and sighed. “Gardening.”
A weighted silence filled the room.
“Gardening,” Brock repeated in a flat tone.
“Yeah…why are you making that face?”
“Of all the things they’d need a scientist for, I wouldn’t think gardening would be at the top of the priority list.”
“It actually makes sense.” Adan rubbed his chin. “The Chief said they get food from nearby cities, but it surely can’t last them forever. If they’re able to grow crops, they could maintain Desert Spring for much longer.”
“Exactly. But that’s not the only thing.” Derek lowered the recliner, leaning forward. “They’ve also had me working on something bigger. Desert Spring has been trying to make the surface vehicles work again. But what are the cars missing?”
“People who know how to work them?” Serene chimed in, and Brock rolled his eyes.
“Gas,” Winnie answered.
“Precisely!” Derek nodded. “But there are no working gas stations on the surface. That’s where the crops come in. They’ve been growing corn and potatoes for ethanol, but they could never get the process right before. So I helped them.”
“You created gas out of corn?”
“I finally managed to get the distillation process right. They should have at least one car up and running soon, but we’ll see.” Derek bit his lips, squeezing his hands together.
“Hey.” Serene patted his arm. “You did a really good job. Better than any of us could’ve done.”
Takeshi stayed silent against the wall, listening and studying the house as they all gave Derek words of encouragement.
Something nagged at Khalani, though.
She took a great interest in plants as a kid. She wanted to be a gardener herself, even though those jobs were reserved for the top scientists.
“Where did they get the seeds?” she asked.
Derek frowned. “What do you mean?”
“They were growing the crops long before we got here, right?”
“Yes.”
“How would they have access to the seed vaults?”
The seed vaults were the most treasured areas in the underground cities. They built storage facilities that housed millions of seeds that grew well in limited space and artificial light.
As far as she knew, they only existed underground.
“I never asked them.” Derek’s brows pulled together. “I assumed they were able to find seeds on the raids. Either that or they’ve had them from the very beginning.”
“The beginning of what?”
“The Great Collapse.” His wary gaze darted around the house before he leaned in close.
“When I asked the Chief how long they’d been out here, she dodged the question.
My guess is that their ancestors were the original survivors of the Great Collapse.
The people who weren’t granted a spot underground. ”
“But why not just say that? What are they trying to hide?”
“I don’t know.” Derek rubbed his forehead. “But they’ve been nice to me the entire time. Abnormally so. For all intents and purposes, the people here are peaceful.”
“I don’t trust it.” Brock watched the front door, his eyes narrowing like he wanted to barricade it. “I want to leave as soon as possible.”
Derek fumbled with his hands, his shoulders drooping. “I understand…but I’d be lying if I said that I want to leave. Desert Spring has solar panels for electricity. Water. Clean clothes. A job I can believe in and actually use my brain for. But I’d rather be with you all than stay alone.”
“We’re not leaving you again.” Khalani’s voice strengthened as she dropped the crop seed question from her mind. It didn’t really matter since they were leaving.
“But what about you guys?” Derek made eye contact with each of them. “What happened after you left?”
At first, no one spoke.
Khalani glanced at Takeshi, whose dark gaze seared into her like a firebrand.
He wasn’t the type of man to do something as simple as look at you. He memorized every inch until he knew more about your body than you did.
She could almost hear him in her mind, daring her to speak.
“What story shall you tell? The version of me you so desperately cling to? Or the truth? That we’d never met before, and you kissed me outside in a futile attempt to restart a relationship that never existed.”
The voice was so loud, her own insecurities chimed in.
A man like Takeshi would never notice you.
You’re too unstable.
Stubborn.
Weak.
The list went on and on.
But Khalani had already lived with gaping pits of anxiety and depression. It hadn’t killed her yet. She took a deep breath, inhaling all the negativity before purging it from her body.
“I’ll tell you what happened,” she started.
Derek listened intently as Khalani recounted the entire journey to Hermes, their time in the prison camp, how they met Elise, and their eventual escape.
She was so engrossed in their story that by the time she got to the part about Takeshi, she instinctively looked his way, but frowned, realizing he was no longer in the room with them.
“He’s checking out the house,” Serene answered, guessing exactly where her mind went.
“He really doesn’t remember anything?” Derek’s mouth hung open.
Khalani picked at the skin around her nails. “Yes. But the doctor told us that with time, his memory might come back.”
Her voice came out hopeful, but deep down, fear swelled within her like a growing mountain. With each passing day, it seemed like the chances of his memory returning were slimmer and slimmer.
And the kiss might’ve made things a thousand times worse.
“So, the plan is to blow up the Genesis Dome, reach the Research and Resource Lab, and deactivate the chips?” Derek asked, his face chalky pale by the time she finished.
“That’s the gist of it,” Brock confirmed.
“It’s not going to be easy getting to those labs.” Derek swallowed. “But with enough manpower, we might be able to do it. Good chance we’ll die though.”
“What do you think those odds are?”
“Of dying? Maybe 75 percent.”
Serene laughed. “Those are the best odds we’ve had since being thrown in prison.”
The tension relieved slightly, and Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. “I guess you’re right. Let’s get some rest and stock up on food before we leave tomorrow.”
The group quickly agreed, dead on their feet, and dispersed to the bedrooms.
Khalani and Winnie took one room while Serene and Elise headed to the other. Derek insisted that sleeping on the “lazy boy” was more comfortable than the beds. Adan took the couch while Brock set up some sheets and a pillow on the floor.
Derek offered Takeshi sheets and a pillow as well, but Takeshi stared at him for a silent beat before continuing his thorough sweep of the house.
“Don’t worry.” Serene patted Derek on the back. “He’ll come around.”
Khalani didn’t know what he was searching for in the house. Hidden people. Cameras. Weak points.
But when Khalani lay on the comfy bed with Winnie that night, a shadow appeared outside her closed door. A soft thud echoed, like a large body had placed their back against the wood.
She had a feeling it wasn’t to prevent them from getting out, but to block anyone else from coming in. Something in her heart softened, and for the first time in a while, Khalani went to bed without clutching a weapon.