to Sink Lar that he was interested, or how many meals they shared, she simply never took it to the next level. She had never claimed him, nor even alluded to the fact that she thought of claiming him. So, he’d gradually stopped expressing so much interest himself. It was embarrassing that she’d never vocally made any proclamation where he was concerned. But he couldn’t forget her. Even though he’d taken a step back from her, he couldn’t make his mind stop thinking of her. And Sink Lar seemed to be happy whenever they happened on one another. She smiled, and gazed at him, and was very receptive, but she never exercised her right to make him her male. It was frustrating. He just wasn’t sure how to proceed. Which brought him to tonight. He’d decided that he would have to press the issue before someone else tried to claim her for their own. He was dressed in his dark gray dress uniform, and ready, planning to go to the commissary and wait for her to come in for her evening meal. He’d ask to join her, tell her that he’d be receptive to her claim should she want to make one, then wait to see what her response would be. The idea of what he was about to do was not at all acceptable according to the customs of the matriarchal society he grew up in. If the females of his line ever heard of his outrageous behavior, they’d be shamed that he’d had to ask a female to claim him.
He looked at himself once again and straightened his high necked collar. “She is not from your world, Lo’San,” he whispered to himself in the mirror. “You must make your desires clear to her.” Satisfied that he was as presentable as he was going to get wearing the same military uniform he always wore, he walked out of his tiny bathroom and into his very small one room quarters. She was worth the risk of refusal. He simply had to have faith that once she knew he cared for her, she’d accept him and take him for her own. The commissary was waiting, he’d been practicing his smile all afternoon, and there was nothing more to be done until she’d either accepted or rejected him. “It is time,” he said aloud.
“General Lo’San, your presence is requested on the Command Deck, sir,” Missy said.
“I am off duty this eve,” General Lo’San answered.
“Sire Zha Quin Tel Mo’ Kok requests your presence,” Missy advised. “He asks that you come right away.”
“Thank you, Missy. I will be there momentarily,” Lo’San answered.
~~~
Synclare laughed as she walked into the commissary, arm in arm with Elisha and Vivian. They’d been planning to have a girls’ night for the last several weeks, and finally, this was their night.
“I’m so excited! I’ve never been out to dinner and dancing with just my girlfriends in my entire life!” Vivian said happily.
“Nor have I. But, that’s probably because I pretended to be a male most of my life,” Elisha said.
“I have many times. But, this time, I’m truly with friends, so that does make a difference,” Synclare added.
As they walked into the commissary and got in line, Synclare’s eyes scanned the crowd already there and having dinner.
“Who are you looking for?” Vivian asked, knowing exactly who Synclare was looking for.
“No one. Just looking,” Synclare lied.
“Uh-huh,” Vivian said, grinning at Synclare. “I know who you’re looking for. He’s around somewhere. He’s off tonight since Quin is on duty.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re just friends, and I wasn’t looking for him anyway,” Synclare answered.
“Go ahead and tell yourself that,” Vivian teased.
“I honestly don’t know what to think,” Synclare admitted. “I thought we liked each other. We were getting along wonderfully. We spent time together, shared meals, laughed. I thought he was interested, but then nothing, nada. He just stopped making any effort, other than watching me every time we happen to be around one another. Maybe I just read him wrong. Maybe he’s got a girlfriend or something. Maybe he’s more interested in one of the other females that came on board recently,” Synclare said.
“Those females are part of the crew, and from what I understand, Lo’San is not mated, and is not interested in anyone but you,” Vivian said.
“Then why did he run hot, then so cold?” Synclare asked.
“Just ask him, only he knows,” Vivian said. Vivian looked around herself then, noticing Zahn and Rel sitting inconspicuously off to one side of the