about radio waves right now, but…” She frowned and straightened. “When did it start raining?”
“Hours ago.”
“It’s just as well. The next task requires us going out on the walkways, which I’d rather do in the daylight.” She packed up her tools and stood. “We should turn in.”
Gailen stood. “Turn in what direction?”
She flashed a grin. “It means sleep.”
And just like that, her soul brightened. She had been so dim for so long that he’d barely seen her soul, but now it flared, open and bright. Xemil did a double take as they walked past, and he followed them down the hall.
His surprise mirrored Gailen’s discomfort.
He’d been beside his soul mate for all these hours, but she had reacted to him as if he were a rock.
She had said he could be her assistant.
But she hadn’t needed his assistance at all.
As they approached the sleeping room, her soul light began to dim again.
He’d always thought that once he found his soul mate, their souls would resonate with such force that he would never doubt his place again.
But now, those doubts welled up and threatened to crush him.
Ten
Gailen was being weird.
When she’d suggested turning in, his smile had echoed hers and then swiftly faded.
He seemed so unhappy.
Why?
Again the unease returned to her. They were ignored by the few workers they passed on the walkways up to her cabin. Xemil stationed himself outside their cabin door.
She let herself in.
Gailen waited in the doorway.
“Are you coming?” she asked.
He entered and stood in the middle of the room.
She didn’t have much to do to get ready. Normally, it was a regimen of medicated face wash to stop food-related eczema, medicated lotion to combat the drying effect of the medicated face wash, and so forth, but all she had was a set of hotel toiletries, so she brushed her teeth and made up the lower bunk bed.
He watched her silently.
She crawled into the lower bunk. “Are you going to sleep standing up?”
He rested a hand on the upper bunk. “Do you want me to rest here or with you?”
Oh.
Huh.
The fact that this was a question for him made her have to reevaluate some things.
He said “rest.” As in just resting, not in doing anything more.
When was the last time they’d kissed?
When was the last time he’d looked at her like he wanted her?
It was one thing to hold off on getting naked together in a shower, but it was another to want to sleep separately and not even snuggle.
“Whichever you want,” she said distantly.
He dropped to her level squatting in front of the bunk. A deep frown wrinkled his forehead.
She drew up her knees and hugged them.
He studied the post of the bunk bed and scratched his finger against the hard metal. “Did you wish that you had not brought me?”
Her chest squeezed. “I was going to ask the same thing.”
“Why would you wonder that? You are my soul mate, Starr. I always want to be with you.”
“Well, why would you think that I wouldn’t want you to come with me?”
“Because I cannot help you. I do not understand what you do, and the few things that I do understand, I cannot help with.” He gestured with his thumbs.
Oh. “I already told you that doesn’t bother me.”
“You waited for me to leave and then asked Xemil to hand you tools.”
What? “I finished the deep scan and was at a good point to replace the panel. Xemil said you went for food. Which I thanked you for, by the way.”
He frowned at the floor. “You did not look at me.”
“And right now, you’re not looking at me.”
He focused on her. “When I look at you, I see a soul that is darkened. A soul that shuts me out and does not want to entangle with mine.”
“But you know why.” Her heart thudded. Sweat prickled her armpits. “I can’t help it. You have to listen to my words, not just my soul.”
“You told Lieutenant Diras you did not want me to surface with you.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You agreed that you did not need me.”
“I was just trying to be flexible. There’s so much to get ready for this grand opening, which is now looking like it’s going to rewrite mer history, and it sounded like you were needed somewhere else…”
His face fell. “So. You did not need me.”
“Well…”
He flinched like he’d been kicked. “Why ask me to come?”
“Because.” She squeezed her knees. “I couldn’t stand to see them treating you like you were unimportant because of your thumbs.”
“And