Ford's Rise - L. Ann Marie Page 0,8
south think we’re standoffish because we act a lot like them.”
He nods. “New York Brother talk fast, say nothing. I say nothing to him.”
I smile wondering what the Brother was saying. “New York is in a whole different world.”
His serious face makes me smile bigger. “Shit talk not information. Alpha-Bits no shit talk. Tiny push Brother away. Boss Danny say shoot foot.”
I laugh. “You have a laser. It doesn’t matter where you shoot with it.”
He pulls his gun and hands it to me. “New, Pres Falcon get to me for Ops. Say keep it. I bring to office safe now I home. I will use to Ops only.”
We’re at the IT building already. I hand his gun back as the doors open. I hope he’s not going on Ops again anytime soon. My heart was in my throat the whole fucking time he was in the lab that must have reminded him of the years he was a slave for the fucking dead doctors. They sold them. I’m glad the twin was found and died along with the other doctors. “I’m glad you’re not carrying it around the compounds.”
He stands and holsters his gun. “Boss Danny... too much tempt to me. I carry laser.”
The Flight Crew laughs with me.
~*~*~
Alexia
The swim lesson wasn’t so hard. I know the basics and Web said I just need to practice. Télia was wrong. He didn’t kiss me or even try. Amal said Web goes to the Club a couple times a week for Officer duty then comes home. I think he was telling me Web isn’t with women there. He said no girl twice and I didn’t even ask.
I need to just tell him like Télia said.
He comes back with two BSC water bottles. I like the bubblers with the water bottle fill nozzle. We had one at the FBI office. “Here you go. I had to wait for the fountain to clear.”
“Fountain?” I haven’t seen a fountain.
“The water fountain.”
I nod. “We call it a bubbler.”
His smile shows in his eyes. I like seeing it. He’s not hard and scary like Commander Ford even though he looks like him. His happy eyes are more like Garren. “I’ve never heard of a bubbler. I’m glad you told me. I bet there are a lot of things that are called something different here.”
Oh no, I don’t want to talk about the dictionary. I need to tell him that I like him.
“I wanted to talk to you about how I feel and find out how you feel, Alexia.”
I let my breath out. “That’s what I wanted to say too. I’m glad we’re not talking about the dictionary.”
His eyebrows go down and eyes look squinty. Sometimes the squinty eyes look scary. I know Web is just confused. “Different words are cool to hear and I’m sure we’ll talk about them as they come up. You wanted to talk about us?”
I nod. “Yeah. Télia said to just tell you I like you. I was nervous.”
He nods. “You like me. So you’re not into getting together?”
Is he for real? “I like you, like you. Not friend like you.” How can he not know? I spend all my free time with him. When he’s close, my heart beats wildly and mind races so much I can hardly talk straight.
Those eyebrows go down and his eyes squint again. He shakes his head. “Interested in more than friends is what I’m looking for.”
I nod a little excited we’re even talking about how I feel. He nods with a smile in his eyes and on his lips. “Good. That’s what I wanted to talk about. I’ve come so close to kissing you and don’t want to fuck this up. You’re mine according to everyone else. I don’t know how they know that shit but they said so.” He was going to kiss me?
I think I’m going to pass out. My brain can’t handle the thought of his lips on mine and follow what he said. Taking a deep breath, I watch the Alpha-Bits in the pool for a few seconds. I’m his he said. Mucimi said it at breakfast my first day here. Web wasn’t at the Bravo house that day until later. I liked talking to him on the chat when we worked together and when Marks left. I was upset and he talked to me for hours making me laugh about the Alpha-Bits. That’s what they call all the kids that are grown in the labs. I asked Garren about him when