think of ways we could make this work, but I get it. I’m a liability.”
She removed her finger from his lips, looking up at him with such sorrow in her eyes his arms tightened around her.
It wasn’t that simple.
But if that is what it took to keep her safe, then so be it.
“I’m leaving.” She swallowed hard, her gaze falling to his chest. “I’m leaving the base.”
“Leaving? To go where?” His heart, already hurting so, felt another stab go deep.
“The Interplanetary Hub.” She let out a breath. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to go but after all this, even though I won’t remember, it breaks my heart knowing I’ll be here seeing you all the time and remember none of it. Who knows,” she sniffled, “I might even be tempted to get close to you again and we’ll have to go through this once more.”
She was crying. He could feel the wetness against his chest.
Placing a hand underneath her chin, he tilted her face upwards.
It broke his heart to see her like this, knowing he was the reason for her pain.
“Evren...”
“This has been the best few hours of my life, truly.” She wiped a tear. “I just have one thing to ask of you.”
“Anything...” Was it his voice that sounded so choked? As if he could hardly breathe? The pain of loss tearing right through him?
“Let me do it. Let me wipe my memory. I’ll do it when I get to the hub.”
“I...” Allowing her to leave his quarters with her memory still intact was risky. But could he deny her parting wish?
“I’ll do it. You can trust me to. I just...” She exhaled deeply. “I just need a little time...a little more time to cherish these moments.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Kyro knew that he was going to say yes. He could program the device for single use, and he could program the time as well. All she’d have to do was look at the scope and press the button.
“Ok,” he said. “I will input the device settings...but...must you really leave the base?”
She turned in his arms, settling her back against the bedding as she sighed. “It’s not just you...it’s everything. I was planning on leaving before I realized how you felt about me. It’s why I got the job.”
It suddenly made sense now, why she didn’t want to accept his credits. If she was anything like Xul’s Athena or Yce’s Diana, she was independent and stubborn.
Frowning, he thought of the implications of her leaving.
He wouldn’t get to see her anymore. Could he live with that?
“Will leaving make you happy?” he asked.
She hesitated at his question before she looked up at him and shrugged. “The research lab there seems interesting and welcoming. I got an invite from the lead researcher there. His proposal was intriguing.”
A spark of jealously ignited within him but he fought it back. He had no right.
He was the one pushing her away. It was best she had a life without him.
Just then, the door to his room chimed. It had to be Rokan.
Pulling the covering over Evren, he untangled himself from her and slipped into his trousers, shifting into his Borxclan form just in case.
“Yes?” he asked as the door slid open.
Rokan’s concerned gaze drifted to the sleeping area before focusing on him.
“I think you might need this, brother.”
In his outstretched hand was the memory deletion device. It was something they’d agreed on a long, long time ago. If their secret got out, they’d use the device.
Kyro swallowed hard, nodding as he took the device from his friend.
“Thank you, brother.”
“Do you need help?” Rokan shifted on his feet.
This was hard for Rokan too. Neither of them liked what they were about to do.
“No, I can handle it.”
Rokan squeezed his shoulder before moving away.
When Kyro turned back to face her, Evren’s eyes focused on the device in his hand.
“Is that it?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
It took a few moments before a soft, sad smile moved her lips and her gaze met his.
“I guess it’s time for me to go then...”
The walk back to her apartment felt as if she was walking with a weight on her shoulders that was holding her down.
There were countless aliens on the streets as usual, yet she was aware of only one.
Kyro walked by her side in his usual gray form and with every step they made together, the more she broke a little inside.
They said nothing, walking together in silence, because there was too much to be said.
When they stopped walking suddenly, she