looked or sounded like he was about to yell again.
“It’s not fine.” He tapped something on the control panel then turned to me.
He took my hand in his unexpectedly, sending all my thoughts in disarray.
“Don’t you...you know, need to fly this thing?” I mumbled. Snatching my hand from him, I waved at the lights of the control panel.
“It’s a self-flying aircraft.”
“But didn’t you steer it before? On our way from the spaceport to your house?” I glanced down at the tall glass structures of Voran floating by below. The aircraft didn’t appear to be losing altitude or whirring off course.
“I needed something to occupy my hands with at the time.”
“Why?”
“To help me deal with being...” he winced, not meeting my eye. “With being nervous.”
I struggled with the idea of the Colonel ever feeling nervous, he seemed so unshakably sure of himself at all times.
“Did I make you feel that way?” I stared at him incredulously. “People don’t usually get nervous around me. I’ve been called easy-going and down-to-earth—all those things people say about someone who makes them feel comfortable, with whom they don’t have to watch what they say or do. You know, someone like a close family member—that one harmless, bubbly cousin everyone seems to have, the one who never gets offended for long and just smiles—”
He reached for my hand again, interrupting my blabbing.
“You look beautiful, Daisy. I mean it.”
I shoved my feet deeper under my seat.
Back at his house, I’d changed from the open-toe sandals into a pair of white, ankle-high booties. Their wedge heels even gave my feet a hoof-like appearance.
“The dress is perfect on you,” he insisted.
“Okay. Thank you.” I worried my hand would start to sweat any minute now, clasped in his big, warm palm. I tugged at it, but he wouldn’t let go.
“And the sandals were beautiful, too. You didn’t need to change.”
“No. I’m glad I did.” I glanced up at him. “You see, I’m not ashamed of my toes. I’ve had them for over twenty-five years now, and I love them just the way they are. I’ve painted them in pretty colors and proudly displayed them in strappy sandals and flip-flops all my life. I’m not embarrassed by having feet, no matter what you may think about them. The only reason I’ve changed my shoes is because I really couldn’t handle seeing the same look you had back there on the face of every Voranian I’m about to meet tonight.” I heaved a long breath. “Not tonight. It’s already been a very stressful few days.”
I tried to take my hand away from him again, but he laced my fingers with his then covered my hand with his other hand. There was no way for me to retrieve it now, and I decided I didn’t want to take it away after all, leaving it in his possession. My hand felt rather nice, cradled there in the warmth of his two large, rough palms.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Daisy.” His voice was deep, his tone as gruff as always. However, a softer note slipped into it. “It just... It was unexpected.”
“My scary toes?” I rolled my eyes.
“You’ve worn closed-toe shoes before tonight, and I’ve never seen bare feet before,” he explained, sounding defensive. “I’ve heard of toes, but... I’m sorry, okay? Can you forget about all of this, please? I want you to enjoy tonight.”
I thought back to meeting the Voranians for the first time, at the spaceport. Quite a few of their physical attributes had shocked me then, their hooves included. Even my sister had called the Colonel “scary-looking.”
“I understand. I’m not offended,” I said to him. I never could stay upset with someone for too long, anyway. “I thought your eyes were scary, too, at first.”
“My eyes?” He blinked. “Scary?”
“Humans don’t have red eyes. Seeing them was a bit unsettling at first.”
“At first.” He tilted his head to the side. “But how about now?”
I looked up, finding his eyes with mine. Sitting this close to him in the confined space of the aircraft, with my hand held in both of his, awareness suddenly rushed me, and I dropped my gaze down, saying nothing.
“I’ve been told I have fierce eyes.” His voice dipped lower, an unfamiliar velvet note in it reached deep inside my chest with warm resonance. “Do you still find them scary, Daisy?”
He slid a finger under my chin, lifting my head and forcing me to meet his eyes again—fire red, with coal-black slits for pupils.
“Definitely fierce,” I said quietly.