Page 61 of Bound By Stars
I raise one eyebrow and shove an oversize bite of strawberry cake into my mouth.
“It’s only a mock presentation. You still have the rest of the trip to iron everything out.”
“I know, I know.” Dropping my fork on the table, I sit back. “It’s just…ILSA’s my way out. If I mess this up, I go back to Earth and work in a factory for the rest of my life like my mother and…” My rib cage is too tight for my lungs to expand. I can’t get enough air to finish with the weight of everything I have to gain or lose sitting on my chest.
“Want to practice one more time?”
I answer through a mouthful of pastry. “I would rather take a space walk in a ballgown.”
Jupiter laughs, then presses his lips together, his chest expanding with a long inhale. “Speaking of ballgowns, I’ve been meaning to ask. The Midway Gala is tonigh—”
“Hey, stranger.” Reve leans over the table between us, refilling my water glass.
Fighting the instinct to leap out of my seat, I shift and wipe crumbs from the edges of my mouth.
“Want to get out of here?” Reve pours water into Jupiter’s glass, keeping his eyes glued to me.
Jupiter leans around Reve and frowns. “We were kind of—”
“I need to talk to you.” Reve’s eyes burrow into me.
Jupiter sits back in his chair.
“Won’t you get in trouble?” I look around the room at the rest of the porters.
That half smile tugs at his lips. “I’m technically off. The vest was just a way to get in here.”
Jupiter leans around Reve again. “You have the presentation in less than an hour.”
“You said I needed a break, right? I can be back in plenty of time.” I touch Jupiter’s arm and rise.
He nods and stares at his plate.
Reve sets the pitcher on a table, grabs a plain black sweatshirt from the back of a chair, and heads for the door with his head down.
I weave through tables and meet him outside.
“Hurry.” He zips up the hoodie until it’s covering his vest and only the white of his undershirt is showing. Taking my hand, he leads me toward the back of the ship.
By the time we’re passing through the arboretum, we’ve run out of small talk and the silence between us goes from awkward to painful.
Reve rushes ahead, turning round and walking backward with his hands in his pockets. “Are you going to the Midway Gala with that guy you were having lunch with?”
That can’t be why he pulled me away from my meal. “What? No.”
“I can’t even picture you in a gown.” He chuckles.
I shove his shoulder. “I would look amazing in a gown.”
He trips backward, stumbling before he falls in step beside me again. “There’s a party going on downstairs. You should come. It’ll be more fun than some stuffy ball with a bunch of boring rich people.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
In the middle of the escape pod bay, Reve sprawls out under one of the long windows between the emergency vessels and pats the floor beside him.
I lie down, propping my feet up against the glass. “So what did you needto talk to me about?”
“Right.” He turns his face toward me. “I meant to check on you after I heard what happened with the O2system in your room, but they’ve had me stationed below since I was caught off duty on a first-class level.”
