He gives her just the barest hint of a smile and she lights up from within. Her face blossoms in a broad smile at his hesitation.
"Yes. Yes, all right. That sounds -- perfect."
Simmons had explained to her what a date was, when she'd overheard one of the techs talking about going on one. Such casual forays into intimacy did not exist in her world. Well, she supposed they might among the majority of the population, but not for the Jeddak of Helium. When she was seen in public the company of a male, all of Helium was thrown into a frenzy. Issus, when the Admiral was seen leaving her quarters in the late afternoon, there'd been a scandal. No, when the Jeddak entertained the notion of a relationship, she did so with a heavy weight of her position on her shoulders, with the shadow of a legend hanging over her head. Her late husband had been much beloved by her people. And in her experience, the only men willing to even try to walk that path did so out of a desire for status or power, not for her companionship. (And the Admiral was like a brother to her, even though he'd offered to take up the mantle just to give her some relief.)
But here, none of that mattered. Here, she could go swimming with him, and no one was the wiser. Here, she could share a late night conversation with him, and she was just a woman talking with a man. A woman spending time with someone she was attracted to, someone she respected and whose companionship she enjoyed. Here, she was allowed to be herself.
All of these thoughts swarmed in her head as she moved about the room, switching off monitors and securing work stations. When she was done, she returned to his side and gestured for him to lead the way. "I heard there was some excitement?"
no subject
"Yes. Yes, all right. That sounds -- perfect."
Simmons had explained to her what a date was, when she'd overheard one of the techs talking about going on one. Such casual forays into intimacy did not exist in her world. Well, she supposed they might among the majority of the population, but not for the Jeddak of Helium. When she was seen in public the company of a male, all of Helium was thrown into a frenzy. Issus, when the Admiral was seen leaving her quarters in the late afternoon, there'd been a scandal. No, when the Jeddak entertained the notion of a relationship, she did so with a heavy weight of her position on her shoulders, with the shadow of a legend hanging over her head. Her late husband had been much beloved by her people. And in her experience, the only men willing to even try to walk that path did so out of a desire for status or power, not for her companionship. (And the Admiral was like a brother to her, even though he'd offered to take up the mantle just to give her some relief.)
But here, none of that mattered. Here, she could go swimming with him, and no one was the wiser. Here, she could share a late night conversation with him, and she was just a woman talking with a man. A woman spending time with someone she was attracted to, someone she respected and whose companionship she enjoyed. Here, she was allowed to be herself.
All of these thoughts swarmed in her head as she moved about the room, switching off monitors and securing work stations. When she was done, she returned to his side and gestured for him to lead the way. "I heard there was some excitement?"