Fynn’s right. When the overlord learns that I want to be a driver, he commissions for another vehicle to be made. They even offer to make a centuricar for me, which is a hybrid between the Novan vehicle and cars back on Earth, but I opt for a centuricmobile. When in Rome, err, when on Kuria, do as the Novans do.
I'm driving along by myself for practice. It's been maybe two weeks since I've started to learn how to become a driver, and I love the solitude. When I'm going to have passengers, there's going to be an adjustment period, that's for sure. What's nice, though, is that the women are slowly moving out of the breeding quarters. We're having apartments built. A lot of them are going to be based on the women's jobs and be in close proximity to their work, but I'm the only drive, and I already made arrangements to live with Diane, so long as she and I don't find a Novan. There have already been some whispers of women finding Novans to date. It's been a long time coming for them to get that concept down, but they're trying. I have to give them credit for that.
Up ahead, to the left, I spy some Novans. Behind them are tents. The Novans are holding weapons. Are they soldiers? And wait…
I slow down and then slam on the brakes. Yes. That’s Adir. There’s no mistaking him. He’s changed a bit, so much bigger. I didn’t think he could put on more muscles, but he did. He looks… he looks good.
I want to climb out and run to him. I want to see what he’s been up to all of this time, but it’s been so very long. He’s had to have moved on. Not necessarily to another woman, but then again, I suppose the doors are wide open for that now.
A wave of jealousy doesn’t hit me. I don’t like the idea of him being with someone else, but there’s a sense of peace washing over me. I don’t need Adir to be happy. I can be by myself and still be happy.
For far too much of my life, I’ve allowed others to dictate how much my life is worth. No more. I decide what I want, who I want, if I want to be alone.
So I drive away, finishing up my practice drive, and later, when it’s nearing on dinnertime, I drive back. All I want to do is talk to Adir. That’s it. Talk.
He might not want to, and that would be okay.
But it's long overdue, and I have a feeling, he'll still want to chat.
19
Adir
The rumble of a centuricmobile has the others on edge, but I don’t jump up to see what’s going on. I just finish eating and then bring my trash over to a receptacle when Yodo approaches.
“You might want to go see,” he says simply.
I glance at him, confused. The other soldiers are giving me smirks, and I ignore them until I see what they’re smirking about.
Beside the centuricmobile is Callie.
My jaw drops, and I rub my eyes. Am I dreaming? I have to be. She looks… She looks perfect. Lovely, beautiful… Her hips are wider than I remember, her boobs a bit fuller maybe, but it’s the rosiness of her cheeks that capture my attention and then the sparkle lightening her dark eyes. She doesn’t look shy as she stares back at me, meeting my gaze instead of staring at the ground. Roses. Some nights when I can’t sleep, I go over Earthling terms, learning about them and their planet, and a lot of women like roses. They’re a beautiful flower, but they aren’t nearly as beautiful as she is.
Ron slaps me on the back, and I stumble forward a few steps before regaining my balance. Now that I’m walking, it’s so ovian hard not to run to her.
“Is this a dream?” I demand when I finally reach her.
“Have you been dreaming about me?” she murmurs.
“Every night,” I say hoarsely.
“You have? That’s a lot of dreams.”
“Far too many nights.”
“Hmm.” She inhales deeply but says nothing.
I miss her so much, and I have so much to say that I’m left speechless. I honestly don’t know where to start.
“I…” I close my eyes.
The truth. She needs to know it. All of it.
“Callie, I missed you so much. I miss you. You’re right here in front of me, and I… I can’t believe it. I… You’re here, but you aren’t. You’re here with me, but you’re not. I… I’m not making any sense, am I?” I run a hand through my hair. “You mean everything to me. You… I… I should start at the beginning, I guess, huh?”
Callie just stares at me.
“You can stop me at any time if you have any questions.” I hesitate. “Do you have any questions?”
“Are you going to start at the beginning?” she asks dryly.
“Right. Right, yes. So, I… Shawnta came onto me, and I was weak, and I gave in. It… It was just fucking.”
Ovian, this is so hard. I don’t want to tell every detail, but it’s important for her to know.
“I want you to trust me, and to do that, you need to know everything. Callie, when I came into your room, I wanted to fuck a woman, but you aren’t just a woman. You’re amazing. You… You aren’t the same one I first met, are you? You seem a little different. Changed. Stronger. It’s a good change! I love it!” I pause. “I love you.”
“Adir…”
"You meant so much to me, and it scared me, and I knew we couldn't be together, so I thought… I wanted to get you out of my mind. I knew that you couldn't be with me, so I… I didn't want to hurt you, and I might've hurt myself. Not physically. I don't know. I was all fucked up, a real ovian bastard, and then that one day… I couldn't. She was willing, and she wanted to,
