Chapter 16: 016
Monday came faster than I would've liked, but it brought the sun with it so fiercely that I couldn't argue with the morning. The piercing sun woke me with a jolt, filling the room so brightly that I didn't even try to lie in bed any longer, instead deciding to get up immediately and start the day with positive energy to match the sun's. I ate breakfast quickly, gulping down water and getting dressed with plenty of time to spare. I didn't even consider taking the car - there was no way I'd waste such a blue sky under the roof of a car. I packed my things and began my familiar walk to the park. Buddy was probably already out at the farm - I'd given him permission to do his alien teleport thing to the driveway, under the guise of being dropped off by a friend passing by. It'd have to do until we got him some kind of ID. I didn't have time to drop him out there, and I didn't know anyone else who'd pass by that way so early in the morning.
I walked through the park, which seemed to glimmer with a new kind of life and vigour, and spent the day working with an energy I hadn't known for months. Morgan noticed and quizzed me about my change in demeanor. I just smiled mysteriously and told him I'd let him know soon. The day passed quickly, dipped in honeysuckle sunshine which was still glowing when I left work and found Buddy leaning against a bollard in the parking area.
"Hey you," he said as I approached.
"What are you doing here," I asked with a smile, slipping easily into his arms and breathing in his scent.
"I missed you," he replied, arms wrapping me tightly.
I looked up at him. My gaze was calm, but my stomach seemed to be hosting a gymnastics tournament.
"Come on, let's go home," I said.
We began walking together, silently for the first few minutes.
"How was your first day of work?" I asked eventually, breaking the pleasant quiet.
"Good. I'm the best worker there," he stated, unblinking.
"There's this thing called humility, Buddy. It's a good trait."
"Right, sorry." Buddy fumbled briefly. "I only meant that because I have all the Carlotti's knowledge, as well as my stamina, I have a natural advantage."
"Oh, I'm not doubting you. I'm sure you are the best. You do have a massive advantage though, so just keep your head down and your pride in check, boy." I smiled, shaking my head slightly.
"My bad," he said, reaching across and taking my hand in his. "I'm still learning."
I looked down at our intertwined fingers, wondering about how Buddy experienced this touch that, for him, was so much more than just physical touch.
"It's like I'm touching your soul," he said quietly, answering my unspoken question. "Like I know you better than anyone could possibly know you else in this moment."
"It must feel intense," I mused.
"Mmm."
"Is it uncomfortable?"
"Sort of."
"Because of my feelings about you?"
"Partly."
We fell silent as we reached the park, the blades of grass bending beneath our footfalls, then springing back up in our wake to reach again for the sun.
I was aware that the continued touch of our hands was a one way radio channel broadcasting my every thought straight into Buddy's mind, but I didn't want to let go. I liked the feel of his skin against mine, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand in tiny circles. Even though I was thinking about him, about us, about my fears and reservations, I felt strangely comforted that he knew it all, and that despite that, he didn't let go.
"Did you see anything weird at work?" I asked abruptly, my mind suddenly leaping back to the strange behaviour off the two people I'd seen in the packing shed at the orchard.
"Nothing, really," he shrugged. "I don't even know who the two people you saw are."
"Hm."
"I haven't gotten to know everyone yet," he added. "Only the bosses shook my hand. Everyone else seems a bit guarded."
"Well, that in itself is kind of suspicious," I said.
"I don't mean it like they're hiding something, more like they're just not very friendly."
"Well that sounds like it'll be a fun workplace then," I said sarcastically.
"I think it will be, actually. I like the work, and its a nice place. It will probably just take a while to get to know everyone."
We walked through the bush and out onto the footpaths that ran alongside the residential streets near my rental. It was definitely a cheaper area of town, with its lawns and fences often run down and overgrown, or at best, neat but aged and clearly in need of work. There were dogs barking nearby, and some school kids still in uniforms playing basketball in their driveway.
I had never seen myself as someone to settle down in one place forever. I'd always wanted to travel and experience different places, but somehow I'd find myself just settling into a kind of comfortable familiarity. I knew my job, and enjoyed it, even if I didn't love it, and I had a good setup sharing a rental with Lena. But somehow I'd fallen into the kind of mindless suburban living that I had sworn as a teenager I'd never succumb to.
Being with Buddy made me question it all again. Could I settle down with him? Could we have the picket fence and the nine to five jobs and the weekend getaways? Or would that still not be enough? Until we got his identity organised, we couldn't travel anyway. But maybe, one day, we could see the world together. Maybe we could experience everything together.
I abruptly realised again that our clasped hands were sharing all my thoughts with him, and I broke off the train of thought. Sensing my hesitation, Buddy gently slipped his hand out of mine.
"You can always just say if you need some space," he said softly, pausing on the footpath under the sprawling branches of a eucalypt tree.
I smiled and looked up into his thoughtful face, those strange imitations of human eyes that looked back at me with enough humanity for both of us. I realised then, that he seemed so human that it no longer mattered to me that technically, he wasn't. I felt the now familiar tug of longing in my gut, drawing me into him. The instinct to fight it rose in me automatically, but this time I ignored it. I looked him in the eyes, certainty making me bold.
"No," I said quietly but firmly, shaking my head. "I don't."
"Don't what?" Buddy asked, his eyes locked on mine, burning with the same thing that I knew was aflame in my own.
"I don't need space," I replied slowly, running my hands around the back of his neck and through his hair, my eyes never leaving his.
The energy shifted between us with a jolt as our skin touched and he sensed my intention, my determination. Around us, the air bristled with a fiery electricity that told us both there was no backing out now. I moved in, giving way to every beat of my heart that sent desire spiralling through my veins, and the space between us evaporated like the morning mist.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone