CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One ∞ 3: A Shard Of Code

120 ∞ A Power Unto Itself

Day 00014 Mission Nilex

Ayla stepped from the transport tube into the corridor leading home. She felt like she was floating despite her feet touching the floor. Such elation... She'd never experienced the like before in her life. Not even the promise of a splitting headache could diminish her joy.

She couldn't tear her thoughts away from what had just happened. Whatever dream state she'd been in had vaporized, but traces of it still lingered.

She'd seen Time—and what a marvel it was. Yet it was fading fast, like a dream upon waking. How she'd done it—how she'd done what she'd done, she didn't know, just that she should accept it as a gift and not question it. Her Gift had found the path to reach Gareth the man inside his void of nothing.

For a moment, she'd felt herself inside his heart. She'd soaked in his steady beat and the warm pulse under his jaw and wished the spell would last an eternity. It hadn't. His pulling out of her embrace felt like a delayed rejection. But she dismissed that disappointment when she looked up into his eyes and his stoic regard. Within, she saw a glimmer deep inside, a glimmer of the pain of being hurt, and her heart reached out to him. Raising her right hand to cup his face, she wiped the damp tracks on his cheek with her thumb.

Time stood still for several moments as they stood there, close, yet not close, regarding each other, communing with each other as only silence can achieve. On an impulse, Ayla brought up her other hand, gave Gareth a gentle squeeze, and slid both hands down to his chest. She gripped his shirt and, with her eyes still locked with his, she pulled him with her until her back was up against the Oak tree.

"Let's give this old Tree something to remember."

The words came from her mouth without bidding as she pulled on his shirt. Gareth leaned forward and rested his hand on the bark over her head. She pulled harder, and he complied by leaning in to kiss her.

It was a long, tentative, and caring kiss. None of the heat, excitement, and nerve-tingling reaction this time, only slow exploration of each other, breaths mingling. The moment was timeless. When they finally broke apart, Gareth's forehead rested on hers as they both drew a long, deep breath together.

Ayla opened her eyes and looked into his. They were so close to hers as their faces touched—so warm, so filled with emotion—she realized she had to make a decision. With a gentle push on his chest, she got him to straighten himself, and he stroked the moisture away from her cheeks before dropping his arms to his side.

"Small steps," she murmured, the corners of her mouth lifting in an imperceptible smile. But it was a lie. If he kissed her again, she wouldn't be able to stop there. She knew it with the entirety of her being.

Gareth took one step back and gestured toward the picnic table. She pushed off from the rough bark of the tree trunk, deeply regretting she couldn't be more carefree like Lina. As they retraced his sunken footprints, she slipped her hand into his and didn't let go as they sat down beside each other.

He studied her with gentle regard. "Will you tell me what's going on, Ayla?"

Turning toward him, she squeezed his hand with both hands. "I know you, Gareth. I've seen it within you." She searched his eyes. "You love deeply. The heart is infinite in its depth and breadth—it can love more than once. I respect your love for your wife, but... I ask you, would she want you to live out your life alone? You're surrounded by those who love you, but you don't see it."

Puzzlement crossed his face. "Those who love me?"

"Canaisis and I both love you very much. Why do you think she chose you and continues to hold you as her Captain?"