The Invisible Planet

Part 29: Liar

Content Warning: this chapter contains graphic content.

"Angel..."

His voice was soft as silk, mouth held against her ear.

Angeline gasped awake, looking around her room in alarm. It was a dream, she knew, but her heart was pounding at the thought of him. The house was visible in its entirety from her bed, and in the dim light there were no shadows she didn't recognize.

"Hello?" she called quietly.

No response.

Satisfied that she was alone, she closed her eyes again, reaching her hand across to the side of her neck. She could almost pretend it was his hand, his fingers trailing along her skin, moving down beneath her clothes, between her thighs.

His lips hadn't left her mind since she'd tasted them — warm and pliable against hers, breath subtle and sweet.

Her fingers wrapped around the corner of her pillow and she arched her chest. The thought of him there, touching her, kissing her, drove her steadily over the edge. She gasped softly, exhaling with a smile as that familiar heat spread through her body.

Her smile faded as she opened her eyes, returning to the lonely darkness of her empty house.

The days since the end of running water had been busy. Mikal and Aster seemed to be the only ones calm about the situation. Outside of the Orphan Farms and the sole military base on Kespan, only a few of the larger settlements were equipped to deal with the elements.

Mikal came from a smaller town of only a few hundred people, with resources scarce and manual labor in high demand. He made a living doing odd jobs such as grave digging and construction, and dabbled in mechanical engineering as a hobby.

Aster's town was a bit larger, nearing a population of two thousand — but they suffered similarly. He worked at his living grounds as a custodian, fixing odd problems, maintaining plumbing and machinery, and keeping the common areas tidy.

Their skills proved to be invaluable to the new village. One by one, he and Mikal modified the useless sinks, removing the faucets and adding plugs to hold water from the well.

There were a few vacant houses in the village, and one was picked to be a bath house. Metal from the ship's hull was hammered into several tubs, and a hole in the roof allowed Sunstones to heat the water. Using the leftover plumbing from the sinks and shower, it was made to drain the water into the forest.

Rather than deal with the hassles of waiting in line to wash behind a curtain, Angeline gathered her things and snuck off each morning to the hidden cove. Bathing under the fresh waterfall was the perfect invigorating start to a day.

"That's cheating."

She crossed her arms over her chest with a gasp and turned to glare at Shay. "Why are you here?"

"Good morning to you, too," he replied.

"How long were you standing there?"

"Only a few seconds," he shrugged. "I'm not here to watch you shower, if that's what you're worried about."

"Then take off your hood, so I know you're not staring again."

He lowered it with a smile, revealing him to be looking at the water several yards away. The sight of his face made her stomach twirl, and she felt a stab of embarrassment for the way she'd fantasized about him.

He frowned slightly and cocked his head. "Why are you embarrassed?" he asked.

"Because I'm naked," she answered quickly.

"You're lying. And if you were shy about that, I'd have felt it the minute you knew I was here. What did you do?"

She closed her eyes and inhaled, focusing her thoughts on her breathing. "Nothing," she said.

"You know, it's really not fair that you can do that," he protested.

"But it's fair that you can read my thoughts?"

"Thought patterns," he corrected. "If I could read your thoughts outright, I wouldn't have to ask what it is you're hiding."

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

"It's my planet, and this is my enclave. I've more right to be here than you."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him as she stepped from the water to put on her clothes.

"Do you like him?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Aster." He said the name as if it had a bitter taste.

"Yes."

He crossed his arms. "I don't believe you."

A sly smile tugged at her cheeks as she pulled on her linen shirt.

"What do you like about him?" he asked.

From the top of her head, there were half a dozen reasons to like Aster — he was strong, smart, hardworking, polite, and fairly attractive — but there was only one answer she knew would sting. "He's human," she replied.

"Oh, if that's where the bar is now, you may as well go for half the village," he responded irritably.

"Hmm. Not a bad idea," she teased.

He caught her arm as she began to brush past him, pulling her back a step to meet her gaze. "Look me in the eye and tell me you like him," he challenged.

Her heart skipped a beat as he glanced at her lips. "I like him," she declared pointedly, holding her gaze steady.

He took her cheek in his hand and leaned toward her, brushing his nose against hers. Her heart turned over in her chest, turning backflips at the thought of his perfect lips. As she tilted her chin up to kiss him, he moved just out of reach.

A devilish smile spread on his face. "Liar," he whispered, the word falling against her skin with the weight of her mistake.

Her face grew hot as he released her, leaving her alone and rooted in place.