He knocks on my door and I smooth a hand over my hair, trying to compose myself. I'm wearing a flowing dress today, cinched under the breasts to give my figure the ultimate oomph, and the neck is cut extra low. It's something I don't dare wear into town, but it's perfect for this situation. With a smile on my face, I answer the door. "Good morning."
Rektar's gaze immediately drops to my cleavage. I'm not surprised; it is pretty magnificent this morning. He flushes deeper and his tail lashes back and forth. "I need to go into town." His words are abrupt. "As soon as possible."
That…wasn't the response I wanted to hear. "Good morning to you, too," I say lightly, and turn away from the door, heading to the kitchen. "You can come eat first. Then I'll take you into town."
It's silent, and for a depressing moment, I worry that I'm going to turn around and see him hovering on my porch, unwilling to come inside. That we're back to square one despite last night. I pull the quiche out of the warmer, determined not to show my disappointment, but when I turn around, Rektar is seated at the table.
Relief—and pleasure—blossoms through me again. I set down the quiche with a flourish, smiling. "Eat up."
"You don't have to keep feeding me," he says, his gaze averted. "My ration bars are sufficient."
"Sufficient isn't the same as enjoyable," I counter, and when he stares at the quiche but doesn't pick up the spoon, I reach over the table and dish out a portion for him. Again, his gaze strays to my cleavage, staring for a long moment before glancing away again. The man is impossible to read sometimes, but I hope that's a good sign. "If you're stationed on a farm planet and you can't eat good, farm-fresh food, then what's the point?"
I set the plate in front of him. He digs in without another word of protest and then closes his eyes as he takes a bite. He swallows and then looks over at me. "You made this for me?" When I nod, he looks away again, staring at his plate. "I am honored."
"It's just breakfast," I say, but the way he's acting is strange. It's like he doesn't want to look at me. Maybe…the cleavage is too much? I take a few bites of food myself, but I'm confused. I thought after last night he'd be less shy, but this morning he seems more so. Is that why he has to go back into town so quickly? Does he regret what happened?
I have a sinking feeling he does.
We eat in silence, and I'm not entirely surprised that Rektar cleans his plate again. He gets seconds, and when there's only a little left in the pan, Rektar sits back with a heavy sigh, patting his stomach. "Delicious."
"Glad you liked it," I say politely, trying not to let my conflicting emotions show. "Since there's some left and we're heading into town, let me wrap this up for Khex. I bet he could use a nice breakfast—"
Before I can finish the sentence, Rektar pulls the food toward him and shovels the rest of it onto his plate. "Think I'm still hungry after all," he mumbles, and continues eating.
Weird. I head to my room and put on my walking shoes to go into town. I wrap a shawl around my shoulders, knotting it tight and tucking it into my bodice so my cleavage is covered. I don't want to make Rektar more uncomfortable than he already is. Maybe one of my friends in town will be able to decipher Rektar's mixed signals, because I sure can't.
If he'd just look me in the eye and smile, I'd feel better about all of this. I don't regret what happened last night—heck, if anything, I'd love to do a repeat, maybe even get a little action for myself. But I need a sign of encouragement from him.
Instead, when I go back out to the main room of my small house, he stands by the door, his dishes in the sink and the table cleared off. His hands are clasped behind his back and he's perfectly still, as if he's waiting to leave. He casts a look in my direction but doesn't raise his gaze. "I am ready to go into town whenever you are."
It's hard not to be disappointed. "Sure, I'll drop you off—"
"No," he says quickly. He lifts his gaze to mine and then just as quickly drops it again. "It is important that you stay in town. Just wait for me."
"Is something wrong? Did you find something else last night?"
"No." He rubs his ear. "I just…" He makes a strangled sound in his throat. "Please honor my request, Lucy."
"Of course." Now if he could just quit being so weird…