“Get some rest,” Kelly suggested, grabbing her jacket. “And don’t dream of him too much!” she said sweetly, as a parting shot.
♦
Unfortunately, Kelly’s suggestions stayed in Andie’s mind, even when she tried to force herself to think of something else. When Casey showed up in the morning again to sit with her, she found herself stealing glances at him constantly. Was Kelly right? Did Casey see her as more than a friend? But then why had he never said anything? And what about all those girls he had dated at the University? She had heard about many, though she suddenly realized that Casey had never taken any of them out more than once or twice, which secretly pleased her. Was she pleased because she was in love with him, like Kelly said? Or was it just that if Casey had a girlfriend he would have less time for her? (But did that matter when they were living so far apart?) She found herself getting more confused by the minute.
But one thing was clear. She liked having him near her, and she watched the clock tick closer to his departure with dread.
“What are you thinking about, Andie?” Casey asked unexpectedly. “You look so sad all of a sudden.”
“Just that I wish you were staying longer. I miss hanging out with you. It’s not the same to be back in Dos Cientos when you’re gone,” she told him frankly.
Casey grinned. “I’m glad you miss me. It means I’m not the only one who feels like that. Hey, how about this though . . . I promise that when the term ends I’ll meet you after work every day, just like old times. Deal?”
“Deal,” she agreed.
Eventually, Andie felt like she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, still worn out from her ordeal. Casey encouraged her to take a nap, saying he’d just read for awhile while she slept. When she woke, she found that Casey had also dozed off. His head was resting on the edge of her bed, and his hand was closed around hers. His hand was warm but a little rough still from his year of working in Rhindhol. It felt natural, which was odd, considering that she hadn’t actually held Casey’s hand since they were children.
For awhile she just lay with her head on her pillow watching Casey sleep. It was going to be hard to see him go again. Finally she shook him gently. If he didn’t leave soon he would miss his shuttle. Casey shifted and lifted his head. Stifling a yawn, he looked around for a moment, clearly disoriented.
“Hey, sleepy,” Andie greeted when he finally seemed to get his bearings.
“Hey, sleepy yourself,” Casey responded playfully, sitting back up and dropping her hand. “Seems like you were the one to conk out on me first.”
“I’m still a little exhausted,” admitted Andie. “I would like to say that I’m ready to hop right back in my skiff tomorrow, but obviously that’s not true.” Casey sighed heavily.
“Is it any use asking you to be more careful? I know you’re terminally reckless, but could you just try?” he pleaded, his tone more serious. Andie was taken aback. Usually, he treated her adventures as a big joke, only playfully lecturing her once in awhile.
“I didn’t go out looking for this, Casey,” she responded with a grimace. “It just happened.”
He shook his head, his eyes on the floor. “I thought you were going to die. It was horrible. I just can’t imagine a world without you in it.” The words were so quiet she almost missed them. She sat awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to that, if he even meant her to hear.
For a moment there was total silence before Casey raised his head and noticed the clock. He stood up reluctantly.
“I have to go,” he said ruefully. “I’d give anything to stay longer, but . . .”
“Yeah, I don’t want you to fail your classes. Though how you could ever fail anything, even if you miss a few days . . .” Casey suddenly bent down and stopped her midsentence with a kiss. Andie was so surprised she just sat there stunned, unable to move. Chills streaked up her spine. Casey pulled away just as quickly, his eyes holding hers.
“I’ll comm you,” he promised.
“OK,” she responded weakly. Then he turned and left the room without looking back. Andie stared after him, feeling as if her world had suddenly flopped upside down, and nothing would ever, ever be the same.
♦
Casey’s promised comm didn’t come. Two days later, she was released from the infirmary, though she was expected to rest at home another week before resuming duty. Her first evening back she lay on her bed scrolling through all of her text comms. There were quite a few, mostly get well wishes from her family and friends. There was even a nice card from Jenna, which was a small miracle in itself. But nothing from Casey. A week later, when it was time for her to go back to work, she still hadn’t heard anything from him. In frustration, she flipped her communicator shut and tossed it on her desk with a clatter.
Kelly raised her head from her book viewer. “What is that all about?”
“Nothing,” Andie grumbled. “I just don’t know why he’s not sending me a message.”
“By ‘he’ I assume you mean Casey,” Kelly observed. Andie nodded. “What, you’ve been sending him comms and he doesn’t reply? That’s not like him. Have you tried getting him live?”
Andie bit her lip. “Well, I haven’t exactly commed him either,” she admitted.
“Not even a text? What, did you guys get in a fight?” asked Kelly in astonishment. Andie knew it must seem strange, seeing as before she and Casey had stayed in touch frequently.
“Noooo, he kissed me before he left,” confessed Andie sheepishly.
Kelly stared at her for a moment, and then she laughed. “I knew it! I knew there was some major chemistry between you two.” Andie scowled at this, and she folded her arms across her chest. “Well, Ms. Know-It-All, if there’s so much chemistry here, why hasn’t he commed me?”
“Maybe he’s waiting for you to comm him,” suggested Kelly reasonably. Andie considered this. No, Casey had said he would comm her. So if he wasn’t writing her, did that mean that he was embarrassed by what happened when he left? Or that he regretted it? She winced just thinking about it.
“I’m sure he’ll write me soon,” Andie decided. “I’ll just wait a little longer.” Kelly heaved a sigh but didn’t push the issue. Andie tried to put it out of her mind. She had to go back to work, and a pilot needed her wits about her, not all confused by some guy.
♦
Going back to work was a relief. It provided some distraction from the Casey situation, but when a month passed, she couldn’t ignore it any longer. Casey was avoiding her for some reason. Just when Andie was about to swallow her pride and comm him herself, she got some word at last.
Only it wasn’t from Casey.
It was a comm from Jo.
Jo and Andie commed each other only sporadically. Jo was extra busy at the University, and Andie never felt like she had much new to tell, so she only sent a text comm when there was something exciting to share. She had, for example, sent a rather deliriously happy comm about Scott asking her out. And of course, after her accident, Jo had written to see how she was doing.
Jo’s comm was a normal breezy short message, but she had written to say that she wouldn’t be coming home during the break. She had been invited with some friends to visit the seashore, and Casey would be going too.
Andie stopped and reread the line. “Casey is going, too,” she muttered. “Oh, that just figures.” First he kissed her and then waltzed out, leaving her with not a word for a whole month. And now, he was going to break his promise to spend his term break with her.
When Kelly walked in the room a few hours later, Andie was chatting with Scott on her flipcom. “That sounds great,” Andie finished. “I’ll see you then.” When she closed the flipcom, Kelly was staring at her, her gear bag still slung over her shoulder.
“Did I just hear you planning a date with Scott?” she questioned incredulously. “You’ve been telling him you don’t feel
up to it ever since you got out of the infirmary.”
“Well, I feel up to it now,” Andie explained, digging through her closet, trying to think what she could wear that wouldn’t lead to hypothermia this time.
“What about Casey?” Kelly couldn’t help asking.
“What about him?” Andie replied, her voice distant. “There’s nothing going on between us.” Kelly just stared at her for a moment. Finally she found her voice. “But you do have feelings for him,” Kelly insisted.
“He’s just a friend and that’s all he’ll ever be, Kelly,” Andie maintained. Her voice declared that the subject was closed, and Kelly let it drop. Andie shook away any doubts. She had liked Scott ever since she had met him outside her uncle’s office door. Whatever happened with Casey was just brought on by the accident, and it wasn’t real. No reason to let that hold her back any longer.
♦
Her second date with Scott went much smoother than the first. They stayed on base, which was perfectly fine with Andie. They ate dinner in one of the base restaurants and then saw a movie. Kelly finally gave her guarded approval after meeting him. “He’s a smooth one,” she commented. “He knows the game, and wow, he looks like he could be a novella star! Still, I think he’s a nice guy under that.” Andie rolled her eyes. Of course Scott was a nice guy. (There was no doubt that he looked like a novella hunk too.)
The next time their schedules allowed, they walked through the park together. Spring was near and the days were getting longer. Andie pulled her jacket tighter, but it felt good to be out walking, even if the trees were still bare. Eventually they stopped near the pond, where they could see the sun setting between two of the distant hangars. She kept shooting sideways glances at Scott, who was staring at the pink and orange streaked clouds, apparently lost in thought. He was just so cute! Part of her wanted to reach up and run her fingers through his hair.
Scott turned and caught her staring at him before she could turn away. She blushed, wondering if he guessed what she was thinking. His eyes bored back into hers. He leaned forward and trailed his finger down her cheek. Her cheek tingled from his touch.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I realized tonight how much I like you, Scott. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way.” He smiled and moved closer. “This is all new to me, though,” Andie confessed. “I’m not really sure what to do.”
“Don’t worry, Andie,” he murmured. “I will never hurt you.” Andie looked deep into his dark, shining eyes.
“I know,” she whispered.
Scott’s kiss was gentle and sweet.
7. Jealousy
Scott and Andie’s relationship quickly became hot gossip among the pilots. Andie took constant ribbing about it from her fellow squad mates, and she suspected Scott heard just as much from his. (In Andie’s opinion, the sooner they moved on to something new the better, but Scott actually seemed to enjoy the attention.) At first everything was so incredibly romantic. Scott loved to shower her with lavish gifts and compliments, and of course the sunset walks whenever they could manage them. He would leave her notes stuck in her locker in the pilots’ ready room. For her part, Andie loved when he would take her out on the motorcycle. He would drive out into the hills beyond Rhindhol, an area she had flown over many times but never actually ventured into. To be riding behind Scott with the wind roaring in her ears on the winding roads that led through hillsides that were starting to green up was the highlight of her whole week.
But soon Andie found she was getting bored. Scott didn’t intimidate her anymore, and the more she got to know him and the more comfortable she was with him, the less fascinating he seemed. They really didn’t have much in common, and she found that she didn’t have much to talk about with him other than work. Deep inside, she couldn’t help comparing him to Casey. She could spend hours talking with Casey and never run out of things to say. Plus, Casey was always joking and laughing, while if Scott had a sense of humor, Andie had yet to figure out what it was. Worse, Andie knew Scott wasn’t so happy anymore either. The romantic notes and flowers had dwindled into nothing. He seemed to be working more and more often on her days off, and since he set his own schedule, she suspected that was no accident. Perhaps any normal girl would have been offended, but Andie was secretly relieved. Her heart seemed to have a void that only one guy could fill, and that guy wasn’t Scott.
When at last they had a day off together and Scott asked her to meet him for breakfast, she knew it was time to break things off. Nervously, she paced a bit in front of the café before going in. What exactly was she going to say? What if he got his feelings hurt? What if he got mad at her? Finally, she gathered her courage and went inside. The place was empty except for Scott, who was already sitting in a booth near the window. She slid in across from him and said hello.
Scott’s face was mournful, his eyes dark and gloomy. Even still, he looked like a handsome, brooding movie hero, but she didn’t get the usual thrill from looking at him. It was definitely time to move on.
“Hey, Andie,” Scott began, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you for awhile. You know I’ll always care about you, but sometimes things just don’t work out like you want.” He took a deep breath, clearly about to launch into a well-rehearsed break up speech. Andie reached out and took his hand.
“I know what you’re trying to say,” she interrupted. “It’s OK. Why don’t we just switch to being friends?”
Scott’s mouth opened, and then he closed it. “That’s one of the things I love about you, Andie. You just say what’s on your mind, straight out.” Andie laughed nervously.
“OK, I’m a little blunt,” she admitted.
“A little?”
“Maybe a lot. I just think we both know that I’m not the right kind of girl for you. You deserve so much better.”
“I don’t know about better,” he protested, waving his free hand. “Just different probably. Besides, I think no matter how hard I try I’ll never live up to Casey’s standard,” Scott continued, his eyebrows raised.
“What?” Andie started guiltily. Had she heard him right? Did he really think she had been comparing him to Casey all this time? Well, she had, but she didn’t want him to know that!
“I know how much you miss him. You think that wasn’t obvious to me?” Scott explained. “Don’t be afraid to admit to yourself how much you really care about him. And then,” he added, “I think you should tell him.”
Andie sat speechless. This talk was not going at all like she expected. Was Scott actually encouraging her to go after Casey?
“I’ll bet you’ll find he feels the same way. I knew it when he came to the base after your accident,” Scott said with an air of vast wisdom. “Think about it, anyway.”
♦
Andie did think about it.
In the end, she scheduled a trip to Omphalos her next three day break from work. It was a little extreme, but after months of not comming Casey at all, she couldn’t bring herself to just type out a message declaring her love for him. Maybe if she casually ran into him in person she could test the waters a bit before she committed herself. So Andie decided she might as well visit her sister, and she asked an astonished Jenna if she could stay a couple of days. Jenna, though bewildered, invited her to stay as long as she wanted, and before Andie had time to talk herself out of it, she was on the shuttle.
Her shuttle arrived in Omphalos a couple of hours before Jenna’s last class ended. It was an evening class that was part of her internship so Andie figured there would be a good chance that Casey would already be finished for the day. What could be more natural than to drop by and see a friend while she waited for her sister to get home? That was what she tried to convince herself anyway.
After leaving her bag at Jenna’s off campus apartment, Andie headed toward the Jensen Building where Casey lived. It wasn’t far from Jenna’s place. She almos
t wished it was farther away. In fact, the closer Andie got, the more she considering running back the way she had come. Her pace slowed until she was nearly at a standstill. Suddenly her decision to come to Omphalos to tell Casey that she wanted to be more than friends seemed absurd. After all, she hadn’t spoken to him in months! In the end she decided that delaying this wasn’t going to make it go any better. Resuming her progress toward the building she tried to stay casual, as if this was nothing more than a visit to an old friend. However, inside her stomach bubbled with fear, sending sharp pains across her abdomen. Flying a skiff didn’t give her ulcers, but maybe this relationship stuff would. What if Casey didn’t care? What if he was angry? Worst of all, what if he laughed?
I am an Armada pilot, Andie told herself in an attempt to rally her courage. We do not walk away from our fears. We conquer them. Despite her mantra she found that it was getting harder and harder to breathe.
Just as she reached the front entrance to the Jensen Building Andie stopped short at the sight of a large crowd of students streaming from the doors. Obviously some kind of event had just ended, though what it had been she couldn’t guess. People were heading in every direction and Andie gave up trying to fight her way through them. She moved to the side, watching the current of humanity sweep past.
The crowd had just started to thin out when she heard a low voice speaking in her ear.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise.” She whirled to find herself face to face with Drake, Casey’s old roommate from his first year.
“Andie, right?” Drake remembered with a sly smile. “I thought you were off being a pilot.”
Andie laughed nervously. “I’m just in town visiting my sister. She’s a student here.” “You have a sister? Can you hook me up?” Drake suggested with a leer. Andie rolled her eyes. “In your dreams, Drake. She’s way out of your league.”
The Legend of Sirra Bruche (Roran Curse Book 1) Page 10