Page 24 of Stars in Nova

She dipped her head, her dark tresses fanning as she disappeared below the surface.

When she emerged on the far side of the pool, she glanced back at him once before slipping away.

A Spiral of Luminescence

Fokk me,Kisan thought as she slipped away.She was freakin’ enticing.

From that day, his visits to CyVoda became part of his routine.

After every other shift, the Rider returned to the spa.

He told himself it was for the massages, the cleansing, the calming effect of the pools. However, he knew better.

Each session he swam,sheappeared.

She rarely spoke and gave him his privacy, which he appreciated.

Yet every time she stroked past him with a grace that held him captive, Kisan’s chest tightened.

Her presence stirred something in him, a longing he couldn’t name but couldn’t ignore.

Shebecame a balm for his restless thoughts, her fluid movements providing a calm he craved.

He began seeking out her performances more frequently, drawn by the haunting beauty of her dances.

The way she commanded the water reminded him of the precision and power he wielded with his kinetic abilities, though hers carried an elegance he never could.

She was a force of nature. Yet, there was a vulnerability to her that pulled at him.

One evening, as he floated in the pool, she appeared again.

This time, she didn’t remain silent or stay away. She moved closer, her eyes bright with an unreadable emotion.

‘You’re around often, Rider,’ she murmured, her teasing lilt carrying over the slight lap of the waves.

Kisan tilted his head. ‘I could say the same about you.’

A smile touched her lips. ‘I work here.’

‘Still, you always find your way into here when I am present.’

Her beam widened, but she didn’t respond.

Instead, she swirled her fingers in the water, sending a spiral of bioluminescence toward him. It broke against his chest, a subtle glow spreading over his skin before fading.

‘Why do you come here, Rider?’ she asked, her voice quieter.

He hesitated. ‘To forget.’

She nodded, her expression softening. ‘We all have something we’d rather forget.’

Their eyes met, and the distance between them seemed to dissolve momentarily.

Her hand brushed the surface of the lake.

‘You sense a kinetic aura, a power that emanates from you.’

A trace of amusement tugged at the corner of his lips. ‘Is that right? Maybe it’s just the lagoon moving around us.’

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