Page 34 of Beautifully Complicated

Theoretically, the algorithm should recognize and differentiate between different gait patterns to adapt to the one the wearer is using at that moment. A leisurely stroll, a brisk walk, etcetera. The goal is to have the prosthetic seamlessly adjust to the user to maintain a natural stride.

It’s an exciting assignment, the kind of thing I envisioned doing when I learned about this field and decided to focus on it, yet I sigh heavily as I read his instructions.What I wouldn’t give totalkto him about this instead of getting these impersonal emails.

The soft click of a door latching shut tells me someone has entered the room, and the way my skin pebbles tells me it’s Kier. I don’t even have to look up to confirm it.

Every once in a while someone else will use this lab, but more often than not it’s just the two of us in here. Sitting at our desks, staring at our workstations, not even acknowledging the other. It’s so uncomfortable yet so routine my body seems to recognize when Kier’s the person in the room simply by the way it tenses and hums with a restless energy.

So far, I’ve been able to expel that energy with subtle movements. Rubbing my fingers together, chewing my lip, bouncing my foot. It gets harder every day though, the buildup of tension mounting. I’m afraid of what might happen when there’s no room left to store it. Will I knock my papers off the desk? Kick the chair? Scream?

Only time will tell.

The scrape of a chair sliding over the tile floor echoes around the room, once as it’s pulled out, the other as it scoots in.

My nerves twitch with the urge to turn and look at him, but I force my head to remain facing forward. If I look, I’ll stare. And if I stare, I might break down. So, I dutifully peck away at the keyboard while my heart thumps a nervous beat in my chest, just like…

I stifle a gasp as I press my hand to that fitful organ.

“Can you feel my heart trying to beat out of my chest?” I whisper breathlessly, my body flush with Kier’s as we both try to come down from our orgasms.

“Can you feel mine?”

Going still, I’m able to hear the rhythmic thumping. “Yes.”

The memory is so vivid it’s like I’m still in that hotel room. Still laying on top of Kier as we try to process the intensity of the moment, and realizing as he held me that nothing had ever felt as right as being in his arms.

God this hurts. Will there ever be a time that it doesn’t feel like my chest is splayed open?

“Aiden!”

My head snaps up when I hear my name, the blurry room slowly coming into focus. I’m a little disoriented, which is jarring to say the least, but not nearly as shocking as the fact Kier is standing less than two feet away, eyes wide with…panic?

“Yeah?” I croak.

“What happened?”Is his voice shaking?

“What do you mean?”

“You tell me. You gasped and then froze, and then sort of slumped like you were about to faint.” Kier’s icy blue eyes have lost their alarmed edge, but they still regard me warily, as if he’s not sure I’m in the clear. His worry floods my body with a warmth I haven’t felt since… Since that night in his room, when he made me feel alive.

“I—” my hand moves from my chest to my forehead, probing, “—don’t know.” The last thing I remember is… not something I want to share with him. So, I play dumb.

“You don’t know? Are you sick?” Kier’s hand seems to stretch toward my arm before he abruptly pulls it back, and even though we don’t touch, my arm tingles where he would have made contact.

“I don’t think so.”

“Hungry? When was the last time you ate?”

I shake my head to clear the fog. “This morning?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?” A wavy line mars his forehead as his gaze skims over me, and I momentarily forget the question, his beautiful face so close it consumes every thought.

“I don’t know,” I finally answer.

I’m pretty sure I did eat this morning, but that was hours ago, and I have no memory of what I may have consumed. The only thing I remember right now is feeling like I was transported back to that hotel room right before everything went fuzzy, and I amnotgoing to admit that to Kier.

“Stay here,” he says softly, striding across the room to get a cup of water from the dispenser by the door, and setting it on the desk in front of me. “Drink.”

Hand shaking slightly, I reach for the water and bring it to my lips, keenly aware of the fact Kier’s eyes seem to linger there while I sip. I almost wish I didn’t notice, since that makes my heart give another erratic little beat.

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