Page 70 of Between Earth and Eternity
I grab a glass of water from the kitchen. “He’s great, you know that. We had a good time, but it was missing . . . something.”
She raises her eyebrows curiously.
“When he kissed me—”
“He kissed you!” she exclaims and then covers her mouth, realizing her outburst was more than she intended. “And, nothing?” she asks, barely above a whisper.
“Not really.” I shrug.
“Gosh. Poor Payson,” she says under her breath.
“Geez. Way to make me feel better,” I reply, kicking off my shoes. I head to the kitchen in search of a beverage to take the edge off.
“I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry. I know he was looking forward to this, that’s all. Laz kept mentioning it whenever we were alone.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just . . . a lot. I didn’t want to disappoint him, but I had to be honest.”
She nods, a small smile on her lips.
“Speaking of which. Is there anything new between you and Laz?”
“Well as it is, I think we’re both in the same boat of staying just friends. Besides, I think he likes someone else.”
I hold up the bottle of wine I found stuffed in the back of the fridge as a question, and she nods.
“Really? What makes you think that?” I ask, pouring the red liquid into a glass.
“I think I saw him sneaking around with someone the other day.”
I raise my eyebrows, intrigued. “Really? Did you recognize them?” I ask, handing her the glass and taking a generous swig from my own.
“Actually, I think it was Vallen’s steward.”
I choke on the wine. “Are you serious? Bex?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know his name, but yeah, I’m pretty sure it was him. They didn’t see me, but I saw Bex pull Laz into one of the Crew Only passages. Maybe it’s frowned upon for staff to have relationships with passengers.”
Bex and Laz know each other, and if my suspicions are correct, Payson and Laz knew each other before Zenith. If that’s true, then maybe they’re all connected.
Does Vallen know his steward is having secret meet-ups with a Lottery winner?
“Sky? You okay?”
I shake my head to rid the thought from my mind. “Yeah. Sorry. Just a weird day is all.”
More questions than answers, as per usual.
It must be terribly early because I’m groggy, a sensation that rarely happens, being a morning person. The walls may be soundproof to an extent, but they can’t muffle everything, especially when it’s the sound of screaming coming from just outside our suite.
“What’s going on?” Ori asks, meeting me in the hallway between our rooms.
“I’m not sure.”
We shrug on our robes and peek out into the hall, trying to decipher where the commotion is coming from. We aren’t the only ones whose sleep has been disturbed. Several passengers stick their heads out in the hallway as well for a better view.
“Can you see anything?” Ori asks, straining her neck.
“No, but it looks like it might be Payson and Laz’s room they are gathering around.”
