Page 29 of Vawn
“So….” He pursed his lips and furrowed his brows as if in contemplation. “That means I’m not allowed in here at the same time as you?”
“No,” I huffed. “I just don’t want to talk.”
He raised his hands. “All I said was hey. You could have stopped after you said it back, but you didn’t. So, all this talking is on you.”
“Fine.” I set the weights down. “I’ll leave.” I didn’t need him to make me feel shittier than I already did.
“Ugh!” he growled. “Why do you always think everyone is against you?”
I spun around. “Because you are. You have been since the very first day. And I bet it burns your ass I’m in a relationship with your brother.”
“Not really.” He shrugged. “I mean, it did at first. But you both seem happy. Well, you did. Now, I’m not sure.”
I sat on the nearest bench and ran my hands through my hair. “I am. It’s just…I’ve been thinking.”
Ret narrowed his eyes at me, his glare evident. “Don’t you dare hurt him. If you want to end things, do it now. Don’t string him along.”
“No.” I stood and balled my hands into fists before relaxing them. “It’s not like that. In fact, it’s kind of the opposite.”
He scrunched his nose. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” I sat down again, unsure about anything at that moment. “When I became a space racer, I knew it was what I wanted to do. Absolutely no doubts. I had no one I was attached to on Jenegath, and I expected it would be the same for me as a racer. Then, even though I’m still the loner of the team, you all became a sort of family to me.”
“Ah, is Ojo getting soft on me?”
“Shut up.” I threw my towel at him. “I’m trying to be honest here.”
He waved. “Sorry. Continue. I want to know what this has to do with my brother.”
“The thing is, I was kind of jealous of your relationship with Genj. I know you’re brothers, but it’s still a connection I never had. And I’m even more envious of Xac and Qé. They really have something special, even if they don’t have sex.”
Ret nodded, his expression more serious.
“But I couldn’t find anything like that with any of the other racers. And we both know what the fans are like.”
Ret raised a brow as if in agreement.
“But then I met your brother, and….”
Resting his arms on the edge of the tube, Ret leaned forward. “And?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I guess I started thinking about other things than being a racer, like maybe I’d retire from it someday, and settle down.”
“Shit.” Ret huffed out a laugh. “I never thought I’d hear that from you. You must really like Vawn.”
“I do.” My cheeks warmed at the admission. “He’s always on my mind, even when he shouldn’t be.”
Crossing his arms, Ret shook his head. “He’s why you’ve been screwing up all day?”
“Maybe part of it.” I couldn’t blame everything on Vawn. He had no idea he was causing me to lose focus.
“What about Enif?” My team leader rested his chin on his arms. “You know they’re a package deal, right?”
I nodded. “She’s adorable. And I think I saw her at her worst when she was really sick on Rennir.”
Ret chuckled. “According to Vawn, she’s at her worst when she’s full of energy and he has none.”
Somehow, that made me want to be there for him more, take some of the burden off Vawn. “Do you think I’d make a good father?”
