Page 18 of Vawn
If he keeps being an ass, let me know. I’ll have one of our dads talk to him.
I laughed at the threat. Could I use that to my advantage when dealing with Ret?I’ll keep that in mind. But, Vawn, I had a really good time. Thank you for calling out to me when you saw me.
Thank you for jogging past. I’m really glad you did. And I look forward to seeing you again on Gaunb, when you race there.
Me, too. It’ll be the first time I’ll have a fan I invited in the stands.
Who said I was your fan? Those Kaddim brothers sure are good.
I groaned.Yeah, but you’ve never gone to see them race before I invited you.
True. I guess I’ll be your fan since you invited all of us. My parents will probably cheer for my brothers anyway. And I’m not sure which team Utahn will be cheering for now. Thank you for helping him to have fun, too.
I just wanted him to stop glaring at me.As he’d done the first two days I’d been at the beach house. I’d thought bringing food would help get him on my side. Yet, the only thing that had worked was helping him get laid.
He’s only looking out for me. As I’m sure, my brothers are, too.
I get it.
Hey, Enif says she misses you, too, and drew a picture for you.
Vawn sent me the picture, one of three figures holding hands while riding on a racer jet with a big heart on the front. It was cute.
Tell her, thank you. I’m going to frame it then put it somewhere where your brothers can see it.So I can brag that their niece drew me a picture.
Stars, why are yousomuch like Ret?
I scoffed.I’m nothing like him.
I beg to differ. But I’m willing to look past it because I like you. A lot.
How much is a lot?
Ojo….
I know.I chuckled.But, I’m serious. I’m willing to try.Being a space racer didn’t mean I couldn’t have a long-lasting relationship. It just didn’t happen very often.
Well, we’ll see what happens between now and when I see you again on Gaunb.
Yes, I can’t wait!My heart warmed as I dimmed the lights in my room, already looking forward to holding Vawn in my arms again.But I need to go now. Need to get some sleep before first practice for next race on Sodoya.
Okay. Sleep well and dream of me.
Always.I hadn’t stopped thinking about him since the first time I met him. That definitely wouldn’t change now.
I put my communicator onDo Not Disturband closed my eyes. Only a bit of time before I’d return to regular space racer life. Yet, a slightly different version, since Vawn and his daughter were now part of it.
Chapter Eleven
Vawn
I walked into the private booth that Ojokun had arranged for us, thankful for a breath of fresh air, away from the heat and exhaust from the jet engines. By the time spectators were allowed to enter the stadium, the preliminary races had already been run, though no one in the city could have missed seeing the jets fly overhead during certain parts of the course that covered much of the planet.
My fathers, Utahn, Enif, and I arrived on Gaunb the day before, hoping to see my brothers and Ojo ahead of the main race, but they’d been too busy. Of course, they’d won all of their preliminary races and qualified to compete in the finals. There had only been one event in the past where they hadn’t qualified, and Ret had made the team run laps on Noit, an ice planet, as punishment. Genj didn’t talk to him for a whole week after, and we got to hear all about it back home. It was the only time my brothers called two days in a row.
Now, we were here to see them race, and to hopefully catch up after. If I didn’t get to see Ojo, I might as well have stayed home, as the chairs in the booth were not very comfortable. Enif didn’t think so, either, choosing to sit on my lap instead. Utahn was to my left, and my parents sat behind us. From the large window, we could see the start line, or, rather, the giant structure with hangars for each of the five qualifying teams stacked on top of one another, where the jets and their racers waited for the beginning of the race. There was also a large screen in the booth that showed various checkpoints along the course. With the speeds the jets traveled, I didn’t know if I’d be able to tell one from the other though. I never could when I watched from home.
“How much longer?” Enif bounced on my lap then crawled over the arm of the chair to sit with Utahn. “I wanna see my uncles an’ Ojo win!”
