THE LAST BORN

T W E N T Y O N E

"Cara," Malcolm appears right behind me, the orange-haired woman looks up and puts her spoon down.

"Captain," Cara suddenly becomes tense. Her back straightened and she is no longer chatty.

"I need you to—"

"Seriously? I haven't even finished one meal in this ship you want to send me out again?" Cara says with her brows frown looking from her leader to the barely touched food in front of her.

"No. Stop cutting my sentence—"

"I wasn't—"

Malcolm raises his hand stopping her words.

"Sorry," She says sheepishly.

Malcolm gives her one hard stare and continues, "I need you to prepare the simulation on ring number three tomorrow, double-check the equipment, I want to see them ready at nine o'clock sharp." He instructed her.

"Okay... who pissed you off?" Cara asks puzzled.

Malcolm doesn't answer but he put his hand on my shoulder instead, he leans down so his mouth isn't too far from my ear. With one gentle squeeze, he then moves both hands to the table in front of me so I'm caged between his arms.

"Nine thirty, tomorrow, I need you to learn some basic self-defense techniques, come early if you can, so we can properly warm your muscles," I have no idea how does he look like while he says those words to me. But from his voice, he sounds gentle and reassuring, that if he talked one sentence longer I would have leaned back and had him support my weight.

I reach for his hand and nod whilst my finger trances my answer. Malcolm gives a quick kiss on the crown of my head and whispers, "And don't lock your door tonight."

He straightens himself up and walks away, calling Jamal and a few others while I'm frozen in my seat. That has quickly become a habit, it does feel like the time stood still when he is close by. Then I remember his last words, and all the calmness turns into anticipation. Well, it is not the first time he told me that, but still, I feel nervous every time I know he will come by.

My heart tells me that Malcolm feels something for me, something that is deeper than just being friendly. But I'm not sure, I don't know how to read the sign, I don't know if there is any sign at all. I'm too scared that I'm getting way ahead of myself, afraid my expectation will let me down.

"Wait a damn minute!" Cara says with eyes wide open. "You two are a thing?!"

A thing?

Perhaps she sees the confusion in my face, she shakes her head slightly and blinks a few times. "You two are dating? In a relationship? Fucking?"

I feel shyness creeping up my face. Well, technically we are not a thing as she put it before. So I shake my head.

"Bullshit." She spits the word right on my face. "You know the only time I saw him touch another?" Cara leans forward as if she is sharing a secret with me.

I shake my head slowly.

"Yeah, never." She looks at me as if I have two heads. "That was the first time I saw him touch another person, and it was not even a friendly formal gesture! He kissed you!" She talks with her arms moving as if her hands help her visualize her words.

"You two are fucking? Having intercourse? Whatever you want to call it?"

I quickly shake my head no. We touch every day, because that's how I—he insisted on how I communicate with him, and he touches me whenever I'm within his arm length, which is often, because... I don't know, something about the way he looks at me just calling me to always get close to him, but we are not touching like that!