Live to Venture (#0)

28 | The Regret of Adventure

Vallin went to Britter. He couldn't go to Everson for obvious reasons, and Rusher wouldn't get it. He had to go to someone with a brain.

So he wandered about the balcony for a moment, his fingers bleeding from the glass bottle he'd thrown across the room. The last time he'd thrown something out of anger was when he was fourteen. A teenager.

He took the steps. It was beyond early, but it didn't matter to him. He jogged belowdecks and pushed open Britter's door. Her corner room was eerily silent next to him.

Vallin snapped his fingers at Britter. "Wake up."

The strategist rolled over in his bed. "Captain?" he asked.

"No," was Vallin's reply. "It's Vallin."

"What?" Britter grabbed a shirt from the spot at his feet and pulled it over his head. "What happened?"

"Guess what I did, Liam?" Vallin began. "I slept with Silta, but that's not the good part."

Britter could tell from the sarcastic tone that something wasn't right, but his mouth still twisted with excitement. "Was it good? It had to be good."

Vallin laid down on his back and frowned at the ceiling. Oh, it'd been good. Until...that.

"What?" Britter leaned down to him, placing a childish hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Captain...did you...I mean, could you...?"

"Yes," Vallin snapped.

"Then I'm confused," Britter said, drawing out the words. "You should be up there, with her, not down here, with me. I'm a handsome man, but Silta's more your type—"

"I told her I loved her."

There was a long pause in the darkness. Then, "No you didn't."

"I did."

Britter laughed, but it was hasty. "No you didn't. Oh by the Devil, Bardarian, please tell me you didn't."

"I did."

Britter covered his mouth. "Why?"

"Because it's true. She's mine, Britter—she's mine and everyone knows it. And she came to me. She told me she came because I gave her a cat—"

"The cat was an exceptional move. Brilliant man you are."

"—and she made it sound like it wasn't just lust, that it was more than that, and I couldn't tell her to leave; she seemed terrified that I would."

"Could've meant she was mildly interested in you. She's not in love with you."

"You're so smart, Britter. I never could've figured that out myself. How do I fix it?"

Britter shook his head. "You can't fix this. Silta has these rules her mother taught her. Rules one through seven. Rule number five is against falling in love. Sneaking it up on her would've been an option, but blurting it to her? It'll freak her right out."

Vallin rubbed his hand over his eyes and let out a long breath. "Should I have stayed?" he asked. "She didn't say anything. I left. Do I go back?"

Britter shrugged. "Did she stay in your room?"

Vallin listened carefully around him. He heard soft, almost non-existent footsteps down the hall. The door next to them opened and closed, softly.

Britter's gaze shot to him. "Is that her?" he whispered.

"That's her room!" Vallin whispered back.

Britter's eyes darted. "I don't know. I don't know what you should do. Angels, this is such a mess. This is so not the way it was supposed to happen."