Invited

Twenty-Two - Wicken

"So what all do you do on there anyway?" Timber's guy pal, Nathan, asked. I got the impression they were pretty close. Timber's parents talked to him like he was one of the family.

Timber was quiet for a moment. "It's hard to describe."

"Try and explain it anyway. Consider it practice for tomorrow. All you've told me is some of the stuff that's happened there, but not really what it's actually like," he said.

"To be honest, I feel like I'm in a zoo," Timber said in a low voice, and I heard footsteps. It took me a few seconds to figure out they were his and he was pacing. "There are cameras everywhere, monitoring everything, and the way the whole ship is set up is too perfect. Everything is controlled, contrived. At the same time, it's cool. Because I have things to do, places to go, and a lot to explore. My entire purpose has changed. It's only been three or four months, so who knows how I'll feel further down the road. But between everything I have to do for Paul, and looking after Chevelle and Lara, I'm certainly never bored."

Chevelle, yes, she was far from ever being boring, even during her most normal girl moments.

"Right, the guy who was here earlier organizing all of this stuff, and the girls you decided to play daddy to." This Nathan guy had no brain-to-mouth filter, and little respect. I immediately didn't like him, and the more he spoke, the worse it got.

"Chevelle isn't a girl," Timber stated, and the next words out of his mouth made my blood boil. "She's a woman, and we were supposed to be companions."

"Okay, you didn't tell me that part. They hook you up with people?" I wanted to punch him.

"You're highly encouraged to find someone, yes. Nothing happened between her and I." Timber's voice was terse. I knew he was telling the truth, but hearing it come from his mouth reinstated every one of my insecurities. Because if I couldn't make it back to her, the Achlivans would try to find someone else for her if Timber refused to step up to the plate.

"Oh, right, cause she's the knocked up one whose baby daddy left," his friend said. "I remember now. There's a lot to keep up with. You should really think about writing it all down."

And there it was, another confirmation of Chevelle's pregnancy. I don't know when they had talked about it earlier. Probably when everyone was around in the room, and I'd missed it. A lot was going on at once, and I had a hard time telling who was who for a while. Between Timber's girlfriend Talia, his parents, this Nathan guy, and Paul, there was a lot to listen to.

"Yeah, Nate, that is Chevelle. You'll get to meet her when once you're up there."

I didn't want him to meet her. Competing against Timber was bad enough, now add another guy into the mix? One who was single and probably looking? Maybe Chevelle being pregnant would be a turn-off to him...and maybe it wouldn't. Some guys liked pregnant girls because they thought that made them easy. They preyed on the vulnerability of them being alone through the ordeal. Others liked being able to provide for them. Chevelle was easy to fall in love with too. She wasn't like all of the other girls out there. Nothing about her was typical. He'd see how special she was too. And then what? I'd be screwed. I don't think Timber would have my back. Why would he encourage her to be with me and not his best friend?

The door to the bathroom opened and I heard the soft footsteps of Timber's girlfriend as she came out. She didn't say anything, and there was an awkward quiet that filled the room. I got the impression she wasn't all too thrilled with the whole Timber/Chevelle situation any more than I was.

"I'm sure you're tired and want to go to bed and all, so I'm going to head home and pack. You'll explain all the ropes to me later on, I'm sure," Nathan said. Good, I wanted him to leave. One less person to deal with. Talia I could take on.

"Alright," Timber said, and they walked over to the door. "Thanks for everything you've been doing."

"Someone has to look out for you even when you're not here," Nathan said. "See you tomorrow at the conference."

As soon as the door closed, Timber and Talia started to get mushy. For a woman who likes to come across as tough and rough around the edges, she sure whined a lot more than I would have expected. Listening to them interact, I understood why they were together. Both of them were soft and liked to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Talia was insecure about coming to the Salvation. Why? Was she hiding something? An affair? Some other kind of secret? Why hesitate to join the "love of her life"? Was he not really "the one"? Timber's frustrated and defeated tone made me wonder if perhaps he was thinking the same questions I was.

The two went from mushy to flirty to passionate pretty quickly. Out of common courtesy, I took the earpiece out for a while. Not to mention, I did not need to listen to them getting frisky. I waited a couple of hours just to be on the safe side. When I put the earpiece back in, I heard deep breathing and the quiet sounds of the television. They were sleeping. If I was going to make my move, now would be the perfect time to do it.

My heart wouldn't let me. Being stolen from Chevelle the moment I was finally reunited with her would kill me. I could at least wait until she left in the morning, so that's what I decided to do. Timber could have a few more hours with his love. It was the least I could do for all of the good things he'd done for me.