Galactic Gambit

Chapter 29

After spending a few days on Mahina, Pax was finally well enough to move about and was beginning to return to his senses. Neo had yet to talk to him about anything that happened after he was infected by the Necroverme, but she had a suspicion that someone had. Every time his eyes found her, his gaze would dip to her neck where she still had lingering bruises from his hands.

As Neo walked from the room she had been staying in, she met Pax in the hall. He stopped in front of her as he said, "Neo . . . I just—I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." His voice cracked with emotion, unable to look her in the eye.

"It's alright, I'm still breathing, and I know you didn't mean to, you weren't yourself."

Pax shook his head. "No, Neo. I was. Maybe angrier, but I remember all of it. Seeing your face, watching you struggle, I remember it. When I came to your room, it overwhelmed me, and I couldn't control it. I wanted to kill Asa, and I would have too. And then after you knocked me out, it was like all that anger just fell on you. I just don't know what happened, I couldn't control it Neo, and I would never hurt you."

Neo felt her body tense as he spoke. She hadn't expected him to have remembered it. She hoped that he hadn't to save him from his own guilt, but here he was practically eaten alive by it. "It was the Necroverme, Pax. It causes aggression, I know you wouldn't have hurt me like that. Just don't touch anymore weird worms or creatures and I think we will be fine," she said trying to lessen his guilt. She turned to walk past him, hoping to leave things at that, but Pax caught her wrist.

As she turned around his eyes locked with hers as he said, "I'm over it Neo, and I'm sorry for everything else, too."

Neo scrunched her brows in confusion. "Over what?"

He let go of her as he said, "I know it's not me you want, and I'm okay with that. I've never seen Asa like this about anyone, and he deserves someone like you." She couldn't help herself as she hugged him.

"Thank you, Pax, and I'm sorry too. I'm glad you're okay." Neo looked around for a moment trying to see if she could spot Reiyna but she wasn't anywhere insight, though that didn't mean she wouldn't hear her. Out of caution, she pulled Pax back into the room and shut the door Pax looked utterly confused. "Just between me and you, Reiyna has a thing for you. She stayed by your side the whole time you were recovering too. I thought you might want to know; you deserve someone too."

His eyebrows shot up, and he couldn't suppress his surprised smile. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed."

"Not even with the way she kissed you?" Neo pressed, raising her eyebrow for emphasis. She remembered seeing the stupor that he was in immediately after.

Pax rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about it. "I just figured that was the game, not that she wanted to kiss me. I mean—I figured why she wouldn't have kissed Asa," He made a subtle gesture toward Neo.

She shrugged. "She could have kissed me." Pax's eyes widened and then he chuckled. Neo figured he was probably imagining that now. "You should talk to her," Neo suggested as she turned to walk out of the room feeling lighter about things than she had in days. Knowing Pax was going to be fine was the best news she could have asked for, and that he was finally okay with her being with Asa made it better. But playing matchmaker for her friends had her all sorts of excited.

Walking back into the main lab with a smile on her face, and Pax trailing along beside her, they came across Asa who immediately fixed his eyes on Pax. "What the hell is this?" he asked, his voice riddled with jealousy.

"Asa, it's fine. We talked things out," Neo said as she rushed to take his hand that he had curled into a fist. His eyes dropped to her, softening instantly as his fingers interlocked with hers.

"I'm sorry, man. For everything, like I told her, you deserve to be happy too and I can see that she gives you that," Pax said, though there still seemed to be sadness or something similar in his tone. Defeat maybe. Asa grinned at him and pulled him into a hug, though it was the typical bro-hug, Neo was still glad to see them finally getting along for a change. She was curious as to what their dynamic would be like when they weren't always at each other's throats.