Space Man

Confidence?

Xisuma’s POV

I don’t know what’s going on. Every time I tried messaging Keralis to check in, see how he was doing, and maybe spend some time together today, I got the same response—nothing. Just a read receipt. He’d seen my messages, but he hadn’t replied.

It wasn’t like him to ignore me. Usually, even if he was busy, he’d send back something—a quick ‘beback soon my love’ or even just a silly emoji. But today? Silence.

I stared at my communicator, my fingers hovering over the screen. Did I do something wrong? Had I crossed some kind of line without realizing it? Last night had been… unexpected. I hadn’t planned to kiss him, hadn’t even thought I would be brave enough to. But in that moment, it felt right. And when he kissed me back, it felt like everything slotted into place, like I had nothing to worry about.

But now? Now I was second-guessing everything.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, rubbing my face with both hands. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe he was just busy. But the longer I sat there, staring at my unread messages, the harder it became to believe that.

I couldn't help but think maybe he was just mad at me for some reason, but that didn’t make any sense. I didn’t do anything wrong this time, did I? I replayed all of our recent interactions, all the moments we shared, but I couldn't pinpoint a single thing that would have upset him. Everything seemed fine—he seemed fine.

The only thing I could think of was maybe I didn't kiss him when he thought I was going to. But I doubted that would actually make him upset, right? I mean, we're not at that level of friendship yet, are we? I didn’t want to overstep. A friendly peck on the cheek would have been one thing, but... kissing? That felt like it might have been too much, too soon.

But then again, he kissed me back, didn’t he? He didn’t pull away. And I definitely didn’t pull away when he kissed me. That moment felt so right, so natural—so full of promise. But now I was here, wondering if I had made a mistake by not following through.

Maybe he thought I didn’t want to. Maybe I misread the whole situation. The uncertainty gnawed at me, making me feel more restless with each passing minute.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting and overthinking, I saw a notification pop up on my communicator. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it was from Keralis.

I tapped the message open, my fingers hovering for a moment before reading it. A simple heart emoji.

My chest relaxed slightly. At least it was something. At least it wasn’t an abrupt “leave me alone” or another read receipt. But was it enough? Was that his way of telling me he still cared?

I felt a tiny, hopeful spark ignite in my chest, but doubt still lingered. Maybe he was just being polite, or maybe he was testing the waters, unsure of what to say. Either way, I couldn’t just sit here and wait forever. I needed to know where we stood, what this was.

I took a deep breath, debating whether to respond immediately or give him space. But I couldn't deny it any longer—I was anxious to clear the air, to understand where this was heading.

I felt the familiar buzz of anxiety crawl up my spine again as I thought through every possibility. My mind spun in a thousand directions—what if it was something I had done without even realizing it? Maybe something I said? Maybe some offhand remark that I didn’t think twice about but had stuck with him. Was it possible he knew I’d been trying to figure out his birthday? I never meant to make it feel like I was intruding, but I’d been genuinely curious about something so personal, something I could never get him to share. But no... that didn’t feel like the reason.

I glanced back at the message—a heart emoji. It could be a sign that he wasn’t mad at me, that he still cared... but there was so much unspoken between us. Could it have been his way of telling me he just needed some space? That seemed reasonable, right? He had his quiet moments, the times when he didn’t want to be bothered by anyone. Maybe it was that simple. But what if it wasn’t?

I ran my fingers through my hair, still no closer to an answer. Was today his birthday? No, it couldn’t be. We’d been busy enough with everything going on lately—if today was special, surely he would have mentioned it, wouldn’t he?

I paced around my room again, trying to find something concrete to latch onto, but everything felt like a blur.

I sat on my bed, trying to breathe deeply, feeling the weight on my chest finally begin to lift. I had been so consumed with worry, spiraling into endless thoughts, that I hadn’t realized how tense I was. And then, the notification popped up.

He was typing.

It was only a few words at first, and I felt my heart rate quicken. Maybe this time things would make sense. Maybe he would explain everything. And then, just as quickly as that nervous anticipation rose, the message appeared in its entirety.

"Hey cutie, do you think we can meet up? I really need to talk to you, it’s kind of important. I had a dream last night, and I really don’t want it just to be a dream. I want it to be a reality, but I’ll explain more when we’re in person... please?"

My breath caught in my throat, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I could exhale. The weight that had been pressing down on me since I sent my first message to him finally lifted. Relief flooded through me, and I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. It wasn’t much—there were still so many unanswered questions—but he had reached out. He wanted to meet. That was a start, and in this moment, it felt like everything.

He even sent coordinates.

I didn’t waste another second. I jumped up, moving swiftly to get ready. My mind was racing with possibilities, but all I could focus on was getting to him. As I gathered my gear, I almost forgot my helmet. But in the end, I didn’t bother. I only grabbed my breathing apparatus and my armor. That was all I needed for this. And as I secured everything, I could feel my antennas twitching with excitement and nervous energy. This was it. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

I headed out the door without another thought, my heart pounding as I made my way to the coordinates he had sent.