Unspoken

Chapter 21

"Is he okay?"

I lay on Baya's couch and stare at the ceiling. Baya and Xander sit in the chairs across from me and wait for me to move. At least an hour has passed. I can't think straight yet. My brain fires at a thousand miles an hour. I don't know what I feel, or how to feel anything right now.

I'm numb.

"He, uh, broke up with his girlfriend."

"His girlfriend?" She doesn't believe him. How could I end things with my "girlfriend" when I'm down here and she should be in the Movement?

"Merda Hoffing."

The room is quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Baya stands and crosses to her tiny kitchen area. I want to look up and follow her movements, read her eyes, but I can't rip them from the small crack directly above me. I swear it moves, but I have to stare intently for it to do so.

"Michael is an idiot for sending her up there in the first place. It wasn't right to Taeo." A cupboard bangs shut.

I turn my head at the words. Michael had sent her up there? But why?

Xander catches my eye and sighs deeply. "I guess it's time you knew, huh? The Free Speaks have been planning to take you since your dad was put in power. They sent Merda and her father up to stake themselves into the society and spy on you."

Baya returns with a cup that overflows with steam. "Here's some tea; it's a drink that calms you when you're upset. It's the closest thing we have to Transmitters down here." She places the hot substance on the table in front of me.

Slowly, I sit up and take the cup, letting the warmth rest on my palms before bringing it to my lips. I drink slowly. I know it would burn my mouth if I were to submerge it into the tea.

When the liquid reaches my mouth, I savor the calm taste that accompanies it. I know the smell well--chamomile. The taste is even better, stronger. This is what I love most about foods; the flavors are all so different and unique. I wonder why they don't let us experience this in the Movement.

"I have to go meet Brody on the third floor." Xander rises as he catches the time on his watch. His hair bounces as he jogs across the room. The door swings closed behind him.

Silence is left at his departure. I take a sip of the tea to fill it.

"You're taking this whole Merda thing hard, aren't you?"

I don't look at her. I stare into the tea. She knows the answer; she's far from dumb.

"Did you love her?"

I think. I had a friend when I was young, Jordan, who'd informed me about love and heartbreak through a Transmission. He hadn't experienced it, but he'd read a lot about it and had watched his mother lose her love. He'd said it would hurt so much I almost wouldn't be able to continue.

And even though Merda has hurt me, I feel nothing close to that.

I shake my head.

No, I had not loved Merda--but I was beginning to.

I finally look at Baya. She sits on the table with her hands folded in her lap. She's upset today. I don't understand why; it isn't her fault everything is happening as it is. I lean forward and put a hand on her knee to grab her attention. I give her a reassuring nod.

Everything will be all right.

"I know how it feels to have your whole world ripped out from under you, Taeo. I don't want to have to see you go through it like I did."

I want to see Baya smile again. I like the way her lips curl up and a dimple flashes on her right cheek.

I stand up and grab her hands so that she stands, too. We're close in the small space, so close that her body is almost pressed to mine. The top of her head is in line with my chest. She has to turn her head up to look at me. "What are you doing?"

I grin and begin to twirl her around.

Dancing.

When I was little, this is what my mother always did when I was upset; after she died, I'd always pretend that she was there to dance with me to make me feel better.

Baya laughs as she realizes what we're doing. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on." She lets go of my hands and crosses to her Player. She spends a moment tapping the screen's options. Finally, a familiar Movement song plays. Jordan had played it a lot at his house. This was one of his favorites.

She joins me again, slipping her hand into mine, pressing herself to me. We start where we left off. I try to lead to the best of my ability. Though I've danced often, I've never been good. We stumble through the room. Baya's grace saves us from tumbling. She's much better at this dance than the dancing she'd done the day before.

When we're moving through the space where we started, one of my feet catches the leg of the table. I trip into Baya. Together we fall to the couch. Baya lands under me, laughing even though I'm sure the weight of my body hurt with the weight of the fall. I find myself laughing with her, so hard that my eyes crinkle and I don't think I'll ever stop.

I look into her eyes. They do the same as mine, except she's laughing so hard tears fall from the edge of her eyes and into her hairline. "You...are such a...klutz!" she says through the bouts of laughter.

My eyes are drawn to her lips as she speaks, at the way they curve with each word. I've seen so many people speak in my life--but none have spoken as gracefully and captivating as her.

With my face only inches away from hers, I find that I want to do more than hear her speak. I actually don't want to hear her speak at all.

She stops laughing as she reads my eyes. Her large smile grows slim. A blush creeps onto my cheeks. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I look down at her. Does she feel it, too?

Pulling her hands away from mine, she places one on my shoulder and one on the side of my face, letting her fingers run down my skin, down my cuts and bruises.

I feel my face inching closer to hers, but when there's still a few inches of space between us, the door of her apartment is thrown open. "Hey, is--"

Jeremii.

I sit up quickly as his words falter. He's looking at us with bewilderment, his eyes darting from Baya, to me, and then back again. "I hate to interupt but...Taeo? Can I steal you for a little while?"

I nod quickly and rise from the couch. My cheeks burn. The brown of Jeremii's shoes is suddenly the most interesting color I've ever seen. I only look up as I close the door behind me. Baya sits on the couch with a blank face. It isn't blank with a lack of thought--it's blank with too much thought.

I hope for her sake the thoughts are good. She doesn't deserve pain or trouble.

She deserves every good aspect life has to offer.

I might even get to be one of those aspects.

--

A/N

Ah! So cute! I love Baya and Taeo. What do you all think? Leave a comment and let me know!

Something big is happening in the next chapter, so keep a look out for the update on Friday! 

See you then,

Alisha :)