Beyond the Empyreal Stars

o8.

o8.

The same night Odette and the others were contemplating what to do when the truth came to light, Duke found himself lying in bed, not able to keep his mind from racing.

Earlier that day, when spending the afternoon with Odette, something had changed. She'd reverted back to the expressionless girl he knew her first day. She barely spoke, only nodding or shaking her head when he would ask a question. It seemed like she'd had just as much on her mind as he did then. But anytime he would ask her if something was wrong, she would shake her head...and then speak up when she caught the look he was giving her after.

"I'm sorry," she'd apologize. They'd gone for a run, but it had been silent, even after they took a break, sitting on top of a large outcropping of rocks. "But I promise, nothing's wrong. I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Is everything okay?"

She nodded. "Yes...we've just got some things going on tomorrow that I'm a little anxious about."

Duke looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "What's going on? You haven't mentioned anything..."

"That's because it's nothing of great importance...yet," she dismissed. She'd stood from her place on a large boulder before jumping down in one fluid motion, barely making a sound when she landed on the ground. "Now, let's get going. Want to race back to the Jeep?"

And she'd been off before he even had time to reply.

Now, Duke was going through the conversation over and over again. He couldn't keep himself from thinking she was keeping something from him and it was frustrating to know she didn't trust him with it.

Pushing himself up out of bed, he left his room and headed down the hallway to a staircase that would lead him right to where he wanted to be. He wasn't the only one who'd thought cereal at midnight was a good idea. He found his father sitting at the steel table in the center of the room, perched on a stool. Duke raised an eyebrow as he approached.

"You up, too, huh?" his dad said, standing up to grab him a bowl and spoon. Duke noticed the confidential papers scattered on the table and chuckled. His father was never one for keeping paperwork matters in the Oval Office. He claimed he did his best thinking in the kitchen with food in front of him.

"Yep," he sighed, grabbing the box of cereal and carton of milk. "Too much on my mind."

Calvin grinned as he sat back down. "A lot of Odette on your mind, huh? You've been spending quite a bit of time with her."

"Yeah, I have," he mumbled, looking down, embarrassed.

"You like her. And you're starting to more than like her."

Duke grimaced, making his father chuckle. "That obvious, huh?"

"Your mother mentioned it that first night. And the fact that you two came in together...well, it was all over your face. That look hasn't really left either."

"She's strange, isn't she?" Duke said, looking back up at him. "They all are. I guess I've gotten used to them not knowing much about modern technology or terminology or...well, a hell of a lot of things."

"Strange, yes, but that makes her all the more interesting, don't you think? You'll never get bored with her around."

He slumped against the table, swirling his spoon around in his cereal without eating it. "And I haven't. But that's the thing. We're friends...and that's all she wants to be. She's not looking for a relationship."

"Your mother said the same thing, you know. Didn't take her long to come around."

"Yeah, well, Odette's different."

Different from any other girl he'd met before...stranger...and yet he couldn't keep himself away from her.

"Why don't you invite her to the State Dinner next weekend?" Calvin suggested out of the blue, making Duke look up at him in confusion.

"What?"

"The State Dinner? You know that whole Summit thing going on? What do you think has been going on for the past two weeks?"

"Don't know?" Duke shrugged, though he grinned. "I haven't really been around a lot lately."

"That's for damn sure," his father laughed. "But really. Invite her. You always get a plus one, but you never use it. Now that you've got a girl in your life, you would think you'd want to show her off."

"She's a girl and she's in my life, but she's not the girl in my life...unfortunately."

His dad puffed out his chest, the corners of his mouth threatening to curl up. "But you're Duke Mitchell."

"Dad..."

"Son of the President of the United States."

"Dad, stop..."

"No lady is able to resist..."

Duke laughed, shoving his dad so hard he almost fell of the stool.

"I'm serious, though," Calvin laughed. "Invite her. I'm sure she'll say yes. And so what if she's weird?"

"Seriously, Dad?"

"Yep...because you're weird, too," he grinned,giving him a wink. "You two are perfect for one another."