Page 23 of Uprooted
“No plans, just taking the night off,” she says convincingly with her doe-eyed innocent act. Tai has already checked out of the conversation, his attention focused on the group of Tilaks at the other end of the room.
“Aro, you tell us the plan. I hear you’ve been trying to figure out what Elowen is ‘into.’” Bri is straight to the point. I realize my mistake too late. I should never have told her about the flirty messages.
“Brisa,” I warn.
“Well, actually Elowen gave me a good idea a few days ago.” Aro turns to Bri. “Wait, I thought your name was Bri.”
“I’m surprised you remember,” she says, sounding genuinely impressed.
“It’s a human custom that we shorten each other’s names or give a less formal name to friends. It’s a way of showing affection.” It feels like I’m rambling. I am rambling. I need to stop talking. Why am I still talking? “Like, shortening the name Robert to Bob, or Elizabeth to Lizzy. You guys don’t do that here?” Someone really needs to step in and stop me.
“I didn’t know that. I like it. I’m glad you consider us friends already, Bri.” Aro lets me off the hook. I would have just kept rambling until I ran out of air and passed out.
“I wouldn’t go that far. Everyone calls me Bri. Unless someone were to, say, break my best friend’s heart, then it would be Brisa,” she directs at Aro. Tai, who's been silent, snorts out a laugh and watches with an amused smile.
“Point taken.” Aro stares back at her, not backing down.
“Tai, do you know how to play Cubes?” Bri changes her tone, sounding more friendly now that she’s gotten that point across to Aro.
Tai’s amused smile from watching Bri and Aro fades. "I don't," he says slowly. I surmise he is trying to find a way out of being roped into the game by his hesitant response.
“Come on, let’s play a few rounds.” Bri nods toward an empty table a few feet away. Tai looks at Aro. I know that look. It’s the same look Bri gives me when she means, “You owe me one.”
“Wish me some first-person luck,” Tai says while hoisting himself up from his comfortable spot on the couch.
“It’s ‘beginner's luck,’ and you’re going to need it,” I tell him.
I’ve underestimated Bri’s boredom. She’s now spending her free time playing matchmaker. I haven't seen her smile this much the entire time I've known her. She's clearly enjoying every second of this, and it's absolutely terrifying. Bri cocks an eyebrow and her eyes dart back and forth between Aro and I. Bri is a lot of things, but subtle is not one of them.
Aro shifts his weight a little closer. His hand resting on the back of the couch nearly touches me. A tiny bolt of electricity radiates from the sensitive spot between my neck and shoulder. It wouldn’t take much for me to lean back and brush against him…
No, this is just harmless flirting. No touching. Absolutely not.
“Do you miss Earth?” Aro asks.
“Not at all. I mean, I miss my parents. Earth, not so much.”
“Really? I always thought Earth was this amazing place that nothing could ever compare to.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Earth is great. I never really thought of it as home, so I don’t have that same attachment to it. There’s this weird ‘Earth exceptionalism’ thing that I’ve never quite understood.”
“Where did you grow up?” he asks.
“I’ve lived in nine different systems. My parents took me all over,” I say.
“And you’re how old?” he asks.
“27”.
“A new place every three years. That’s a lot.”
“Look at you—doing math in your head,” I tease. The trash talk keeps the rambling at bay.
“I didn’t even need to use my fingers this time,” he jokes back. “That’s a lot of moving around. How does j'Tilak compare to the others?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen anything outside the muradome since we arrived.”
“Well, how much of the dome have you seen?” Aro asks.
