Page 75 of The Space Traveller's Lover
“I … I don’t know,” he coldly says, all the while he is unable to conceal the feelings of deep longing for her, flashing through his piercing gaze.
“Right. You are so confused. But by the way you look at me, I can tell that you do. You do!” she whispers, caressing his face.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. But it could be a phase I’m going through.”
“While you were away, I found out … I can only be myself when I’m with you … Let me love you, Rothwen. I’ll show you what love is. Let me love you.”
“Something rattles my mind. Something crushes my heart when you are not with me,” he confesses.
“Stop trying to be harsh. Stop denying it,” she says, covering his face with kisses.
But Rothwen holds her head in his hands while looking sombrely at her. “I’m too mean for you. My soul hides behind dark clouds, the dark clouds of destruction. I’ll make you suffer. It’ll be easier for you to desist. Desist right now!”
“It’s too late, Rothwen. We’re right in the middle of this storm. We can’t escape. We have to ride it, spin inside its mighty wind, swim around its vortex,” she says, letting her body fall over his chest.
She feels as if disintegrating from within his arms as he undresses her, tearing down the ragged pieces of her tattered tunic.
As she tries to unclip her diamond necklace, Rothwen holds her hands in place. “No, don’t take it off. Leave it on,” he says, caressing her shoulders. “I want to be reminded of something you once told me.” He holds the diamond in his hands, scraping off the layer of dirt. “‘Like this diamond, I am hard to ignore.’”
They hardly feel the shattered glass piercing their skin as they slide down the wall and onto the floor. They roll over and drag their bodies until they climb on the soft, cushioned covers of the corner bed. The silky sheets wrap all around them like a smooth, silvery cocoon while the blood and sweat stains trace the lines of their moving bodies.
“I missed you!” he whispers as he wraps his arms around her thin waist.
“I love you, Rothwen! I will love you … forever! Let me save you from your darkest demons.”
She breathes out in ecstasy as her smooth skin glistens against his rippling muscles, their lips finding each other and melting into a long-awaited desperate kiss. Like a searing flame, their irresistible desire consumes all their senses. It’s addictive, overpowering, and something they can never fight or escape from. As their bodies merge into one, the long days of separation, insomnia, and fruitless tribulations suddenly feel wasted, forgettable.
CHAPTER 32
CELEBRATION
They should witness your almighty unrivalled presence.
And they will worship you like a God!
As Shaillah leans over her balcony, she receives Rothwen’s message to join him at the UniverseScope. She watches the tremulous sunset while checking on her emotions and thoughts. She must show no anxiety, no anger, no fear. She slows her breathing and closes all her thought transmissions. This is no time to break down.
As she walks through her smartroom’s aisle, the pool waters sparkle with the purple spotlights, its wobbling crystalline surface casting swirling reflections onto the white nacre walls. There’s no trace of the shattered glass or the ripped furniture, no sign of anything out of place. Rothwen ordered the guardian robots to restore and polish everything while taking Shaillah to one of their hyperspace travel recovery rooms, where the high-energy deep-treatment capsule reinvigorated every cell in her body.
Walking into the UniverseScope arena, she advances confidently on the long straight aisle, holding her head high, her eyes glinting in a daring glare, no vestiges of tears or long sleepless nights. Her velvet-white tunic sways along her graceful body, and her shiny white hair bounces softly at her every step.
She keeps her eyes fixed on the three expectant figures seated at the end of her path, hardly sparing any time to acknowledge the line of guardian robots intently watching her at either side.
Kuzhma-Or finds himself admiring Shaillah’s poised self-assured pace. Still, his eagle eyes flash with rapid glints of reserved judgement while Athguer suppresses a smile of self-satisfaction.
Rothwen is struggling hard not to show any emotion. He holds his breath, keeping all the dense air in his inflated lungs for as long as he can, managing to appear unimpressed.
“Seya, Shaillah!” Kuzhma-Or greets her as she reaches the gleaming steps leading onto the platform. He gestures at the empty chair between him and Rothwen. “Please join us.”
She raises her long tunic as she walks towards her chair and ceremoniously sits down, sliding her hands over the ebony armrests as she brazenly meets Kuzhma-Or’s penetrating stare. Her purple pupils stand out through her long eyelashes and heavy dark eyeliner, shining as bright as the hanging pink diamond on her chest. Her deep red lips, in stark contrast with her pearly-white skin, slowly curve into an unwavering smile.
“Jeinesh, Yei Boishen” (It’s an honour, My Commander)! she replies, her body language oozing a distinctive regal air.
Kuzhma-Or reclines on his intricately decorated backrest, stroking his glossy beard in a pondering mood. With his potent invasive brain field, he tries to get into Shaillah’s mind, but all he can read is her resolute thoughts, her unbreakable spirit. He glances at Rothwen, who can’t take his approving gaze off Shaillah. Athguer is subtly nodding while looking back at Kuzhma-Or through the corner of his eye. Reluctantly, the supreme commander acknowledges that Shaillah has turned into the indomitable Rom-Ghenshar soldier he once thought she could never be.
“Your confidence sparkles in the air, Shaillah. I hope you’re feeling at home now.” Kuzhma-Or probes her.
“Nothing feels more homely than my ancestral abode,” she briefly tilts her head back in an exultant gesture.
