Eva swallowed and nodded, a tight smile stretching her lips slightly. “We’ll need to leave soon.”
“Okay,” Zoe nodded back. She returned her attention to Evan. He was staring at her through his stony eyes, his chest rising and falling underneath his crossed arms. She wished she knew what to say to make him understand. She didn’t know what the right answer was, only what felt right. There was no denying that going back to Earth would be the safer option, even practical, but it wasn’t what felt right.
“I need to speak with you in private,” he demanded. He looked to Eva, indignantly demanding her approval.
“I’ll gather what we need,” she excused herself before leaving the seating area.
“Come with me,” he instructed to Zoe, his hand finding a grip on her shoulder as he lead her to his private residence. Despite his anger he was gentle with her, and she followed him willingly, not daring to protest.
With a single motion of his hand the door opened and she stepped into the room, Evan close behind. Her eyes went immediately to the walls, the sprawling landscape of Santa Barbara surrounding her as though she were physically there. There in his synthetic home he had replicated her authentic home. It was romantic, nostalgic, and a bit ironic.
She walked to the foot of the bed and wrapped her hand around the rich wood of one of the four posters. She vaguely recognized her surroundings, recalling the hotel room at the Canary she had stepped into for all of five minutes.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” he spoke from behind her.
“You’re right, I don’t.” She turned around and faced him, her body leaning against the frame of the bed for support. “What does that say about me?”
“That you’re in over your head,” he replied, his tone less angry.
She shrugged. “Perhaps. When you met me I was jumping to my death. Maybe I gave up on that life because I’d forgotten about this one.” She took a deep breath of air. “I have too many unanswered questions to go back now.”
“You’ll be safer there.”
“Safer than what?” she asked. Her eyebrows burned into her face as she looked at him. She was exasperated. She knew he was right about being in over her head, but she’d felt like that before coming to Terra.
He moved towards her, his concern becoming evident with each step. “The difference is I can’t catch you here, Zoe. You don’t know the Queen like I do. Even if you go with Eva and remember who you are, who’s to say it will help you take back the Crown? She’s not just going to give it to you.”
“Evan, I don’t know. For all anyone knows I could remember and decide it’s not worth it and want to go back to Earth. Anything could happen. But from everything I’ve heard there are people here counting on me to do this. It’s not just about me, it’s about them too. You heard what Eva said. Thea - my mother - has been waiting for this my entire life. It goes beyond just me.”
“What if something happens to you?” he implored.
“Isn’t that the point?” she retorted. “For all we know you caught me so that I could come here. What was I doing at home anyway? Finding stupid projects to distract me from unhappiness? I would have likely gone back into the same self-destructive mindset regardless. We just can’t know. How can you expect me to learn of this entire life I never knew existed and not want to explore it?” She wasn’t sure she believed it herself, but she needed to make him believe it.
His shoulders slumped in defeat. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” he asked in a last ditch effort to plead his case.
She looked at him for a moment, taking in the handsome features of his face. The sharp, square jaw, a strong and prominent nose, eyes the color of green glass beneath tufts of richly colored hair. She wanted to commit his face to memory properly, remembering exactly how he looked in case she never saw him again.
“No. However, there is something I’ve wanted you to do.”
She extended her arm and reached her hand out to his. He laced his fingers around hers and gently pulled her into him. She was close enough to smell his fresh scent again, her chest touching against his. She freed her hands and moved them to his neck, feeling the goose bumps prickle his skin beneath her touch as she balanced on her toes. Her eyes closed as her mouth touched his in a gentle kiss, his lips soft and full, pillowing against her own. She breathed him in deeply, allowing his scent to fill her senses. Her eyes opened as her feet lowered he back down again away from his mouth. His eyes were heavy, lidded beneath the thick stripe of his eyelashes. She felt her cheeks flush beneath his gaze.