Kaylee chased Simon down the corridor. She'd just told the crew about the incident with River—one glance, and bam bam bam three of Niska's men were dead. Kaylee hadn't meant to imply anything more than the truth. She hadn't meant to hurt Simon, but she could see that she had.
"Simon?" she called, rounding a bend.
"Gotta go check on my assassin," he deadpanned.
"Please don't be mad. I had to say something."
Her words brought him to a halt. He took a deep breath and turned around to face her. "I'm not mad at you. I just—" He took a step toward Kaylee and looked around at the bulkheads. For the first time, she thought he might love Serenity the same way she did. "She loves this ship. I think it's more home to her than any place she's been."
Simon's voice was so sad. So…resigned. It darn near broke Kaylee's heart to hear him like this, to see his whole body slumped. "Wh-what about you?" Is Serenity your home, too?
Simon looked away, as if searching for an answer. "I mean, I—I thought the hospital was home."
Kaylee nodded, even as her stomach knotted. Of course. It was everything he'd spent his whole life preparing for. A place where he could fulfill his purpose.
"I was really making a difference there and—" Simon looked down, then rubbed his temple. "Embarrassingly large stacks of money. I could've—I would be there right now if she hadn't—if they had just left her alone." He stared at the floor for a long moment before finally looking back up.
"Is it so bad here?" Kaylee asked, taking a tentative step toward him. The way he talked about Osiris—gosh. He'd had it made. He'd had anything a person could ever want—the stability, the money, the purpose, the plan. She'd never had anything like that. Never known where she'd be the next day, let alone the net year.
But did he had love? Did he have friends? Had he… had there ever been a woman as could love him like she did? Kaylee picked at her nails—she could feel leftover engine grease stuck in there, and she suddenly felt grimy.
Simon threw his hand up, taking another step closer as his voice lowered. "I don't even know if the Captain will let us—"
"No," Kaylee said. "I mean… isn't there anything about this place… you're glad of?" She smiled, but she was so nervous she knew it didn't have the proper shine to it. She just kept staring into his eyes. Those pretty, pretty eyes that always glimmered with intelligence.
Her question seemed to catch Simon off-guard. He stared at her, those eyes tracing over her face as his head tilted and his mouth tried to form words. His lips closed, as if giving up on answering. He reached out a hand. He brushed back her hair, the touch so light that she could practically feel the individual nerve endings firing across her cheek as his thumb brushed against it. As his hand passed over her neck. He started to pull away, but Kaylee stepped in closer. She held her breath, staring into his eyes—begging him to close the gap between them.
His hand lingered in the air—halfway between touching her face and pulling away. His eyebrows furrowed. His lips pressed together. Kaylee was sure he was going to step away, was going to break this moment again. Her heart choked up her throat. She couldn't breathe. Please, Simon. Please tell me you feel the same way about me as I do about you.
His hand settled back on her cheek, and she released her breath as fire raced over her skin. She didn't want to scare him off, so she reached out slowly to touch his face in return. His skin was so smooth, so warm—his jaw firm beneath her touch. She brushed her fingers past his ear, grazing through his hair. She'd dreamt dozens of times of running her fingers through his pretty hair, and now he was letting her.
But it wasn't enough.
She leaned forward, tilting her face up and letting her lips part. With hope hammering in her chest, she closed her eyes. Please, Simon. Don't leave me hangin'.
To her shock, lips pressed against hers. She gasped, then quickly returned the kiss before he could think she hadn't liked it. Oh, his lips were awful soft. And warm. His grip on her face tightened a little, keeping her held against him. She could feel his jaw working under her hand as he slowly finished the kiss—and then pulled away.
Her hand slid down to his shoulder so she could grip his sweater to steady herself. Oh, she wanted to do that again. She wanted it like she'd wanted that fluffy dress back on Persephone—like the want was a dream she could only hope for.
Simon looked down into her eyes. "Yes," he whispered. A tiny smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "There is something I'm glad of."
Kaylee smiled, but she was having a hard time breathin'. "I'm sure glad of you," she whispered. She swayed and instinctively braced herself against his chest, while he caught her around the waist.
"Kaylee?" he asked, his eyes widening in fear. "Are you all right?"
She grinned. "You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet."
His eyebrows crinkled in concern, but then he laughed. Mmm, she loved that smile, the rare times she saw it. Kaylee ran her hands up his chest, and she felt Simon's breath hitch. Was this too far? Was he going to go all stiff now? When she got the courage to look back up into his face, she saw him staring at her with parted lips. He seemed to be deciding something.
His hand on her lower back tightened, pressing her body against his. He leaned down and kissed her again, inhaling deep through his nose as he pressed himself to her far more fiercely than he had a moment before. She wrapped her arms around his neck, finally feeling like she could brace herself properly against him.
天哪, she could get used to kissin' like this.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Simon broke away like a startled gofer. Reluctantly, she pushed herself off him just as Shepherd came down the corridor. He looked at the two of them, his discerning eyes not missing a damn thing. Kaylee's face flushed as Shepherd's mustache twitched with a hint at a smile. "Good night, you two."
He passed by on his way to the passenger dorms. As his footsteps receded down the steps, Kaylee realized she could feel her heartbeat all the way down to her toes. She looked back at Simon, who had stuffed his hands in his pockets and had his shoulders up by his ears.
Nervousness tingled over Kaylee's skin. Was he embarrassed to be seen with her? Had Shepherd's knowing smile convinced Simon that he was makin' a mistake?
"Simon?" Kaylee whispered, biting her lip.
He looked at her, exhaling a breath that he'd apparently been holding—and he smiled. In Chinese, he said, "I'm sorry I'm so nervous. I haven't—I mean, I don't really know how to—"
"Haven't?" Kaylee asked, her eyebrows lowering and cocking her head. "Haven't what?"
He swallowed, and she watched his Adam's apple bob. "I, um. I don't really have any, ah, experience with…"
"With kissin'?" Kaylee exclaimed. Was that what he was trying to say?
"Well, no, I mean—"
"Simon Tam," Kaylee said. "Was I your first kiss?"
He swallowed hard again. "Yes."
Kaylee covered her mouth, trying to suppress both her shock and her giggles. I mean, I knew he was stiff, but I didn't know he was that stiff.
His face was flushing, and he was looking away. Backing away. "So, um, anyway, uh, good night."
"Simon, wait!" Kaylee said, grabbing his hand before he could run away. His hand was hot and sweaty, but she liked it all the more for that. Who was she to make him nervous? "I'm sorry. I didn't know." She smiled. "But… we can do it again, right?"
He smiled. "I'd like that." He leaned down and kissed her again—long and slow—then broke away, still smiling. "Good night, Kaylee."
He followed Shepherd down the steps.
Kaylee slumped against the bulkhead, her heart hammering like pistons in her own little engine. That was it? He was going to just leave her hangin' like that? She closed her eyes and breathed deep. Her lips tingled—her whole body tingled. They had time. She had all the time in the 'verse to soften him up. Kissin' was usually the place to start, after all. She'd get him out of that shell. Serenity had brought them together. And Kaylee knew Serenity wouldn't let him get away.
It was a small ship, after all.