His fingers were gentle as they extracted the comms from her ear. Brushing past, Dogan gazed at for a moment, listened to Noah's frantic worry before crushing it in his fist.
Faith flinched and held in a gasp.
"Those cost a lot, Dogan," she scolded, watching with dismay as he tossed the broken pieces away. "What am I going to tell Noah?"
Dogan turned, his eyes gentle and soothing.
"That I broke it," he breathed, coming closer and touching her oh so gently on the cheek. "Because he was annoying me. You runners are so resourceful; you will find a way to get a new one."
Faith fought the incoming blush in vain, her face blossomed a deep, splotchy red at the physical contact. Dogan noticed, and chuckled.
"You are such a darling girl," he purred, passing her a glass of wine. "Or should I say darling woman. Twenty-three, yet you don't look a day past seventeen."
Faith knew he was lying. She was pretty perhaps, but she hardly looked a child. Then, she had always had a mature face. It must have been those tired eyes.
"Shut up," she said firmly before taking a sip of the wine.
Lowering the glass, she found Dogan standing before her, his own cold gaze staring intently at her. There was something strange in them, something dangerous, and Faith felt her heartbeat quicken.
"I always did think you were beautiful," he said, beginning to roll up her shirt.
Faith didn't think about the consequences and allowed him to touch her everywhere he wished.
She didn't feel any different. Lying in bed, Faith wondered if it was worth it. The night had been full of lust, but Faith had never felt anything akin to love. She felt shame.
It wasn't the loss of her virginity that fazed her but rather the lack of feeling in her chest. She wanted to go home, and she did so without argument from Dogan.
She slipped through the window after dressing, and he watched her vanish, a sigh escaping his lips.
She made it back to the hub without difficulty, making sure to avoid KurgerSec. Faith had entered the bathroom and taken a swift shower but didn't feel any less dirty. Shrugging on something less rigid, she was ready to fall into a cot when she was pounced on by Noah, who was waiting in the shadows.
"It's late," he remarked casually.
Faith shrugged and sat down on the covers, picking at a loose thread. Yes, just what she wanted; to see the guy she actually felt something for (she wasn't sure what, she wasn't sure she wanted to know) after screwing someone she didn't even trust.
"Yeah," she said awkwardly, looking anywhere but his face. "I didn't realize."
Lame excuse, he would see right through it. But Noah didn't say anything, only turned and climbed into his own bed.
Faith stared for a moment, at a loss for what to do and on the verge of shivering.
She stood and padded over to him, slipping under the covers and absorbing his warmth.
The tips of his ears turned red, and he whispered a question. But she was already asleep, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks, someone she cared for to keep her safe from a reality she didn't want to face.