A multitude of thanks to my wonderful editors and their thoughts, ideas, contributions and suggestions! Kisses!
Here's Chapter 4:
I try falling out of love, but falling out of love means falling into someone else, and you were
the one I tripped for.~ Lindsey Caitlyn Emery
4. The Other Side of the Spectrum
The Academy's bar and grill filled with a large amount of Alliance officers talking and enjoying the coming of the weekend. Many danced to the rhythm of the music the rock band performed from the stage, while others played billiards, darts or virtual reality war games from the medium sized playroom located in the corner of the venue. At the bar, a young woman sat whispering something to a young man seated next to her.
"I think it's for the best, Jake."
The man stared at her incredulously then ran his hands through his cropped short hair, "You're kidding me Erin! I swear you..."
The girl nervously tucked her sandy hair behind one ear as she interrupted him, "Jake, please understand. Why continue something that's not going to go anywhere? We only dated for two months. I'm sure from the beginning you knew we had no chemistry."
"There's no chemistry because you won't allow any! Damn it Erin. You have a history of doing this with every guy you date. How stupid of me to think our relationship would be any different!"
Erin sighed in frustration. "Why are you making this harder?"
"Why? Why? You really are something else Erin! When will you realize that he's gone?"
At that question, Erin's body went rigid.
Nodding harshly, Jake continued, "He's gone Erin. I'm pretty sure he's moved on with his life. You should too. When you realize that that part of your life is over, maybe then you will move on and hopefully give some other schmuck a decent chance with you."
She looked down, unable to face him…unable to face his words.
He finished, "Goodbye Erin." The young man stood up and left her abruptly.
Sighing with relief and frustration, Erin turned around to face the bartender. "Jesse, can you bring me a beer?"
"Sure thing, Erin." Replied the older man as he grabbed a bottle from below the counter and opening it before handing it to her. "To your sorrows!" He stated half laughing.
"Whatever, Jessie," she answered him with a smug smile as she rolled her eyes. She took a sip of her bottle when she heard a female voice speak to her.
"I'm sorry," she heard the female voice state.
She turned to find a young woman, about her age, maybe a bit older, with long blonde wavy hair and blue eyes smiling at her. Again, she repeated what she said, "I apologize, I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation, but I'm sorry for what happened."
Erin shrugged her shoulders, "It happens. What can I say? We didn't have any chemistry."
The blonde laughed. "I know what you mean!"
Erin smiled, "You don't look like an officer. I mean, I've never seen you around campus."
"Well, I'm not from here," the blonde answered with a giggle. "Actually, I'm with the guy over there," she gestured to the area where a bunch of men played virtual darts, drinking and laughing loudly. "The other blonde with the wavy hair."
"Adam brought you?" Erin asked curiously. "Man, he's worse than me. I heard he broke up with Sheila just yesterday."
"Ahh," The girl answered. "So that explains why I'm here and he's there!"
Erin laughed "Don't take it personally. Adam is just Adam...great soldier, awful with the ladies. My name is Erin by the way."
"Angie," she answered extending her hand to shake Erin's. "Nice to meet you. I really didn't mean to barge in on your business. I have been sitting here for about a half hour and I'm bored out of my mind!"
"He's kept you here all that time!" Erin exclaimed in shock. "Bastard!"
Taking her drink, Angie pulled her stool closer to Erin, "It's ok. You seem much more interesting. So, who's that guy you spoke of with your now former ex, I mean, if you don't mind me asking?"
"No, not at all," Erin paused for a bit. "He's a pilot. We met at the academy when he was a senior; I was a sophomore back then. I guess, to me, it seemed like love at first sight. Corny, right?"
"No, not at all," Angie smiled sympathetically.
"Anyway, after he graduated we continued dating for a couple of months and then Garrison assigned him his first mission. He left, I stayed."
"Looks like you never had closure," Angie told her patting Erin's shoulder in a gesture of support.
"Well, we talked for a while after. You know, he called me from his post, but I noticed something different in the way he spoke. I never did ask him, though."
"What do you mean?"
Sighing, Erin continued, "I don't know. He seemed the same, but I felt something different in him. I thought he found someone else. I became jealous, didn't think things through and I told him I was dating someone. He seemed angry at first but then he wished me the best and we never spoke again."
"You weren't dating anyone, right?"
"Well, yes and no. I dated others, but no one special. I figured if he was dating someone over at his station, I had the right to do the same."
"Ahh."
"Yeah, but then a few months ago, a friend of his came by on leave and I ran into him. He told me that he's never dated. 'Too busy ordering people around' he told me." She finished laughing.
"And then all your feelings came back with even stronger?"
Erin widened her eyes, "Yes!" She almost shouted then she lowered her voice, "But now, I don't know what to do. I want to contact him, but I'm afraid to," she took a long gulp of her beer and looked down at her bottle, thinking.
"Well, what can I tell you," Angie stated and then took a long gulp of her drink as well. "Falling in love sucks!"
"Boy, are you right." Erin answered nodding.
The cheers and roars from the guys became louder. Both women turned. "I guess someone finally won a game." Angie stated. "Well, Erin," she turned toward her brief companion, facing her, "I guess we're not going to solve our love problems tonight! I better go, it's late anyway."
"Guess not. You want me to help you reel in Adam?"
"No," she replied shaking her head. "He's having too much fun over there without me. I'm calling this our official last date!"
Erin laughed. "Sorry."
Angie shrugged her shoulders. "That's all right. Hey, you know where I can call for a cab?"
"At this time?" Erin questioned, "Oh, Angie, that's not safe. How about I take you home? Do you live far?"
"Just ten minutes or so from the Academy. You don't mind?"
"Not at all," she answered, standing up. She began to pull out some money from her pockets, but Angie beat her to it.
"Jessie, right?" Angie called out.
The older man walked toward them from across the bar, "Yeah."
"Here," Angie handed him some money. "For my friend and I, keep the change."
Jessie smiled, "Thanks. Hey Erin, I like this girl!" He looked at the money, delighted with the huge tip coming to him after the bill cleared.
XXXXXXXXXX
Erin smiled. "Oh boy. You just made a brand new friend."
"Hey, it's the least I can do. You're taking me home."
Both women walked out of the bar and headed toward the parking lot. "Here's my car," Erin pointed to a black color vehicle. She pressed a button from her key card and the doors to the vehicle opened upward. Both women climbed in.
As the doors closed, Erin started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
Angie turned to watch her new friend driving. "Hey, I never asked you. What's Prince Charming's name?"
Erin smiled, "Prince Charming…classic!" She laughed along with Angie. "Keith. His name is Keith Kogane."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Keith walked to the vehicle bay with a packed brown bag that one of the maids kindly prepared for him. Once again, he missed lunch. Earlier he met with the group of palace guards for a meeting that lasted two and a half hours, instead of the presumed one hour he thought it would take to speak to them. By the time he walked into the dining room, everyone else finished lunch and resumed their duties. Thank goodness for Anit, Nanny's second in command. She kindly prepared him a sandwich, a nice bag of grapes and cold drink to go along with it.
About to eat in his office, Coran suddenly stopped him when he looked at his tired semblance and ordered him to have his lunch somewhere more relaxing. So Keith took the opportunity and decided to head to the lake to relax for a least an hour.
As he walked into the vehicle bay, he heard a voice from afar, "Keith."
He turned to find Allura walking briskly up to him, "Where are you going?"
"Coran won't let me work and eat, so he ordered me to go somewhere relaxing," he shrugged with a smile.
Looking at his tired eyes, she understood why, "You wouldn't mind some company would you?" She pleaded.
At this Keith flushed a bit, rarely did he have the opportunity to sit with Allura alone, "Princess, it's not that I don't want you to come, but if Nanny and Coran see we're alone…"
"Oh, please Keith!" she almost exclaimed. "Nanny has had me trying on shoes all day for god's sake! I need a break! I couldn't even have lunch today with the group."
Sighing and with a smile, he nodded, "All right, but we'll have to tell Lance where we are." He motioned her to follow him to a vehicle.
"Thank you!" Allura exclaimed, warmly.
"All right, hop in," Keith replied, as he took out his comm. "Lance?"
From the comm., he heard his friend answer, "You haven't left yet? What the hell Keith? I've never met anyone who procrastinated so much to take a break!"
"Shut up, you moron, I'm going…just wanted to let you know that the Princess is with me."
Sitting in the control room, a smile appeared on Lance's face. "Really…?"
"She…umm…needs a break from Nanny. Please let Coran know."
"What if Nanny asks me?"
"Have Coran answer her!" Keith immediately replied. "I need you safe too!"
Allura and Lance laughed.
"All right, will do Commander," the lieutenant told him. "I'll contact you if we need anything."
"Thanks, Kogane out."
Turning to Allura who sat happily in the vehicle, smiling at him, he asked her, "So you didn't have lunch either?"
"Nope, but don't worry about me. I just want to escape from Nanny's grasp for a while. You don't mind the company? "
"Of course not." Keith reassured her. "How about we do this? Would you like to split a turkey and Swiss sandwich with me?"
Smiling she shook her head, "Oh, I couldn't possibly eat your lunch."
"Princess, it'd be an honor to share my lunch with you."
XXXXXXXXXX
The tranquility of the lake made Keith smile. He heard the rustle of the leaves and grass from the soft winds and the sounds of the ripples in the water as a couple of turtles swam about. The pair had just finished sharing the lunch he had brought and now just relaxed in silence.
Allura took notice of how Keith seemed far away, lost in thought, but peaceful.
"Where are you?" She asked, tilting her head toward him.
As if snapped back to the present, he turned to her, "What do you mean?"
"You seemed far away."
Sighing, Keith turned once again to the view in front of him, "I'm just enjoying this."
"What?" She smiled, a bit confused.
"Silence. I notice so many things going on in and around the castle all at once. It's so busy there. Being here makes me...I don't know…reflect on my thoughts."
Nodding in understanding, Allura inquired, "What do you think about?"
"Memories of the past, most of the time."
She smiled again, still amazed by the look of peace on his face. "What memories do you think about?"
"Sometimes I think of my times at the academy. Those are my favorite memories...or things I did as a kid. But more often than not, I take this time to think of my parents."
At that statement, her interest peaked even more. "You never talk much about them."
He raised his brow.
"Ok, you've never talked about them!"
"There's really not that much to tell. I don't remember much about them. They passed away when I was five." He continued speaking without facing her, "I guess I just think more about the would have's rather than what actually occurred when I lived with them."
Allura's expression changed to concern and sympathy, "I'm sorry."
"That's ok. I come here and think about the things I can remember and sometimes my mind kind of daydreams things or events that would have been great if they had been alive."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Graduation, birthdays, Christmases….events like that."
Allura's interest continued and she dared to probe him a bit more, "Keith, who took care of you when you where young, I mean after your parent's passing? I mean, didn't they speak to you about your parents?"
"No," he flatly replied.
"I'm sorry," she told him. From the look on his face, Allura could tell he didn't want any more inquiries, so she stopped.
"That's okay," Keith quickly changed the subject and looked at her. "So, how about you Princess? What do you think about this party of yours?"
Allura's eyes grew wide. "You mean what Nanny considers, my pre engagement party?" She replied with a grim face. "It's driving me crazy. To think they expect me to find someone there I can love? Ridiculous. No, I'd like to actually love the person I'm going to marry. Believe me when I tell you, there's no Prince in the ball that I'll fall for."
She noticed that Keith's expression changed from curiosity to concern, "Would you only marry a Prince?"
Sighing, the princess answered, "Well, tradition dictates it."
Keith nodded in understanding, but didn't answer her.
"But," she continued. "Traditions are meant to be broken. And as you already know, I'm not your traditional princess." Allura winked.
At this, he laughed. So did she.
After a moment of silence, Keith finally spoke, "I may not have a chance to tell you this...starting tomorrow the castle will become a much bigger mad house than it usually is." He paused and looked at her with the gentlest stare she had ever seen in him, "Happy eighteenth birthday, Princess Allura," he told her with genuine feeling.
Allura smiled and hugged him tightly. When the embrace ended, they looked at each other. Something within both of them prevented breaking eye contact. The sound of nature continued around them and for a moment, they enjoyed that stillness and peaceful calm while lost in each other's gaze.
The sound of Keith's comm. unit going off broke their moment. Keith forced himself to look away as he took the unit out of his pocket. "Kogane."
"Keith. Nanny's on a rampage looking for Allura," Lance barked. "She says that if she's not here in ten, she's banning us from the party. Can she do that? I mean, does she have the authority to ban us, Keith?" Lance sounded nervous.
Looking at Allura, the Commander rolled his eyes as the princess giggled, "Don't worry Lance. Allura has your back."
Both of them heared Lance snort back. "Right! Hurry back. I'm not taking any chances with Nanny. McClain out!"
Allura continued giggling at Lance's antics. "We better go." Keith told her. "He'll kill me if he doesn't go to this thing. He wants to let the princesses invited know that he's just as good a catch as any Prince."
Allura shook her head, "Oh, Lance." Keith helped her up and walked her to the land vehicle they took. As he opened the door to let her in she stopped him, "Keith?"
"Yes?"
"Would you mind escorting me to the party tomorrow?"
"I thought Coran would do that."
"Yeah, I spoke to him about that. I just feel like a baby being brought in by her father. I asked if any of the boys could do that for me and well...you don't mind, do you?"
Keith's eyes lit up. "I'm honored. No, I wouldn't mind at all."
"Great!" Allura told him with a quick hug. "Thank you. Well, we better go before Lance ends up killing us!"
