"Hey guys!" Julia's pert voice preceded her return. "Are you both decent? Because I sure wouldn't want to walk in on any, I don't know, creepy arranged-marriage-related sex stuff or anything!"
"Wooww... Well, Julia's back. And now you are in so much trouble," Emery murmured to Roman as she slid away from him. Julia might usually think of him as her own personal Superman, but when it came to Emery Julia had no barriers, even with Roman. All bets were off.
"Hey Jules, where's everyone else?" Roman asked, jumping up and looking behind the petite Asian hopefully as she stalked into the room.
"Drake's gone off to Taylor's for the night. Lukas and Sophia decided to head to Drake's pod since it's empty and bigger than this place. So there's no getting out of this, buddy." Her arms were crossed and her mouth was a thin line of determination.
"Sophia and Lukas are…?" Roman's brow furrowed in confusion and protective fear. "I should probably go check on that," he tried. Julia pulled herself up to her full height, which put her eyes at Roman's chin.
"You're not going anywhere! It's curfew in a few minutes! And why should Sophia's fate matter to you, anyway? You seem to think it's acceptable to buy and sell women, so I'm pretty sure you don't get to make any more decisions about Sophia's life until you and I have had a little chat." Emery actually cringed as Julia poked a slender finger into Roman's chest for emphasis. She felt so bad for him – he didn't understand how much this mattered to Julia.
"No, Julia, it's not like that -" Roman tried again, stepping back to soothe tensions, but now Julia had warmed up to her topic. She stepped forward, giving Roman no quarter.
"Women are not property, you ass, no matter if you're the Iksen or not!" She shook her head, disappointed. "You had no right to go planning Emery's life for her!"
"I know, Julia, and if you'll give me a chance to expl -"
"No, I don't need to hear your crap excuses. Thank you. I just hope Emery had the good sense to tell you what a colossal fool you are."
"I did, kind of," Emery piped up, not wanting any of this anger turned on her. She happily threw Roman under the bus, for now. If she was honest, he did deserve at least some of what Julia was dishing out. Roman had backed up nearly to the table, and Julia was still right in his face. She didn't look as angry as Emery had expected… instead she just seemed sad.
"You know, if she had actually gone through with it, she would have ended up resenting you for forcing it on her? She would have hated you in the end, Roman. Thank god we've avoided that catastrophe!"
"Well, - actually, I haven't yet decided what to do," Emery tried. Julia waved one hand at her dismissively.
"Please, Em, this isn't even about you right now," she responded, continuing to stare at Roman with a withering glare. Emery scoffed in shocked disbelief at the other girl's comment.
"Julia! Yes, this is about me. It's my life! My future! So just stop it!" Emery grabbed her friend's shoulders and pulled her around so they were facing each other. "You don't know what happened, okay? Just - please - listen to him!"
Julia crossed her arms once again. She didn't want to believe Roman was a bad guy, so a part of her hoped Emery was right… But a darker part of her, a part that grew up the descendant of poor immigrants, remembered at the genetic level what it meant to be a girl, in a culture where women had been considered commodities for too long. She considered Emery's request carefully.
"Fine. I'll listen. But I will judge you, so tread carefully." Roman knew it wasn't even a threat anymore, just a cold hard promise.
He swallowed and reached for Emery's hand. Together this time, they recounted the story.
…
Drake's pod had the feel of an apartment whose residents were away on vacation. There was a very slight smell of musty closed-up-ness, and a couple items in the refrigerator needed to be tossed out. Sophia moved around the space with a nervous energy, making up chores to keep herself busy. Lukas gave up on trying to follow her around after a while, and just sank on the sofa to wait.
After her fifth trip through with a dust-cloth, though, Lukas reached out for her wrist.
"Okay Sophia, it's enough." He smiled at her beguilingly. "You're avoiding me, aren't you?" Sophia sighed and her eyes softened under his gaze. She sank onto the sofa next to him, but kept a small distance between them. Under his breath, Lukas muttered "…and room for the Holy Ghost…" – a saying he'd grown up hearing from his elders as an admonition against getting too cozy with girls.
"Lukas, we should never have kissed. I took advantage of you, and I feel terrible," Sophia confessed. She looked down at her hand, where his long brown fingers still encircled her wrist. She hated herself for not wanting him to let go, even now.
"Sophia, I get it; I'm a big boy. It was a needy moment for us both. And..." Lukas struggled for a moment. "I… I took advantage of you, too. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard. You've been through way too much, and you don't need my bullsh -"
"No!" Sophia rushed, putting her hand up against his mouth to stop him before he could make her feel worse. "You didn't push too hard. I knew exactly what I was doing." As she spoke, Lukas' eyes drifted closed and he gently kissed her fingers where they pressed into his lips. She gasped softly and withdrew her hand as though she'd been burnt.
Lukas' breath quickened and his skin heated as he watched her chest rise and fall rapidly, trying to regain her sense of self-control. They were both silent for several minutes, neither sure how to interpret her reaction. Sophia decided to try ignoring it.
"Look, I just needed the connection. But for you it meant more, didn't it?" She was whispering, but there was a catch in her voice that Lukas recognized. She was trying hard not to cry. Lukas leaned against the back of the sofa and rubbed his hands over his scalp in frustration.
"There are no winners here, Sophia. You know that, right?"
"You mean because of Taylor and Drake," Sophia guessed. That gave Lukas pause.
"Yes. I wasn't even sure you knew."
"Really?" She laughed a bit, bitterly. "I've known Drake my whole life, Lukas. When he brought home a child that looked just like a miniature version of her, it was a pretty good clue. He's not usually the parental type." Lukas released her wrist then, but only to move his arm around her shoulders comfortingly.
"I'm so sorry, Soph."
"It's okay. I first suspected ages ago. I've only known for sure in the past few days, though. But that's where he goes at night, isn't it? To her?" Lukas nodded mutely.
"Well. I'm really happy for them. Truly." Sophia smiled and it ripped a tiny piece from Lukas' heart. How could she be so good, even now?
"Sophia. I know you can't feel the same way for me that you do for her, but… I'm here for you," Lukas offered quietly. "And I'll be here every time and any time you need me." He looked at her, hoping his offer would not be misinterpreted.
Sophia closed her eyes and leaned sideways until her head rested on Lukas' thigh. She tucked her legs up onto the sofa, and began to relax as Lukas gently stroked her hair.
"I'll always want you," he whispered. "Unconditionally. I can't pretend I don't."
"I'm sorry I can't be with you the way you deserve," she answered him equally quietly. "But I don't want to be the one who breaks your heart, Lukas. It's such a good, kind heart."
"How about you let me worry about my heart, hm?" Lukas asked. He couldn't restrain himself. She was so warm, so inviting, so… near. He leaned forward and brushed his lips softly across her cheek.
Before he could pull away, Sophia's hand snaked up and grabbed the back of his head, holding him there. She turned to face him, her lips seeking his, and Lukas' heart threatened to push up through his throat at the flavor and hunger of her. He kissed her back eagerly, scarcely daring to breath in case he broke the spell of this moment. Without releasing her lips, he ran one hand down her shoulder, her arm, to her hips. He grabbed her slender waist and pulled her closer to him, and in turn she wrapped both arms around him fully, giving in to her repressed needs - and at the same time hating herself for it, for not stopping it.
