Chapter Twenty-Four
Kamski's hand on Wren's waist felt ghostly compared to Connor's. He barely touched her, whereas Connor seemed solid. Wren held Kamski with a light touch as they waltzed on the dance floor.
"You and the RK800 unit seem close," said Kamski, his crystal gaze flicking to where Connor stood on the edge of the dance floor.
"Connor's a good friend," Wren replied coolly.
Kamski's lips quirked. "I'm sure he is."
Wren tilted her head. "Why did you really want to dance with me?"
"Can I not just dance with a beautiful woman?"
Wren smirked coldly. "There's always a purpose in the things you do. You like to play games."
Kamski snorted. "Games are no fun when your opponent refuses to play."
"I've played one too many games in my life," Wren replied.
"And what are you going to do when there are no games left to play? Settle down? Live on a farm?"
Wren narrowed her eyes. "I don't think it's any of your business."
"Well, you're still in this game," said Kamski.
"And so are you, apparently."
Kamski's smirk faltered. "The ending of this particular game benefits a lot of people. I'm betting on you."
Wren frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm here to warn you," said Kamski, dazzling her with a smile. "Pretend to be happy."
Wren's fake smile spread across her cheeks with ease. "Warn me?"
Kamski twirled Wren around. When she spun back into him, he placed his hand back on her waist and leaned close to her ear. "Beware of titans who pretend to be saviors." He kissed her cheek and then swept off the dance floor.
Wren stood in the middle of dancing people for a second before walking over to Connor, her brow puckering. Connor tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
Wren faced the stage as Markus and Kamski stepped onto it. A woman spoke into a microphone, introducing Markus. Wren heard the words through a tunnel as she stared at Kamski, who seemed to look at her from the stage with a glittering smile.
"I'll… I'll tell you later," Wren clapped with everyone else, though her applause's speed matched her dazed mind.
Markus stood at the microphone as applause died. "Thank you for that introduction, and thank you all for coming. It gives me hope to see so many people supportive of the android cause. We've come a long way in the past year, and we've faced many challenges. Some of these obstacles seemed impossible, but we prevailed. I'm proud of all of our hard work and dedication. But our progress is not finished. We still have a long way to go, but I am confident in the future of android-human relations. I look forward to this year's progress with our allies."
Kamski stepped forward as the audience applauded for Markus. "I think it's safe to say that all of us here are looking forward to building android-human relations. CyberLife has had no small part in all this, and I believe it is the root of some distrust among humans and androids. So, as our first step in bettering the android-human relationship, I am announcing my return to CyberLife as its CEO."
A murmur rippled through the crowd, prompting a smile from Kamski.
"As CEO, I plan to repurpose CyberLife it as an android care facility. Anything androids need will be produced. Markus and I have been working closely on these plans, and I am excited to start this new phase of the Android Liberation Movement."
Applause met the end of Kamski's speech. The gala resumed, though many people left. Markus, North and Josh said their goodbyes to some important politicians and citizens before joining Wren, Connor, Tina and Chloe.
"Well, I think I've officially decided I don't like galas," said Josh, tugging at his bowtie. "Not that I'm not grateful for any of this."
North rolled her shoulders. "I'm right there with you. I was hoping for some real dancing."
Wren's lips quirked. "Waltzing is real dancing."
"You know what I mean." North glanced at Chloe. "I don't think we've met."
"Oh," perked up Chloe, "I'm Chloe."
Markus, Josh and North introduced themselves. North looked at Wren in askance, but Wren mouthed, I'll fill you in later. North nodded. Tina folded her arms as they left the gala and stepped into the frigid air. Connor offered Wren her shawl, which she wrapped around herself. Her cyber arms did not feel the cold, per se, but the parts of her that did feel it froze.
"So, North, Wren and I were thinking that we could go dancing. To celebrate," Tina said.
North grinned. "You guys have never been dancing."
"It's essential to the whole feeling alive experience," said Tina.
Markus folded his arms. "Aren't we a little overdressed?"
"Maybe, but that doesn't matter!" exclaimed Tina.
"Come on, guys. It'll be fun, I promise." North wiggled her eyebrows. A smile spread across her face as Markus sighed.
"Okay, fine. We'll go dancing," he agreed.
"Excellent! I know just the place," said Tina.
They (Chloe included) clambered into the limo and rode to Enigma, where they hopped out. The bass from the music reverberated through Wren's chest. She grinned at the colored purple and blue lights.
"I'm alive!" Tina cried. "Come on!" She grabbed Chloe's hand and the two scurried toward the dance floor.
Josh shrugged. "What the hell." He walked over to the dance floor, looking a little awkward, but Tina and Chloe welcomed him to dance beside them.
North tugged Markus along by his hand, grinning. Wren's face warmed at the thought of dancing with Connor the way North and Markus danced. Tina waved Wren over.
"Come on!"
Wren folded her arms. Connor stood beside her, his hands clasped behind his back. He shifted his weight to one foot and pivoted to peer at her, his hands swinging to his sides.
"It would be a shame to waste those dance lessons you gave me."
Wren pressed her lips together. She glanced at him. "Are you sure?"
Connor dipped his head. "It looks… fun."
Wren bit back a bark of laughter. She shrugged and led Connor to their friends on the dance floor. They started out dancing as a group, standing in a small circle. Then Tina leaned forward, her teeth gleaming blue in the artificial light.
"You guys say you can dance, but I don't see it!"
North and Wren glanced at each other. Wren gestured for North to go first. North swiveled her hips as she stepped forward. She dropped to a wide squat and bounced with the beat. She moved like a snake and twirled. Wren swore she heard Markus mutter, "RA9."
Wren decided to keep hers fun and flirty. She swung her hips and ran her hands down her thighs. She rolled her shoulders and twirled around. If she weren't in a figure-hugging gown, she'd do much more. North joined her after a moment. The two of them snaked toward each other. Tina cheered while North and Wren stood back to back and shimmied. Josh snickered and shuffled forward.
"You guys are gonna have to do a real dance off one day," he said.
"Deal!" North sang, dancing away from Wren to wrap her arms around Markus's neck. Tina and Chloe shuffled off to grab a drink for Tina. Even Josh found a dance partner, leaving Wren alone with Connor.
Wren huffed. The song's bass thrummed in her veins, and the dancer in her took the lead. She swiveled her hips and raised her arms above her head. Connor placed his hands on Wren's hips as she shook them. She twirled so that her back pressed against Connor's chest. She rocked her body against his. She quickly spun back to face him, her face reddening. She thanked the heavens for the weird lighting of the club, because Connor could not see her blush. He shook his hips, though not as smoothly as she did. His lips quirked with a small smile.
Maybe it was the lights, or the bass, or the lyrics of the song, or the many bodies, or the simple fact that Wren's body was pressed so close to Connor's that she could feel the coolness of his skin through his shirt, but Wren's heart jumped to her throat. Her breath shortened and heat trickled up her spine like an opening flower. She swallowed the lump in her throat as an ache panged through her chest. Wren lowered her eyes.
"I need some air," she said hoarsely. She pushed away from Connor and through the crowd to an outdoor area, where no one sat because of the cold. Wren walked across the balcony to the railing, overlooking the city as she gasped for breath. Her chest hurt. She clutched at it, as if that would somehow alleviate the pain. Tears sprang to her eyes.
She was tired of this. Tired of the hurting, tired of the fucking pining. She gripped the railing and shook with a light sob. She wanted to rip the ache from her heart. She wanted to scream, to rip out her heart and throw it into the Detroit gutters. She wanted… She wanted Connor to love her.
Wren coughed out a small sob, nearly missing the door to the club opening. The click of Connor's shoes sounded behind her.
"You shouldn't be out here without a jacket. Your body can't handle this temperature as well as mine can."
Wren wiped away her tears and sniffled. "I know. I just… needed some air." She refused to look back at him.
"What's wrong?" His voice was soft. It was always soft, and gentle and kind…
"Nothing. Just… a lot of people."
"I didn't realize you were so uncomfortable in crowds."
"Y-yeah," Wren croaked, tilting her head back, letting cold air into her mouth. "They can be a bit…" The lie died on her lips. She was sick of lying, too. Her shoulders sagged and she bowed her head. "Crowds don't bother me."
"Oh," murmured Connor, "then why did you say it was the crowd?"
Wren turned to face him at last. She nearly flinched when she realized just how close they were to one another. He peered at her with his brow creased softly and his lips parted. His LED flickered, betraying his racing thoughts. Wren lowered her gaze, unsure of what to say. Her heart throttled her ribs. Her eyes caught a glint of silver at Connor's wrists. Her heart softened to see those ridiculous dinosaur cufflinks she got him. Wren's eyes flicked back to Connor's as he waited for her to give him an answer.
She was sick and tired of not knowing.
Her body moved before the thought crossed her mind. She closed the gap between them and pressed her lips against Connor's, her eyes sliding shut.
But Connor jerked back, forcing Wren's eyes open. He gaped at her, his LED red. Wren opened her mouth, a chill prickling down her spine. "I…" She swallowed. "I'm sorry. I… I shouldn't have… I'm sorry." Wren pushed past Connor and hurried inside the club. She weaved her way through the crowd. She thought she heard Connor call after her, but she did not look back.
…
Wren took a cab home. Once inside, she fed Tina's cat and hurried upstairs to one of the bathrooms. She slipped out of her dress and took off her jewelry. While she ran a hot bath, she scrubbed her face of makeup. She laid out comfy clothes and then sank into the hot water. She pulled her knees to her chest.
She thought she hated the ache of pining, but this was much worse. A sharp lump built in the back of her throat. Her heart hurt more than she thought possible. It hurt to breathe, because the shards of her heart seemed to stab her lungs. Tears burned her eyes until they ached. She cried in the bathtub. She replayed the moment of Connor jerking away over and over again.
I'm a fucking idiot.
How could she ever think that Connor loved her? He was new to emotions. How could he have room for her? It was incredibly selfish of her to think he might love her.
"Wren?" called Tina.
Wren lifted her head from her knees, her face wet with sweat and tears. The water was still hot.
"Everything okay?" called North.
Wren rinsed her face off and got out of the tub. She let out the water and dried off quickly. She struggled to pull on her clothes, which clung to her still-damp skin. She hurried downstairs, praying that it was just Tina and North. Her shoulder released some of their tension upon seeing that Tina and North stood alone in the living room. Wren gazed at her friends.
"What's wrong?" Tina queried.
The tears welled in Wren's eyes anew. "I kissed Connor."
Tina and North exchanged a glance. North looked at Wren. "Then why do you look like someone just kicked your puppy?"
Wren drew in a shuddering breath. "We were wrong about him. He doesn't feel the same way at all." The tears spilled over and Wren bowed her head, hoping her hair might hide her crying.
"Oh, honey," said Tina, leading Wren over to the couch and sitting her down.
"That's… That's not right," said North slowly, sitting beside Wren.
Wren scowled. She looked at North. "I'm pretty fucking sure I know."
North blinked, her brow puckering. "Did he… Did he say he didn't love you?"
Wren buried her face in her hands. "He jerked away when I kissed him. That's a pretty big message right there."
"Maybe… Maybe he was just surprised," said North.
"North…" Tina rubbed her forehead.
"That's not what it felt like," Wren scoffed.
"Wren, he seemed really upset when you left," said North gently.
"Yeah, because I destroyed our friendship!" Wren sighed. "See, this is why I didn't want to make the first move. I didn't want to pressure him and now… I've ruined things. God, I'm such an idiot. I got selfish… I was just tired of fucking pining after him and now… Now, I've ruined everything."
"I don't think you've ruined anything," North replied.
Wren's eyes snapped to North's. "How would you know?"
North opened and closed her mouth. Then she insisted, "I just know, okay?"
Tina bit her lip. She left the room for a few minutes and returned with a cup of tea. Wren accepted it, but didn't drink from it. Tina sat in the armchair across from Wren.
"This doesn't make any sense," Tina muttered. "I mean, I'm usually pretty good at picking up on these kinds of signs. North, did you see the way Connor looked at Wren all night?"
"Yes!" North exclaimed. "He couldn't take his stupid eyes off you."
Wren shook her head. "Please, stop. All of our speculation got my hopes up last time."
Tina opened her mouth to reply but a knock on the front door interrupted her. She puckered her brow and answered the door. After a few seconds, she hurried back, looking panicked. "It's Connor," she announced, wringing her hands.
"What?" Wren hissed. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Nausea roiled in her belly.
North handed Wren a tissue, who wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She hugged herself as she walked to the door, wishing she hadn't changed out of her gown. She trembled as she approached the foyer, where Connor stood in the doorway of the townhouse. Wren stepped outside and shut the door.
"Aren't you cold?" Connor queried. His voice sounded hoarse.
"I can handle it," Wren muttered, looking at the patio floor.
"Have you… Have you been crying?"
Wren closed her eyes as tears pricked the backs of her eyes. She held them back and met Connor's gentle gaze. "Connor, look… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I didn't mean to offend you or embarrass you or—"
"You didn't do either of those things," said Connor.
Wren clamped her mouth shut and swallowed. She frowned. "Oh. Then… Why are you here?"
"To apologize," said Connor.
"For what?"
Connor opened and closed his mouth. His LED cycled between red and yellow and back again. "For reacting the way I did."
Wren's heart shriveled. "It's not your fault. I… I was selfish and I shouldn't have just kissed you like that. I'm sorry."
"You misunderstand me," said Connor. He huffed and shrugged out of his jacket and placed it around Wren's shaking shoulders.
Wren flinched. "Don't do things like that."
"Things like what?" Connor tilted his head.
"Things that make me think that you… Never mind. What did you want to tell me?" Wren looked up at him. She wanted him to just rip off the band-aid. She'd much rather it be quick and harsh rather than this slow pain hidden behind warmth and kindness.
"I…" Connor trailed off and lowered his gaze. His LED gleamed red. "Do you regret kissing me?"
Wren widened her eyes. "W-what?"
Connor met her gaze. "You keep saying that you shouldn't have done that."
Wren looked at the ground. "It was an invasion of your privacy."
"I… I came here to tell you… that I…. that I should have kissed you first."
Wren's head snapped up as her eyes leveled with Connor's. "What?"
Connor parted his lips. His eyes remained wide. "I… I should've kissed you first."
"Why?" Wren croaked.
Connor gazed at her, his LED still red. "Because I…" He trailed off. Wren trembled, and it had nothing to do with the cold. Connor strode toward her and kissed her. Wren melted into the kiss immediately. Her eyes fluttered shut. Connor's hands cupped the back of her neck. His lips were softer than a human's, almost silky.
Wren pushed him away, her eyes flashing open. "I don't want you to do this because you're confused—"
"I'm not confused," Connor assured her breathily. His eyes glistened as they searched hers. "I love you. I've known I loved you ever since you nearly died to save me. I was just too scared to say anything."
Wren sucked in a sharp breath. Her heart seemed suspended. Her lips twitched. "You know why I took that bullet for you?" She held his gaze and he waited for her to continue, his lips parted as he held her body close to his. "Because I love you, too."
The corners of Connor's mouth twitched. His eyes slid shut and he pressed his lips to Wren's again, though their kiss was bit hungrier this time. Their lips slid against one another and Wren cradled the back of Connor's head. Her body curved into his as one of his hands cupped the back of her neck and the other gripped the small of her back. Wren tried to keep her teeth from chattering, not wanting the moment to end. But Connor, ever the logician, pulled away. Wren panted. Connor rested his forehead against Wren's.
"You should go inside," he murmured. "Your body temperature is dropping."
Wren bit her lip. "Do you want to come in, too?"
"I think I should go back. Hank is worried about me."
"Okay," Wren withdrew. She stopped before the front door and turned, her brow puckering. "This isn't weird, is it?"
Connor's lips twitched. "I think it's what Hank would call a 'good weird.'"
Wren smiled. Connor stepped toward her, his hands in his pockets. He pecked her cheek. Wren tried not to smile too much, but after so much, pain her happiness overpowered her ability to hide her emotions. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Connor nodded and walked away. Wren watched him go before stepped inside, still beaming. She padded into the living room, a dazed look on her face. North and Tina looked at her expectantly. Wren bit her lip and squealed. North and Tina's faces exploded into smiles.
North's smile faltered slightly as she rolled her eyes and muttered, "Fucking finally."
...
I AM SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE! I am finally finished with this extra-ass semester (and I got an A on my 23-page research paper, so my anxiety levels have plummeted for once). I wanted to work on this so badly, but I just had to focus on the three papers and my two final exams, as much as I love this story and writing for it. I thank you all for your patience.
Songs for this chapter...
"I'm Sending You Away" by M83
(for the sexy songs, Chantaje by Shakira, Or Nah by SoMo)