"You think, they will help us?" Neri asked after Jason had finished summarising his encounter with De Souza. They were halfway through their pizza in a nice little place near the harbour.
"Like De Souza said," Jason replied. "There is not much of a choice. They saw what one man did with an ancient piece of technology. Now, there are much more with even more advanced weapons."
"They would never hurt people of Earth," Neri assured.
"You have no idea, what people are capable of," Jason said gloomily, "especially, when the situation is desperate. You said you can feel it, too."
"Mother will find a way," she murmured bleakly, and Jason sighed.
"Neri, your mother already fights on too many fronts," he responded. "The whole situation is a task way too big for just one person to carry out. She needs your help. Yours and Meras."
"Mother does not need me," Neri objected quietly. "She is wise and beautiful. And she is so good in speak."
"Yeah, she is pretty smooth in talking, but she's not able to handle the situation just by buttering them up. Wait, – " Jason frowned, suddenly becoming aware of her strange tone. "Are you intimidated by her as well?" he asked carefully.
Neri answered by casting down her eyes. Suddenly, she seemed small and vulnerable.
Jason rose from his chair to sit down next to her on the bench. He took her hands into his, searching for eye contact. How come he didn't see this before? She had been very quiet since the return of the Queen, – quieter as usual. Talking to strangers was difficult for her. But she had always put her mission over her comfort zone in the past.
"Why do you doubt yourself all the sudden? You achieved so much," he ran on when she remained silent. "Just yesterday, your mother acknowledged that. We were in bad situations before, but we made it out."
"This feels different," Neri replied. "In past, in here, – " she pointed to her chest, "it say what to do. But now, so many stranger people. So much fear. I feel like I can not breathe," she explained. "I must help. But I don't know what to do, Jason."
He put an arm around her. "Neri, this is a situation never faced before. The senators, the President, – even your mother! – they certainly feel as helpless as you right now. We are all overwhelmed. It will take some time to get used to this, and even more time to figure out what to do." He caressed her arm. "And you're not alone."
Neri finally broke into a smile, although a weak one. Slowly, a funny thought took shape in his mind.
"Jason?" Neri asked, observing his change of expression.
"I just thought, ..." he said and blinked. "You know, this is actually our first date!"
"Date?" she asked confused.
"Yes," he grinned. "A date. Like in dating someone. Meet with someone you really like. Go out for dinner, a movie or something."
"You come a lot to Island, and we eat."
"Yeah, but we did that as friends," Jason pointed out. "We never ate at a restaurant before. And now, we are …"
An item. A couple. Together. Partners. Girlfriend and boyfriend. Involved in a romantic relationship.
Every definition cast a strange echo in his mind. None of it really fitted.
"…more than friends," he finished the sentence.
She took his hand, smiling. "And what we do at a date?"
"Well, usually people talk, get to know each other, and stuff." Not, that he had much dating experience.
She frowned in confusion. "But I know you for seven years," she smirked.
"And I have been in love with you for at least five of them," Jason confessed, slightly blushing. Her response was a startled look out of big eyes. "See," he grinned, "that's something, you didn't know about me."
Her smile vanished. "Why never tell?" she wanted to know.
Jason shrugged. "Because I didn't know if you felt the same way. And I didn't want to ruin things. After all, it was pretty perfect. We had so much fun together. Helping you with your stuff made me feel like you needed me. And we had to keep you as a secret, so no one could take you away from me. Apart from Kal, of course," he remembered gloomily. "He was the only real competition."
"Kal?" Neri chuckled. "He was a little boy inside."
"Yeah, but he was one of your people," he replied. "And he really liked you."
"You were jealous? Of Kal?" Neri asked in disbelief.
Jason nodded, and Neri broke into laughter. "What?" he asked, but she kept laughing.
"Kal was jealous of you," she finally said, still grinning.
"Yeah? I thought, he just didn't like me," Jason responded. "But now I understand why he acted out against me all the time."
Neri cupped his cheek with her right hand and placed an unexpected and soft kiss on his lips. "It was always you," she whispered. "No competition."
"Likewise," he murmured, then taking her face into both his hands to kiss her again. This kiss was less soft and more passionate. Picking on her bottom lip, he inhaled her scent.
"People kiss on a date?" she asked quietly when they broke the kiss.
He nodded. "People kiss a lot on dates," he answered. "But maybe, we should go somewhere more private."