Broken Flyght – Chapter 4

I thought I would be nervous heading into a blind date, but I’m surprisingly calm as I open the door and enter the café. When I imagined this moment, the anonymous man in my dreams turned towards me as I approached him, our eyes met, and I knew right then and there that we were meant to be together.

Silly, right?

Sean doesn’t even notice me when I stand next to him. His face is passive, still far off in thought, plugged into whatever on Hecate has his attention.

Whatever it is, it’s certainly not his surroundings.

I clear my throat, and his eyes jump in my direction.

“Hello,” I say, dipping my head into his peripheral vision and painting on a smile. “I think you may be Sean Bargado?”

I hope I remembered his name correctly, and I begin to doubt I had when he frowns at me for a long moment.

“I’m Vivian Kawabata, captain of the Amagi.” I hold out my hand, keeping my smile polite, and hoping to see a smile or acknowledgment from him.

He blinks a few times, taps his wristlet, and focuses his eyes on me.

“You’re Vivian Kawabata?” His disinterested gaze scans me from head to toe. I wonder which photos he’s seen of me. Probably the ones where I’m an overworked, unkempt university student? Today, my kimono is bright, my makeup is fresh, and my hair is on point. I’m not beautiful by any definition, but I may border on pretty today.

The area between my shoulder blades begins to sweat while I continue to hold my hand out to him to shake it. It’s been hanging in the air now for 10,000 years.

Just as I’m about to give up, though, he snaps out of his thoughts and rescues my hand on its way down to my side.

“Oh.” He pumps my hand twice, and my whole body blushes as the two men on his other side quietly acknowledge our exchange. “I had some urgent messages you happened to walk in on. I was lost in thought.”

Okkkkaaaaay.

Why is your face made of stone, then?

And maybe an apology is in order? I stare at him hard, and his eyes don’t make contact with mine. They’re directed over my shoulder.

“Sorry,” he mumbles.

I force another weak smile and take my fingers back from him. “That’s fine. I’m just glad I have the right person.”

I try to laugh it off, but he remains wooden with barely a twitch of the lips.

Well, he is killing this first impression. Hard.

My brain switches from his personality to his appearance. Now that I’m close to him, his handsome eyes and dark features are sexy, smoldering even. I would look twice if I were passing him on the street, and I would pause to admire his physique. But I get the feeling I’m not what he expected.

“Shall we go get a bite to eat? Before the dancing starts?”

My stomach growls at all the possible treats available at an event like this. My family used to come to this festival every year, and I would save up two meals worth of space in my stomach for everything.

I can’t wait to eat grilled chicken, and corn, and…

“I already ate. I was just here getting coffee and waiting for you.”

“Oh.”

Hmmm, I thought this was a date, a get-to-know-you session before I brought him onboard and introduced him to the crew and the Amagi. I mean, I suppose it doesn’t have to be a date. The Amagi needs an engineer or Skylar will murder Carlos. I could, maybe, afford to find someone who isn’t going to be a romantic partner, but I’m pressed for time. The days tick by, and the interest on the land becomes more expensive.

One man on the other side of Sean stares at me from the corner of his eyes. I think I’ve been spotted. He shakes his head slightly before inclining it at Sean.

Anger flares up in my chest. Even these random men have noticed how disinterested my date is. Is Sean giving me the cold shoulder? Or am I too sensitive?

Nope.

Other people are noticing it too.

And you know what? I’m too tired to deal with this.

Time to break out Business Vivian.

“Well, I’m hungry, so we’re going to wander around the festival and talk while I eat.” I punctuate this statement with a smile. I’m as in charge of this first date as he is.

“Sure,” he says, pulling back and blinking in surprise. “Let me pay, and we’ll go.”

“That’s all right. I’ll get this.” I turn my wrist and access Hecate. The café’s location flashes, and I settle the bill for Sean’s seat at the bar.

“Let’s go.”

The men past Sean smile as I usher him out of the café. I bet they wish they had a sugar mama to take care of them. Don’t they all?

But no, that’s not how I play. Though I’m willing to pay the bills and do the lion’s share of work, I’m not going to marry anyone who’ll be a baby and expect me to do everything, make all the decisions, and keep everything in line.

This is a partnership, a group effort. Like my parents.

The thought of Mom squeezes my heart and clogs my throat as I lead Sean out to the darkened streets of Sagae. I can picture Mom here, just last year, her hair up, her dark amber kimono highlighting her flawless skin. She smiled at everyone and knew all their names.

“Are you from around here?” I let my nose lead me down to the main thoroughfare where most of the food stalls are located.

I want that grilled chicken and corn; savory pancake and octopus would be nice too. Maybe some barbecued beef on flatbread.

“South of Sakata City, but I’ve spent a lot of time here too. I know some people here.” Sean walks beside me, so I glance over at him. He has his hands clasped behind his back, and his eyes are on the crowd. “I think I’ve seen you around town before.”

“You don’t say? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you before.”

“I was in and out, only here for a day or two each time. When one spends a lot of time on a ship, planets seem confining.”

“Planets confining?” My voice rises along with my eyebrows. “I feel the opposite. Like I’m trapped on a ship when I could be in the open air here.”

That might be different someday, but not now. Not for a long time. My anxiety lightened when I stepped out of the ship onto the soil of my home world and breathed in the fresh air. There’s nothing like it.

“Our circumstances may be different.”

My heart soars as we approach the food stalls, and I gather up everything I’m interested in devouring. I haven’t been this hungry in years. My stomach is ready to eat itself if I don’t fill it immediately.

Sean’s eyes widen as I inhale three chicken skewers with a side of rice before turning around to greet people and employees from the family farm. I’m grateful that they’re all happy to see me. No one seems bitter about what happened. Sad or disappointed, sure. Still, I assure several of them I’m doing all I can to buy back the farm and get us up and running again.

“I saw that news segment on OEN,” Sean says, as I purchase a cup of battered and fried octopus, topped with fish flakes and sweet barbecue sauce. Finally, my belly is feeling full. “I was hesitant to take this… meeting, what with everything that happened.”

Meeting.

My pace slows down as I process that word.

“But I heard your ship is a Tanuki class cruiser.” The first smile I’ve seen so far tugs at Sean’s lips. “The Tanuki class is such a fun and spirited ship, especially if it’s still fitted with the Gundam 9-series engine.” He leans forward, his eyes alight with geek glee. “You wouldn’t happen to know the specs, off the top of your head?”

“No,” I mumble out around a mouthful of battered octopus. I forgot that information immediately after the Flyght interview.

I think… I think I’ve run into a spaceship otaku.

I take a moment to check out his shoes. Leather as black as obsidian and polished to a high glaze. I’m unimpressed with the shine job, though. Dull spots around the stitching tell me he shined them himself in a hurry. Hmmm, that does not bode well.

I chew a few more times before he starts up on an engine specifications monologue that leaves me speechless, mostly because I can’t believe anyone would be this into a ship’s engines. I wish I could say that it was sexy. I really wish I could say it was sexy, but when the man you’re supposed to be out on a date with finds hunks of metal more appealing than you, then you know you’re veering into the friend zone.

But he seems passionate about his work, I’ll give him that. I’m sure I sound similar when I’m talking about plants. Maybe I’m being too hard on him.

I smile when he visibly comes up for air.

“I just really have always wanted to work on a cruiser. It’s been a dream of mine for ages since I was a kid taking apart my mother’s auto glider.” He laughs, and my smile widens. He’s cute. “Don’t tell them that was me. I blamed it on my brother.”

His smile lights up his face, and my earlier hesitation over his formal demeanor and wooden appearance melts away. Maybe he’ll be interested in me because of my ship?

Whatever happens, he just got ten times more attractive to me.

Having a hobby to love is admirable even if it’s ship engines. And that’s what I wanted, right? Someone who would devote himself to the ship… and to me. It’s possible I can convince him I’m worth the trouble.

Drums from the harvest festival parade in the center of town echo off the surrounding buildings, and all of my cares and worries from the last few days fly from my brain like a startled flock of birds. I squeal with excitement, ready to throw myself into the dance party that’s happening only a few blocks away. Taking Sean’s hand in both of mine, I tug at him.

“Uhhhh,” he says, running his other hand through his silky hair and tugging at his ear.

“Come on. Let’s go dance,” I insist when he doesn’t pull away.

His smile jerks as he looks down at our hands together, so I tug him more to get his feet moving.

Trotting around the corner to head towards the center square, we’re brought up short by a small group of people, laughing and drinking.

Oh, shit. It’s Alipha Cardoso. Actually, her full name is Alipha Yoko Cardoso, and her family calls her Yoko at home, I hear. I wouldn’t know. Her family doesn’t talk to my family. We’re competitors, through and through. She went through primary and secondary school with a pack of friends who cheered her on and kept her happy. I kept to myself and hated that kind of fake enthusiasm. But my father taught me to be polite to everyone I would eventually do business with. Alipha always got a smile and kind word from me though I could never say the same about her.

“Vivian? What are you doing here?” Her sneer is a parsec wide. Wow. She’s even pretty when she’s petty.

“Alipha!” I smile and bow as Sean pries his fingers from my hand. “I hope you and your family are well.”

Her crowd of friends look on with snickers and wide eyes. An imposing man hovers over Alipha and stares at both Sean and me. I think this is her number one consort, and he does not seem happy.

I shouldn’t have stopped. I should’ve pushed past and kept on going. That would’ve been the wise thing to do.

Alipha’s eyes coast over Sean with a frown. Is she surprised I’m out with a man?

“I didn’t expect to see you around here. Didn’t you get kicked out of your farm recently?” She presses her closed fan to her chest and lets her lips settle in a semblance of a smile. I know better though. She’s not happy to see me.

I try to be gracious, even as I peer down the length of my nose at her. She’s tiny compared to me, petite and pretty, with dark copper, curly hair down to her waist. She got all the good-looking genes in her family for sure.

I ignore her jab.

“This is my hometown.” I shrug like I have no cares in the world. I’m a good actress when called for. “I thought I’d pop in for the harvest festival. I have always loved it. Such great food and music.”

At this point, I’m just wasting her time because I can. She can’t keep flitting her eyes to Sean.

“Oops, I’m being rude,” I say, faking my good cheer. I had good cheer about three minutes ago, but it’s gone gone gone. “Sean Bogordo, this is Alipha Cardoso.”

“It’s —” Alipha starts.

“It’s Bargado,” Sean finishes. The two look away from each other as I realize my mistake.

I guess I’m the rude one who can’t remember his name. My ears singe like they’ve been pressed to a hot plate.

“Sorry,” I mumble at Sean. “We’re having a little date, and then we’re going to head back to Sakata City and get aboard my new ship. I’m sure you know all about it.”

“I do.” Alipha pales as the people behind her whisper and watch us.

Frosty vibes emanate from Alipha and her consort, and I either have to rescue this conversation or run the other way. Actually, I’ve been doing all the talking. This isn’t so much a conversation as me covering up my own unease.

“Well, we need to get going,” Alipha says, snapping her fan in her hand before placing it in the obi of her green and yellow kimono. “Good to see you, Vivian.”

I step out of the way and let them pass. Thank goodness that ended quickly.

Alipha glances over her shoulder as she walks away.

“Ugh. I hate running into people who dislike me.” I turn to Sean, and he’s watching the Alipha gang walk away. “Sorry about that.”

“She doesn’t like you?” he asks, turning back to me.

“Yeah. Can’t you tell?” I huff a laugh. “Her family was always so much better than mine.” Looks like her family’s going to come out on top. I bet Alipha is the first person at the auction, trying to buy my family’s land.

My stomach turns over, swishing around all the food I’ve eaten like clothes in a washing machine. On second thought, I really need an engineer who’s interested in me and the ship. I can’t let Alipha’s family own the one thing I truly love.

Sean is staring off in the direction of the music. “Shall we go?” His manner is cool again like we didn’t have a moment where we laughed and held hands. It was erased by that stupid conversation.

Or, perhaps I imagined the moment.

“Sure. Let’s go dance and then head back to the ship,” I say, jerking my thumb at the festival dance party.

“Great. I’m looking forward to seeing the Amagi for myself.”

Not looking forward to knowing me better?

Something tells me he doesn’t care.