Legacy to Zero

41: Layers of Secrets

Lars

I leaned back, trying to fight the slight tinge of warmth Reid's assertiveness brought to my cheeks. I would have reached to pinch my skin if I wasn't pretty sure he'd see me do it.

Anyway, I had to get to the heart of the matter, which had nothing to do with the fact that every part of me was filled with the rubber band of an electric charge between us.

It was much more important than that. Focus, Lars.

I cleared my throat and wondered if this was obvious to him.

"Am I... allowed to ask what the hell Sage was on about?"

Reid's eyes scanned me over. Slowly—I could have sworn his gaze lingered on me for a beat that wasn't nearly long enough. "Not really." The chair inched over to the bedside so he could slide closer to me. "Have you ever been to Prismatrix's garden? It's on floor seventeen. It's the only thing there."

I drew my eyebrows together. Was this subject restricted access too? Probably, right? It was how I'd gotten to speak to Sachiko in the first place—by confessing that I was there for Harlow.

"Haven't had the time," I said. "Where are you going with this?"

He pulled up the map of HQ on his watch, one eyebrow raised as he typed.

I hedged a guess that the gardens were probably where Sage was—if he hadn't left already. Not that it would change much, but maybe he could talk? Did Prismatrix do NDAs?

What was this line of thinking? Whatever Reid couldn't reveal, there was no way I needed to track down a former employee to get it. That seemed like a betrayal, like I was poaching Sage so he'd be on my side.

"You coming or not?" Reid asked from the doorway.

"Yeah." I slipped my phone into my pocket and followed. Whether it was a good idea or not, Sage already thought Harlow was innocent. And more than anything, I needed to know where that came from—considering nobody else but me did.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him uncap the pill bottle. The thought of taking one of those dry made me nauseous—the only reason I even had ibuprofen was because Dex was convinced I would die if I didn't have any. I didn't think I'd touched it since moving to Haryun, where there were healers like Alec.

It had to be because he was resistant to influence that he was meant to lead the squadron.

Ironically, it was like he didn't have a thread. Like he was as average and human as someone from before the Dome broke.

We walked in mutual silence; me, fidgeting with my earring, and Reid, fidgeting with his bracelets. He lowered his hand after a moment, and it hit me that I kind of wanted to hold it.

Goddamn it.

Since coming to Haryun, I'd gotten away with not really having a crush on anyone. Having a crush on a guy in Haryun was hard. Not because it wasn't accepted, but because sexuality didn't exist in the same way it did when I was home. In any province I'd lived in, I could ask a guy if he was bi and get my answer just like that, but Rynnis didn't have an equivalent. Something to the effect of 'do you date guys' would probably be as close as I was getting.