Beka blinked a few times before she yawned and looked up at Harper, who seemed to be sleeping. He stirred slightly as she sat up in bed, waking up and smiling at her.
“Hey.” She gave him an awkward smile back.
“Hey.” There was silence for a few moments, where they alternated looking at each other and anything but each other. Harper eventually left the bed and started putting his trousers back on. Beka joined him, though she seemed to have fallen asleep with all her clothes still on, so she ended up just standing there, looking awkwardly at the wall behind him as he finished getting dressed.
“Did you have a shift this morning?” he asked. “Cause if you are, you might be late, it’s…”
“Not until this afternoon,” she broke him off. “You?”
“I’m pretty much free to work when I want I guess. Got some power couplings to get to…” The events from earlier that morning suddenly struck him. Should he tell her Dylan and Rommie came in? There really was no reason for her to know; though he supposed she might find out some other way. “Um, something happened earlier, while you were still sleeping.” She raised an eyebrow.
“What’s that?”
“I woke up because, um, Dylan and Rommie had come in…” Her eyes widened in shock.
“What?”
“I…well, there wasn’t much I could do. Rommie knows what’s going on…”
“But Dylan?”
“Dylan…he’d have to find out eventually?”
“Yes but…I don’t like him knowing what’s going on, at least not before we’ve figured out what’s going on!” Harper had to admit she made a good point.
“I told him we didn’t do…what he thought we’d done.”
“You…he thought that?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re both dressed!”
“Don’t ask me to explain what goes on in his brain?” Beka sighed and walked out of the room, Harper following her.
“You’d better get to those power couplings,” she said weakly. He nodded and moved in slowly to kiss her, but seemed to change his mind in the last minute. She quickly moved to intercept and got him when he last expected it. He didn’t seem upset about it though, and a big smile broke out on his face as he gave her a little wave and left her in the Maru.
Beka slumped down in a chair and gave a little growl. Couldn’t things, for once, just have gone right? Sure, she knew that after all the stuff that she’d been through; this was minor, but still. All she’d wanted was to explore whatever relationship was possible for her and Harper before telling anyone else about it. As it was now…Dylan had managed to sniff it out immediately. Before anything, save a bit of kissing, had even happened. Fantastic.
Well, she still had to go to her shift. Hopefully he’d keep quiet.
****
“Hello Beka.” Dylan was sounding unusually stiff as she walked onto the Command Deck. She nodded at him and took her station as usual. Well, usual being a relative word. It had only been a few days since she had gone back on duty, but she felt like she’d fallen right back into her routines. She just hoped that wouldn’t have to change now because of Dylan and what he had seen that morning.
He didn’t say anything for at least two hours, not just about that morning but literally anything. As it was just the two of them there, it made it rather awkward with only Rommie’s occasional report to break the silence. Eventually he did however turn to her.
“Can we talk?” She tried to pretend like nothing had happened.
“Sure,” she said carelessly. He walked up to her, looking embarrassed.
“About you and Harper…” Her heart was beating hard, but she tried not to show it.
“Yes?”
“I think…of course if you’re having a relationship it’s your business,” he splurted out, and continued without breathing, “but I think it’d be good if I knew about it.”
“Right,” Beka said after a few moments of silence. “Well…to be completely honest…I’m…not sure myself. And I’d rather talk about it with him before I talk to you.”
“Right,” he said, and Beka assumed the conversation had ended there. Alas, it had not. “Because if you are, you know, I don’t really understand…I don’t want to play psychiatrist, I don’t doubt Rommie’s performance but it’s a little soon, isn’t it?”
“I think you’re doing the right thing trusting her performance,” Beka commented while pretending to work hard at her console.
“I…” he flung his arms out and turned around. “I just…just keep me updated please.” Beka gave a small growl and, stomping her feet loudly, left him alone.
