Her heart clenched in response to the emptiness there. Her reunion with Hale had been cut painfully short. He hardly said a word to her. She hadn’t been able to say anything meaningful to him either. Everything that she still needed to express to him exploded in her mind. Worst of all, she didn’t get to hold him long enough.

Was her father trying to torture her? She thought her father had done what she had asked of him which was to release Hale. He brought Hale right to her. She even got to touch him, and she clung to him for as long as she could, but Hale broke away from her. He wasn’t acting like he usually did around her. She had noticed him holding back. While it was likely because her father was watching, she still wondered if something had changed between them. Since when did Hale care what anyone thought about him?

What surprised her the most was that Hale obeyed her father without arguing or without any hesitation. Compliance was not part of the Hale she knew. Perhaps, he was trying to put on a good front and gain acceptance from her father. Another possibility was that her father had said something to scare Hale into submission. Either way she didn’t want Hale to pretend to be someone he wasn’t. She loved who he was when they were alone.

Pandora pulled the covers over her face. Sealing her eyes shut, she imagined being held by him. The feeling of his touch still lingered from earlier. That would have to be enough to sustain her through the night. Tomorrow, she would be able to hold him for as long as she wanted to. She decided that, regardless of what her father had in mind. Hale now owed her a kiss since he had pushed her back. She sighed longingly for him, her imagining Hale’s lips again.

Back on Garra, in the ship, just after they had found the book, she could have had all of him. And she often thought of that time. She had never felt closer to him. But she could have felt even closer if she hadn’t pushed him away. She didn’t regret anything because in her situation it seemed like the best decision. But still… she sometimes wished she had given in. Then she could have carried the memory of that feeling with her when she missed him. She ached for him, feeling empty. And she could have filled her emptiness with a memory of him. But instead she had nothing except her imagination and the memory of his touch.

There were women somewhere out in the galaxy that had been with Hale, that had experienced more of him than she had. She was jealous of them. She loved him more than they ever could, but she hadn’t been as close to Hale as they had been with him.

She had to admit that bothered her. Did Hale not want her that much? He told her he didn’t want to rush into anything with her because he had real feelings for her. She should have believed his words, but as she lay there, in desperation for his touch, she doubted him. She felt guilty that she doubted him. The guilt stung until she decided that she couldn’t take it any longer. She had to see him. Tonight. Not tomorrow.

She rolled off her bed and put on a robe. She opened the door to her room. Waiting outside of the room were two palace guards. They crossed their long spears in front of her to prevent her from leaving.

“Where are you going at this hour?” One of the guards asked.

Pandora looked down at the floor. “To the kitchen. I’m hungry.” She couldn’t tell them the truth.

“You may call someone to bring you food.”

“I don’t want to. I can do things for myself. I don’t feel like staying in my room right now.”

The guards wore disgusted expressions on their faces and left their spears crossed. “Your father would prefer it if you remained in your room.”

Pandora scoffed and pushed through their spears to the other side. “I know my dad has increased the security. But I am not staying in my room. I don’t care if you tell my father.”

With that, Pandora walked down the hall without hesitation. She wasn’t afraid of the guards or her father. The increased security was unnecessary, and she found it quite intrusive. She would have words with her father tomorrow. As of now, she would focus on finding Hale’s room.

* * * *

Hale saw many characteristics of Pandora being displayed by her father as Hale followed him to the guest room. The king walked with an air of confidence that Hale remembered also belonging to Pandora. While she had been shy around him at first, it wasn’t long before she showed him who she truly was, a king and merciful person who amazed him at every turn. Maybe she was like that partially because of her father. The king certainly showed Hale mercy when he decided to release him. According to his rap sheet, Hale should have been left in prison forever at least. The king was also kind, not to Hale, necessarily, but he was to his daughter. Because this man raised the woman he loved, he deserved Hale’s respect. Although the king was an overprotective father, Hale didn’t think less of him. Hale would have given anything to grow up with someone who actually cared about what happened to him and who he became as an adult. Who Hale became was his own fault, but having someone like Pandora’s father might have changed his future.

Hale looked down at his handcuff free wrists. He couldn’t believe the king hadn’t handcuffed him with moment he left Pandora’s room. But no handcuffs didn’t equal trust. Her father wasn’t foolish enough to trust him. They were surrounded by security guards as they walked.

The king led him through one of the long halls of the castle. The walls were made of a shiny, sand-colored marble and had wide supportive columns on each side, every few meters. The ceiling was about ten meters high and had colorful paintings projected upon it. At the end of the hallway was a tall window and a view of the night sky glowing from city lights. Hale stood there for a few moments admiring it.

“This was the room I had prepared for you. I think you will find it well fit for your needs,” the king said.

Hale looked at the door they stood in front of. The king opened and gave him a brief tour. There was a large bed high off the ground to the left side of the room. On the left wall next to the bed was paned glass doors leading to a balcony. A bathroom was even connected to the room. Hale was stunned that the king would be this generous to him.

“Do you approve?”

Hale nodded. “It’s better than I expected. So, thank you.”

“Yes, I wanted to be comfortable for your visit.”

Hale walked over to the bed and sat down. The stress of the day had begun to affect him, and he was ready to fall asleep. “I appreciate it.” Hale was terrible at small talk with her father. Here, he was worried he would say something wrong.

“I know we thoroughly talked about this, but you won’t forget what you promised me, correct?”

Hale scoffed… out loud. He couldn’t hold it in. “It’s in my best interest. I don’t want to stay in prison of course.”

“The part where you agreed not to tell Pandora is the most important part. The most important part.”

“Yes, I understand. But are you sure you want to keep something like this from her?” Hale asked.

“We both agree you aren’t the man she deserves. It would be easier for her to get over the feelings if she hated you instead of me. That’s why we’re not going to tell her. I must go.” The king left the room quickly.

Hale turned around and smashed his face into the assortment of pillows on the bed. Almost every conversation he had with that man left him with more stress to add to the pile already building up inside of him. His body wanted to sleep. He could barely keep his eyes open and felt himself drift off several times in the short time he lay there. Yet all the stress and guilt that was ripping his heart to shreds kept him awake. Fighting the urge to scream, he gripped the sheets beneath him. He was betraying Pandora, but her father wasn’t giving him another choice.

Though he was inside of Pandora’s castle where she wasn’t more than a few floors away, he felt completely alone. The fact that she was here but wasn’t in his arms crushed his spirit, making him realize how he needed her. Hale turned onto his back and looked at the clear band around her wrist. He recalled how it tracked his location at all times. The king purposely mentioned that to keep Hale in his room at night probably. Hale knew better than to go looking for Pandora’s bedroom.

But that’s exactly what he wanted to do. All he could think about was holding her. While he often preferred the silence of being alone throughout the day, he hated sleeping alone. He would have been perfectly content having her beside him and nothing more. He just needed her presence and her warmth.

He couldn’t believe that not more than half an hour ago he had held her. Her father had brought him to her room after he was released from prison. Hale slowly released his breath and played back the memory of seeing her again in his mind.

Pandora’s bedroom was darkened from the absence of artificial lighting. The only light came from the city which could be seen from the window, but it was enough for him to see that she was already lying in bed. He felt guilty that he had disturbed her slumber. He wondered if she would be as happy to see him as he was to see her. He didn’t have to wonder long.

She practically jumped onto him from her bed the moment she realized who he was. And then, there she was… in his arms again. He could hardly process all his feelings and thoughts. She was alive. She was… alive. He ran his hands over her body as slowly as her could to feel every dip and curve of her figure. There were countless times when he wondered if he would ever touch her again. He pulled her closer to him and breathed in the sweet scent of her skin. Oh, how he wanted to get even close to her. It was so painful to see her bed behind them. He wanted her more than he ever had.

She stood up and brought their lips close together to kiss him. And how he wanted to kiss her. But the strong feelings he had for her made even a single kiss dangerous. They were in front of her father. That was the only reason Hale told her no.

Hale wished he would have had the strength to kiss her and nothing more. Yet, it was for the best that he didn’t because her father was there. He could survive the night without her, resting in the fact that he would see her tomorrow. Although he might not sleep, his body was used to being deprived of rest. The peace needed for sleep was rarely a part of his life. Hale felt the most peace when he was with Pandora. He wished she could be his forever.

Hale turned over and pulled the covers over his shoulder. If he tried hard enough, he might just fall asleep. He wasn’t sure how long his eyes were closed, but he heard footsteps and voices outside his room. He heard the door whir open and close. Hale sat up halfway and squinted his eyes at the intruder.

“Who is it? Are you supposed to kill me or something?” Hale said sarcastically.

“Very funny,” she laughed.

He knew that laugh and held out his arms, welcoming her into his bed. As she stepped up to the side of the bed, the dim light from the window caught her violet eyes with the most spectacular sparkle. She stood against the side of the bed and took off a layer of clothing. It looked to be her robe. She grabbed his hands and ran them up her sides, allowing him to feel her soft nightgown. They hadn’t even kissed yet and his heart was already racing.

She could do so much to him effortlessly. If there ever were the one for him, it was she. He hung his legs over the side of the bed and started to lift himself to stand, but she didn’t let him. She pushed him down onto the bed. This was escalating faster than he wanted. Still standing, she gripped his shoulders and pressed a kiss to his lips. He closed his eyes and returned her affection with equal passion. He had missed her kiss, and it was obvious that she had missed his.

The closer she got to him the faster his heart pounded. Any other time, he would have savored the rush she gave him. But tonight he couldn’t. He couldn’t forget about the device wrapped around his wrist that tracked his heart beat. He knew exactly why her father included that mechanism on his bracelet. Hale having an elevated heart beat while in the bedroom was certainly going to appear suspicious. And that’s why Hale pulled away.

He hated the hurt look in Pandora’s eyes at his sudden rejection. She didn’t want to let go. “Hey, let me explain.”

She sniffled. “Do you just not want me? What don’t I have that all the other girls you’ve been with do?”

He shushed her affectionately, hoping to calm her down. “Stop. Those thoughts aren’t true. Where is all this coming from anyway?”

“Why is it always no for me?”

Hale squeezed her hands and held them to his chest. “I want you. I always have. I guess… I’m….” Hale could barely believe the words he was about to say. “I’m just not ready to give that part of me to you. I thought I was. But I’m glad you told me no on Garra. That would have been a mistake. I’m so afraid, Pandora. I’m already so crazy about you. Taking the next step, would make me even more obsessed with you.”

Her tears reflected the city lights as they streamed down her face. “You mean it?”

“Of course.” He should have told her that he loved her. That would have made her more sure of his words. But again, he wasn’t ready. “Besides, there’s another reason that I have to hold back now.”

“And that would be?”

Hale smiled. “Your father.”

“What?”

Hale pointed to the clear bracelet around his wrist. “He’s using this to track my location and my heart rate. Right now he could see that I’m in my room. And I’m sure he knows you’re in here somehow. Having a really fast heartbeat would look really suspicious.”

Pandora’s eyes went wide “Ohhhhh.”

“Yeah, pretty impressive. I have to respect the man for trying to keep you safe from me.”

“I suppose.” She was clearly disappointed. “And the guards outside your room I’m sure told him I came to visit you. They said I could only stay for an hour.”

“That’s plenty of time for me to hold you,” he said.

She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “That’s not nearly enough time.” She twisted a piece of his hair between her fingers.

He kissed her forehead. “I’m just glad you came.”

He helped Pandora climb into the bed. He moved over a bit, and she laid in his spot. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. He rested his head between her neck and her shoulder. He pulled the covers over their bodies. Then he closed his eyes. He could have fallen asleep if he allowed himself. But he wanted to stay awake so that he would remember every moment they had together before he had to say goodbye.