The hot water from the shower head streamed down onto his skin. He leaned his head back, stretching his neck muscles, and the water hit his face. After a restless night, Hale needed this time to relax. He wished that his guilt would wash away with his sweat. But it didn’t mater how long he stayed under the water, his guilt still burdened him. Because of what he had promised her father, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was leading her on. He wasn’t supposed to tell her, but he wasn’t sure if keeping that secret was right. The only product of lies was distrust and hurt. He wanted her to trust him. Hale knew that nothing good would come from his decision, but wasn’t it too late to change his mind? He had already promised her father.

Hale stood completely straight and let the water run down his hair. He decided to stop thinking about the promise he made to the king. He had spent the last seven hours turning back in forth in agony wondering if that decision was wrong. He wasn’t about to spend seven more. Showering was supposed to be his time to relax and clear his mind. He needed his mind clear, or as clear as his mind could be, so that he could remember everything that happened as they spent time together. These memories had to be enough for a lifetime. Thinking of Pandora washed away his worries faster than the shower ever could. He was going to see her today, be able to hold her, and hear her voice, a melody that soothed him.

Hale soaped up his hair with the shampoo provided for him. Halfway through washing his body, he heard the doorbell ring several times. And then once the ringing had stopped, someone pounded continually on the door. Hale cursed while rinsing the soap off his body. He turned off the water and nearly slipped as he hurriedly left the shower while drying off with a towel. Hale combed his hair back with his fingers and then wrapped the towel around his waist. The person was still knocking on the door, and he had grown weary of hearing it. Although he was only wearing a towel, he didn’t hesitate for a moment to open up the door.

The door slid away to reveal Pandora with a large tray of food in her hands. Her smile was weary, probably because she had been knocking for minutes straight. He watched her eyes move downward over him. Her eyes opened wide and her cheeks grew pink like a rose. Was his wearing only a towel around her really that surprising? The idea of that being the reason for her being so flustered made him grin.

He moved aside from the entrance. “You can come in and set that down on the bed.”

She nodded and flew past him. She placed the tray near the pillows on the bed and stared at her hands to avoid having to look at him. He went to his dresser to pick out his clothes. The king had provided him with a surplus of clothing to choose from. As he looked through his dresser, Pandora didn’t say a word. He glanced back at her, and she was still staring at her hands. He picked a grey shirt and a loose pair of white pants. He would change in the bathroom. Hale looked at her again, and she just turned her head as if she had been staring at him the entire time. Her blush was almost red. With his clothes in hand, he walked towards her.

“Morning,” he said smiling.

She was completely backed up against the side of his bed, and playing with a strand of her hair. “Good morning.” She didn’t make eye contact with him.

He lifted her chin up with his finger and looked down into her eyes “You don’t have to be nervous. It’s just me.”

She sighed. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s just I thought we would be over with this stage by now. I mean… you’ve already seen me in my underwear. A towel covers more actually.”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. “True.”

He rubbed her back and kissed her on the forehead. He pressed his face to hers and stared into her sparkling eyes, a dark amethyst streaked with a brilliant gold. The gold was a lasting effect of the serum. He would never forget the life-threatening effects the serum had on her body. But what it did to her eyes took his breath away. Could her eyes get any more beautiful?

He closed his eyes regretfully because he couldn’t see her anymore. Yet he wanted to kiss her more than he wanted to see her. He met her lips and kissed her slowly. He could have stayed there for hours. He wanted to. When they eventually parted, they both had a smile on their face.

Hale looked down at himself, realizing he was still in a towel. And suddenly he felt uncomfortable because it didn’t hide anything well enough. He picked up his clothes and walked to the bathroom.

“I’ll be back there in a few minutes. I’m going to change now.”

“Okay,” Pandora said crawling onto the bed.

Hale quickly dressed himself. Before he left the bathroom, he checked himself in the mirror. He finger combed his damp hair again and decided to brush his teeth for the second time this morning. He realized that he also felt nervous about her still. He was better at hiding it than she was, but he felt oddly self-conscious about his appearance around her.

He took several breaths and then opened the bathroom door. He quietly paced to the bed where she sat.

“This better?” Hale gestured to his clothes.

She laughed. “Maybe I just need to get used to seeing you in a towel.”

He sat next to her and put an arm around her. “That can be arranged.” He picked up a fork off the tray full of food. “Is this for me?” He stuck the fork into a piece of and took a bite before she answered.

“Yes. I made it for you. I wanted you to have something nice for your first breakfast on Elani.”

“Thank you.”

She watched him eat the food she had prepared for him. Hale offered some to her, but she had apparently already eaten. He couldn’t exactly explain the burst of flavors that the Elani food contained. Each piece of fruit had a different taste. Some were sour, bitter, or sweet. Beside the fruit bowl was a colorful cake. Her thoughtfulness overwhelmed him. He could have cried because he didn’t know why she was so generous to him.

“What do you think?”

“It’s amazing.”

She leaned on him more. “I can’t wait to spend the day with you. I could hardly sleep last night.”

After Hale finished eating all the food, he pushed the tray to the end of the bed and lay down. He pulled Pandora down with him. He breathed in the light scent of her soft hair. The sunlight peaked through the window and illuminated the room and brought out faint highlights on her hair. He wished his life could always be this simple.

“I was wondering if you finished your quest or whatever,” Hale began. “Did the serum actually work?”

Pandora frowned. “Ever since I woke up, I haven’t actually thought about it much. I know the serum worked. The moment it entered my body I felt stronger.”

Hale was surprised to hear that she hadn’t completed her quest to save Elani. It had been the most important thing to her since they met. “Why not?”

“As soon as I found out that you were in prison, everything else I had going on took a backseat. I just had to make sure you were okay.”

Her explanation was even more stunning to him. Had he become more important that her home? That was likely nothing more than wishful thinking, but he wondered. “I’m sorry I worried you. I didn’t mean to distract you from your goals. What else do you have to do? I can help you.”

Pandora sat up and grabbed his hand. “It’s not your fault at all. But I should probably get onto that. I need to make a trip to the crystal caves. I’ll need my father’s permission, but I doubt he’ll care. He might even let you come.”

“You should get that taken care of as soon as possible. I don’t want to stand in your way.”

“You aren’t. If anything you’re helping to keep me on track,” Pandora said stroking his cheek. “I’ll make sure to ask my father about it the next time I see him.”

“Good,” Hale said. He pulled her back down on top of him.

Pandora laughed into his chest and hugged him. For the rest of the time that they lay there, neither said anything. Hale couldn’t be sure why she was quiet, but for him, he remained silent because he wanted to cherish her presence and reflect in how she made him feel. This couldn’t last forever.

* * * *

As Pandora waited at the dining room table alone, she felt disappointed with herself. Her father would be meeting her for lunch, just the two of them. Like Hale had suggested, she would inquire about her making a trip to the caves to complete her mission, quest, or whatever she should call it. She was disappointed with herself because of how careless she had been. How did she forget for even a moment about saving Elani? Why had she waited even a day? She was on Elani, and all of her plans so far had worked. The serum had made her stronger; she could feel the new power flow through her. How did she forget about her home?

She gripped the arms of her chair. Hale was the one who brought her quest up in conversation this morning. She was fortunate to have him in her life. He was concerned about what was important to her, possibly more concerned than she was. Instead of thinking about her home and her people, she had been worrying only about Hale from the moment she woke up. He had consumed all of her thoughts until there was no room for anything else.

She had wanted to ask him about what his plan for their future was. She had too many questions. Did he want to stay on Elani to be with her? Were they in an exclusive committed relationship? Did he want that at all with her? She covered her face with her hands. Hale being a distraction was one of her greatest fears, and it had happened. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t lose focus, but she did. Hale had to remind her about saving Elani, the reason she had followed him and dragged him across the galaxy.

She could worry about her mistakes later. She was here, meeting her father for lunch, to talk about visiting the caves. That would be her only focus for now. She wouldn’t mention Hale to her father because she would definitely get sidetracked.

“Good afternoon, dear,” her father’s voice greeted.

Pandora sat up and held perfect posture. She smiled away her internal troubles. “Hello, how has your day been?”

He took the seat across from her. “Quite tiring already. But I am glad you wanted to have lunch.”

Their servants came into the dining room and asked them what they wanted to eat. Pandora asked for a soup. Something light was exactly what she needed. She wasn’t very hungry, but eating would give her the energy that she was lacking.

Her father started a conversation about the party he was planning for her to celebrate her return to Elani. He went on about the many guests he was in the process of inviting and how excited everyone was to see her. Pandora had mastered the skill of pretending to pay attention, and she used this to her advantage in this conversation. The last thing she was concerned with was a party.

Once her father was done going through the guest list with her, she found her time to ask her father about the caves. “Before I forget, I needed to ask you something.”

“What about?”

“Well, now that I’m home and settled in… I was wondering if you could arrange for me a trip down to the caves. Being away from Elani was difficult for me, and I feel most at home there.”

Her father appeared unsettled. He was frowning and looked away from her. “I would prefer if you would stay in the castle for now. I finally have you back.”

“Dad, I know that. But I want to go. Hale can come with me. I’ll be safe. I don’t need to stay for long.”

“I’m afraid I have to say no. It’s not a good idea right now,” her father answered.

Pandora forced a smile. “I understand your concern, but Hale won’t let anything happen to me.”

“Ah, like the time he brought you home in a coma,” he said bitterly.

“The coma wasn’t his fault!” Pandora immediately regretted raising her voice. She breathed slowly. “Dad, it wasn’t him. I promise you that. It was my choice to take that serum. He tried to stop me, but I didn’t listen. He cares about me.”

He stood up from his chair. The anger she found in his eyes was rare, and it was even rarer that she found it directed towards her “I don’t care what you believe. I will never trust him. And you have shown that you are foolish and very irresponsible. Nothing I do is good enough for you, is it? I release your criminal boyfriend just like you asked, and still you ask for more!”

“Please calm down. I’m sorry. Just forget I ever asked.”

He stormed away from the table and opened the door for himself. “Have a good day, Pandora.”

She gasped and began to cry as soon as she left. That conversation shouldn’t have gone that badly. She shouldn’t have gotten defensive about Hale. She shouldn’t have raised her voice at her father. For a moment, she lost control of her emotions because she hated hearing her father criticize Hale. But that was no reason for her to behave disrespectfully towards him. He was only trying to protect her. And now he thought she was ungrateful, which was completely untrue. She appreciated everything her father did for her. Except his overprotectiveness. That was quickly becoming unbearable.