Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 38

Just as Beth had been thinking, life went on. With Kelbar's help, they were able to figure out an easier way to acquire building material, in the form of tightly bound sheaves of teal grass. They had to be cut, bound, and allowed to dry for several days in the sun before they were ready for use, but they were still a much better alternative to the heavy, thick fungus trees that took days to harvest.

With Liam free from the backbreaking work, he had more time to focus on the actual building, and with translated advice from Kelbar, and assistance from the rest of the architecture department, he was able to figure out several ways to make the grasses even more efficient than they already were, taking loads of extra work from their backs.

The planting was soon completed, and with only the work of watering once a day and feeding the animals, the agriculture department was also free from so much work.

The only department that was still busy was the exploration department. Every day, Beth would lead expeditions, seeing as she had been to the planet before, and then when she returned, she would lead a large class with Kelbar, slowly but surely teaching the rest of the colony his language, despite the belief that he could be the only one left.

With so much work to do, Beth hardly had time to hang out with Liam, but late one afternoon, when she was sure that the exploration department could get along without her, she slipped away, finding him sitting lazily under one of the larger trees that hadn't been cut down. He was obviously dozing.

"Hey there, ugly. Long time no see." She teased, kicking his boot, creating a hollow thump.

"Oh, hello hideous, I didn't see you there," Liam teased right back, kicking her legs out from under her, and letting her fall into his arms.

She let out a playful shriek, struggling to get away, but he held her still, gazing into her eyes.

Not for the first time, she noticed how there were tiny flecks of golden yellow swirling throughout the green of his eyes. Once again, she noticed his gaze flicker momentarily to her lips, but unlike last time, there was no one there to spoil the moment.

His eyes moved back up to her own, a shimmer of uncertainty showing there as if he was asking a question. She rolled her eyes. He always seemed to be so unsure of himself around her.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. It was her first real kiss, and so far, it hadn't gone like she'd imagined it would. After seeming to be surprised for a second, Liam leaned into the kiss. It seemed like the moment was over too soon, and they pulled away.

Liam's eyes were shining, and she was pretty sure that she looked the same way.

They stayed there, under the shade of the thick, fungus-like tree for a while. Beth leaned against Liam's chest, and his fingers lazily traced little circles on her shoulder. They talked about things that didn't really matter, but at the moment, they felt like they did. It was fun, but not the thrill-fun that you would get from a roller-coaster. It was the relaxed kind of fun that you got from reading a book or watching a movie. It was nice. She felt like she could stay there forever, but before she knew it, the golden light in the sky started to fade, and they knew that it would soon be time to go their separate ways, until the next time that Beth could slip away.

_______

Ruth looked at the chart again. It was hard to believe, but it had to be true because she had run the tests for the fourth time without the result fluctuating.

On a whim, Ruth had decided to sneak back into the ship to test Beth's blood sample again, and to her surprise, she found that the tests were turning up more information this time around. The charts and diagrams all showed the same thing.