Survival

Chapter 50 Facade

The door to the office clicked open but Edward paid it little attention. The parts delivery wasn't due for another few days when others were back from scavenging.

"Officer, how can we help you?" Nate asked.

"Just checking in on our cameras."

Edward forced himself to stay still as she approached, but it was much harder than usual. Especially after what she'd done to him last night. Their not-in-public agreement still stood as far as he knew and he really didn't want to jeopardize his sudden good fortune. Just be cool.

"That project is on hold until the glass and bulbs come in from outside. The recovery unit would be able to tell you that."

She sat down on the stool beside Edward and placed her hands on her lap. "Great, I'm sure you two will do good work once they're in."

"We generally do." Nate paused. "Right, Edward?"

Nate must have noticed his extremely stiff, uncomfortable shoulders and that he didn't dare make eye contact with either of them. "Right, only the best."

"Great, I should be going then." His body relaxed at those words and her footsteps. "Edward, are you free for lunch?" And like a cruise ship in the Bermuda Triangle, his ease vanished into thin air.

"I," he started and turned to the woman who wore an expression no different from the one she had when they were alone. Why did she turn him into a schoolboy with his first crush? Was this some sort of test? "If you want to, sure."

"I'll meet you on the second floor then around noon. Have a good day, gentlemen."

Just when he was convinced things couldn't stray anymore from the expected, Olivia came over and kissed him on the lips. His surprise kept him from kissing her back. She pulled away with a small smile.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Edward let out a trapped breath. "That actually happened, right? You saw her come in and..."

"Won't find much food on the second floor," Nate said.

No, just her apartment.

"Be careful, Edward. Women like that always have an agenda."

"I know, luckily she's fairly obvious about hers-"

"Not that kind of agenda. When a woman has looks on her side, she can easily make men overlook certain details."

Edward tried not to laugh. He'd be far from the ideal candidate for any kind of goal she had in mind. "She's not very good at manipulating people. I catch her most of the time."

Nate's eyes surveyed Edward's face.  "How long have you two been...?"

"We've been friendly probably just after my first week here."

Nate tapped his fingers on the table. "There were rumours about her fiancé's departure, that she played a role in it."

"She certainly blames herself and is far from over it." It broke his heart, holding her as she wept and shook. He had avoided telling her about the tears when she appeared to have forgotten the whole experience. "She needs more help than I can give her. Professional help."

"That, I would not have guessed."

"I think she works very hard to keep up that image."

"I'd still be cautious about the whole thing."

"Nothing but eggshells, Nate. There's not a whole lot she could use me for. She's higher ranking than I am, has more income, and influence."

Nate shook his head and went back to work. Edward's eyes shot to the clock as his body began the short countdown until lunch.

When he reached her door, it hardly took more than a couple knocks to be let inside. Her lips were on his in an instant, warm, soft, and sensual. The privacy kicked his instincts back in and he ran his tongue over her bottom lip. She let him in without hesitation, wrapping her arms tighter around his body. Her breasts pressed into his chest and his arousal became impossible to hide against her.

"Hold on," he said, not knowing where the words came from. "What happened earlier in the electronics department? You kissed me, in front of Nate. Does that make us public now?"

"I just-" Olivia's eyes darted from right to left and she sighed. "People are going to fuck with me no matter what I do or hide. I'm sick of it. You are the best part of my life right now, and I'm sick of hiding it." She rested her head against his chest and breathed deeply.

Edward looked down into her eyes. "You're being honest with me?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at him and her lips curled. "Of course." The tone wasn't defensive; it was the hurt one she had week ago when she had showed up at his apartment beaten and broken. He would have thought she had so much more going for her in this colony. No matter what rank you were, things appeared to be sour.

"I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to this version of you. Am I really the best part of your life?"

"I work for a sadist bent on my failure. I've lost everyone and thing I used to care about, including myself. God, that feels good to get that off my chest." She pulled away from him and walked around the room with her arms outstretched.

"I guess I'm lucky to have Nate."

"Very." She paused for a moment and bit her bottom lip. "I lied to you Edward."

He waited for Nate's fears to be realized.

"When I told you I never wanted children, it was a lie. I hadn't wanted any until I discovered I was pregnant and it became a symbol of hope for my fiancé and me. I was torn with the option of staying or leaving. He had made it very clear he had no future here, but I was worried about the baby. The director found out and told me my odds, my options, not one of them good. I believed his ridiculous claims about the future, about the uncertainty and horror it would face."

"If he's so against children, why is there a breeding program?"

"Because he hates things he cannot control. These children will be planned symbols. A year of prosperity. Completely innocent children who have never known the world prior to the disasters, not even during conception or in foetal development: tabula rasa."

"And you're not pregnant now so..."

"My child," she whispered. "She was the one I killed. When I told Marcel, he... he looked at me with the same contempt he had for the director and he left. I deserved it."

He held her close before he lost her to another panic attack. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed tighter. "It's over now."

"I wish it was," she whispered.

"Let's go get some lunch. Be a nice distraction."

"Alright," she said, likely resigning her feelings back into that twisted mind of hers. He watched her frown fade, her eyes sharpen and her posture go erect. There was something not right about how easily she could pull off that feat.