Rory had spent the past hour getting ready for the date. Well, it was an Official Unofficial Date.
Not only had Rory done her hair, but she got dressed up too. The clothes she wore were exactly her size, so she figured that Jessica may have bought them for her and stored them away in her closet.
The computer picked them out for her.
Rory wore a black dress that stopped right below her knees. The top part of it was off the shoulder, but the sleeves clung right under her shoulders. The skirt of the dress was dark blue.
She let her hair down and moisturized it well so it wouldn't tangle while it was free. She examined herself in the mirror and made a few final touches.
It looked overdone, but today she wanted to show Decha a completely different side of her. He stated before that it didn't matter to him whether she was Astellian or Bracketer, but today, she was going to make him see a clear difference.
Although they were just going to be chilling in the garden, Rory had an entire list of romantic interactions she'd trick Decha into doing. Spring was coming. Actually, it was already here. The flowers had started blooming.
In the Brackets, Spring was special. During the Spring there was a celebration that would encourage dating couples to get engaged to marry. Rory didn't have the intention to follow the same traditions, but her list was similar.
Rory made sure to wear oversized black flats. This way if her shoe came off, Decha would notice it. Then she would stare at the flower she liked the most so Decha could pick it for her.
She would also surprise him and hug him from behind. That always seemed to work. Men loved that.
And once she had him under her spell, she wanted to kiss him.
Rory giggled like a child just thinking about it.
She rushed out of her room in excitement. She couldn't wait anymore. She skipped down the hallway with a big smile on her face. But she stopped when she saw Decha at the front door, dressed in nothing but casual clothes.
She'd never seen him so underdressed before. He had a black tank top on and black sweatpants. His hair was more kept than it was in the morning, but his overall appearance was shocking.
Decha stared at her as if she were the crazy one. He thought she was overdressed, especially since they were just taking a stroll in the garden. He thought her outfit was different. It wasn't a bad thing, but it did intrigue him.
"You shouldn't run around like that."
"I wasn't running. I was skipping."
"It still causes your heart rate to go up, doesn't it?" Decha scowled at her, and Rory pouted. "You know the answer, so don't do it."
Not even a full minute into the start of their Official Unofficial date, and he was already reprimanding her. Rory decided to let it slide off her back.
Decha opened the door and allowed Rory to leave first before shutting it and locking it behind them.
"The snow cleared up," Rory smiled at him.
"It's still a bit chilly. I think you should've grabbed a jacket before we left."
"It's warm. That's why I didn't wear one."
"If you get sick later, you won't be allowed to leave the house until Summer. Seriously, you can't afford to get sick right now."
"Then if it's so cold, why are you walking out in nothing but a tank top and sweatpants?"
"I already told you I'm used to harsh weather on the Outside."
Rory decided to change the subject to avoid the tension. She was used to his stern attitude, but she wanted him to relax around her.
They neared the gate where the garden was. Rory began to walk slower and more in sync with Decha. "Does your mom grow any produce here?" Rory looked left and right as Decha opened the gate for her to enter.
"Nope." Decha voiced monotonously.
"Oh, so it's just flowers."
"Yeah,"
"Do you have a favorite flower?"
"Not sure," Decha kept his eyes ahead. All this small talk was going to drive him insane. What was the point of this? She wanted to spend time with him, but this time it felt different. It felt forced.
Rory carefully slipped off one of her shoes and speed-walked ahead. "Look! I didn't know your mother had a fountain installed! It's huge!" Rory pointed at the large and well-decorated water fountain.
Surely, the Chens were rich. The fountain looked very expensive. There had to be at least hundreds of gallons of water flowing through it. There were even lights at the bottom.
"Stop." Decha raised his voice, immediately noticing that her shoe slipped off. Rory turned around with a smile, anticipating his next move.
Instead of picking her shoe up, he gestured for her to come back and pointed at it. "Pick it up. Put it back on. The stone in this area is sharp. You'll cut your foot."
"Oh, it seems like they're a tad bit big for me," Rory murmured. Her first step failed. That means it was gonna be harder for him to let his guard down.
"If the shoes were too big, why did you choose to wear them?" Decha rolled his eyes.
"Because they looked nice."
"Looking nice isn't so great when the time comes to trip and fall on your face," Decha warned her. "I don't understand it. You know that you're more prone to falling. But you insist on doing something that causes more detriment to yourself."
"Okay, I won't wear them anymore. Can you please stop scolding me?" Rory whined.
Thankfully the wind picked up and distracted the two from their bickering. Rory's skirt flung around her legs rapidly, and she crossed her arms when the chill brushed up her skin. Even her hair whipped around.
"I told you it was chilly." Decha shook his head at her.
"It's something I can handle." Rory stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh wow! Are those blue violets?" Rory started Phase 2 of her plan. "I've only read about these in books!"
"If you go to the Border during Spring, you'll find them there. Even on Sector B's side. They're quite common." Decha shrugged.
"I want to see it up close." Rory hinted.
"Then pick it." Decha gestured at it. Rory felt something snap within her. Was he seriously not going to pick it for her?
She glanced at him briefly and bit her lip. "Maybe it's best to leave it. It's one of the first flowers to bloom."
"Okay." Decha brushed past her gently and walked over to the fountain. He didn't care for the garden. He'd seen his mother plant every one of these flowers or shrubs when he was younger.
"How long did it take for the garden to be like this? Was it always here?"
"Jessica installed it when I was... 6?"
"So it's been around for 20 years... Amazing!"
Decha stopped and turned to face her. "I don't remember telling you my age..."
"Your mother did." Rory chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not sure if it interests you, but I'm only 2 years younger than you. And yet, you've accomplished so much. I feel like I'm behind."
"Comparing yourself to others constantly doesn't help much. If I were normal, I would've been further behind."
"Normal? What do you mean by that?"
"Photographic memory." Decha tapped the side of his head. "I remember everything I see. That's not normal."
"Hah." Rory scoffed at him. "Do you know how many people wish to have that? I wish I had a photographic memory. I could pass all my exams without studying!"
"It's not the best feeling when all you're praised for is because of a disease you were born with," Decha grunted.
Rory froze. When he put it that way, it sounded so sad and true. "I think it's better than having IDS and then being watched like a hawk constantly. I never get any true freedom." Rory retorted, but she quickly realized how insensitive that sounded. "I'm sorry, I—"
"You're right." Decha narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you done? Is there anything else you want to look at? I'm kind of tired."
"You want to go back inside?" Rory glowered.
"Yes?" Decha looked at his watch. The sun would set very soon. He wanted to go back and sit down. His wound was still hurting him, but he was masking the pain by forcing himself to stand and walk with her.
"If you're done, I'm going back inside—"
"Wait!"
Just as Decha turned around, Rory embraced him from behind. An overwhelming amount of pain shook Decha to his core, and he nudged her away harshly.
"I... I'm sorry." Rory whined. All her plans were failing her. He was rejecting all her efforts and even wanted to leave. They barely stayed out for 10 minutes.
"Let's go back inside." Decha huffed. He opened the gate and allowed Rory to walk back out. She did so, but she was very disappointed. Every step on her list failed. Maybe that meant that Decha wasn't as close to her as she expected.
She dressed up for him and it amounted to nothing. All he did was scold her. With her head hung low, she dragged her feet back to the house.
She refused to look back at Decha because she was holding in her tears. Unfortunately for her, Decha was able to tell. He had been able to read her easily, thanks to Jax. Her mood change was evident.
She stepped up to the door and waited for him to scan his hand to unlock it again. She felt that she wasted 10 minutes of her life that she couldn't get back. What a shame.
"Rory,"
"Can you just unlock the door and let me in? You're not the only one who's tired."
Decha hesitated, but he pressed his palm and fingers against the keypad. The clicking sound made Rory jump ahead. She shoved open the front door and stomped as quickly as she could toward her bedroom.
"Rory, wait," Decha stepped in and locked the door again. He followed after her. He caught up to her as she entered her room, but when she was about to close the door in his face, he stopped it. "What the heck is wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Rory mumbled sarcastically. "You're tired. I'm tired. We should all just retire for the night."
"Before we do that, there's something I have to tell you."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"Is it that important? It can just wait tomorrow if you're just gonna scold me some more about getting sick or my diet—"
"Jessica found a donor for you to get a transplant. She's working on scheduling a day for the surgery."
"Shut up," Rory gasped. "Are you serious?" It's as if all her worries vanished. Her eyes lit up brighter than the stars.
"Someone is willing to donate a kidney to help with my IDS?" Rory asked again, wanting to make sure he wasn't playing with her ears.
"We talked about it earlier. The process is starting. Soon you'll be able to recover completely."
"Oh my gosh... oh my gosh!" Rory paced back and forth, completely forgetting her anger. Getting the surgery meant a lot to her. She'd be able to be cured of the disease that haunted her for her entire life.
She wouldn't be locked away in the hospital anymore. She could finally do things other people do. She could go out and work.
She could live her life to the fullest. There wouldn't be any more costly treatments or pain.
If all went well, her father would be able to watch her grow without worrying.
Rory shrieked and hopped up and down repeatedly, letting all her emotion out. She was extremely happy. She didn't even know what to do with herself.
Decha watched her in amazement. The screaming was a bit much, but he knew that it was because of her being elated. He even felt his heart flutter. But he kept the same blank stare.
"Oh my gosh, Decha! You're the best! Thank you so much!" Rory rushed toward him and wrapped her arms over his shoulder. Without even realizing it, she rammed her lips onto his. Her emotions got the best of her.
But when she came to her senses, she quickly pulled away. "I..." Rory stuttered as her mind went blank. It seemed that she was initiating a lot of affection against his will. She started to regret it.
But instead of reacting harshly, Decha smiled at her. Then he did something completely unexpected.
He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her back. And Rory was very quick to reciprocate the action. Within seconds, the two had deepened the kiss.
There was still a painful throb in Decha's torso, but he ignored it. He did guide Rory to her bed to ease the soreness though. Their lips were still locked on each other, and after a minute or two, Rory started getting worried. But she didn't want it to stop.
Decha moaned the moment Rory's hands moved to his hair.
"Decha..." Rory pulled away to breathe. He hovered over her, allowing her to take a few deep breaths before continuing. When he kissed her again, Rory gave in and pulled him closer.
It wasn't until she heard footsteps near. She turned her head, but Decha took it as an opportunity. It wasn't completely intentional, but he got rougher with her.
"Someone's... coming!" Rory mumbled in between kisses. She could hear the person approaching and slowly started to panic. What if it was Jessica? She would not react well to the position they were in.
"Dechaaaa..." Rory whimpered and bit his lip for him to stop. But it was already too late. Whoever it was at the door stood frozen when they saw the two on the bed and making out.
Rory snatched her head away and realized that it was one of Decha's colleagues.
"Decha," Amir coughed awkwardly.
Rory shoved the Dark-eyed General off of her. He wasn't expecting it and landed on the floor beside her bed. But oddly enough, he wasn't ashamed that he was caught.
"Amir?" Decha groaned.
"You seem... busy. So I'll just... go."
"No!" Rory shot up and looked down. "I'll leave. You two c-can t-talk!" She stammered and avoided Amir's eyes as she stumbled out of the room. Amir looked back at Decha with wide eyes.
He wasn't sure where to start. Amir remembered that Decha was often shy and reserved when they trained together. But he knew that Decha was still a guy. Even when it came to Chai, he secretly glanced at her with more than just an admiring eye.
Like any other Astellian man, Decha wasn't able to overlook a lady's body.
Amir wouldn't personally go for a Bracketer, but Rory's body shape wasn't bad. It was no surprise that Decha wanted her.
"It's a good thing I stopped you. You might've done something you would regret." Amir chuckled as Decha pushed himself off the floor.
"I know how to control myself, dastard." He wiped his bottom lip in annoyance.
"You didn't with Chai." Amir teased. "I remember the pregnancy scare, back in College."
"I wasn't at my best back then." Decha rolled his eyes. "What did you want?"
"It's about the case. Jamison Clarke."
"Uh huh?"
"The tracker you put on POYO was more than enough to clear Jamison's name. He's being released as a prisoner but held under the Agency's care. But the thing is... when we went to—"
"Wait, Chen allowed this?" Decha stopped him. Theodore was always against whatever he had to say. Why did it take only the tracker for him to change his mind?
"He signed off on it and everything."
"What in the world?" Decha sneered. "Why is he calling off our deal? He's letting me win."
"BECAUSE, when we went to investigate POYO's location, we were led to a garage in downtown Astell. We busted a lot of Kilos Engineers. There was evidence of Deliverance traces. The name and everything matched your testimony."
Amir sighed. "I hate admitting when you're right."
Decha smirked at him. "So what's the plan now?"
"We wait for you to get back and give an order since you know the most about the case." Amir shrugged. "Will you be back tomorrow?"
"Hopefully." Decha shrugged. "If I walk around a bit, I should get used to the pain."
"Maybe you should recover for a few more days. N9899 and I will keep you updated."
"No, I'll go in tomorrow evening. We're going to focus on finding Deliverance, with Clarke's help. Right now, he's our only tip. So one of you should guard him."
"Will do. I'll put the word in when I head back over tonight."
"Did Chen send you to tell me this?"
"He did." Amir frowned. "But I'm glad it was me. Can you imagine what he would say if he walked in and saw you on top of Rory?" He laughed. "Here's a tip. Next time, remember to lock the door."
"Why aren't you saying anything about it?"
"Because I can't control you, Decha. Usually, I'd be pissed. But you've already proven me wrong. And if Rory and her father are as good as you speak of them, then I can't go against that."
"I never said her father was good."
"Well, even so. It doesn't change the fact that you love Rory." Amir shrugged.
Love?
Decha scowled at him. "I don't love her."
"So then, I should probably go and flirt my way into her heart, right?"
"You don't like Bracketers."
"True, but she's still a woman. A woman with a nice body. She's got goods—"
"Amir, the window isn't that far away. I won't hesitate to throw you out of it." Decha seethed.
"Look at those eyes," Amir mocked him with a devilish grin. "I haven't seen those eyes that dark in a very long time. Be careful when you mess with jealousy, lover boy. We don't want a repeat of the disaster like when we were cadets."
Amir and Decha had known each other since they were freshmen in Grandell. Decha was about 17 when he met Chai for the first time. She was only one year older than him because she was doing dual enrollment. But as reserved and shy as he was, he fell hard for her.
Amir would notice Decha doing stupid things to talk to her. Eventually, Amir had to help set the two up. Amir was the one to teach Decha all about the birds and the bees. The non-technical and biological version of it.
There were times Decha would act rashly when he was jealous. He was a lot more mature now, but Amir was amused to see that some of the traits remained the same.
Amir could tell just by walking in the room how in love Decha was with Rory. He knew that Decha heard him approaching. Decha wasn't an idiot.
"I'll be off. Don't overstep your boundaries with Rory. She seems timid." Amir walked out of the room. Rory was standing at the door frame.
She wasn't eavesdropping, but she wanted to get back into her room and pretend that nothing happened. She was so embarrassed. She was also afraid that this colleague of Decha's would spread horrible rumors.
Amir eyed her for a moment, and Rory looked at her feet and slouched closer to the wall. This way, he wouldn't see her blushing. Amir curled his lips into a faint smile at her and chuckled playfully.
He was surprised to see a Bracket woman shying away. It was like watching a puppy being forced into an environment full of bigger dogs. It was a first for him to see this type of behavior from a Bracketer.
Amir strolled past her without giving her another glance. He made his way to the exit.
~~~
I honestly can't wait to surprise you all with my next story. I think some of you will be thoroughly excited. I'm having fun writing it. Should I give hints?