Chapter 9 · Blackmail and Blushing

"You’re actually staying?" Vivian’s voice was too soft, too hopeful. It made my stomach do a slow, painful flip.

I didn't look at her. I couldn't. I just kept staring at the half-packed bag on the floor, my fingers twitching against the fabric. "Someone's gotta make sure you don't accidentally walk into another gravity well, Cross. You're a disaster magnet."

"I'm a Star Hero," she countered, though there was no bite in it. She stepped closer. I could smell her—something like ozone and expensive vanilla. It was a smell that belonged in a victory parade, not in this cramped, dim apartment where I was currently pretending not to be her worst nightmare.

"You're a magnet for trouble," I snapped, finally glancing up.

She was smiling. Not the 'Golden Girl of Halcyon' smile she gave the cameras, but something smaller. Private. She reached out, her fingers brushing my wrist, right where the collar hid under my sleeve. I flinched, pulling back like she'd tried to brand me.

"Sorry," she whispered, her eyes searching mine. "I just... I don't know why you're doing this, Tess. Why you're helping me when everyone else treats me like a trophy or a target.