Life on Nexion 6 was every bit as perfect as I'd been told it would be. I should've been happy, and I was. For the most part. Aside from the fact that Talys had done what every guy before him had done to me. A couple days had passed since that one sweet night, and I hadn't heard from him since.

That one left a big, gaping wound in the ol' heart muscle. I tried to brush it off. Make jokes about it to myself. Tell myself it was nothing serious. I barely knew the guy, right? Yeah, totally. No big deal. But none of it really helped because it, unfortunately, didn't change reality. I'd really grown to like him, even the cocky side held a certain charm. Maybe I was just doomed to make the same mistake over and over again.

I was about to leave for a job interview when my tablet pinged. Well, I called it mine, but it was the one that Talys had left behind in his hurry to disappear in the middle of the night. I slid over to it, peering at the screen with a frown. I couldn't read anything on it. Not well, at least. I mostly used it by guessing. Ulyr had only taught me basic Korysti, so I had no idea what it was doing right now. I prodded at the screen until the flashing thing on it went away.

"Weird," I murmured. "It's never done that before."

"What's weird?" Talys's voice echoed back. A second later, he was projected from the screen, his image slightly grainy, but clear enough to see that he was lounging somewhere. Shirtless. As per usual.

I rolled my eyes and reached for the screen, hoping a few more presses would make him go away. As I was poking the screen, Talys sighed. "I was going to ask how mad at me you are, but I think I have my answer."

I tossed the tablet onto my bed and stalked away, but found myself hovering in the hallway, unwilling to go. I looked down at my feet accusingly. Move, you stupid things.

"Vera."

I stood there. A second ticked by.

"Vera, come back here. I know you're still there."

I walked back into my room and gave the image of Talys a hard look. "What?"

"I want to talk to you."

"No."

"No?" He rested a hand on his hard stomach and placed the other behind his head. "That really is frustrating. I'm going to have to stop doing that to people."

"Good for you. Maybe there's hope for you yet." I tore my eyes away from the admittedly enticing image. "Goodbye now. Have fun doing whatever it is you do. Tell Korystus I'm happy to be gone."

"I'll press my lips to the ground just for you when I get there."

I paused. "You're not back yet?"

He looked off to the side, then back at me with a smile. "I haven't left Nexion 6 yet."

"Oh, cool, so you just ran from me in the middle of the night, then avoided me for days. Awesome. That makes me feel great." I threw my hands in the air and gave them a shake for good measure. "Why even bother calling me? Do you get off on torturing me?"

"I thought you might want to chat before I left."

"You already left, remember? Goodbye, Talys." My expression hardened. "Consider that a gift from me to you, because a goodbye is more than you gave me."

I didn't know how to end the call, so before he got a chance to respond, I turned the whole thing off. That was one thing I definitely did know how to do. I stared at the blank screen for a moment, wishing it could explain to me why Talys was such an asshole. That one might just be a mystery for the ages, though. I was done trying to figure it out.

The air was dry and warm, perfect as it always was on Nexion 6. I breathed in deep, eyes closed and my face tilted toward the sun, basking in its rays. I'd once read something about the sun making happy chemicals in your brain. It could be bunk science, but I was grasping at straws right now. I didn't want to go into my audition pouting.

This was my chance to sing and I couldn't blow it. I didn't know what sort of place it was, but Exora assured me I could put my talents to use there. I wasn't sure how she knew I was a singer, but she made it sound like she had sources when we first met, so whatever.

All around me people of all types were bustling and happy, content to be among our eclectic mix of aliens. I loved it. I mean, my neighbor was a woman from the planet Versix. She fled after getting in trouble for opposing the Prince of Trade. I think that was what she called him.

Either way, it was cool to hear so many different stories. It definitely made me wish mine was more exciting—not to say that fleeing a planet isn't exciting. I just wished I'd done something cool and amazing, like opposing a prince. I probably could have done some stuff like that on Korystus, helping Ulyr, but I chose to leave instead.

Well, that's a downer, isn't it? I shook off the thought, rounded my shoulders, and started for the entrance. I was reaching for the door handle when a voice called out, "Vera!"

I whipped my head around to see Artos running up to me, out of breath.

"Uh, what're you doing here?" I asked slowly.

"I was instructed not to tell you."

"By Talys, I assume?"

"Maybe."

"So, you're just here to tell me you can't tell me why you're here?"

"Don't be daft. I'm here to keep an eye on you."

"Why, exactly? I don't need anyone's help." I furrowed my brow in thought. "Besides, shouldn't you be piloting Talys's ship?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "He doesn't need me for that, he just doesn't like driving. Anyway, you do need me, because you were about to enter a brothel."

"Was not."

"You were."

"But I have an audition here."

"So I heard."

"And you're here to stop me? How do you know I don't want to go audition at a brothel?" I wrinkled my nose. What would an audition entail at a place like this?

Artos suddenly appeared very, very distraught. "I—I suppose I didn't know."

"Oh, stop, I didn't know this was a brothel. In fact, I'd rather not audition here." I deflated, my shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry for being prickly. You're not the asshole, Talys is."

Realization flashed in his eyes. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Did you sleep with him?"

"That's really not any of your business."

"You did! I thought that when he left me to keep an eye on you, it meant he still wanted to be with you, but—"

Ouch. "So that's the secret you were supposed to keep from me, huh? Talys left you to keep an eye on me?"

Artos opened his mouth to deny it, then nodded instead. "Only for a week or so, while you adjusted to life here."

"Just curious, why would you ever think he wants to be with me? I think he's shown that's not really his style."

"He left me here for you. And he called you darling."

"And?"

Artos frowned and scratched at the back of his neck. "Does that not translate? It's a term of endearment only used for those you like very much."

"I mean, I guess it translates. It's really not that big of a deal to us, though. People use it in all sorts of ways." I shrugged. "Besides, he called me that on, like, the first day he met me. No big deal."

"On the contrary, it's a very big deal, whether you want to admit it or not."

"So what? He left. He's made his position on this clear."

"No, he hasn't, because I'm fairly certain he's in love with you."

"Uhh, what?! You don't sleep with someone then disappear even if you love them."

"Talys would. If he thought there were good enough reasons . . ."

"I'm really not following, Artos. But I think you might be more lost than I am."

"I'm right, and I'm going to prove it to you."

"Good luck."

The first thing I did when I got back to my apartment was send Exora a message letting her know that my talents were a little different than what she thought. Apparently she'd been confused because Talys had told her my talents were cleaning and being sexy. I'd love to thank him for that one.

The second thing I did was try to convince Artos to stop pestering me. It wasn't working. I was sprawled on the floor, the setting sun of Nexion 6 washing the room in an orange glow, and Artos was pacing in front of me.

"Why do you even care so much about this?" I asked with a groan. "He doesn't want anything to do with me. Not in a way that can work for both of us. Trust me."

"I don't trust you on this matter. Not in the slightest."

I rolled my head up to look at him. "I'm pretty sure I'm the one he abandoned in the middle of the night. I think I'd know."

"That's expressly why I can't trust you on this. Talys is doing what he always does, only this time I know it's different. He wants you to think it's not, but it is."

"You do realize you're not making any sense, right?"

"I know I'm correct about this."

"You don't get it. He left me, just left, then he had the nerve to call me and rub it in as if—"

Artos came to a sudden stop. "He called you?"

"That's what I just said."

A smile brightened his tense expression. "Then there's even more hope than I thought. I know exactly what to do."

"Um—" Before I could ask any questions, Artos rushed out of my apartment, clearly on a mission. A mission which he didn't seem all too concerned with enlightening me about. I drew myself up into a seating position, staring at the door he'd just run through. Weird.