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For days Tyrok lay still and silent in Alexis's bed. She knew his body was fighting to regain control of itself and restore order now that the chips were no longer controlling him. She found herself talking to him as she went about her duties, telling him about herself, the mission, her worries, and anything that came to mind.
Rather than asking for her father's help, she changed his bandages herself, cutting the strips away to reveal his healing wounds and then allowing his body to rest against hers as she propped him up to wrap him in new gauze. Each time she looked at him she felt herself falling harder for him. He was startlingly attractive, but she felt a connection to him that went beyond just the smoothness of his skin, the curve of his full lips, and the long eyelashes curled against his cheeks.
It had been more than a week since the crash when she came in from a particularly difficult day, bathed, and stopped by her bed to touch his face before going into the living room to sleep on the couch. As she stood there, however, the empty space beside him on the bed seemed to call out to her. The expanse looked cool and soft. She had had James help her change the sheets again the day before and she could still smell the fresh scent clinging to the fabric.
Her entire body seemed to release its tension at once as Alexis lowered herself to the mattress and rested back into the pillows. After a week sleeping on the couch the bed felt heavenly beneath her. The sensation of Tyrok so close to her only increased the feeling of calm and she curled onto her side with her back to him so she could drift to sleep.
Alexis didn't realize how deeply she was sleeping until she suddenly snapped awake. For a moment, she didn't know what had awoken her, then she felt the movement beside her again and realized that Tyrok was stirring. She remained still, not wanting to startle him any more than just waking up beside a stranger probably already would by turning over to face him.
She expected him to jump out of the bed and start asking questions, but instead he surprised her by sliding closer. The warmth of his body wrapped around her, drawing up against her back to tuck himself into all of her curves. She gasped slightly and felt him touch a hand to her hip, then draw it up and drape it around her waist.
"Tyrok," she started, but didn't know how to continue.
His face nuzzled her hair at the back of her neck.
"I could hear you," he said softly, the sound of his voice sending a shiver down her spine.
"When?" she asked.
"Every day. I could hear you talking to me. It is the only thing that kept me going."
He touched a kiss to the back of her shoulder. She sighed at the feeling and rolled over so that she faced him. Their bodies touched lightly and their faces were so close Alexis could feel his breath on her lips.
"Tell me more," Tyrok whispered and she smiled.
"About what?"
"About you. I want to know everything."
She laughed and cuddled a little closer to him, tucking her hands under her cheek.
"There isn't much to tell. I have been here for almost two years and before that I was in the military back home, and before that I was raised by a military man, which basically means I was always in the military."
She laughed again and he smiled. Her heart soared.
"Are you ever homesick?" he asked.
Alexis nodded.
"Sometimes. It's just so different here, but I've only ever had my father, so at least he's here with me."
"What do you miss the most about Earth?"
Alexis let out a long breath of air, looking into the distance as she pondered his question. There were many things that she missed about the comfort of her home planet, but finally she settled on the one thing that pulled at her the most.
"The stars. I always loved looking at the stars. It never gets dark for long enough here to see them."
She looked back into Tyrok's face and saw him smiling at her.
"Watch this," he whispered and rolled onto his back.
Alexis followed his lead, flipping onto her back so that her shoulder touched his. Tyrok reached beside him to the bedside table and closed the cover down over the small nightlight she had placed on the table the week before as if to keep vigil over him. Alexis had drawn the light-blocking curtains and suddenly they were in nearly complete darkness.
She felt Tyrok sit up slightly then heard a sound as if he was blowing out a stream of air. Above her the ceiling shimmered then came to life with dozens of tiny balls of light. They glittered against the darkness, shifting every few moments to create patterns and familiar constellations.
Alexis gasped, but couldn't move. She stared at the stars surrounding her and felt emotion welling in her throat. A few tiny sounds escaped her lips and Tyrok rested back against the pillows.
"You're –" she started, but paused again.
"Yes."
Alexis gave a short laugh.
"I didn't think you were real," she shook her head and tried to come up with the words to make more sense, "I mean, Star Lords. I thought they were just a fairy tale."
"Do you think that I'm just a fairy tale?" he asked and she noticed his voice had dropped lower.
She turned back onto her side to face him at the same moment that he rolled toward her.
"Maybe," she breathed and felt his hand come to her cheek.
His thumb stroked her cheekbone gently, then he ran his fingertips along the curve of her jaw. Using his hand to steady her head, he drew his face closer and touched his lips to hers.