What's in a Whisper?

[Nijil tr'Korjata 0]

Departure from Aegis had gone smoothly for the Aegean and her crew. The repair teams must have worked overtime preparing the ship for this mission. Even squeezing the Nei'rrh between the shuttle and cargo bay went without incident. Nothing but systems checks remained for a middle-ranked engineer until in range of the asteroid field. Nijil could relax, put on music and clear his mind. Extra sleep would not hurt either. As the music began he had started to sing. Not even a minute into it the door chimed. It was Lieutenant Kital.

 

Jylliene looked weary. She had explained that her two fellow roommates were too cozy with each other for her to get any meaningful sleep. Nijil understood. Well, none of his classmates from the war college did that. No matter, he dared not turn her away. As much as he needed isolation, he welcomed company. Especially hers.

 

Jylliene and Nijil’s conversations had become increasingly personal in a short span of time. Their time together felt like weeks, but had actually only been days. “Not too fast, you’ll spoil it,” he told himself.

 

Regardless, he had not expected the revelation of this night - the words that seemed to slip past, perhaps before she realized what she had said. They had nearly slipped past his notice as well. Nearly.

 

“and wanting you...”

 

He remembered the look on her face when he asked her if that was indeed what she had said; the way she approached him when he asked her to come to him; the way she felt in that embrace. A feeling of relief had filled him: Nijil hadn’t expected her to echo his own sentiments, certainly not yet. That she had grown as close to him as he felt to her was a welcome surprise.

 

Nijil likewise remained a little shocked at what he had whispered to her. Those few words were the last either had spoken before they prepared for bed. What had gotten into him? Merely tired? Bravado? He posted mental notes all over about not letting her down. She would not forget what he had said in those hushed tones. The look in her eyes at that point, though, had said exhaustion.

 

Deciding how to sleep together but not together had proven a challenge. He asked how she’d like to sleep. At that stage it seemed clear that she cared little; she simply got in bed. Nijil, for reasons still unknown to him, just stood in his night robe not wanting (yes wanting) to make a romantic move. She had smiled sleepily and waved him towards the bed. He grabbed her around the waist, a little too tight, then relaxed. Her head hit the pillow first, so he settled slightly on hers. Her hair smelled of fresh apples. Should he back off or move in closer? He felt conflicted, but the air was chilly. Closer...and if too close he assumed she’d let him know. It had, however, been the right move. She had snuggled back against him and had quickly fallen asleep; he now lay listening to her peaceful breathing.

 

Nijil had not expected to feel so intimately connected to someone without being physically intimate. It was an invigorating feeling. She didn’t care what kind of Romulan he was. With Tajai, he had tried so hard to be her idea of a true Romulan which, in the end, did nothing to keep them together. Here, on board the Aegean, Jylliene had first met him and readily accepted him as a fellow crewmember and friend despite any of his quirks - and here, back on the Aegean once more, he now held her as his love.

 

It was the first time he felt truly able to move on, past the betrayal of his first love, past the loss of home and, likely, family. It was the first time in quite a while that he did not feel alone.

 

He let out a deep, relaxed sigh as the warmth of the woman in his arms enveloped him, and, his eyelids closing, sleep overtook him.

[Nijil tr'Korjata 0]

Thanks for all of the views everyone. Odd. Unless it's search robots. :)

[Chirakis 1]

Thanks for all of the views everyone. Odd. Unless it's search robots. :)

I believe it might have to do with the content....

 

Just sayin'