Chapter 9 - The Sunset

"I think north is probably that way," I pointed from close to where we landed the ship earlier.

"It is," replied Keleon. "I'm assuming you were paying attention when we landed then?"

"Of course," I grinned, and we headed out of the northwest hanger door and stepped into the evening air.

The atmosphere was serene, everything was calm and still. There was a slight breeze carrying the faint scent of the green fruit I remembered eating while in my room. Some of the thin orange fruits that Mia had suggested trying were also scattered around, and looked like lanterns hanging from their bushes. There was a worn track through the vegetation heading north, wide enough to walk side by side, so I pointed and suggested we followed it.

The air was still fairly warm, like a summer evening on Earth. I looked at the man I was holding hands with.

"This is nice already, and we haven't even reached any water yet," I observed.

"Yeah, it's so quiet," he replied. "I like it. And I like that I'm with you."

Heat filled my cheeks and happiness filled my heart.

"I like being with you too, Keleon," I said.

"I hope so," he said. "I feel like sometimes I just about get the hang of certain things, and then it turns out there's more I didn't know."

"Is there anything in particular that you want to know now?" I asked.

"Actually, there was something I wasn't sure of. Can we kiss whenever we like? Or are there some rules for that too?"

"It's a good question," I replied, as I stepped over a piece of debris on my side of the path. "It may make other people feel slightly uncomfortable if we kiss each other on the lips while we're around them, so when we're alone is probably better. But when we're alone, I can't imagine any reason I would object."

"OK, then, I'm glad I asked." He sighed. "Playing chess is logical. There's a set of rules and they don't change. But relationships? How do you even know what the rules are?"

"You learn from experience, I guess. Much like anything else. If you haven't had much experience, then you're not going to know."

"So, you've had lots of experience? Lots of boyfriends?"

"Actually, no, not really," I replied. "I mean, I fooled around a little bit when I was at school, but then at fifteen I was taken to that facility you got me out of, and there wasn't anyone there that interested me until you walked through the door. I guess I've learned a lot from films and talking to people at the facility about their experiences. Observations, mainly. I guess I've also seen the interactions between the parents of my friends."

"Not your own parents?"

"I've never met my father," I admitted. "My Mum told me that he disappeared from our lives before I was born. She also told me not to bother trying to find him as I'd never find him. It's not like I'd know where to start, anyway. My father's name is 'unknown' on my birth certificate."

"That must be tough."

"Well, not really actually. Mum's great, you know? And it's not like I've known life any other way. It's just been me and Mum. Talking of which, I should really send her a message letting her know I'm OK."

"I think Helen said your Mum would know that we have custody of you," he replied. "I think she's going to talk to you about it tomorrow."

Knowing that helped me feel better about not contacting her earlier. Keleon had been so ... distracting.

"OK, I'll make sure I talk to Helen tomorrow then," I said.

The path we were on opened up onto the shore of the sea. The waves were shallow and lapping against the ground gently. The sun was still in the sky, but slowly on its way to the horizon. Now that there was no vegetation, we could see two moons, on large and one small, and both turned pink in the evening glow of the sun. In addition, there was a thin faint ring that looked like it wrapped round the planet like one of Saturn's. In the distance I could make out the silhouette of one of the other islands.

"This is enchanting," Keleon said happily.

"Romantic," I added.

I would definitely have to thank Mia.

We found a place to sit next to each other, where the ground was springy, like we were sitting on moss. I leaned back on the palms of my hands with my legs outstretched as I soaked up the amazing view.

"So, what about your family?" I asked. "Do you get to see them much?"

"I'm very different to the rest of my family," replied Keleon, taking up a similar posture to me. "They think I'm strange and we don't talk much anymore. Mia says I'm the black sheep. I see her as my family now."

"I like her a lot already," I affirmed, recognising that Mia seemed to have accepted Keleon's quirks more than his own family had. "How did you meet her?"

"In a casino on the planet Gokk," he replied nonchalantly.

"You're a gambler?" I asked, shocked.

Keleon didn't seem the type and I was slightly taken aback.

He shrugged.

"It's a good way to get what I need to exchange for parts for ships and fuel. I'm actually pretty good at it, and I generally don't take more than I think I need to get by. My instincts help me."

"You and your instincts," I teased. "So, Mia gambles too?"

"Actually, not really. She was working in the casino as a gaming clerk. She helped run the games, but part of her job was also to identify anyone who looked like they were cheating. One of her colleagues accused me of cheating at her table one night. Of course, nobody could prove it, so they had to let me go."

Keleon had piqued my curiosity.

"Were you cheating?"

"I guess it depends on your definition of cheating. As far as I was concerned, I was just being myself. But I know my instincts probably helped me win. They seem to make me good at distracting others, so it probably did give me an unfair advantage. I don't see it as cheating, but I can see why others might."

"I know how distracting you can be," I confirmed with a grin. "So how did you end up with Mia?"

"Well, I went back the following night," he continued. "I thought I looked different enough that she wouldn't recognise me, but she did. She took me to one side, and we talked for a while. She asked me if I could get her out of there. She could have reported me to the management, but she didn't, so I thought it seemed fair to take her with me. Besides, I liked her."

"You're a good person Keleon."

"Well, taking her with me worked out nicely. Our partnership works well because we both have very different skills. I've taught her how to fly different ships and fix them, and she's been teaching me more about what drives people, and about social interactions. I still have a lot to learn, but she's very intuitive that way. We make a good team, and so we just stayed together. Mia says, 'if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.'"

I chuckled.

"Yeah, I've heard that saying before. I'm glad you found her."

"Me too," he nodded. "She's changed my life. I can't imagine her not being in it now."

The sun was very low in the sky now, almost dipping into the water to the West of the island we could see in the distance. The moons had become darker pink, and the planet's ring could be seen more prominently in the sky. The only sound was the water gently lapping rhythmically in front of us.

"So, now I can add gambling to your list of amazing talents," I smiled at him. "Is there anything you're not good at?"

I raised an eyebrow suggestively as my eyes wandered over his body, not really expecting him to understand.

"I've seen that look before," Keleon smiled back, mirroring my eyebrow movement, and I melted at the comprehension in that was apparent his tone. "I think I know what it means now."

I was aware that he had turned his body slightly and his face was getting closer to mine.

"Do you?" I whispered, trying not to get my hopes up, but he continued to advance slowly in my direction and my heart began picking up speed.

"Uh huh," he breathed back, and I closed my eyes as my head started to spin.

For one invigorating moment I felt Keleon's breath on my lips, right before his soft mouth touched them and I tasted cherries. Every part of my body was suddenly paying attention. His mouth started moving against mine, peppering me with sweet kisses, before I felt nothing again and he spoke.

"You've changed me, Damon. I don't know how to explain it in words. Something about me feels different now, and I know it's because of you."

My eyes opened a fraction and his face filled my vision. Part of me understood, because I felt that way too. But part of me found it hard to understand that he could possibly feel about me the way I felt about him.

"Me too," was all I could manage before my eyes closed again and I waited in hope for him to enchant me with his lips again.

The next kiss felt a bit firmer and carried more conviction. Evidently, he was getting a little more confident. I felt drunk – giddy on the feeling of Keleon initiating this level of intimacy and excited about him being more assertive. I liked the idea of him taking the lead, so I started to recline to let him do whatever he wanted.

"You're pulling back?" he asked when our lips drifted apart.

"Just getting comfortable," I reassured him.

"So ... should I continue?" he murmured against my lips as he followed me towards the ground.

"Definitely," I confirmed, as I felt the springy moss behind my head, enabling me to relax.

And continue he did.

Fireworks went off inside every part of me as our kisses deepened and I felt his tongue against mine. My hand wandered into his hair, while one of his rested on my waist. My other hand started to explore what was under his T-shirt, and I wasn't disappointed with what I found. He copied my action, his hand creeping under my clothes. His skin against mine made electricity flow through every nerve ending. The hand that I had in his hair started clutching at it, as my breathing got shallower and the kissing got deeper.

Keleon's hand moved over my skin, higher up my body, and my hormones went wild. There was nothing slow and tender anymore. What was going on inside my briefs had the potential to be embarrassing. I couldn't help but press it against his leg anyway. In return, to my relief, he pushed himself against my leg, letting me know he was in a similar state. Which, of course, did nothing to help calm me down.

That was when he started moving away from me. His mouth was still on mine, but the rest of his body felt like it was drifting away. I groaned in frustration. I wanted him pushed up against me again.

"No, come back," I pleaded against his lips, trying to move my body to meet his.

But all I met was air.

"I'm not doing anything," he said, breaking our contact completely.

With our caressing interrupted, I opened my eyes, dropping a short distance to the floor in an undignified manner with Keleon partially landing on top of me.

"What the hell was that?" I grumbled.

Keleon looked thoughtful.

"I don't know," he replied. "I think the kissing might be causing gravitational fluctuations." He looked at me pointedly. "Is that normal?"

"Kissing causing people to float?" I asked incredulously. "No, that's utterly ludicrous. There must be another explanation."

"Well, it only seems to happen when we're kissing," he stated. "That's three times now."

"Twice," I corrected him.

"No, three times," he repeated. "The other time you may not have realised because you fell asleep. It was on our way here, the last evening we were in the ship together. We weren't floating very high and we landed gently enough that you didn't wake up. After I made sure you were comfortable, I went and checked the artificial gravity again, but there was nothing in the logs that suggested anything was wrong."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I probed.

"It didn't seem important," he replied. "I assumed that since it was happening on the ship, there was something wrong with the ship's settings. I figured I'd investigate once we'd docked. But out here there's no artificial gravity, and so now the only thing connecting all the events is what we were doing at the time." He paused while I recognised the logic in what he was saying. "I don't know how, Damon, but I think something happens when we're kissing that creates a gravitational anomaly."

I ran my hands through my hair and sat up before looking back at Keleon. Could it be possible? It did seem like it was the only connection between the events.

"Oh my God, Keleon," I replied, a tight know forming in my stomach at the potential implications. "What if you're right?"