Ryder shifted in the seat in front of the mirror. “Why am I even trying?” She asked herself as she fumbled with the braid once more. Having her hair up for lunch with Donnovan wasn’t that important.

Allayra stepped into the apartment a few moments after her daughter had pulled out her braids for the fifth time. “What are you doing, Ryder?”

“I have a lunch with someone today, and I can’t my hair to cooperate.” Ryder yanked out the last bit of the braid in frustration.

Allayra smiled. “You want to look nice for Donnovan…”

“No one said it was Donnovan.” Ryder defended, glaring at herself in the mirror.

“It is, though, isn’t it?”

Ryder sighed, defeated. “Yes. Now will you please help me with my hair?”

Allayra nodded and took the hair bands from her daughter. “Now, let’s see what we can do with this…”

***

Donnovan checked his watch for the third time since that morning. Just fifteen minutes before his lunch break. He’d taken care to wear something crisp and neat, but he still felt as though it wasn’t enough. 

The fact that she’d asked him to have lunch with her was an indication that she didn’t hate him. That was perfect. Ryder wasn’t holding grudges for his rejection years ago, which meant he might still have a chance with her.

A knock sounded on his office door, and Donnovan sighed. “Come in.”

Andrew stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Smiling at Donnovan, he walked to the desk. “Donnovan, might I have a word with you?”

“Of course, sir. What about?” Donnovan bit the inside of his cheek.

Andrew’s tone indicated that the matter was serious. Whatever his mentor wished to discuss, it wasn’t going to be an easy topic. Could be embarrassing or bad. With Andrew, Donnovan never really knew. He just knew that it wasn’t good.

“Oh, relax. I’m not here to rake you over the flames for something, Donnovan. You know me better than that.” Andrew laughed and sat down.

Donnovan collapsed into his chair, smiling weakly. “Of course not… Your tone just indicated that you wanted to discuss something that might not be good…”

Andrew smiled. “You know me so well…” He sighed. “But I’m not upset with you, Donnovan. I promise.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Donnovan leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all.” Andrew smiled and leaned forward to look Donnovan in the eye. “We need to have a chat about my daughter. I’m growing old, but not senile. I know how she feels about you, and I know what you feel towards her.”

“Sir, I assure you, I have no ill inten…”

Andrew held up a hand. “If I was worried about that, I would’ve said something earlier. No, what I need to know is whether you are ready. I know about the conversation you two had all those years ago. She talked with my wife and I about it. Frankly, you were wise to push the notion away then. Neither of you were ready. I told her that all that time ago. And she understands that.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready, but I know that I am prepared to give it a chance.” Donnovan leaned back. “You know me though, and it’s your daughter. You’re the one who has to decide if I’m ready enough for you to bless a relationship between us.”

Andrew shrugged. “You’re not ready for marriage.”

“I… Andrew… You…” Donnovan stopped and collected himself before trying again. “What I mean is, I’m not thinking about marrying her right now. I want permission to court her.”

Leaning forward, Andrew looked the younger man in the eye. “Why didn’t you speak with me of this before I approached you, Donnovan?”

Donnovan looked down. “I haven’t seen her in several years, sir. I was afraid she might resent me for rejecting her. I wanted to be sure that she didn’t feel like that before I said anything to you.”

“And what makes you think she doesn’t resent you?”

Donnovan bit his lip and played with the pen on the desk in front of him. “She asked me to have lunch with her today. I’ve treated her professionally since she showed up after this last mission. I didn’t want to force her to pick up our friendship as though nothing happened back then if she didn’t want to. But she’s tried to pick it back up, and I’m taking that to mean she at least wishes to be friends, maybe more.”

Andrew nodded. “You’re smart, Donnovan, and I think you already know she wants more. The question is, are you actually ready for the commitment my daughter wants in a relationship.”

“I can promise you that I’m fully committed if she wants a deeper relationship. I’ll do anything I can to make it work.” Donnovan smiled. “Your daughter is… I don’t have a good word for her, frankly. But she’s beyond amazing. She deserves only the best in any relationship.”

Andrew laughed. “That she does.” He nodded. “You have my blessing then if she says yes. You can court her, Donnovan, but don’t hurt her again.” He became serious. “If you do, she’s not going to give you another chance. Be careful with her heart. It’s not a toy.”

Donnovan nodded quickly. “I’d never treat her feelings or her heart as toys, sir. You can rest assured on that matter.”

“Yes… I believe I can.” Andrew stood and walked to the door. “Good luck with her, then. You’ll need it. She’s quite the firebrand, you know.”

“I know, sir. We spent our whole childhood together, remember.”

“That you did… Well, I’ll see you later then, Donnovan.”

Donnovan nodded.

Andrew walked out the door.

As soon as he was gone, Donnovan slumped into the chair and spun in a lazy circle. He felt shaky but happy at the same time. He’d never doubted Andrew would give his blessing if asked, but it was different to actually hear it from his mentor.

He let out a heavy sigh and checked his watch. Four minutes until his lunch break. He stood and paced the room. This was turning out to be the longest four minutes he could remember living.

***

Ryder stepped into the mess hall and was hit with the wave of sounds, smells, and people. Everyone was talking and laughing as they ate and people were jostling each other in line as they waited to grab a plate of food from the cafeteria line. Then there were the few tables on the outskirts of dining room. These were filled with the newer initiates who had recently joined their ranks. There were also a few loners who sat at unoccupied tables by themselves.

She sighed. This was the home she’d missed all these years. East Base wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t filled with the same spirit of joy and companionship. Instead, it was quieter and darker. There was still talking and laughter at meals, but it was muted. More people sat by themselves or in small groups too.

It was nice to be back.

A hand took her elbow and she turned to see Donnovan standing at her side. “You look lovely..."

She laughed. "Thank you."

"Come on. Let’s go somewhere else.” He took her hand in his and pulled her from the dining room.

She followed with a smile. It reminded her of the days when she and Donnovan would take their food out to the stream behind West Base to meet up with his brother and her sister. They’d play all afternoon and eat their lunch as they did so.

“Where are we going?” She asked Donnovan as they walked through the hallways.

People milled about on their way to training sessions or workouts. Others were headed towards the mess hall or to a reporting station to get their schedules for the next day.

Donnovan laughed. “You’ll see.”

She rolled her eyes. Donnovan always was the secretive type. It was fun most of the time, though. Guessing what he was going to do or what he was up to was half the enjoyment. Anyway, she’d find out eventually, so what harm would it do to wait?

Alyx hadn’t made an appearance since last night, and Ryder assumed he was honoring their agreement to let her be in control when she was with Donnovan. It was something she was grateful for. She couldn’t stand it when he was controlling her while she was interacting with Donnovan.

Donnovan pulled her out of her thoughts when they came to the door to the landing strip. “Come on. We’re almost there.”

Ryder laughed. Sometimes Donnovan could act like such a little kid when he was planning something. He had no patience and far too much excitement about it. Silly was probably the best word for him when he had a surprise for someone.

“Okay. I’m going to blindfold you for a few minutes until we reach our destination. You can’t see it until I take the blindfold off, all right?”

Ryder bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh. “How about if I just close my eyes? I promise not to peek, but I don’t want everyone paying attention to us because I’m walking around with a blindfold on.”

Donnovan rubbed the back of his neck. “Didn’t really think about that side of it… Fine. Just don’t peek.”

This time, Ryder couldn’t hold back the laughter.

“What? What did I do?” Donnovan sounded so worried that he’d done something wrong.

Ryder shook her head and pushed open the door so that she could sit on the grass and compose herself again. “You… I mean, really…”

“What?”

“You sound like a four year old with a bird’s nest… Do you e-even listen t-to yourself?” She gasped out.

Donnovan sat down next to her with a confused expression on his face. “You think I’m childish?”

Ryder stopped laughing. “Of course not. I just meant that when you get so excited, you get a bit over eager. It’s just funny… I’m not upset with you, Donnovan, and I’d never think of you as childish.”

“Well… Um… How about if I take you to see the surprise now?” Donnovan got up and brushed himself off before extending his hand to help Ryder up.

She let him pull her up off the ground. He was such a gentleman, and despite how he sometimes got overexcited, he was kind and gentle with her. He always knew when he’d gone too far, and he was careful with her. She loved that about him. His consideration of her feelings and needs was just one of the many things that made her like him.

Hand in hand, the two of them walked around the side of West Base and headed towards the forest. Donnovan didn’t make her cover her eyes or close them. Instead, he just walked beside her. The two shared a silent moment as they drank in the beauty of the landscape.

The field of grass and blue flowers bent gracefully in the gentle breeze, and the leaves of the trees rustled in it. As they neared the towering rainforest trees, they could hear the burbling of the stream that ran just behind the Base. A ray of sunshine slanted down on them through the canopy of the trees and lit the ground around them.

Neither said anything as they stood and watched the water passed for a few moments. It had been a long time since Ryder had come here, and she found it was another thing she missed about West Base.

Sure, East Base had the beautiful silver and gold trees and the clearing with the rose bush in the middle. But it couldn’t compare to the majesty and peacefulness of this little brook and the ancient trees surrounding it.

“I’ve missed it here…” Ryder sighed and bent down to run her fingers through the cool water of the brook.

“You could come back, you know. If you miss it here, then stay. Ansgar doesn’t need you that much at East Base. You run missions for both of us anyway, so who cares where you’re based?”

Ryder stood up and turned to face Donnovan. “You want me to stay?” She stared at him for a long moment. “Why?”

Donnovan reddened. “I just think you should have the right to be where you’re happiest.”

“Liar…” Ryder laughed. “You can’t get away with that… Even after two years of separation, I still know when you’re fibbing, you know.”

Donnovan blushed a deeper red and dropped his gaze to the stream. “Obviously…” He mumbled. “Maybe I just miss you…”

Ryder smiled at him and took his hand. “Come on… Show me the surprise.”

Donnovan shook off his embarrassment and pulled her towards the spot where they always crossed the stream as kids. “It’s on the other side.”

***

Ryder gasped when she saw what Donnovan had done. She’d never known he had a romantic side. “This is…” She stopped and just stared.

Donnovan fidgeted behind her. “Err… You don’t like it, do you? I knew this was stupid. I should’ve gone with the lunch in my office with cake. I’m sorry, Ry… That would’ve been…”

She cut him off. Turning around, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “It’s really sweet, Nova.”

This kid obviously has a soft spot for you, Ry. Alyx snickered.

Ryder bit her lip to keep from huffing at Alyx. You haven’t earned the right to call me that. Only my friends can use that nickname.

But I want to use a shortened version of your name too. Makes us seem so much friendlier. Alyx grumbled at her.

Maybe I don’t want to be friendlier.

And I thought we had a connection.

In your dreams, loser. Ryder snapped.

“Uh… Ryder?” Donnovan pulled back. “You spaced out on me… Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Ryder shook her head. “Oh, yeah… I just… Sorry. I was thinking about something else.”

Why did Alyx have to ruin every one of her perfect moments? He’d created nothing but havoc for her since he first took over.

Ryder smiled at Donnovan and sat down on the dark blue blanket he’d spread out on the moss covered bank. A wicker picnic basket sat in the center of the blanket, and a cooler with ice and lemonade sat next to it. “How long are you planning to be out here?”

“How long do you have free?” Donnovan sat down next to her with a laugh.

“I’m currently free for the next few days. Remember, the doctors want to keep me under observation.” Ryder grinned.

Donnovan sighed. “Yeah… Well, I arranged something earlier in the day so that I could be free to spend the afternoon with you. I have until five. Then I have a meeting.” His face fell. “I wish I could stay longer.”

“What if you have dinner with me and my family tonight? Ansgar told me you’ve been lonely lately.” Ryder slapped a hand over her mouth and blushed. “I… That wasn’t to say I was asking… He just… Your brother talks about you a lot.”

Donnovan raised an eyebrow. “Because why would you be interested in how I’m doing, right?”

Ryder’s eyes widened. “Th-that’s not what I meant… I just didn’t want to sound like a stalker.” She sighed. “That didn’t come out right either. Fine… I really do want to know how you’re doing, Nova. Why would you think that I don’t?”

Donnovan looked away and focused on the water babbling a few feet beneath them. “Because I rejected you all those years ago.”

Ryder shook her head. “No… Don’t you dare think that way, Donnovan Benet. We both know that you and I weren’t ready for a commitment to a relationship beyond friendship.”

“You didn’t see it that way. I thought you must hate me because you wouldn’t talk to me for months after that, and then you left for East Base as soon as you were done training.” He still wouldn’t look at her.

She took his chin in her hand and made him look at her. “I never stopped caring about you or liking you. I just couldn’t handle the feelings at the time. You didn’t feel the same way or at least, you were being rational about your feelings, and I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t feel something, and so I left to get a change of pace. Now we’ve both grown up, but I think that this is evidence that neither of us feels any differently.”

“It’s not fair of me to hold you back for years. You’re so much better than me.” Donnovan looked down. “Ry, you’ve grown up with both a father and a mother to guide you. My mom disappeared when I was thirteen, and my dad was a traitor to our tribe. They killed him for it. You don’t deserve someone with that kind of past.”

“Hey… Donnovan…” Ryder couldn’t believe he was saying this.

Had he believed this all this time? Was this why he felt he wasn’t ready?

“Donnovan. Look at me.” Ryder felt her throat tightening with sadness.

He looked up at her, capturing her yellow eyes with his own deep blue ones.

“You are a good man. It doesn’t matter what your father did, and it doesn’t matter that your mom disappeared. I don’t love either of them. I love you.” She smiled. “So stop thinking less of yourself because of your past. That doesn’t change who you are, and there was nothing you could do about those circumstances.”

“But…”

“No buts, Donnovan.” She leaned forward to hug him.

He leaned back. “Wait… Ryder…”

She looked up at him. “What?”

“I rejected you all those years ago. I… I’m not going to say I made a mistake then, but I’d be making a mistake not to admit what I feel now. Your father talked to me about… about you.” Donnovan cleared his throat. “He gave me his blessing to ask you something.”

Ryder blushed. “What did you want to ask me?”

“I-I…” He started turning red too. “I want your permission to court you.”

“Court me?” Ryder frowned.

“Yes, it’s a tradition of my people. We’ve never found our spouse through the modern means. We court instead. It involves the parents on both sides a lot more than dating does, and I…” He stopped and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to break that tradition.”

Ryder looked down at the blanket they were seated on and picked at the lint. “I really don’t know what to say… Are you… Are you serious about this?”

Donnovan nodded. “I couldn’t be more serious. Ryder, I wouldn’t be asking this if I didn’t want to deepen our relationship. I want to take the next step.”

“And where does this next step lead?” Ryder whispered.

“I’m not sure you’d take that so well… I don’t want to scare you, Ryder.”

They both looked at the water for a long moment, neither of them speaking.

“You don’t want to scare me?” Ryder started laughing. “I’m not the one who’s deathly afraid of snakes, Donnovan.”

He grimaced. “Deathly afraid is a bit much… And anyway, everyone’s afraid of something. You’re afraid of the dark.”

“Am not.”

“Oh, you are too… We both know it.” Donnovan rolled his eyes.

“So where does it lead? Courting, I mean.” Ryder chanced a glance at him.

“Marriage sometimes. Other times, the couple discovers that they aren’t actually ready for it or that they aren’t compatible in that way. But two people don’t enter into a courting relationship unless they’re serious about marriage if the courtship works out.” Donnovan smiled down at the stream. “Go ahead… Say no… You don’t want your heart broken a second time by me. I understand.”

Ryder was speechless for a moment. Then she whispered, “Yes. Nova, if you’ve got my father’s blessing to court me, then yes.”

He glanced over at her. “You’re sure? I mean… I understand if you don’t find me worthwhile. Maybe Kane would…”

“What does Kane have to do with this?” Ryder looked up abruptly, eyes darkening.

Donnovan raised his hands. “Hey… I didn’t say he did. It’s just, I’ve noticed how he looks at you, and I’m not stupid. He really loves you, Ryder. It’s not just a crush. It’s real. And he’d do anything for you. Maybe you two would do better than you and me. He didn’t break your heart once already.”

Ryder took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“I’m being stupid, aren’t I?” Donnovan winced.

Ryder nodded. “I don’t love Kane that way. He’s like a brother to me. Nothing more. You’ve had my heart for years, Donnovan. Kane isn’t going to change that.”

“So it’s a definite yes?” He peeked up at her through his lashes.

She laughed and nodded.

“Then… Could I…” He stopped. “Never mind.”

“No, what were you going to ask?” Ryder pressed.

“Nothing!” Donnovan hastily pulled out the lunch he’d packed. “Do you want turkey or ham?”

She shook her head. “You’re impossible… You know that?”

He shrugged. “Lemonade?"