Chapter 21: Kyle Commits

-- February - Week 6 --

Sean and Lee headed for the diner.

They found their regular chairs were vacant and waiting for them. So, they both grabbed some of the chicken dish from the bain-maries and joined the table.

“Ah, the love birds have come up for air,” Kyle said.

Lee set her plate down and then turned and thumped Kyle in the arm as he had sat next to her.

Kyle rubbed his arm, “Hey, what was that for?”

“You knew, didn’t you? You knew Gerald was related to Carl!” she specified. Kyle suddenly realised what she was on about. He gave her his million-watt smile and nodded. Lee hugged him hard then waved her finger at him, “You cheeky, bloody devious, wonderful man.”

“Hey! I couldn’t leave my little sister with all those wolves and being on this tub without you was unacceptable,” he explained.

While they both knew, some of his original motives weren’t so pure, she was still glad he had gotten her a berth on this ship. She was also glad he didn’t know about Rodger. That would have really upset him.

Especially since he now coincided his new role in her life was to be her big brother. A role she was perfectly happy for him to have, as long as he didn’t try to get overprotective.

She had a feeling Sean intended to do that job, and she didn’t want them stepping on each other’s toes. Not that she felt she needed to be protected. However, it was nice to know people cared about her.

Lee sat back down and patted Sean’s lap, “You don’t have to kill him.”

“Thank fuck for that. I’d hate to miss out on Chef Andre’s garlic and herb stuffed chicken,” smiled Sean.

Debora looked at the three of them totally confused, “What on Earth was all that about?”

“Can I tell her Lee?” Kyle asked.

Lee looked at Debora and smiled, “I trust her.”

Kyle turned to Debora and patted her leg. He said, “I’ll explain it all later, sweetheart.”

While not totally happy, she was at least mollified. She still wasn’t sure that Kyle was totally over his crush on Lee. The brother-sister relationship they had adopted recently was definitely healthier.

She was still worried that it was just Kyle’s way, to lull her into picking up the slack as his ‘fuck buddy’ while Lee was unavailable. Debora had wanted to scratch Lee’s eyes out on occasion, but she knew it was her own jealousy at work.

Lee wasn’t at fault for Kyle’s feelings. Except she was so bloody awesome at everything she did, Deb wasn’t surprised Kyle idolised her. In the five weeks that she had known Lee, she had not seen her do or say anything to encourage Kyle. She treated him as a valued friend of many years standing.

Only last night, Lee had made Kyle examine his feelings for her. And she was the one who came out the winner. She and Kyle had been exclusive for nearly four weeks now. From his past record, she knew she just had to be patient and let him adjust to her being in his life.

As frustrating it was at times, to have doubts about his love for her. Being in his arms was so bloody wonderful she didn’t want to share him, even with Lee. Debora knew that it was her own insecurities that made her want to tie Kyle up and not let him out of her sight.

At the same time, her instincts warned her that being demanding and trying to smother him would drive him away. The thought of him not being with her was too horrible to contemplate. She had to learn to trust him and not judge him by his past and his strange fascination for Lee.

Kyle looked at Debora, lost in her own thoughts. He knew she had her own problems, as some of the stories of past lovers she had shared with him, had not been happy. Some had been downright scary.

His past as she knew it, was going to work against him as well. He was going to have to work bloody hard to get her to trust that he wanted to be with her and not just for the bloody marvellous sex either.

Kyle suddenly realised that he really was in love with the woman. It was the only explanation for his feelings about her. He knew his friendship with Lee worried Debora, but he wasn’t going to give up his best friend, he didn’t think he could.

Unfortunately, Debora was going to have to learn that while he loved her, his feelings for her were totally different from his feelings for Lee. His friendship with Lee was an absolute must in his life.

He and Lee had been through some life and death situations in their past, and he trusted her to always, have his back. In the back of his mind, he had always known a sexual relationship with Lee, wasn’t what he needed from her most.

That while he teased her, it was if she instinctively knew that her friendship was what he needed most from her. Kyle also knew that Sean understood that he and Lee had a close relationship. But it was as if they both came to an agreement as to the roles they would play in Lee’s life, and both were happy with the agreement.

He just wished he could get Debora to understand as well. Kyle turned to Debora and gently turned her face towards him. He laid a gentle kiss on her lips and looked deep into her eyes, “All is good, Debora. All is good.” He then kissed her gently again and went back to eating his dinner.

Debora looked at Kyle as he ate. Fuck, the contrary bastard could get her knickers in such a twist and soppy just by looking at her. She badly wanted to drag him off and fuck the living shit out of him. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm down. Then he winked at her, and her heart rate jumped up again.

She swallowed a couple of times. “Gosh, you can be an infuriating bastard. I don’t know if I want to kiss you or kill you,” she said.

Kyle did a very Lee-like shrug. “At least I’m not boring you,” he came back.

Debora laughed. “I will get even with you later,” she promised.

Kyle winked at her again, “I was counting on it, sexy.” Then he went back to eating and made motions at her to hurry up. Debora ate more quickly, with the anticipation of what she was going to get for dessert.

A short time later, the dinner companions finally broke up and went their separate ways.

Sean asked Lee, “Miss Piggy’s exercise?”

Lee agreed with a nod, “That’s the problem with pets and kids, they always want attention.”

Sean came back with, “Boyfriends too?”

“Fucking A, they are the worst,” laughed Lee.

Sean smacked her on the bum, which just made her giggle more. They collected the pig and headed to the dome. They found pretty much the same crowd in the dome that was there the night before.

Delta now sat at about twenty degrees above the horizon of the ship. Nicko explained they were for all intent and purposes under the plate of the planets looking up at them. He said this made it easier for the ship’s telescopes and spectral analysis machines to get good recordings of the planets and asteroids from here.

The plan was for them, to start slowing to about 0.02c over the next week, while they did some calculations on where each body they had found should be, so they could jump in and have a better look at them.

“Come, come,” Nicko said, as he gestured towards one of the telescopes. So, they walked over to the telescope Eze was using. “Eze, find Lee’s planet.”

Eze moved the telescope until it was at a specific set of coordinates. He looked through and modified the coordinates slightly then stepped back away to write the new coordinates and time down.

“Look,” said Nicko proudly.

So, Lee bent down to the eye of the telescope and looked. She could see a small ball that was very blue on the ends, with stripes of white, yellow, red and brown, around the middle.

“The gas and ice giant Kyle-Lee, since we would not be here without the work you and Kyle have contributed to this trip,” said Nicko.

Sean snorted out a laugh and had to put his hand over his mouth. Lee looked daggers at him.

“The gas and ice giant Ky-lee,” said Lee.

“No, K-Y-L-E hyphen L-E-E,” spelt out Nicko.

“No, I think you should spell it: K-Y-L-E-E. It combines our names better,” said Lee.

“You are sure?” Nicko asked.

“Oh yes, definitely,” snorted Sean, “I think Kyle will love having a gas and ice giant named to reflect his feminine side.”

Nicko looked at Sean then at Lee, “You are a very naughty girl, Lee.”

Lee just shrugged and grinned. Nicko and Eze had a whispered conversation, which included some snickers but ended with them both agreeing.

Nicko declared, “It will be so.”

Kyle and Debora were lying cuddled up in a bunk.

They were cooling off, after the last bout of sex. Kyle rolled so he could see Debora’s face. “Hey, Debora you know I love you, right?”

Debora looked at him with a smile since he sounded so sincere. But then most guys were after you had just let them fuck your brains out. “I know you love fucking me,” she replied.

Kyle nodded and grinned, “Oh yeah, I love doing that, but I love you too, my sexy lady. I love being able to cuddle with you and talk with you, and I love just being with you. Deb, it’s been a long time since I’ve spent all my time with just one person.”

He looked at her. He wasn’t sure that she believed he loved her. He sat up and got Debora to do so, as well. He wrapped his legs around her and under hers, so they were sitting face to face. Debora had her back supported against the wall and his legs.

“But there is something I have to talk to you about. I very much want you to be the lady in my life. But I have a problem I have to discuss with you. Hmm, this isn’t easy, but you know I like guys as well?”

Debora nodded; Kyle had mentioned it several times. She had thought it was just a phase he had gone through. If he needed an arse, hers was always available.