Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 216: Unrequited

Mariella hadn't expected Number Five to be this candid, and the honesty caught her slightly off guard.

"I'm not projecting anything onto him. I just can't stand watching him suffer alone." Number Five tightened her grip on the can and let out another joyless smile. "But he treats me like I'm something to run from. At this point I'm genuinely starting to wonder if there's something wrong with me."

Mariella was quiet for a moment before she answered. "You're beautiful. And you have real presence."

She'd actually noticed for a while that Number One and Number Five had a certain compatibility, and it was clear Number Five felt something.

The trouble was it wasn't going both ways.

"If he's not responding to you, it might just be a matter of timing." Mariella paused, then let out a quiet laugh. "Captain Zimmer was exactly the same way at first. Completely closed off. But the more I pushed, the more he started to open up."

Number Five blinked, then realized her boss was voluntarily passing down actual advice, and she snapped to attention. "How exactly did you push?"

Mariella stared at her.

Of all things. She, a woman who'd never had the faintest instinct for this kind of thing, was now being looked at as a source of wisdom on how to win over a man.

She reached up and gave her own scalp a light, helpless scratch, unable to bring herself to admit she'd been operating completely without a playbook.

"Just... compliment him. Notice his strengths out loud. And the most important thing is spending time together. Going on missions together, that sort of thing." Mariella revealed her hand with a faint trace of embarrassment. "Being the boss gave me a natural advantage there."

Number Five absorbed every word, her eyes brightening visibly. "Then I'm going out on tomorrow's mission with everyone."

"Exactly." Mariella gave her a firm pat on the shoulder. "Keep at it. One day it might actually land."

She genuinely believed that was how she'd gotten through to Chandler.

She'd given Number Five everything she had. That was the best she could offer.

...

Mariella knocked on Chandler's door.

"One minute," came his voice from inside, muffled and faintly accompanied by the sound of running water.

While she waited, doors up and down the corridor cracked open just enough, and pairs of eyes pressed against the gaps to watch.

Mariella didn't feel even a trace of self-consciousness about it. She blinked directly at the nearest crack in a door.

That door snapped shut with a startled force.

Mariella was thoroughly delighted with herself.

Chandler opened the door and found her mid-laugh, which confused him. "What's so funny?"

He had on a robe, and his hair was still damp from the shower, clearly not yet dried.

Mariella walked straight in and pulled the door shut behind her.

They were engaged now, after all. She had every right.

She looked at him, freshly showered, and her smile took on a mischievous slant. "You cleaned up in a hurry. I was just about to drag you into the storage space for a solid hour of hard work. Hope you didn't waste that shower!"

Chandler stared at her in silence.

The things that come out of her mouth sometimes...

She'd never once managed to curb that habit.

Mariella skipped the commentary and pulled him into the storage space.

She wasn't actually teasing him. She fully intended to put him to work for a solid hour.

Chandler held up a hand. "I'm requesting the night off."

"Reason?"

Chandler kept a straight face. "I got engaged tonight. I'd like to actually enjoy the moment."

Mariella tilted her head, considered it, and found she genuinely couldn't argue with that. "Fine. Night off approved."

She slipped her arms around his lean waist and rose onto her toes to press a kiss to his still-warm cheek.

Chandler's strong arms folded around her, and he kissed her back with a warmth that matched her own.

It was their first real kiss.

There was a certain newness to it on both sides, a careful, tentative quality that slowly gave way to something more certain.

Like discovering something entirely new, or tasting something they hadn't known existed, the two of them held each other and kissed deeply, growing more absorbed with every passing second.

They went on until Mariella felt the air thinning and tapped her fist against his back.

Chandler released her lips but kept his arms locked around her, his breath warm against her face.

Mariella pulled in a long breath of fresh air, but the dizziness didn't leave.

"Does kissing actually deprive the brain of oxygen?" She sank against him, soft and unsteady, her cheeks flushed deep and warm as though she'd been drinking. "Everything's spinning..."

Chandler tightened his arms and lifted her off the ground.

"What are you doing?" Mariella hadn't forgotten why she'd come into the storage space at all. They still had work left to finish.

"Helping you sober up," he said, completely in earnest, and carried her in the direction of the villa inside the storage space.

Mariella finally understood what Chandler had in mind.

And she finally understood why he hadn't come to find her right away tonight, and why he'd showered first.

He'd actually cleaned up in preparation for this?

Mariella buried her burning face against his chest and gripped his shirt tightly in both hands, her voice coming out small and unsteady. "Chandler, I'm a little..."