8

But he doesn’t say anything. He just lies down beside me, pulls me into his chest, and holds me as I cry over all the things that feel too big in this moment.

I spend the rest of the day buried in the belly of the ship, because that’s what I know how to do. Ships and mechanics are simple. They’re straightforward. A, B, and C. One, two, and three. Copper. Steel. Titanium.

I find a crack along the main hull, down at the very bottom of the ship.

We’re slam lucky they were still working on this ship when we stole it. The ship is full of tools and supplies and everything they were using to finish it. I find a welding machine and I spend the rest of the day repairing the crack. By the time I finish it, it looks better than it did before we took off from Isroth.

In total, the entire day, Valen and I say less than ten words to each other. We’re both lost in our own heads. We need to not constantly run through it all. So that night, we both climb into bed. We don’t say anything.

And I go