Page 92 of The Space Traveller's Lover

Rothwen slowly breathes out as he presses his forehead against hers. “I love you!” He says vibrantly in his deep husky voice.

“I love you so much, Rothwen. I broke down on our departure, went crazy at the thought of losing you,” She whispers while tenderly caressing his face.

“I’m getting to know you, Shaillah. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

They chuckle and kiss under their racing pulses, neither of them wanting to stop.

Stage Three, T-60, Taking apex position.

The Prestigemajestically glides and comes to a halt at the Grand Fleet’s forefront, hovering at the top of the faultless formation of the milliards of motherships.

“Falling in love with you was the easy part. Admitting it to myself, the hardest. Everyone, including me, said it was impossible. But here it is … I love you,” Rothwen marvels.

“That’s what our love is about, Rothwen—doing the impossible!” Her face beams with an ecstatic smile.

“Impossible things are just hard. You only need to find the tool strong enough to break them,” he remarks while hugging her tightly until they feel the Quark-Star diamond’s edges pressing on their chests.

Stage Three, Complete.

“Let’s go back to the flight deck and show our gratitude to our great commander for his infinite mercy,” Rothwen states while slipping his arm around her shoulders as they start walking side by side.

“He is furious!”

“No. You haven’t seen him furious yet. He knew I was going to change the sequence … he didn’t know how I would do it, yet he let me do it. But he can’t stop himself if something goes slightly out of his way.”

“Why did he let you do it?”

“Because he has no other option. It’s either you or cancel the mission to Omega Centauri.”

“Oh, Rothwen!” She kisses him with her rawest, most intense of passions, the same passion that saved him from his bleak shallow soul.

He draws Shaillah’s belt from under his own and hands it to her. She wraps the gem-studded band around her waist, the central buckle sparkling as she fastens it. Under a swirl of emotions, she hugs him while lovingly looking into his pupils. “As long as you’re by my side …” he tells her, the flames of his iron-willed spirit glowing through his emerald-green eyes.

“When we finish in Omega Centauri, shall we come back and visit Earth?” she asks him.

Rothwen takes Shaillah’s hand. And as they start walking back to the flight deck, he pledges, “Ensheren” (Definitely)!