Clonely You (Sunrise Cantina #2)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER

THREE

AITHAR

The next morning, I am full of nerves. Michaela will be here this day. Michaela will be on a date with me. I stare down at my tattooed hands in the shower, wondering what I should wear that would set her at ease. She did not like my tattoos. Would gloves be acceptable or would she find them unnerving? Do I need to use an unscented soap? Should I wear my ship uniform as I normally do or should I opt for more relaxed clothing? Does my head need to be shaved again?

I eye my appearance, wondering if there’s a way I could change how I look to ease Michaela’s worries. I run a finger along my brows. Should I shave them? Would that change me from the face of her enemy? I consider this for a moment, touching the thick black lines of my eyebrows on my face. I saw a male a’ani with all his hair burned off his head because of chemicals, and he certainly did look unique.

Pondering, I put on my best clean uniform and head out to our ship’s mess hall. It’s full, of course. Ruthie is in Kazex’s lap, holding a mug of tea as he eats noodles one-handed. Also eating breakfast are Erzah and Zaemen, Ruth-Ann, Sakkar, and Dopekh. There’s no Lady Ruth or Lord Straik, but they rarely eat with the crew. “No Salvotor this morning?”

Dopekh shrugs, trying to keep his expression neutral. “He’s working on a project for a farmer.”

“Ah.” I sit down at the table with Dopekh and loudly present my question to the others. “Do you think I will look unique if I remove my eyebrows?”

The room goes quiet.

“I think you’d look strange without eyebrows,” Ruth-Ann says after a moment. “But I guess I’d like to know the reasoning behind wanting to remove them.”

I rub my face, thinking of Michaela’s frustration and anger from yesterday. Of how I’d had the same face as the terrible male she remembered. “Because I have a date today and I think she would like me better without them.”

“A date?” Zaemen practically coughs the word out, only to be elbowed by Erzah. “Didn’t you have a thing with that yellow-haired human?”

“Melody,” I agree. “And that was last month. She is quite content with her new mate. Yesterday I met the most glorious female and she has completely stolen my heart.”

Ruthie starts, watching me with surprise. “You’re over her that quickly?”

I’m a little stung at her confusion. I was not in love with Melody. Infatuated, yes. But love must be returned, and Melody made it very clear that I was not the one for her. Why should I pine forever? “Should I not be?”

Ruth-Ann moves to my side. She puts a reassuring hand on my arm. “Don’t pay her any mind. It’s not a human thing to fall in and out of love quickly, that’s all. We tend to linger in our feelings, both the good and the bad ones.”

I nod, eyeing Ruthie discreetly. Perhaps I should get some food and ignore their words, but the crew is the only family I have. What they think of me matters. “I do not wish for anyone to think I am not sincere. If Michaela loves me back, I will cherish her forever. I will no longer need to cast out my love and hope it is returned.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Aithar,” Ruthie replies. “I was surprised, that’s all. Tell us more about this woman. Have we met her?”

“She is the dairymaid at the Space Butter Farm.”

“Then I love her already,” Ruthie declares.

I jerk to my feet, startled. Is she truly going to try and take Michaela from me? “But I want to love her first! You already have Kazex!”

Ruth-Ann clears her throat. She tugs on my arm, hauling me back down to my seat. “Calm down, Romeo. She was joking around.” Zaemen snickers into his breakfast noodles. She turns and gives him a glare, which shuts him up. “And for the record, Aithar, we don’t call them dairymaids any longer. That’s an antiquated term. She’s a dairy worker, or a farmer.”

My stomach feels like a pit. “Have I insulted her, then?”

“No, you haven’t,” Ruthie chimes in from her spot on Kazex’s lap. His arm is casually around her waist, and I am envious of their coziness, of their ability to touch one another constantly. “I’m sure she was fine with it. Just keep being you. Tell us more about her.”

How much to tell? I don’t want anyone to think she’s wrong for me. I want them to find Michaela as perfect as I do. I can’t tell them that she threatened to torture me. “She has a lovely voice and a charming demeanor. She says I look like the male that kidnapped her sister and that is why I thought of shaving my brows.” I glance at Dopekh, who is from the same lab I am. “She did not realize we were clones. She had no idea of such a thing.”

“Awkward,” Ruth-Ann says. “But you managed to charm her anyhow?”

Charm her? I’m not sure I’d go that far, but I will see her again, so I feel that is a thing in my favor. I have time to charm her if I see her more often. “I want her to meet the crew so she can realize that clones are common. That, and she requires our assistance, so I will need to speak with Lord Straik.”

“Assistance? For what?” Erzah looks cranky at the thought, and I know he is thinking of his personal plans—specifically the cantina he is working hard to open and doesn’t want delayed. “We can’t fly anywhere right now, Aithar. Sunrise?—”

I shake my head. “She needs a bounty hunter to help her locate her missing sister. I told her we would help.”

The room grows quiet.

“So she’s using you,” Ruthie says flatly.

“What? No. We have a date.” I turn to Ruth-Ann, hoping she’s on my side.

Ruth-Ann presses her lips together tightly. “Did she agree to the date before or after you said you’d help her?”

“I don’t remember. Does it matter?”

“Yes,” says everyone in the room.

“Oh, Aithar,” Ruthie says, getting up from Kazex’s lap and coming to my side. Her expression is all sympathy, the piercings on her face gleaming and drawing the eye. “You’re too nice. These women are all using you because you want so desperately to be loved.”

I’m silent. Hurt, and silent. They don’t understand. Michaela isn’t using me. She didn’t even want to date me. It was me that pressed the issue. But if I tell them the truth of what really happened, they’ll truly hate her. “Michaela agreed to go on a date with me, and she doesn’t come into town much except to deliver her goods. I imagine she is suffering from trauma from her enslavement. I would like to use our date to show her that a’ani can be trustworthy and that town is a safe place for her. No more should be read into the situation.”

Am I lying? Yes. Because I hope for Michaela to fall violently in love with me. I can’t make that happen overnight, however, so I am going to take this one step at a time.

“We’re not trying to be cruel, Aithar,” Ruthie says.

“Then be kind to her when she arrives. That is all I ask.” And I reach out and tousle Ruthie’s short, stiff hair. “If you befriend her, she will probably shower you with butter.”

“Now you’re talking,” Ruthie chuckles even as she chases my hands away from her mohawk.