Where the Lines Overlap Ch. 08

Throwing a helmet band to me, he put his own on and climbed onto the bike with me following behind quickly, knowing that he wasn't in a patient mood. I had barely gotten my arms around his waist before he took off, going faster than even the first time I rode on his bike. He was going so fast that I actually feared for my life.

Buildings that passed by became a blur of colors. My eyes didn't even have the time to focus on anything, but I could tell from the general direction we were heading, that our destination was the dome wall.

It was then that the words of his mother ran through my head again. 'If you love Taron like you say you do, you know that you shouldn't hold him back.' I knew what I had to do and going to the dome wall, going to where we got together, wasn't going to help me with my resolve.

"Stop the bike," I said.

"What?" Taron asked, turning just enough to glance at me while still looking to the road.

"Stop the bike," I repeated before the hoverbike slow to a stop at the side of the road. Finally being able to roughly see where we were, I noticed that we were near the outskirts of the City Centre. I quickly got off the bike, walking over to a nearby alleyway for some privacy, taking off my helmet band as I marched.

I could hear Taron following so I just walked, further into the alley and away from the crowded main road. When the sound of vehicles finally died down to a soft murmur, I stopped.

"Kev, what's wrong?" Taron asked, worry clear in his voice.

"What did your father want from you?" I asked, the commanding tone in my voice very clear.

"What? It doesn't matter—"

I cut him off. "What did your father want from you?"

"He wanted to talk to me about something," he said, giving a vague answer. I knew what his father had talked about though, and I suddenly pieced together his parent's little plan to talk to us separately to try and talk some sense into us. Why Taron was so angry when he returned from his meeting.

"About me," I stated, not a question.

"How did—" he started but stopped himself. "My mother."

"You know they're right, right?"

"What?! You're taking their side?" he asked, completely appalled that I had even remotely supported their idea of breaking up.

"You can't deny that they have a point," I said. Taron knew how I felt about the matter of our interclass relationship, that somehow I couldn't live up to his expectations. I hadn't voiced them in a while, and I had honestly thought that I was getting over it myself, but his mom's words had reignited the dormant flames of doubt.

"No!" he said, conviction clear as day in his voice. "They have no point whatsoever. I am not breaking up with you."

"Taron—"

"No Kev, I will not hear it," he said, the volume of his voice already slowly rising. "I can't believe you even thought about entertaining that idea. What did my mom say that was so convincing that you would even consider breaking up with me?"

"She didn't say anything," I lied.

"Pfft, sure she didn't. She didn't think you were worthy to date me, isn't it? Said how for my sake you needed to break up with me," he said. I didn't reply but I did look away from him, in other words silently confirming what he had just said. "Geez Kev, I thought you were getting over this whole 'I'm not good enough for you' mentality you have."

"I can't!" I shouted, making him stop. There was an awkward silence that hung in the air after that. I was glaring at Taron and he was staring at me dumbfounded. "I can't get over it because it's true."

"Kev, you know that's—"

"It's not the fact that I'm natal and you're elite. That, I was getting used to and I had honestly truly believed that I was getting over it. It's the fact that you're a top researcher at the Lunaris research centre. You're insanely smart and you do things that change Lunaris. You do stuff that cure diseases, better lives. But what am I? A service mechanic. It's not about being from different classes, because honestly, I think your parents won't give a shit if you were dating someone like Ken instead of me."

"Kev, not this again." he said.

"Yes, this again Taron, because like it or not, this is what we're going through. It's not because I'm a natal that your parents disapprove, its the fact that I'm a mechanic. Its the fact that I'm not someone who can keep up with you intellectually, someone who can challenge you to better yourself. It's the fact that of all the millions of natals there are in the colony, you chose someone who had a job even some natals deem as brainless. It's those things that your parents disapprove of," I finished.

Taron stood there staring at me, processing everything that I had said. His expression was soft at first, thinking about everything that I had laid out and I thought that he was understanding what I was saying and where his parents were coming from. I was wrong though, because not a few seconds later did his brows furrow in annoyance.

"Well fuck them. I am the one dating you. Not them," he said, his voice hard as he tried to make me see reason. "I've said it once and I'll say it again. I don't care that you're natal, that you're a mechanic or that you think I would be better off with your brother. I don't and quite frankly Kev, I'm getting pretty tired with constantly trying to tell you that."

It was my turn to get angry then. "You're getting pretty tired? Oh well I'm sorry I'm such a chore Taron." It was stupid of me seeing that he had every right to get tired with my constant insecurity. Hell, after all the pep talks he gave me, he had the right to call me out on my problems every now and then too, especially now when I had been suggesting that we break up. But I was angry and my words flowed without a filter. "If you're so tired of me, maybe it really is best that we no longer see each other."

"You know I didn't mean it like that. I mean, why is it me that always has to understand where you're coming from? Why do I always have to be the one that gives a damn about this relationship. Quite honestly Kev, sometimes I feel like you don't really want to be with me at all. And now you're telling me you want to break up because of something my parents said? Seriously, how stupid can you be?"

I could tell that it wasn't some casual remark either, like when people called each other stupid for the sake of insult. No this time, he meant it in terms of actual moronic, stupidity. He hadn't meant for that last sentence to come out. I could tell, from the slight look of guilt that washed over his features the moment it left his mouth. Knowing he regretted what he said didn't make it hurt any less though. He knew that was something I was insecure about, and the fact that he had said it out loud, even in a fit of anger, meant that the idea was somewhere in his subconscious.

"Fuck you," I spat, turning away from him about to walk away.

"Kev wait, I didn't mean—"

"You didn't?!" I shouted back, turning to glare at him. "Because it sounded a lot like you did Taron."

He looked at me with soft eyes, wordlessly apologizing to me, trying to convince not to do what I now knew I had to do without a doubt.

"You say you're tired of my insecurities. Well, let me help you cope with that. We're done." I said, turning back around and walking away. As I walked, a part of me hoped that Taron would come running after me, beg me to stay. That was the part of me that loved him. But the other part just wanted all this to end, so I could just get over Taron.

Taron didn't say anything and I knew exactly why. What he had said crossed a line somewhere, and though a part of me wanted him to fight for me, I knew I wouldn't have listened anyway.

I made it all the way out of the alley to see his comet by the side of the road. I heard a faint shout of frustration from behind me, followed by the sound of something smashing against the ground. I knew Taron had thrown his helmet band on the floor, which only reminded me of the one currently in my hand. I sighed, placing the band onto the comet before walking off down the street.

I knew I had done whats best, letting Taron go. He was better off without me anyway, or at least that's what I kept telling myself. Don't get me wrong, I was still furious at him, but somewhere in my heart I wondered if I had done the right thing. I loved him after all, and as much as it hurt me to let him go, I knew that was what's best for him. It was true what his mother said, that if I really loved him, I couldn't hold him back.

I started walking for the tram, just wanting to get home to my now empty bedroom, lying in bed and staring at the plain ceiling, reassuring myself that I had done the right thing. I was moving in two days, halfway across the moon. Even without all the drama with his parents and all the crap involving my insecurities, I knew that the distance in itself was going to eventually tear us apart. Perhaps it was best to nip this in the bud, before it got out of hand. Before I fell so far, I knew I would not be able to climb back out.

When I finally knocked myself out of my thoughts, I realized that I was nowhere near the tram station. In fact I had been walking in the complete opposite direction from what I could tell. I had been so deep in thought that I hadn't even realized where I was headed, and looking around now, I found myself in the familiar entrance to Helios Grove, AKA Alena's house. It was only that moment that I realized what I really wanted to do. I didn't want to go home and wallow in my own self pity. I wanted to be told that I had done the right thing, be comforted and have someone who would listen to me. That's probably why I was now standing in front of Alena's house.

I sighed, walking up to her gigantic front door. The house had 19th century french architecture, something that was very different from the mostly contemporary styles of other houses in the city centre. I didn't even know if Alena was home, but I was already there and I figured it didn't hurt to just try and see if she's in.

I pressed the doorbell, waiting for her butler droid to answer the door, but when the doors parted, it wasn't the droid, but a little girl no older than 5 years of age. I looked down at here, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She had light brown hair that she kept in a high pony tail. Her eyes were a striking blue and she had the cutest little face I had ever seen on a little girl. Still, you could already see the beauty in her features, her sharp nose and thin lips telling me that she would one day grow to be a very stunning woman. But enough about me almost perving on a little girl.

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked, her voice soft but still held a tone of authority. I knew she was elite just from her looks, but I had always assumed that elites were taught how to behave later on in life. That the authority they carried only came to them in their late teens. I was wrong, because this little girl held as much confidence as Alena.

"Um...did I get the wrong house?" I asked, more to myself as I looked around, probably hoping to see that I had stopped at someone else's house instead of Alena's.

"Are you looking for someone in particular?" she asked again.

"Um...Alena Hopper?" At the name, the girl gave a gentle smile.

"Don't worry, you've got the correct house. Might I ask who you are?" she said. Her words may have seemed like she was suspicious of me, but it didn't come off like that. She was genuinely just curious.

"I'm her friend, Kevin Branson."

Her eyes bulged slightly. "You're Kevin Branson?"

"Uh...should I know you?" I asked, getting more than a little weirded out by this petite girl.

"No, no you don't know me but Aunt Alena talks about you..a lot," she said, and it took me a moment to realized what she meant. Aunt Alena? Wait...that would mean that this girl is...her niece? "Dad's been talking about you these days too."

I was about to reply to her, say how I'm sorry and that I should have known, but another voice in the house stopped me before I could. "Michaela? Who's at the door?" The voice belonged to a man with a deep baritone. I had heard that voice many times on TV to know who it belonged too even before I saw him.

"Daddy, it's Kevin Branson. The person Dad keeps talking about," she replied, turning her head and talking to her father just behind the door.

"Oh?" the male voice said before his head popped into view. Yep, same face I had expected. His short brown hair was complemented by a neatly trimmed beard, beneath it his strong square jaw. His silver eyes reminded me of Alena's, but why wouldn't they. They were siblings after all. "Hi, I'm—" he started but I cut him off.

"Thane Hopper," I said. I suddenly had a flashback to when I had been interviewed by his husband and how I too, had interrupted his introduction. I guess I needed to stop that, it was a little rude. "Sorry sir, that was rude," I quickly said.

"It's fine. And it's Thane. None of this 'sir' bullshit," he said.

"Language Daddy," said Michaela. "Dad says you're not allowed to say stuff like that in front of me."

"Oh please, you know far worse things that that, and you're only 5. Besides, he taught you most of them anyway," he said.

"I'm telling Dad on you," she said as she ran off.

He chuckled as he turned back to me. "Little rascal. Having a kid that's too mature can be a blessing and a curse."

"She seems like a really smart kid," I said.

"She is, more than me when I was her age that's for sure, but I think it's due to Will's parenting."

"How so?"

"She had always been more mature than we expected and Will treated her like an adult most of the time. He never spoke down to her and he never treated her like a child. Maybe it's his natal upbringing, I don't know. We're grooming her to be his successor; someone in the natal-elite communications speciality. I mean with my psychology background and Will's field, she would be a perfect candidate," he said, staring off in the direction his daughter had ran off too.

He turned back to me and shook his head, "I'm getting away from myself. So, you're the Kevin Branson I keep hearing about. Quite frankly, Will talks about you so much I think he may have a crush on you."

"I do not," another voice said. I turned in it's direction and saw Will walking up to us. "Hi Kev, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise," I replied.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Thane said, excusing himself.

"I'm not done with you. Michaela told me what you said," Will shouted to his husband, who gave him a cheeky smirk before exiting. Will turned back to me. "So, what brings you here?"

"I was in the vicinity and I wanted to talk to Alena," I said.

"In the vicinity? Sure." Will said, clearly not believing that part. "But Alena's out for a while, she should be back soon."

"Oh," I said. I didn't know if I wanted to wait for Alena, seeing that she wasn't there. Not to mention that her brother and his husband were around, meaning that I was kinda intruding on them, wasn't I?

"You're welcome to stay and wait for her," he said.

"I don't want to intrude," I replied.

"Nonsense. Besides Alena would kill me if I kicked out one of her friends," he said, turning and walking in the direction he had come from. "C'mon, I'll get you something to drink."

I followed Will through the house and to the kitchen. I had been at Helios Grove more than enough times to know the layout of the place. "So what are you and your husband doing here?" I asked. I knew that Will and Thane didn't live in Helios Grove anymore, seeing that I'd been here countless times before and had never met them.

"Decided to come visit. See the annoying sister in-law, you know," Will said as we entered the kitchen.

"Aww and I thought you came to see me," the robotic voice came from the droid at the sink. I smiled at Steve, walking up to the kitchen island and taking a seat. "Master Kevin, so nice to see you again."

"You too, Steve," I replied. Steve was the butler droid for Helios Grove and he sure was a character. I've always liked him because for a droid, he was very very well programmed. First time I had ever heard sarcasm from a droid. I didn't know who programmed him, but he sure knew his stuff.

"Oh Steve, have you already replaced me?" Will asked. "We used to be best pals when I used to live here?"

"Oh the best," Even in his robotic voice, Steve somehow sounded more monotonous than he normally did. "I remember when I had to cook extra portions all the time because you eat so damn much."

"Hey, be honored I like your cooking," Will replied with a laugh, walking up to the fridge. "So what'd you like?" he asked, clearly directing the question to me as he stuck his head into the fridge.

"A soda's fine," I replied. Will grabbed a can and tossed it to me, which I caught, just barely. I popped it open, the can hissing as the gas bubbled from the soda. Will stood beside Steve, casually sipping on his soda too. No one said anything, just staring at the table in front of them as the silence overcame the place.

I could hear the slight whirring of gears as Steve looked back and forth between Will and me, and in typical Steve fashion said, "Awkward." Normally, pointing out the awkwardness of a situation could result in two outcomes. Everyone would acknowledge the awkwardness and it becomes the topic of discussion, thereby eliminating said awkwardness. Other times, it just made the awkwardness all the more noticeable and hence unbearable. This time was neither.

Maybe it had something to do with the robotic voice that Steve delivered the line in, or the comedic timing of it all but both Will and I just started laughing. We laughed for a good minute before we finally stopped. In all honesty it wasn't all the funny when I thought back on it, but it seemed funny at the time. It was literally a 'you had to be there' moment.

"Steve, would you mind leaving us for a moment?" Will said. I knew that Will had wanted to talk to me in private, although I didn't actually want to believe it. Could you blame me after the mess that happened after the last time he and I had a private talk?

"Oh sure, kick the droid out after helping diffuse the tension in the room. If I had feelings, they would be hurt right now," Steve said, before he proceeded out of the kitchen. "Perhaps, miss Michaela will appreciate the things I do here."

"Stop being petty or I'll get Thane to reprogram you," Will said, although you could tell from his tone that he was joking.

Still, Steve gave a mock gasp. "Oh, the horror," he said as he disappeared out the kitchen.

Will turned his attention back to me, chuckling at Steve before finally asking, "So, what's the problem?"