"Maybe I wouldn’t understand exactly how you feel, but we’re brothers, Marlow. You know you’d always have my support," I say, and he nods slowly.
"Thanks. It’s something that’s been building in me over the past few years, but lately it’s gotten really bad. It’s hard to function like this…" That painful edge creeps back into his voice.
I place a hand on his shoulder, suddenly aware of the heaviness in his energy. This isn’t something minor. It hits me just how deep this goes.
"Maybe Blue really will find a way for you?"
"That’s exactly why I decided to bring it up at all. Sorry for making it awkward. But if anyone in the world might have expertise in this, it’s the architect of the Beta Activation program himself. He’s been working on fertility in humans for years. It gave me hope. Maybe he’ll actually come up with something."
I nod. "Yeah. Blue is brilliant. If anyone can do it, he’s the most logical shot."
Marlow lifts his head and studies me for a moment.
"He is… very nice. Even warm. I imagined him as someone entirely different, unpleasant and cold, like he comes acrossin interviews, you know, sharp-tongued. But he actually seems normal."
I press my lips together lightly. "Well, Blue kind of has two modes. He can be exactly like you described, but underneath that, he’s not a bad person. He has a heart, that’s for sure."
Marlow watches me closely, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"You like him?"
Damn, that familiar sting of being seen through again. I blush.
"Yeah," I admit, feeling a little foolish. "I think I like him as more than a friend, actually, but right now I don’t exactly have a green light from him."
"Do you have a strategy?"
"Patience. That’s it."
Marlow nods. "Good strategy. Maybe even the best one. But… sometimes it hurts."
Then he suddenly remembers something, reaches into his backpack, and pulls out a small package.
"This is the stuff from your hacker bag."
"I completely forgot about that. Thanks, man."
When I go back to the room, James is already clearing the table. Blue is nowhere to be seen, but strangely enough, I immediately know he’s up in the rooftop garden.
A little unsure, I head there and find him sitting in one of the lounge chairs, drinking some healthy-looking smoothie while staring at his tablet.
I walk over slowly and sit down in the smaller rattan chair nearby.
And… I can feel it right away.
The distance is back, just like it’s been these last few days. He barely reacts to my presence at all.
The openness I felt from him during Marlow’s visit is gone now, closed off again.
Dammit.
I swear I’ll go crazy, thepush and pullis making me dizzy.
What can I do to move this forward?
After clearing my throat, I finally speak.
"I wanted to thank you for… treating Marlow kindly."