Homesickness Comforts

Posted on Tue Nov 5th, 2024 @ 6:02pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,135 words; about a 6 minute read

In the dim light of the mess hall, Adrianna sat by the window, her eyes tracing the streaks of stars flying past as the ship sped through warp. Her thoughts drifted to Italy, the rolling hills, the bustling markets, and the lively voices of her family. She could almost smell the aroma of her mother’s cooking and hear her brothers' banter.

Vance entered quietly, catching sight of her lost in thought. He paused before walking over, drawn to the wistfulness in her gaze.

"Missing home?" he asked, his voice gentle.

She blinked, a little startled, but then nodded, managing a small smile. "Si, a little bit– it is my father's birthday today. My family would normally try to all get together. Mamma normally cooks up a feast and we all drink and eat until we fall asleep," she admitted, her accent slipping through. "It’s strange– I thought I could handle it, but sometimes the stars feel– too far away. Like they’re swallowing everything that’s familiar."

Vance leaned against the wall beside her, his gaze following hers out the window. “This place can do that. But that’s why it helps to keep people around who remind you of who you are. Makes it a little less big."

She looked up at him, her eyes glinting with warmth and a hint of sadness. "Grazie, Vance. It’s good to know someone understands. Out here, I feel like a ghost of myself sometimes."

Without thinking, he reached out, resting a hand on her shoulder, his thumb brushing her arm in a comforting motion. “You’re not a ghost of yourself, Adrianna. You’re as real as anyone– even more so than some of us. And you’re not alone, either– not as long as I’m around.”

For a moment, her breath caught. She leaned into his touch, her heart catching at how natural it felt to have him close. "You always know just what to say," she murmured, almost to herself.

They stayed like that, silent, as the stars sped past– two souls finding comfort in each other amid the vastness of space.

Vance shifted slightly and, after a hesitant moment, slid his arm around her shoulders. She leaned in instinctively, resting her head against his chest, letting his warmth steady the ache in her heart and feeling of hiraeth. They sat like that, wrapped in a comfortable silence, listening to the hum of the ship and feeling the quiet connection that had grown between them since their paths had crossed.

“It’s funny,” she murmured, her voice soft, barely a whisper. “I never thought I’d feel this close to anyone, especially out here. I don’t know what it is about you, Vance, but you make me feel... less lost.”

He chuckled quietly, the sound rumbling against her cheek. “You’re not the only one. There’s something about you, Adrianna… something that makes me feel like I could stay out here forever if I had to, as long as my future wife was with me.” He glanced down at her, his eyes soft as he took in the way her hair fell against his shoulder. The inside joke seemed to make her giggle a little, which, in turn, made him smile.

She felt her cheeks warm, but before she could respond, the door to the mess hall slid open. Another crew member entered, stopping in their tracks as they saw the pair entwined so intimately by the window.

Instantly, Vance and Adrianna pulled apart, a mixture of surprise and embarrassment flashing across Adrianna's face. Vance cleared his throat, trying to seem nonchalant as he looked away, while Adrianna quickly smoothed her hair, her cheeks flushed.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” the young man mumbled, clearly as awkward as they were, before hurrying off with a barely-hidden smirk. The crew were most definitely rooting for the pair.

Adrianna stifled a laugh, glancing up at Vance with a shy smile, “guess we’ll have to be more careful– the crew evidently want insider knowledge about you and I.”

Vance smiled back, his voice low as he leaned in just a little closer. “Maybe, but if it means I get moments like this with you– it’s worth it.”

They shared a lingering look, the laughter fading into a warm, charged silence. Vance’s gaze drifted down to her lips, and she felt her heart race as she instinctively leaned in, her hand brushing against his chest. She could feel his breath, warm and steady, as he tilted his head, closing the last bit of distance between them. Her pulse quickened, the room around them fading until there was only Vance. It was as if the entire universe had paused just for them, holding its breath.

But just as their lips were about to meet, the doors to the mess hall slid open again with a hiss, and they sprang apart, the spell broken. The crew member strolled back in, oblivious, but paused, glancing at them curiously, “sorry, forgot my book.”

Adrianna tried to compose herself, quickly smoothing her hair and sitting back. Vance looked down, suppressing a smirk as he leaned against the wall, his fingers brushing over his mouth as if to hide the smile that threatened to escape.

The crew member raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious of the tension in the air, but said nothing, heading over to retrieve his book near the food replicator and pretending not to notice anything further, although was clearly trying to figure it all out.

When the crew member turned their back, Adrianna shot Vance an amused, slightly exasperated look, “Seems the engines aren’t the only things determined to keep us apart.”

Vance chuckled softly, leaning just close enough to whisper, “Then we’ll have to wait for our next chance and maybe find a quieter spot.”

He lifted his hand and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip ever so softly, “for a crew that is so determined to get us together, they sure do interrupt a lot.” His mind wandered a little, trying to imagine what her lips would feel like against his. Under his thumb, they felt so soft and inviting.

Adrianna gazed into his eyes before chuckling with him and pulling away, shaking her head. Perhaps it was for the best that they didn't kiss, she was still lying to him about who she was anyway. “Amore mio, I hope I am worth the wait for you.”

“Amore mio?” He questioned, “that's a new one. What does that mean?”

“That would be telling,” she giggled before kissing his cheek, “thank you for trying to cheer me up, amore mio.”

“You're more than welcome, Ade,” he watched her leave, his fingers tracing where she had kissed his cheek.

 

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