I Found You - Part I

Posted on Sat Oct 26th, 2024 @ 7:14pm by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,194 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Starbase 2

ON:

Adrianna had managed to use her connections to find Zai. The 'stranger' hadn't been lying, it seemed. Zai was staying with Sab. Adrianna couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with Zai, since he'd told her about being in love with Fang and yet doing this. That said, it was familiar to her own situation, so didn't question too much. Plus, she didn't know what had happened between Fang and Zai that had caused the fallout. At the least, Adrianna just wanted to ensure that Zai was ok.

She sounded the chime on Sab's door, assuming he'd be at work.

Sabastian was indeed out. He'd gone to pick up a few things. He'd extended his leave for a few days so he could stay with Zai…who was just coming back to himself. He'd laid into Fang at the lunch but hadn't reveled all that day. He'd wished he had no doubt Fang hadn't told the two ladies he was with what had shattered Zai so badly. Not that all of it made sense if you didn't know who Zai really was but Sabastian knew. Zai had told him the whole story and he was sick of Zai being the bad guy.

Zai, however, was in the quarters resting, reading. The chime caught him off guard. He had showered this morning and again used Sabastian's sweat pants and t shirt. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Adrianna? Are you alright?"

"Are you?" Came the quick response. She sounded concerned, but it had a bit of bite to it.

"I ... am getting there." He stepped aside. "Come in. I needed a few days away from the ship, from Fang. Thank the Gods the Chief Engineer is a friend of mine from the Academy. "

"A mere friend," she asked, clearly seeing something else, "your mere friend tried to assert dominance over Fang regarding you-- in a public setting, might I add." Adrianna stepped inside, shaking her head, "not here to judge. Here to listen."

"What? When?" He shook his head. "Sabastian is just mad. He's known both of us since the Academy and granted he has feelings for me but he knows where I stand... or maybe stood, I haven't figured things out yet." He walked over to the drink stand. "What something to drink?"

"Just," she said flatly, confirming the timeline. "Look, I don't know what is going on in that head of yours, and I appreciate that I am sounding like a hypocrite, but you need to get a grip. We are set to leave tomorrow and you will be on that ship, even if I have to drag you there myself. Because, screw Fang, I need you."

He smiled. "Don't worry I'll be on the ship. I just needed..."

He was interrupted by the sound of the door. "Zai I thought if you wanted there was a play tonight..." He stopped when he saw Adrianna. "Oh don't tell me the jackass sent someone to cause more problems."

Zai stepped in. "Sab! You don't talk about her that way. This is Adrianna a friend. She came to check on me."

"Yet she had no problem having lunch yesterday with Fang."

"How did you see them you were at lunch with me."

Sabastian ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, you came after. They were in the same restaurant. You just didn't see them cause I steered you away from their area knowing what that jackass said to you would upset you again."

Zai sighed. "He didn't say it to me he said it..."

"Behind your back. You just happened to overhear." Sabastian gestured. "Did you tell her what he said? I'm sure she knows your feelings for him, a blind man could see them."

Zai sat down on the sofa deflated.

Adrianna remained silent and distant. All of her intel training seemingly coming back, to keep her grounded instead of launching herself over to the bulky of a man that seemed to want to try to offend her. She stood up, "Zai, it's your business. If you need me, you know where to find me, but I will not sit here and be berated by someone who has no intention of being polite to your guest, or even tell you a whole truth. Just-- cucciolo, just take a breath and think about everything properly."

She then turned to Sab, "you don't know me. I have no intention of knowing you until you calm down, but I am not the enemy here. Do not take advantage of my friend or I will personally hunt you down. Zai can tell you about me, if you want to laugh this off as a joke, but I mean why I say."

She looked back to Zai, "do not make my mistakes. Choose before you fall into a bigger mess." Adrianna didn't wait for a response. She headed for the door and quickly left.

The door opened behind her and Zai walked out calling to her. "Adri wait..."

She paused and turned around, "speak."

"Let's go to the promenade. We'll have a drink." He said.

She looked him over, considering her options. She nodded and gestured for him to follow her. "That guy is an cazzone, you know?" She muttered.

He sighed. "Sabastian has known me and Fang a long time, since Academy day one. He's protective of me. He's worried about me."

"There is protection and there is walking red flag," she replied.

They arrived at the restaurant and sat down getting drinks and sweets, sweets always made Zai feel better. "I'm trying to process what Fang said...it...wasn't easy to hear."

"What did he say?" She asked. She couldn't help without knowledge.

He sighed. "He was talking to a person from ops. Apparently there is a lady in that department that wanted task if I was single and she got her co worker to ask Fang. Fang told him that I prefer dating men to women, which is true. Then the Ops person asked if Fang and I were an item. Fang said no, which is true, we're friends. The guy told him that he thought I had feelings for him and it was obvious. Fang laughed it off and said that he didn't think so but if I did it wouldn't matter because he couldn't date me. His heart belonged to someone on Capella and if that person never showed up he could never date anyone because he swore he would marry them and if they showed up he'd take that person as his partner. The other guy asked what happens if he didn't love the person when he found them and he said he didn't care a promise is a promise. There was no future with me or anyone." Zai pushed away the dessert suddenly having lost his appetite. "So in other words he won't move on from the past and even if he had his happy ending the person he waiting for was an obligation and nothing more."

Adrianna nodded her understanding. "Have you told him how you actually feel, yet?"


To Be Continued...

 

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