Kraving Khiva by Zoey Draven

Chapter Seventeen

Eve tilted her head back and closed her eyes, feeling the exquisiteness of the cool rain glide down her face. She didn’t care that she was standing in her garden like a loon. She didn’t care that her simple white linen dress was getting soaked through.

It was Sunday and Eve had always liked Sundays. It was when the Programmers’ unleashed the rains over Everton to water the landscaping spread throughout the colony, the Lake District specifically. Some Evertons complained that they made it rain so often, but Eve thought that nothing felt more divine than Sundays.

Three weeks, she couldn’t help but think, standing there with her eyes closed.

It had been three weeks since she’d last visited Madame Allegria’s…since she’d last seen Khiva.

Three weeks of self-doubt, of wondering if everything Genni had accused was true…that Khiva had been carefully and deliberately doing everything in his power to make her return for another visit, and another, and another, driven by the reward of credits.

Had he been acting the entire time they’d been together? Eve didn’t like the thought that he’d been someone else, that he’d changed who he was to please her.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that what Genni said hadn’t been true. At least not entirely. Eve had been an observer all her life and she’d observed people most often, had observed their interactions and the way they spoke to one another. And while Khiva was not of her species, the softness in his voice when he’d told her of his home planet, of the firestones, of his ancestry had been real enough. Why would he share something so intimate with her if all he’d wanted was her credits? He’d had no reason to.

Besides, she’d thought often, did it really matter? Eve was paying him for a service. At its core, it was a business transaction. They both knew it.

It was Eve’s own fault for developing feelings.

Pesky feelings that wouldn’t quite go away, despite her not seeing Khiva in almost a month.

Eve shivered, goosebumps breaking out over her skin. The air was turning chilly, signaling that the seasons were changing. And while the weather was never extreme—not as extreme as it had been on Old Earth at least—the Programmers’ had a liking for colder temperatures during the later half of the yearly cycle.

Autumn and Winter, she knew the seasons had been called. She’d seen old digital photographs of those seasons, of colorful leaves and snow. She would never see either. All the plant life on Everton had been genetically engineered to remain in a constant state of optimal health and the Programmers’ had never made it snow, not daring to make the temperature cold enough inside the orbiting colony.

It was another lifetime when those simple things existed and Eve had always wondered if the soil on Old Earth smelled the same as the soil on Everton.

She heard her Nu device ping inside her townhouse and Eve’s eyes fluttered open, listening to soft patter of the rain drops across the grass for another moment, before she reluctantly turned back inside. In her sitting room, she saw an alert from Genni. Eve listened to the voice alert about Genni inviting her out to Restaurant Row with her newest lover.

Their friendship had been rocky since their confrontation weeks ago. And while Eve had forgiven Genni when she’d eventually apologized, Eve was hesitant to try to resume the ease and familiarity she had with her so soon. Words were permanent and Eve had seen a side of Genni that she didn’t like, a hateful, judgmental part. Eve couldn’t stop remembering the way she’d spat out ‘whore’ in reference to Khiva.

Eve simply declined the invitation. Before, if Eve didn’t want to meet Genni’s newest lover, she always felt like she needed some excuse so as not to anger Genni. But now? She simply said no. Eve was beginning to realize that she didn’t need to constantly justify her responses, that she didn’t always have to do the things that Genni wanted her to do.

Even still, a twinge of guilt settled in her after she replied, but then she shook it off.

Eve stood there for a brief moment, looking out the bay window towards the front of the street. Then, unable to help herself, she checked her credit balance. In her own savings account, she had 356 credits. Before her visits with Khiva, there had been well over two thousand.

Then her eyes strayed to her inheritance account. Five digits worth of liquid credits that had been sitting there since it had been transferred to her since her father’s death. And she had more, from the townhome, from her father’s private antique collections, from the two merchant vessels she hadn’t sold yet sitting in Port.

She’d debated with herself internally for the past three weeks. One moment her mind had been made up…the next, not. Frustration and restlessness ate at her. She felt like Khiva had become her drug and she needed her next fix.

But would she spend her inheritance credits to get that fix, to get him?

Just one more night, she’d told herself. But she knew that her thoughts were mere, fleeting lies. One more night would never be enough. She knew that as instinctively as she knew the length of her desire for him.

Whether he returned that sharp, deepening desire remained unknown.

But she wanted to find out. Eve thought it might drive her crazy, not knowing.

Maybe it was the rain, or that particular Sunday, or finally saying a simple ‘no’ to Genni, but at that moment, Eve felt strong. She felt…different. And all Eve needed was a few moments to take advantage of that courage to bring up a familiar landing page on her Nu device and to connect a call.

Valerie’s hologrammed face appeared. In her usual, melodic voice, she greeted, “Good morning, Miss Tesler. How can I assist you?”

Eve wondered if the girl was surprised she’d called after three long weeks, but no emotion showed on Valerie’s face. Her ever-present professionalism and calmness patched through the line and Eve found herself saying, “Hi Valerie. I’d like to book a visit with Khiva. When is he available next?”

Eve tried not to think how many women he’d been with since she’d left him, or how many he would be with until her next visit.

Valerie paused only for a moment, no doubt to check through his schedule. “He is free on Thursday night. Shall I book you then?”

Four days. He must have had a cancellation, she thought.

“Yes,” Eve replied without hesitating for a single moment.

Valerie nodded, her eyes flickering over Eve’s face. The girl, for the first time, seemed unsure of herself and looked behind her shoulder briefly, before peering back at Eve.

In a soft voice that bordered on a whisper, Valerie said, “Khiva…he’ll be very pleased to see you again, Miss Tesler.”

Eve’s cheeks immediately reddened, not quite sure how to respond to that, or even what it meant. How would Valerie know that unless Khiva had told her something?

The only thing Eve managed to choke out was, “I’m looking forward to seeing him again too.”

Valerie smiled. She nodded and said, “We will see you on Thursday evening, Miss Tesler.”

Four days, Eve thought after the call disconnected.

She’d lasted three weeks without seeing him. What was another four days?

An eternity.