Learning to Dance

That’s not why I’m here. It was just the push she’d
needed. She swung her fists together nervously.
“Do you... want to sit down?” Up said awkwardly. She
took the chair he offered and he returned to his desk. The
silence between them was worse than she could have ever
imagined.
“So you’re back on active duty,” she said, her tone
falsely bright.
“First mission back,” he said, and his voice betrayed his
nervousness.
“You look – you look good,” she said, and she meant it.
“The doctors at the rehabilitation centre know what
they’re doing,” he said.
Silence again.
“But a demotion, Taz,” he said now. “What did you do?”
She shifted uncomfortably. I lost control. I’ve been
losing control since I left you. “Let’s just say Commander
Li and I didn’t always see eye to eye.”
He must have known there was more to it than that, but
he didn’t press. His eyes flickered up to hers, and she was
struck by the blueness of them, by how well she knew
them, how she’d never forgotten them. He picked up the
papers on his desk and shuffled them a few times.
“Have you been – happy, Taz?”
“Happy?” She was truly surprised by the question.
“When have I ever been happy, Up?”
Hurt flashed across his face. No, no, I didn’t mean it like
that. It’s just been so long... She shouldn’t have come. She
was just going to cause him more pain. She stood.
“I should go. I just thought I should see you before –
before the mission began.”
He looked disappointed, but he stood as well. “I’ll see
you on deck tomorrow then, Lieutenant.”
He saw her to the door, and they both reached for it at