The sun was already climbing by the time Glykós stirred.
She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she remembered the warmth of a scarf over her shoulder.
She remembered the sound of Martin’s voice, soft like he was confessing something to the air & she remembered the one line that hadn’t felt like a joke:
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"If anyone can fly with me, it’s you."
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Her face burned before her eyes even opened. She bolted upright. The front of her house was empty. Inside, the smell of fried egg hit her like a wave. Martin was at the stove, goggles pushed up, hair a mess, red scarf thrown over the back of a chair. He looked like a painting smudged at the edges—familiar, but off. There were two plates on the counter. Toast, eggs, sausages. No ketchup. "You cooked?" she said, her voice cracking. He didn’t turn around. "If I didn’t, you’d eat banana chips for breakfast again." She laughed awkwardly. "Right."
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But his voice didn’t have its usual teasing curl. It was flat. Clipped.
Something was different.
They ate quietly. No dumb jokes. No overexplaining a random fact he learned. Just the sound of clinking forks and occasional glances they both pretended weren’t happening. Glykós was still trying to figure out if he remembered what he said last night, or if he remembered that she might have heard it. When she finally worked up the courage to speak, he stood up. "I should head back to the Entertainment Centre. I have to do some things." Glykós blinked. "Already? I thought-"
"Yeah," he cut in, voice sharper now. "Weather’s good. Easier to fly now than later."
There it was again. That tone. Irritated, impatient. Not with her, maybe not even with anything real, but there was something pressurised inside him now. Like the cabin door might blow open if he didn’t keep moving. She stood too. "You OK?" She asked, concerned. "I’m fine," he said too quickly. Glykós wanted to ask more to make sure, she wanted to reach for him.
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But she didn’t.
Because she wasn’t sure if he’d still let her be the co-pilot.
So she just nodded. “OK. Text me when you arrive there?” He paused, then gave her a half-smile. Not the kind that says everything’s fine, but the kind that says I wish it was. "Yea," he said. "See you around, tide girl."
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