We had two weeks until we split, which meant I had no time to waste if I was going to find a way to stay with my lovers. I had to work my shift at IGoHA HQ the next day, but as soon as I got back home, I kicked off my boots, changed out of my uniform, and flopped onto the couch with my comm. Although we all worked on the same campus, generally the nature of my work meant that I got to work in shifts. Like clockwork, someone came to relieve me when my shift was up. Fara and Nate did not have that luxury, and even when they were working from headquarters, they often got stuck at work longer than anticipated. Josh stuck to Fara’s side like a briar in a fur coat—no, that was much too harsh an analogy for him. He stuck to her like a flower to its stem, a constant bright presence floating close
