“I love you too, Thrym,” she said kindly, wincing horribly on the inside.

“Thank you. But you know that’s not what I mean.”

Romy slid back into her seat. “I don’t—”

Thrym’s hand clenched on the table. “And part of me hates it because I know it weirds you out. I know when I stare at you and want you, you’re creeped out because you can’t see me as anything but a brother.”

“Thrym, that’s not true.”

His blue eyes softened. “It is. And I wish I could make you see me as something else. That you could love me in return, the way I love you.”

She opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say.

“And what’s more, you’re infatuated with a man you don’t even know.”

Irritation bubbled. “I do know him,” she retorted.

“What’s his last name? Where is he from? How did he get here? What does he do? Why does he disappear into that locked room three times a day?”

Her mouth dried. “He does?” Atlas was going into the fourth office that often?

Thrym shook his head. His black hair—usually shaved—was the longest Romy had ever seen it. “Yes. And that just proves my point.”

A lump formed in Romy’s throat. She squeezed her eyes shut. “No,” she whispered. “It doesn’t.” She struggled to find the words to voice her true sentiment. “I can’t help the way I feel about him. Even if it is a mistake that I may regret. But I know that right now, I don’t feel that way about you. I only see him.”

He winced.

“And even if I didn’t, I couldn’t see you in that way.”

It sounded like a garbled mess of words to Romy.

Thrym looked up at the night sky, his dark skin illuminated by the moonlight. He truly was handsome. Just not for her.

“Do you understand that I think you are so beautiful it breaks my heart to look at you?” he whispered.

Her breath caught and unbidden tears sparked her eyes.

He continued. “And it’s because when I look at you, I see you: the Romy I have always known. The one I would share anything with.” He looked down at his hands. “The one I respect. I didn’t feel this for you on Orbito One; I couldn’t. But relationships change. You might not want this now. But soon, when we are away from here, from him, you could change your mind.”

Romy shook her head. But Thrym stopped her with a finger on her lips. The action alone shocked her enough to stop whatever she was saying.

“I don’t want you to say anything more. My feelings will not change. So if yours do. . . .” He trailed off, his meaning evident.

He licked his lips. “But there’s one thing I want to ask you.”