Redamancy

An Alleycat Crew Short

Calynn sat curled in the pilot’s seat of the Alleycat Savant, a real paper book open in her lap.

She could have downloaded the entire novel from the Cyber-web in under a second, but she liked the real thing. The weight and feel of it. The soft whisper of paper turning. The faint scent of ink and binding. The joy of letting the story unfold as the author intended instead of knowing every word, every plot twist, and every character’s secret motivation the instant she downloaded it.

She already had three boxes of books carefully stored in the cargo hold. One day, when she and Kash finally settled somewhere long enough to call it home, she planned to line an entire study with them. Floor-to-ceiling shelves. Soft lighting. A chair big enough for both of them.

She was halfway through a quiet paragraph when she stumbled on a word she didn’t know.

Redamancy.

She frowned, then looked it up.

Redamancy — the act of loving in return; the rare and beautiful state of having one’s love reciprocated.

Calynn’s breath caught.

She loved it immediately.

“Kash!” she hollered toward the bedroom. “Come here!”

There was a pause, then the sound of bare feet on the deck. Kash appeared in the doorway a moment later, wearing jeans and no shirt.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. Come read this.”

She held the book out and pointed to the paragraph. Kash leaned over her shoulder and started reading. She watched his eyes track back and forth across the page… then stop.

“Red… re-dam…?” He squinted. “How do you even say that?”

“Rih-DAM-uhn-see,” Calynn said carefully, smiling. “It means loving someone back. Having your love returned.”

Kash raised an eyebrow and nodded thoughtfully.

“Nice word.”

“I thought we could start using it,” she said, looking up at him with a small, hopeful smile. “But let’s just shorten it to red. We’d know what we meant… and no one else would. Like we could do red, redder, and reddest instead of I love you, more, and most.”

Kash considered this for a second, then a slow, mischievous grin spread across his face.

“Can we use it to describe body parts?” he asked. “My hands and your butt are red.”

Calynn stared at him.

“Well no… that just sounds like you spanked me, not that you love me.”

Kash’s grin widened. He stepped closer, spun her chair so she was facing him, and squatted down so he was closer to her level.

“Our redder lips.”

He leaned in and kissed her softly. Unhurried and warm. She loved the taste of his lips.

He pulled back a fraction, his forehead still resting against hers, and gazed into her eyes.

“Okay,” Calynn whispered, smiling. “I like that one.”

Kash slowly straightened and guided her out of her chair so she was standing before him. He gently pulled the book from her hand and set it upside down on the console to keep her place.

“My reddest heart,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

Calynn’s eyes softened. She melted against him, arms sliding around his waist as she pressed her face into his chest so she could hear the thrum of his heart.

For a long moment neither of them said anything. They simply stood there, wrapped in each other’s love, and enjoyed the moment.

Calynn lifted her head and rested her chin against his chest to look up at him. He kissed her forehead and smiled.

“Your hands aren’t being very red.”

Kash’s arms tightened around her.

“Oh, really?”

Calynn took a moment to smile at him and stifle a giggle.

“Red hands would be scooping me up to cradle me in your red arms,” she said softly.

Kash bent down, one arm sliding behind her knees and the other around her mid-back. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he lifted her effortlessly off the ground.

“Where would you like to be carried, your grace?”

Calynn didn’t answer right away. She placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face so she could look into his eyes. He was trying not to smile, but it still touched his eyes. He was being silly. But in his defense, she had started it. And she could end the silliness too.

“Somewhere I can show you my heart is redder than yours,” Calynn said in her most sultry tone.

Kash gave her another soft kiss, but he didn’t move.

“Then it doesn’t matter where we are,” he said against her lips. “Because we have the best red ever.”

Calynn smiled and kissed him again, slower this time.

“Definitely the best red ever.”

Author’s Note

Redamancy — the act of loving in return. A rare and beautiful word… and apparently one Kash and Calynn have already claimed as their own.