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A startling burst of white light flashed through the room. Elijah held his breath and raised his eyes from his work to the window, waiting for the crash that was to follow. It came on like the dull roar of a spaceship firing up to launch, and the world trembled.
“Partner Elijah.”
Soft fingers covered his chilled hand and warmth pressed against his thigh.
“Daneel." He tore his gaze away from the rain pattering against the window and looked into the worried face of his partner, who had scooted his chair over so that they sat side-by-side. “It doesn’t storm much on Baleyworld. Just rain and snow showers, usually. Sorry. I got distracted.”
“Do not apologize. It is a storm of uncommon intensity, even by Auroran standards.”
The same peal of thunder still roiled outside, reverberating across the dismal country. He had noticed it before, the few times it had stormed since his arrival - thunder lasted longer here, a great tirade of grumbling, churning sound, as if the planet was voicing its displeasure at its uninvited new inhabitants.
“We can keep working on the investigation tomorrow,” Daneel said. "I have heard Dr. Fastolfe say that he sleeps easier when it rains."
He paused as another flash whited out the room, followed quickly by its counterpart’s rumbling fury. He dragged his thumb in a slow circle over the back of Elijah’s hand. Elijah focused on the motion, a gentle rolling storm building in his own body. “As for the thunder, however…”
“No, you’re right.” Elijah pushed away the datapads he had laid out in front of them and said, “Let’s go to bed.”
Daneel squeezed his hand and Elijah felt heat return with a rush to his body. Daneel was quite close, and they had quite a few things left unsaid between them. Let’s go to bed, he’d said - Now, what was that supposed to mean? Flushing a little and disentangling their hands, he stood to change into his nightclothes, and the storm outside was soon forgotten in favor of a more personal concern.