Page 3 of 3 Secrets to Love
I leaned closer to Reena. “You got some place you need to be? Or is Kareen just reinforcing how much she hates me?”
Reena clacked her tongue. “She doesn’t hate you. She simply doesn’t like the idea of me being a pilot at all. Thinks it’s too dangerous.”
I scoffed. “Yet, you two started dating when you were still racing.”
“The irony. I know.” She sighed and leaned back. “We’re thinking of starting a family though. So, there’s that to consider.”
Great, my aerobatics partner was thinking of retiring to start a family. I’d already lost so many people to their desire to have children. My best mate, Zander, retired from our space racing team first to start a family. And many fans, especially those who wanted the “up close and personal” experience with a space racer, didn’t come back once they decided to settle down. Yet, I was nowhere near ready for any of that. I liked kids well enough, but I did not want any of my own. I wasn’t ready for anything permanent. As an aerobatics pilot, my life had slowed down a bit, but I still traveled all over the quadrants on a regular basis. A perfect life for me.
Finally, a young child from Sodoya, with their flame-red head tails waving wildly, came into our booth.
“Hi.” I leaned forward, ready to sign my name. “Would you like an autograph?”
The kid put their hand between their legs and danced from one foot to the other. “Do you know where the bathroom is?”
Reena laughed as I sighed with disappointment.
I pointed in the direction opposite to where the space racers were signing. “They are two booths down. Just before the food vendors.”
The kid raced away without another word.
“Thank you.” A woman, whom I assumed was the child’s mother, waved as she passed by holding an umbrella.
Beside me, Reena continued to giggle as she unzipped her flight suit and pulled out of the arms, tying the material around her tiny waist. “This event has definitely helped to deflate the ego. Our time is almost up, and we’ve only had five people come in wanting autographs.”
“And one of them was by mistake.” I released a heavy breath. No wonder all those we’d raced with had left the USRA to work elsewhere and start families. I didn’t know what else I would do.Yet, I feared the time had come for me to start thinking of other options.
I grabbed a box from behind me and started packing up our team merchandise. Thankfully, the booth hadn’t cost us any credits, but the items we sold would barely pay for us to recharge our jets for the next show, let alone pay our technicians, the practice fees, or the cost of daily life.
“Are you hitting the clubs tonight?” Onac, the leader of space racing team Reveb, asked as he entered the booth for his time allotment.
“Nah.” Reena took one of the boxes to her hovercart parked beside the booth. “I don’t need to pick anyone up anymore. My Kareen is everything I need.”
Onac made gagging noises while I chuckled.
“Hey.” She snapped one of the display towels toward the racer. “I can admit when I’m ready for the next stage of my life, unlike you two who are still clinging to your youth.”
My stomach clenched. Yep, it was only a matter of time before I lost my partner and had to find a new one or move on to solo flights, or something else entirely.
I loaded the other box of merch onto the hovercart then drew the tarp over the items to keep them from getting wet. Suddenly, I heard a ding from my ear comm, alerting me to a private message.
Stepping away from the other two, I pressed the button behind my ear to receive the directive. Though it was likely a memo from the USRA reminding us that our required time in the booth was complete.
Pilot Phalon, please report to Meeting Room A in USRA headquarters for a private fan meeting.
A strange request. Private meet and greets weren’t uncommon, but I hadn’t done any since I was a racer.
“Looks like our day is not quite finished.” I sidled up to Reena and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, sure Kareen glared at me from her waiting spot. “Got a private meet and greet to do first.”
“Lucky you.” She shoved my arm off with a playful eye roll. “Be sure to take some merch with you. We have lots of it.”
And it would all be useless soon if she left me.
Wait!“You’re not coming?”
Reena shook her head, smiling with amusement. “Never got a message. They just want to meet you.”
I had a moment of panic, never having done any meet and greets without at least one teammate by my side.
