Page 3 of Between Earth and Eternity
We follow the shuffling crowd aboard, finding our usual seats on the second level.
“So, it’s your last day as a twenty-two-year-old. How do you feel?” Elliot asks as we take a seat near the back.
“Ugh. I was hoping you forgot.”
“Forgot your birthday? Come on, San Fran,” he retorts, nudging me with his elbow. “We’ve only been friends for what, fifteen. . . sixteen years?”
“Hey, Elliot!” a singsong voice calls out before I can reply.
“Oh lord,” he says under his breath. I bite my lip to stop myself from giggling as I look across the rows of seats to watch a woman with short blonde hair make her way over.
“Hi there,” he manages in a pleasant tone that I could never.
“I was hoping to catch a seat next to you this morning.”
Yikes.I pretend to be extremely interested in my nails.
“Oh, uh, yeah, sorry. I always sit next to Skyler,” he says.
She squints at me for a second or two before mustering a grin. “Oh I know. You two arealwaystogether.”
I offer her a tight-lipped smile. Her attention is not surprising in the slightest. Elliot regularly and unintentionally grabs an admirer, and I can’t even blame them. He is a catch; his looks are one thing, but add in his personality, and you have a perfect golden package.
Thank goodness Elliot chimes in with, “I know, right? I can’t seem to get rid of her.” He gives her a wink and a wide smile. She smiles back, genuinely this time. It’s hard not to be instantly happier in Elliot’s presence. He’s a ray of sunshine, emanating light, thoughsometimesannoyingly positive.
Most people presume that Elliot and I aretogether. It still baffles me how many seem to believe it’s impossible for men and women to bejust friends. Relationships are complicated enough at the end of the world, but I guess some things never change.
“Well, anyway, see you later,” she says, staring at Elliot before finding an open seat several rows away from us.
“We made out one time,” he whisper-shouts. It happened at Elliot’s birthday celebration last year. The memory pops into my head. A group of us went out to a bar that night, and things got a little wild. It’s hard to believe that most of us who were there that night aren’t even on the planet anymore. Over the past year, we’ve said goodbye to many, including our closest friends, Sarah, Markus, and Ben, all who bought into the enticing enticements of Mannox Industries to “Build our tomorrow today” and joined construction crews.
People have been leaving Earth for years, long before our friends did, building our new home on Eden and working on everything from mining facilities to security positions. Ben became a badge just a couple of weeks after El’s birthday, while Sarah and Markus took off-planet assignments on workstations. It hasn’t always been El and me against the world, but those days might as well have been lifetimes ago.
I click my tongue. “You must be atreatif she’s still pining after you.”
“Stalking me is more like it . . . and you would know,” he says with a mischievous grin.
“Oh shut up!” I scoff, playfully hitting his shoulder.
He’s not lying though. I know quite well what it’s like to kiss Elliot, and more. We didn’t plan on sleeping together, but pure curiosity got the better of us that night. We were inexperienced teenagers, who wanted to know what this thing was that everyone talked about in books, movies, and music.
El was sweet and soft. It felt nice, safe, but it was in no way romantic. We both knew the moment it was over that something was off, and if it had been anyone else, it would have ruined our friendship. Instead, after a few moments of awkward silence, we both started to laugh, and that was that. We didn’t need a long discussion about it; we just knew and moved on. It made us closer in a way we had not expected. I know Elliot so well, I can tell exactly what he’s thinking with just a look. The number of silent conversations we’ve had over the years through a raised eyebrow or a smirk is immeasurable at this point.
“Speaking of which, are you hoping to get lucky on your birthday?”
I wish I were able to be casual about sex. The pressure of finding another person who I’m both attracted to and want something deeper than just physical with has only left me unsatisfied.
“Oh please. You know that’s not my style,” I reply.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I want romance, even as the world dwindles around us. There are more important things to worry about, like surviving extinction for one, but I can’t help it. I don’t want to give up on anything yet.
Maybe I do watch too many movies after all.
“Let’s change the subject from my sex life please?” It’s not like I’ve had the chance to meet anyone new anyway; we haven’t gone out in months. Everything is too expensive, and coupled with so much uncertainty, it’s not worth the cost. “Eighteen,” I say. He cocks an eyebrow at me. “We’ve been friends foreighteenyears.”
“I know that. I was just checking that you did.” He folds his arms and leans back, looking smug. Of course he knew.
For a moment, we ride in silence, muted chatter surrounding us until the large teleprompters stationed throughout the ship ping with an incoming announcement. “Good morning,Wasatch!” a young woman with bright pink hair in a bob chirps from behind a news desk. Zara always pops in with updates, her happy attitude along with her too wide and too white smile off-putting as she delivers news ranging from weather to events. Her A.I.-generated self puts me more on edge than at ease. This morning is not an exception.
