Page 88 of Fighting Words

Oh my god.

I don’t know what to do. Cat doesn’t understand the implications of this. The fact that Nate and I have been working on an outline was a good sign that he might have been easing out of his long-endured writer’s block, but the summary downstairs coupled with this flurry of keys means something else entirely. I don’t want to jinx it, so I hurry away, back down the stairs.

I feed Cat and make myself a cup of coffee, and all the while, my gaze drifts continuously to that summary. I can barely resist the urge to rip it off the table and speed-read it, but I’m too excited. I want to savor every word.

I’m also admittedly a little worried. There’s a chance it’s all horrible, that Nate’s not on the other side of his writer’s block but instead fumbling his way through it, putting metaphorical pen to paper by any means necessary.

I chew on my bottom lip and tap, tap, tap my finger on the counter, willing the coffee pot to hurry it up. I hastily pour a mug’s worth, add a splash of cream, and then scramble to take my seat.

Cat leaps onto my lap as I swivel the packet of paper toward me with a racing heart.

This is Christmas morning.

This is Christmas morningandmy birthday combined.

Still, I pause for a moment, unsure. I know Nate left this down here for me. I’m obviously allowed to read it, and yet as I turn the first page, it feels like I’m peering past a forbidden curtain, seeing what I shouldn’t. A trickle of excitement raises goose bumps down my arms the moment I see Captain Amelia Turner’s name.

Twelve astronauts hold the fate of Earth’s people in their hands. As the Cosmos crew, led by Captain Amelia Turner, descends to a promising exoplanet (Kepler-452b), they’re filled with hope and trepidation for this world that appears to be their long-sought salvation.

My eyes fly across the page, frantically reading. I lose myself in the summary. I turn pages, drink my coffee, pet Cat—all the while racing to see what Nate has decided to do with his crew.

For publishing purposes, summaries are usually a spoiler-ridden outline filled with tropes, character arcs, pivotal scenes, and plot breakdowns. Nate’s unfolds exactly as I expect it should. He highlights the crew’s hopeful new beginnings.

They establish a base on Kepler-452b and begin the complex process of terraforming and adapting—

Yes, yes, I know that! I skip ahead.

The planet’s unique ecology and mysterious, ancient ruins hint at the presence of a past civilization not so different from Earth’s.

We’ve discussed all of this! How the crew will unearth the history of an advanced alien species that once thrived on the planet, how these discoveries will shed light on the fate of the ancient race…

Nate continues on to detail the intercepted signals and the conflicting opinions of the crew about how to deal with this interstellar encounter, including the argument between Amelia and Julian, just like we discussed a few days ago.

Then, the strain of the mission begins to take a toll. Personal conflicts, doubts, and fears surface as they face the magnitude of their responsibility to humanity and the sacrifices they’ve made to get this far.

Toward the end, Nate goes into a lot of detail concerning the astronauts’ final choice: remain on Kepler-452b, knowing they may never see Earth again, or return to a dying planet in the hopes of saving what remains of their species.

A Cosmic Penanceexplores themes of hope, resilience, and the weight of the choices made by these astronauts for the future of humanity. It’s a grand and emotional conclusion to—

I reach the end but then I immediately flip back, trying to see if I missed something.

Fifteen pages.Fifteen pagesand there’s no mention of the evolution of Amelia and Julian’s relationship.

WHY?

Did Nate change his mind? Is he going to have Amelia choose Marcus in the end? If I thought my heart was pounding before, now it’s about to slingshot out of my chest altogether.

I read the summary through twice more, no skimming, no skipping ahead, before I sit back and just stare at the thing. My mind is racing. The summary is wonderful. My concerns for Nate’s writer’s block are now officially unfounded. He has this project firmly in his grasp. If he can flesh out these concepts in a heartfelt way, his readers will give him a standing ovation.

That’s really,reallygreat, but WHERE IS MY LOVE STORY?

I feel absolutely hollow over what he’s left out. For me, the potential romance between Amelia and Julian is pivotal to the story as a whole. Without their emotional entanglements, there’s less at stake. It’s the motive driving so many of their decisions.

I’m so perplexed I read it twice more because I don’t trust my brain, my eyes, my reading comprehension skills. If Cat could read, I’d get him in on this as well. I need a second opinion, but I don’t want to send this to Joy just yet. Would she be absolutely thrilled? Yes. I imagine she’ll scream when she sees this pop into her inbox at some point, but I have to discuss it with Nate first.

I am his developmental editor after all, and we’re about to develop the hell out of this love story. Just…as soon as he finishes typing.

I creep up the stairs again, and I don’t even think he’s come up for air since I last checked. If anything, he’s typing faster now. How many words per minute is he striving for? I can’t help but do a silent happy dance for him, arm pumping in the air and everything.

---