Derek feels a woman’s hand on his shoulder, and then a familiar, if unwanted, voice. His heart begins to throb.
“Don’t turn around. We’re just two nobodies looking out at the vast lunar surface, wishing we were somewhere else.” It is Diane.
“What do you want?” Derek says with disgust.
“Now, now. That’s no way to address an old friend,” she replies as if hurt. “I’m here to tell you that you are finally going to get an opportunity to meet that girlfriend of yours.”
“How?”
Do I even want to know?
“Ah, thanks for asking. In an Earth week, when your sweetie is forecast to be in this region of space, there will be a solar storm. Nothing too serious. Just enough for her to come into orbit. That’s when you’ll invite her down for a visit. You can let me take it from there.”
With that, he hears the patter of steps and knows that she is gone.
Looking up at the stars, he feels all alone. And yet, he wishes that he were somewhere even more remote, somewhere his troubles would never find him.
What will be, will be. But if Diane makes even the smallest of mistakes, she’s finished.
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