Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
K athleen crossed to the console in the lab and tapped in a list of commands to start the afternoon oxygenation cycle.
The soft hum of machinery kicked in, comforting in its regularity.
She should have found solace in that, but she was restless.
Unfocused. The kind that didn’t come from caffeine or lack of sleep, but from something deeper.
After her dates with Veronica, she wasn’t content to be a recluse anymore.
The idea of going home alone, pretending she was content by herself, depressed her.
Her life sucked. It was time to start living properly.
She pulled her phone from her coat pocket and turned away from the tanks. After a hesitation, she scrolled through her contacts and pressed the call button before she could talk herself out of it.
“Langford Services,” came the feminine voice on the other end. “This is Elise.”
“It’s Kathleen Knowles,” she said quickly, throwing off her embarrassment for ringing so often, and tried not to sound like a loser. “I’d like to book someone.”
“Of course, Dr. Knowles. Did you have someone in mind?”
She hesitated. The name formed in her mouth and she had to push it out. “Ava.”
“What night would you be wanting?” Elise asked after a tiny pause.
“Thursday night if she’s available.”
“I’ll check her schedule. Have you somewhere in mind?”
“I have tickets for a dinner cruise,” Kathleen said.
A few moments later, Elise came back on, “Ava is available. Would you like her to pick you up.”
“Yes, please.”
“I’m sure she will be very happy to accompany you.”
“Thank you. Tell her I’ll be ready at six-thirty.” Kathleen ended the call and set her phone down on the lab bench. The tickets were a gift from a family friend and she would never have dreamed about going a month ago.
For a moment, she stood there breathing. Then she picked up her clipboard and turned back to the tanks, quashing back her anxiety. This was a move to change her life, even if it felt the wrong one. She tried to ignore that she was doing it to forget Veronica.
Kathleen adjusted her lab coat, tugging the sleeve higher as she leaned over the edge of the main nutrient tank.
Beneath the surface, the bioluminescent fronds of the cultivated plant swayed like dancers, delicate and glowing faintly in the enriched solution.
Their light shimmered against the reinforced glass, casting pale green ripples across her face.
She smiled, not quite believing it—they had finally stabilized.
“Ted,” she called out excitedly. “Look at the plants.”
Ted dropped what he was doing and came over immediately. He let out a slow breath, blinking at them with awe. “They’re holding,” he said. “Even the central nodes.”
“They’ve adapted faster than we modelled,” Kathleen murmured, tapping the corner of the digital monitor. “The root memory is stronger. The sequences have reorganized almost autonomously.”
They stood there in shared silence, watching the creations drift and pulse like they were alive and aware.
Kathleen straightened, flicking her gaze to him. “We won’t have to monitor so much now.”
His eyebrows lifted. “It’s been nonstop since the second trial. I figured we were still on nightly rotations.”
She crossed to the side terminal and keyed in a few commands. “We can take a night off from staring at graphs. Besides, I’m... going out tonight.”
Ted blinked. “Out?”
She hesitated. “Dinner on a boat.”
He made a face. “I’m only watching The Blob . An hour and a half of space opera and bad science.”
Kathleen chuckled. “You love it.” She leaned over the tank. “They’ll still be glowing when we get back tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” he said, glancing at the tank again. “But you have to admit, they’re kind of hypnotic.”
Kathleen nodded slowly, staring into the swirling green. “I used to imagine what it would be like, seeing them like this. Really seeing them, not in the models or projections.”
“You did it,” Ted said. “You brought them to life.”
Kathleen smiled, but her mind was already drifting—not to the plants, but to the evening. Inevitably, to the face she couldn’t quite let go of.
Not Ava’s.
Veronica’s.
K athleen dressed in a simple floral wrap dress with a soft shawl wrapped around her shoulders for the evening. Not flashy, not too formal. After fussing over her hair, she slipped on shoes that looked dressy but she could walk in comfortably.
When Ava arrived, she felt like she’d miscalculated the whole evening.
Blonde hair tumbling in perfectly styled curls, Ava was poured into a glittering backless cocktail dress that sparkled like crushed diamonds.
Her heels were impossibly high, her lips a vibrant red.
She looked like she belonged in a magazine shoot.
“Hi, Kathleen,” Ava said brightly as she entered the lobby of the apartment building, then hugged her as if they were old friends.
Kathleen blinked. “Hello, Ava.”
“You look adorable,” Ava said.
“Thanks,” she stuttered out, thinking she looked more like a poor relation.
“The cab is waiting,” Ava said. “Shall we go.”
Kathleen followed her into the car, then sat back mutely while Ava chatted about the weather, how the city looked amazing at night, and that she’d never been on a boat in heels but was ready for the adventure. Kathleen occasionally nodded glumly.
The boat was a sleek, triple-decked catamaran, its white hull gleaming under the city lights. Glass balustrades lined the open-air top deck, and along the perimeter, clusters of guests gathered under fairy-lit awnings.
They made their way onto the main deck, a contemporary lounge space where curved leather booths hugged the interior walls. A polished bar stretched along one side, stocked with gleaming bottles and flanked by bartenders in black shirts shaking martinis and pouring champagne.
A dance floor spilled out from the bar toward glass doors that opened onto a narrow rear deck, where partygoers could lean against the rail and watch the city lights. Downstairs, quieter corners offered cushioned nooks and panoramic windows for those wanting a break from the music.
The cruise began with champagne on the upper deck where strings of golden lights reflected across the surface of the water. Kathleen let herself enjoy the view. The skyline glowed in the distance, and the cool air was sharp enough to keep her thoughts grounded.
Ava snapped a photo of the harbour. Then one of herself. Then one of both of them.
“Smile,” she chirped.
Kathleen blinked into the camera, caught off guard.
“I’ll tag you,” Ava said.
“I don’t use social media,” Kathleen murmured.
“Oh, that’s so healthy of you. It’s like, really brave to live off-grid these days.”
Kathleen had never considered herself brave. Merely private, though she didn’t correct her.
Dinner was served below deck, in a softly lit dining hall with wide glass windows offering a view of the harbour. They were seated at a private table, tucked in a quiet corner. The menu was pre-set: a three-course meal with wine pairings. The food was elegant, the service smooth.
The company…less so.
Ava smiled often and laughed too loudly. She told stories about yoga retreats, her influencer friends, her latest trip to Bali. Kathleen listened politely, trying to find something familiar to her in the conversation, but there wasn’t any.
“—then she told me the ayahuasca wasn’t even real,” Ava said, eyes wide. “Like, who does that? If you’re going to puke for enlightenment, it should at least be the real thing.”
Kathleen stared at her.
“Have you ever done anything like that?” Ava asked.
“Psychedelics?”
Ava laughed. “No, alternative stuff.”
“No,” Kathleen said. “I prefer things based on science. I’m a sceptic when it comes to airy fairy things.”
Ava blinked. “Oh.”
Silence stretched between them.
Kathleen sipped her wine. It didn’t help so she tried again. “Do you read?”
Ava brightened. “I do, though I prefer audiobooks. I recently finished one about a werewolf who falls in love with a human.”
Kathleen blinked. “You like fantasy.”
“Yes.” Ava leaned forward. “What about you?”
“I don’t get much time with my research,” Kathleen admitted. “I read non-fiction when I have a moment.”
“Oh,” Ava said again, this time with a touch of uncertainty.
Ava tried to steer the conversation again—music, television, an odd anecdote about a nude beach yoga class in Mykonos. She was friendly and enthusiastic, but the longer the evening went on, the more Kathleen felt like she was on another planet.
And worse, she was expected to join in.
By the time the dessert arrived—a white chocolate mousse with raspberry—Kathleen felt exhausted. Ava was still talking, still smiling, but her laughter began to sound too loud, too practiced.
Ava reached for her hand halfway through the dessert. “You’re so tense,” she said. “You should let yourself have a little fun.”
Kathleen gently withdrew her hand. “I thought this would help,” she said quietly.
“Help with what?”
Kathleen shook her head. “I have a problem communicating socially.”
Ava smiled at her sympathetically and went back to her mousse.
As the night wore on, Kathleen couldn’t help comparing Ava to Veronica.
Ava was bright, but too out there for her.
Veronica had been steady. She listened. She waited.
She didn’t fill the silence with anecdotes about influencers and parties on Greek Islands.
And even when Kathleen had faltered, Veronica had made space for her without asking her to be anything else.
Veronica had felt real.
Ava, for all her charm, didn’t have substance.
The difference was vast, widening every minute.
When the boat docked, they disembarked and strolled to the taxi rank. “Do you want to grab a nightcap?” Ava said. “I know a great rooftop bar.”
“I don’t think so,” Kathleen answered quickly. “But thanks for asking.”
When the cab pulled up in front of her building, Ava insisted on walking her to the door.
“Thank you for your company,” Kathleen said, her voice tight. “I hope you enjoyed the evening.”
Ava tilted her head, eyes searching hers for a beat. Then, without warning, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to Kathleen’s lips.
It was soft and warm, and Kathleen tried not to flinch. She didn’t pull away, not immediately. She stood still, trying to feel something, but there was nothing. Not a shred of desire.
When Ava drew back, she said huskily, “Do you want me to come up.”
“Not tonight,” Kathleen whispered. “I’m still figuring some things out.”
Ava’s expression shifted into disappointment, but it wasn’t unkind. “Okay. Perhaps another time. It’s not often I get to take out someone young and pretty in this game.”
Kathleen wanted to point out that Ava was the one being taken out, but simply nodded. With a fleeting smile, she turned her key in the lock, and stepped inside.
This time, she didn’t cry. She leaned back against the door with a long breath.
She’d tried socializing but it hadn’t worked.
Ava hadn’t been Veronica and she had no idea what she was going to do with that.