Kal
Of all the screwups I’d made in my lifetime, I didn’t know which was worse. That I had fallen in love with Lola, that I decided not to tell her when I had the chance, or that I left without saying goodbye.
It was the cowardly thing to do, which meant it was, of course, the choice I was always going to make. That was my way, wasn’t it?
I was always leaving a wreck in my wake.
The crackle of the comms deck was barely louder than the overhead fan, but I heard it right away. Perfect timing. I was just finishing up in Lola’s small kitchen, leaving one last trace of myself before leaving for good.
Another crackle, accompanied by a pop and a tinny voice announcing a Xaerean ship’s imminent arrival.
My emergency pack was lighter than when I’d first pulled it from the pod, but it felt heavy as I slung it over my shoulder.
The human suit, well worn in and now almost as familiar to me as my own skin, squeezed tightly as I stepped outside of Lola’s apartment and down the stairs.
I’d considered not wearing it at all, but it would have been just my luck to get caught by a stranger in my final hours on Earth.
I remembered the route to my crash site like it was just yesterday, and the bright light of the moon illuminated my walk, only wavering once I hit the edge of the forest.
And then I was back in the clearing between the trees, in the spot that changed my life—where I saw Earth for the first time. Where, also for the first time, one of my screwups set off a series of events that changed my life for the better.
I would miss this place. The blue sky and green landscape. Soft, fragrant, peaty ground and a world so alive you couldn’t help but feel it in your very core. Earth was a place full of beauty and flowers, butterflies and cinnamon rolls, and the most incredible woman in the universe.
If I had been a real terranaut, on Earth for a real mission, I would have had the responsibility of documenting significant findings and sending field notes back to command.
The environment, the population, the terrain, the customs. I knew, from years of working in the Exploratory Unit, what they would want to know.
But as I sat on the ground, feeling the cool dirt seep the warmth from my human suit, I thought the only thing worth documenting was a beautiful woman with dazzling blue eyes, a soft body, and bright pink hair. I believed I could have built a life around Lola if given the chance.
A persistent beeping from the comms deck startled me out of my daydreams.
“Landing procedure has commenced. Please stand by. Repeat: Landing procedure has commenced. Please stand by.”
The sky flashed hot-white and purple, a boom thundering through the atmosphere.
And I knew with immediate clarity that while I might have been returning to Xaerea, I wouldn’t be returning home.
As long as Lola was on Earth, I knew my home would always be there, too.