"You walked all the way here? You didn't have to do that."
"Wasn't nothing. Besides, it was worth it." I tried to do the ol' eye contact trick, but for some reason she didn't get all flustered. The whole thing collapsed when I was the one to drop my gaze.
She gave me a triumphant smile. "You must be dying of thirst. I'll get you something. I have water, juice, soda…"
"Water is fine." I was parched, too. But the dryness in my throat was more than thirst. Now that the moment arrived, I didn't know how to get the words out. I've always had a problem expressing my feelings. I barely get started before taking the fast lane to choke city. For a guy with a soft spot for poetry and love songs, I sure had a problem coming up with anything earnest and romantic.
She came back with a tall glass of cold water that I accepted gratefully. For a second we didn't say anything, creating another one of those uncomfortable stretches of silence. I guess she expected me to talk first. I stalled by taking a long drink; mind firing blanks all the while. She finally saved me by opening up the conversation.
"So… you're Havenbound. I can't imagine what you're feeling. Of all the people, you got the pick. You must be so happy."
I set the glass on a metallic coaster and collapsed into a plush leather loveseat. "Honestly, I don't know what to feel, Vick. I mean, I guess I should be happy and all. But it's just so unfair. My mom didn't get chosen. No friends, no family. Just me. It's like I'll be leaving everyone behind to suffer while I go on my merry way to whatever life is like in the Haven. It's hard to put into words. All I know is it feels like I don't deserve it."
Vicky sat beside in close beside me, her leg pressed against mine. An amused smile was on her face. "See, that's why I always liked you, Lewis. You were never thought too much about yourself. Maybe you're looking at things the wrong way. Maybe you should look at it as a blessing."
"A blessing?"
"Yeah. If you were picked out of hundreds of thousands, then it must be for a reason. God must have a plan for you."
"Yeah, or an ironic sense of humor."
She placed her hand on top of mine and squeezed. "You'll see. I always knew you were destined for big things."
I shook my head with a sigh. "Man, I seriously screwed up, didn't I?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know. With you. With us." I gestured helplessly. "That's what I really came all this way for. I… didn't want to go without seeing you again. Without apologizing for being so stupid."
"Lewis…"
"No, I'm serious. I have a hard time saying how I feel sometimes. Okay, all the time. And I never told you how much you meant to me. I think back all the time to when things were good. We had something so… pure, so special. And I let it go like it meant nothing. And I'm sorry about that. I really am."
I should have heard alarm bells by the way she looked at me. Like she felt sorry for me. But that didn't make sense. I was the one in the wrong.
"Look, all I do now is think about you. And I can't go shuttling off to some Haven while you're still out here, doomed to God knows what kind of fate. I love you, Vicky. No, I'm in love with you. With all my heart. And I'm ready to prove it."
Vicky's eyes widened during my outburst, mouth dropping open in shock. I couldn't blame her. I guessed it was one of those moments girls fantasize about hearing from a guy. The only thing missing was soaring music and me dropping to my knees with tears streaming down my face. I was about a heartbeat away from the latter.
She took both of my hands in hers. "Lewis. That was a long time ago. We were just kids then. It's just part of growing up. We had our moment, but things change. People move one. My God, I had no idea you were still hanging on to all of that."
I blinked, not sure I heard her correctly. I had a queasy feeling I knew exactly what she meant, though. "I mean, I know it was a while back. It's just I never got a chance… Look, let me start over. There's an important reason why I came to see you. Forget everything I just said, okay? The real reason I came by was to—"
The doorbell rang.
She glanced over and stood up. "Hold on a second."
I leaped up, desperate to just get it out. "Listen. The real reason I'm here is so I can—"
The doorbell rang again.
Vicky squeezed my hand. "Be right back. Just take a deep breath and calm down, Lewis. I'm not going anywhere."
She strode to the door, leaving me to curse myself for a damn fool. Since the chance had come and gone, I was left a shaky, regretful mess. The idea of ducking out the back door and running for my life suddenly grew mighty attractive.
Vicky opened the door.
There was a time when really weird stuff happened. Before the Cataclysm, before the Imperial War, before the Desolation turned the sky purple and poisoned the air. It all had to do with some cosmic rift that opened doorways to all sorts of hellish phenomena that spawned the worst nightmares of anyone in the vicinity. They called them aberrations. I was sure I was caught in the middle of one because what came through the door was worse than I could possibly imagine.
He was tall and broad-shouldered with the lithe grace of a natural athlete. Flawless chocolate skin, chiseled face with a strong jaw, and a dazzling smile. I hated him immediately, but some small, childish hope bloomed that maybe he was some cousin I had never heard about.
That hope was shattered into a million tiny, glittering shards when she leaped into his arms and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. And unless they were in some George R.R. Martin fantasy novel, no relatives had any business kissing like that. I was completely forgotten while they sucked face and played grabby hands.
After an eternity, Chick Magnet finally pulled back, grinning like a cat in a tuna factory. "We got it, babe."
Vicky made a squealing sound. "We got the stasis pods? All of us?"
"That's right. Your fam and mine. It took everything we had and more, but Next Level Corp got us in. Your folks are in San Diego taking care of the details. They sent me back to get you. So pack your bags, baby. We got some celebrating to do."
It finally registered that someone else was in the room. He gave me a friendly, confident nod. "Hey, man. What's up?"
I nodded back, hoping my eyes weren't glistening with unshed tears. It was hard to keep my broken heart from falling out my chest and splattering all over the floor. "Nothing much. Congratulations on getting in with NLC."
A grin spread across his face as he approached. "I recognize you. You're the guy that won the lottery. Lewis McKnight, right? I remember Vicky saying you were good friends in high school. Come here, man." He forcibly slammed a hand into my back and pulled me in for a manly hug.
"Name's James. You must have stopped by to say goodbye to Vicky. That's cool of you, man."
There was no hint in his voice or attitude that I'd be over for anything else. He was completely confident that I posed no threat to him at all. The stomach-churning truth was that he was right. I could tell by Vicky's adoring stare that I never had a shot at winning her back. I'd been shot down before I even made the phone call.
I managed the world's fakest smile. "Yeah, I was in the neighborhood. Checking in on all my friends this weekend. Saying goodbyes. You know — victory lap."
He nodded. "Yeah, Havenbound. Guaranteed to survive whatever the Cataclysm throws at you. Wish Vicky had been the lucky winner."
She smacked him on the bicep. "Don't be silly. If I'd won, I wouldn't be coming with you. I wouldn't be with my family when it all goes down." She kept her eyes on me, though. Searching my face to see how badly I was hurt. The pity in her eyes was almost unbearable.
I cleared my throat. "So, what's the NLC facility like?"
"Definitely lives up to the name. State of the art. Their silos are six miles underground, energy reserved to last over a hundred years, food and water supplies for twice that long. Hibernation chambers are supposed to rival the ones in the Havens. I think we should be in good hands. I pray we will, anyway."