Stepping back onto the paved streets of Port Havre was like a breath of fresh air for Davi — well, as close to one as she’d ever get, between the filtered air on the deck of the Pharaon and the manufactured oxygen piped through the stations.
As she made her way down the paved street of the station, she tilted her head up to the sky and let the ‘sun’ warm her face.
That was the thing about spending many months in space. Davi loved it — but she also loved coming home.
Home to her beloved Port Havre. Home to her father’s garage where she’d spent so many hours watching his crew piece together grand metal contraptions. Home to the shipyard where she and Payton had snuck into the hulls of the sleeping ships after hours so she could get a glimpse at the interior mainframes. And home to Mercey’s, and Payton — who had long-since become something far dearer to Davi than ‘home.’
By the time Davi stopped outside the small bar, she could practically hear the conversation vibrating the walls of the pub. High above, the lights of the station that mimicked the Terran sun reflected brightly off the paved road, as midday loomed ever closer.
The nondescript metal door had been flung open and propped against the wall with a small gear. The sign above the door, which read Mercey’s scratched into the metal, swung with the slight breeze from the air ducts. What began as a trickle of customers in and out of Mercey’s at the beginning of the day had quickly burgeoned into a rapid stream during lunch break. The chatter of conversation spilled out onto the street and flowed over Davi’s ears.
The young engineer strode inside.
She stopped, just inside the doorway, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the low light. Bodies filled every table and chair, chatting and laughing, munching on steaming sandwiches and nursing tall mugs of ale. In the back corner, a few standing figures swayed to the barely-audible music.
At the far end of the room, a familiar figure propped a hip against one of the tables, her mouth moving but Davi was too far to hear what she was saying. Payton’s hair, which easily fell past her hips, had been pulled into a long braid and piled atop her head. Her green apron fit snug around her hips and her easy grin sent a pang of homesickness through Davi’s heart.
Davi wove her way easily through the maze of tables and chairs — she’d spent almost just as much of her childhood here in Mercey’s as she had in her father’s garage or the shipyard and could probably make her way through the bar in her sleep. She offered an easy grin to those few faces she recognized (mostly her fellow crew members, because nothing felt better after a long space journey than a cold drink) and a polite nod to those she didn’t.
And stopped just behind Payton.
“For the last time, Ford,” the other girl was saying to one of the three table occupants, exasperation lacing her tone. She held up the hand that wasn’t grasping her notepad, and glared down at the morose young man with a flop of sandy hair and a hopeful twinkle in his eye. Next to him sat the one and only Brooks Dorian — whose expression shuttered when he say the ship engineer’s approach — and C’ader, the large and jovial Tzannic who rented the flat across the hall from Davi and her father.
Payton ticked up a finger, “I’m not interesting,” another finger, “I’m taken,” a third finger, “and if you’re not going to order anything, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Now,” she pulled out her pad.
Davi tapped a finger against Payton’s shoulder.
“Can I get you anything to-Davi!”
The last word ended in a shriek.
Davi braced herself against the bar as the full weight of Payton’s hug hit her. For a slight girl, the seventeen-year-old bartender was stronger than she looked. Payton’s arms practically squeezed the air out of Davi’s lungs. “I missed you!” she said, her voice trembling.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Tears pricked at Davi’s eyes and she buried her face against Payton’s shoulder. “I missed you too,” the words came out muffled and quiet — so quiet, Davi wasn’t sure the other girl heard her.
Payton just squeezed her again — Davi wheezed — and let go. She snatched her hand and turned to the table of three. “Sorry,” Payton said, “I’ll be back.”
She moved to drag the other girl off towards the back room, but Ford protested. “What about our food?”
Payton waved a hand over her shoulder. “Someone will be right out.”
“But-”
A hand landed heavy on Ford’s shoulder. “Let them go,” C’ader said in his deep, accented voice. He shot a knowing grin at Davi, and pink tinged the young engineer’s cheeks. “We have an old saying on the Tzannic Moons, ‘young love is an asteroid. Once in motion…’” He trailed off, shaking his head.
Ford and Dorian stared at him.
C’ader just lifted his mug and drank.
Payton only dropped Davi’s hand once they made it to the room around the back of the bar. It was small, and towering shelves of various supplies lined all four walls. Payton reached down and pulled up a little round table and two chairs from the floor.
Davi tried not to focus on the lingering warmth of her friend’s hand. She failed. “Sit,” Payton pointed at one of the chairs. “And wait right here. I’ll be right back.”
Davi immediately melted into the chair with a sigh. Between docking the ship and running through the post-check, she’d been on her feet for hours. Her legs relished the break and her feet — well, they weren’t complaining now, but she knew as soon as she stood up they’d be screaming at her.
Several minutes later, Payton reappeared at the door with two steaming plates of food. She settled one in front of Davi, then perched on the chair opposite her. “Tell me everything,” she demanded.
Davi spoke as she ate. She told Payton about the beautiful cosmos, and the merchants at the other station who had tried to scam them out of their full price. She told her about the strange foreign fruit she’d gotten to try and the Tzannic royal ship they’d passed in the air. Payton gasped and laughed, and Davi relished every expression that crossed the other girl’s face.
When she got to the reason they’d been so delayed, the other girl’s wide brown eyes filled with tears. “He’s gone?”
Davi could only nod, and wait for her throat to clear.
Payton reached across the table and covered her hand. “Davi, I’m so sorry.”
Davi just shrugged, but Payton knew her — sometimes better than she knew herself — and saw the pain filtering through her friend’s eyes.
She tensed her hand before pulling back.
“So you actually got to visit Coth XRH. Was it as terrifying as they say?”
Davi shot her friend a look. After all, Davi knew Payton — sometimes better than she knew herself — and the topic shift was, well, not exactly subtle.
Still, she leaned forward, eyes twinkling. “Terrifying-er.”
Payton gasped.
Davi wiggled her eyebrows. “There I was, soaring through the belt…”
***
It would be another hour before both girls emerged from the back room. Hands clasped, reluctantly making their way towards the entrance, where the noonday sun filtered into the dim room.
Their steps brought them past the table with Ford — an untouched plate of food in front of him — and Dorlac, who paused in picking at his nails with a metal screw. C’ader, who was well into his cups and had never accustomed himself to the strength of Terran ale, waved a hand as the girls passed. “Davi!” his voice boomed through the bar.
Davi and Payton paused just inside the exit.
“Heard-” hiccup “-yeh gotta prom… promo… promotion!” C’ader stumbled out. He shot her a toothy grin. “Yer ol’ man’s gotta be proud.” Burp.
Davi grinned right back. “I haven’t told him yet. Had to see Payton first.” She squeezed Payton’s hand.
Payton squeezed right back. “Go,” she said. Then, her eyes darting left and right, she stretched onto her toes and pecked Davi right across the lips.
They broke apart, grinning, and then Davi was gone, disappearing back onto the streets of Port Havre…
…unaware of the matching glares of jealousy and hatred boring into her retreating figure.
