The Red Eye [Open Novella Contest 2023]

Chapter 11

Donna lay on her back, just staring at the ceiling. She had never imagined how nice it would be to be able to have someone else call in sick for work for you. When working remotely, needing to call in sick wasn't something you needed to do often. But once, before she had moved into the apartment, Donna had woken up in mind-numbing pain due to what had probably been a stomach bug, and had been unable to do anything other than write out a few text messages on her phone, so she had been mostly unable to tell anyone that she was solidly out of commission. No one was that angry, but it had been yet another blow to the gut when she was asked to "please send out a quick text if you're going to be out or stuck in bed!"

Still, she had to feel bad about missing work.

Her tablet rang, and she answered it with a tap.

"What do you think it would have been like for the first astronauts when they got to space if they didn't know there wasn't gravity up there?" she asked.

"They probably would have thought that they had died and had somehow ended up in a heaven where they could fly around," Caleb said.

"Imagine if when you died, you were eternally stuck around the people you were with when you died."

"I guess that's a good reason to spend time around people you love."

"Or it's bad luck," Donna said. "Like those priests who were so excited to get to heaven that they killed themselves, and that's why the Church said that suicide was a sin."

"How is that related?"

"I don't know. It made sense to me when I said it."

They were quiet. Donna rolled over onto her side to look at the tablet screen. Caleb was outside, a gentle wind tussling his hair.

"Is it cold?" she asked.

"A bit," Caleb said. "How are you?"

"I have a cold."

"Did Dr. Viola call you?"

"Yeah. Tattler."

Caleb smiled, and Donna grinned at the camera.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"You have got to stop worrying about me."

"I will when you stop worrying about me so much."

"That isn't fair. You're annoying," Donna said, wiping at her nose.

Caleb didn't flinch at the gross move. "Now you know how I feel about you."

"Does that include the bubbling, sickly sweet love that makes me want to punch myself?"

"Well, I don't feel the need to punch myself."

"I like you," she said.

"I like you, too."

"Dr. Viola thinks we'll never get married."

Caleb grinned. "What do you think?"

"Do you feel an overwhelming urge to marry me?"

"I would marry you."

"I mean, I hope you would."

"Anyone would, you're a real catch."

Donna's sore throat ached worse than ever when she laughed, coughing all the while.