Astray Among The Stars

Chapter 15: Plight, Passion, & Peril

U.S.S. Journey
Solar Date: Thursday, November 16, 2197
Mission: Day 1502

Roger adjusted his brown leather jacket in front of the mirror, fixing his gingerbread-colored hair. He wanted perfection. Today was important, the day he would ask Rose out-or at least to be together since their schedules rarely gave both them time. The teen shrugged. Could he really pull it off?

Ever since he laid eyes on her, he knew she was special. There was something about her-maybe her shoulder length caramel hair or her beautiful olivine eyes, maybe her cute and short figure, or her pale smooth skin, maybe even her personality. He smiled. He did not know. Perhaps there were many thing about her that he found attractive.

Throughout the past six years, he would always catch her gaze, and whenever they met eyes she would ruefully smile, as if she begged him to get closer. Whenever he passed by in the halls, or entered a room she was in, Rose's eyes would always jump to him, even when he wasn't looking. It was clear she wanted him, but he didn't know why. Was it his eyes? His hair? His skills as a tinkerer? His slim shape? His shyness? His rank? His jacket? Roger shrugged. He was just as clueless about himself as he was with her. Regardless, fate brought them together, and hopefully it would keep them that way.

He remembered their first moment. It was Octavia who introduced him to her in sixth grade. It was a dumb class, an easy grade but pointless in life, at least for a life on a generation ship.

Octavia was an old friend of his, one he grew up with, but he never acquired an attraction to her. She was more of a sister than anything. Despite all the jokes and rumors about them, they didn't let those get in the way of their friendship.

One fateful day, Octavia brought Rose over to his table. He was shy back then, rarely talking to anyone despite his friend's encouragements, but he had a reputation for kindness. He stood up and shook her hand. It was at that moment when she blushed ever so slightly. She seemed nervous, but intrigued at the same time. Before he knew her name, she was just another girl, a flat and minor character in his lonely life. The brief connection they shared that day changed everything, at least for him it did. Roger always thought he was a flop, in part because of his reclusive behavior, always preferring himself over fun and new experiences. Things were different now. He had someone, at the very least an opportunity to get with someone. He had hope, an escape from troubles at home.

Many years had passed since then, and unfortunately, he was reluctant to do anything. It was a wasted opportunity. He had a job now, a schedule from ten to seventeen-thirty, plus a two hour night shift. As a petty officer, there was always something to repair, to enhance, to reroute and bypass. The ship needed him. They all did.

Roger took a step out the door, exhaling a deep sigh. Nothing could calm his banging heart. He made his way to the mess hall, his head running with calculations. She would be there as normal, eating breakfast at six forty-five before her duty in astrometrics. She preferred the solitude before work. She appreciated the quiet moments of life. He, however, would be a surprise.

The plan was simple: he would ask to sit with her. They would talk, and at the right point, he would lay his hand on hers, a subtle but concise gesture, and then, and only then he would ask the question. As Octavia had informed him, Rose still had an interest in him. Perhaps she would take his offer.

The double doors slid open, the cafeteria empty except for a single seat-Rose. She looked up at him and smiled, quickly swallowing a bite.