Meet Me on Mars

What happens when you meet the right person at the wrong time?

On the eve that Gabe McCall, an engineer for the National Space & Exploration Agency is scheduled to fly to Mars to live on colony twelve, he meets Millie Reyes at a bonfire. Their chemistry is palpable even though it's a brief conversation across the flickering flames, and they're both married. Thankfully, there is an entire universe between them to forget one another. That is until Millie gets a new job at the agency as a liaison for the engineering department, and she's assigned to work with Gabe.

At first, their communications are strictly business as Millie bridges the gap for the astronauts on Mars and Earth, but as time passes, and they get to know each other better, the boundaries between professionalism, friendship, and romantic feelings blur.

Then, it all becomes too real when Millie is offered the chance to move to Mars to live on colony thirteen. Is fate pulling the strings or has it all been an escape from the struggles in their marriages--a built-up fantasy?

With the launch date set, it becomes a ticking clock of seeing each other again and the anxiety of what the future holds.

**Open Novella Contest submission, prompt 34**