by Dane Bagley
“Oh—hi, Steve. Who’s flying this thing?” Tammy asked, concerned.
“Merick; it’s his first time flying solo,” Steve replied confidently. Tammy was not so convinced. For a few moments there was an awkward silence. In this shift, only three crew members were awake: Tammy, Steve, and Bob. Up until today, Bob and Steve were always on the deck together as Bob finished his navigator and flight training. It had taken longer than was typical for a new navigator, but Bob progressed in his training, and Steve never expected him to be his star student. Steve inspected the lab, and brought communications as often as possible to Tammy. Spending time alone together was rare, and short—official business only. Their relationship was simmering, but it had not been possible, up until this point, to bring it to a boil. Now, for the first time, they could be alone for several hours and there was no reason to expect an interruption.
Steve did not enter the lab with any pretext of inspections or official communications. Neither he nor Tammy knew how to begin the conversation. She instinctively came up close, and leaned into Steve’s shoulder. Steve put his arm around her shoulder, and whispered that he was happy to have some time with her. She smiled, gently snuggling up closer to him. Her long, red, curly hair had a lovely scent from her perfumed shampoo. He breathed in deeply, and felt both a peace and excitement in her warmth and softness. Tammy looked up into his eyes, with a serious but gently expression. Steve stared back, and then leaned in for the kiss. It was soft, but lingering. Tammy’s expression turned to a smile.
Steve caught her glancing over to the side of the lab. He first thought that he may have interrupted something important in her work. Then he saw where she had glanced. It was at the only decent chair in the lab. Tammy would have loved to sit on a couch with him, but none existed. Steve took Tammy by the hand towards the chair. He sat down, and helped her onto his lap. She sat sideways and rested her head on his left shoulder, turning her head so that they could peer into each other’s eyes. For a long while they sat and look at each other, noticing every expression and contour of each other’s faces. Steve brought his right hand up to her left cheek and touched her gently with the back of his fingers. He allowed his hand to go back into her hair, and gently ran his fingers through it. They were each mesmerized in each other’s beauty and uniqueness.
Tammy loved Steve’s eyes. They were the brightest blue, and shined particularly brightly against his light complexion and blond hair. His face showed both youth and innocence, mixed with boldness and confidence. She felt fully supported in his muscular build; his strength made her feel both light and delicate. She was conscious of how much he adored her at this instance. She felt completely beautiful. She wanted to kiss him, but didn’t want to lose the sight of his handsome face for an instant. She felt his hand go around the back of her head, and gently pull her head towards his. Both of their eyes instinctively closed as they kissed.
