Stars On Fire

by E. L. Todd

  “You weren’t kidding about your brother being late to everything.” I sat on the corner of the couch with my legs crossed and a beer in my hand. Sometimes when the conversation turned dull and there was nothing to see on the TV, I looked at the line around my ring finger. There was a faint tan line that hadn’t completely gone away just yet.

  “He’s the worst,” Victor said with a chuckle. “Whenever we have family gatherings, we always lie and tell him an hour early. That’s the only way he makes it on time.” He sat back on the couch with a beer in his hand, his arm stretching over the back of the couch toward Stacy.

  “Maybe when he’s on Earth, he doesn’t care about rigid time schedules,” Stacy said. “They just don’t seem important because no one is gonna die if he’s late.”

  “Maybe,” Victor said with a shrug. “He’s spent more time in space than anyone, so it’s possible.”

  “Whoa, hold on.” I was about to take a drink from my beer when I chose to set it down instead. “He’s been in space longer than anyone else? Like in the history of time?”

  Vic nodded.

  Stacy mouthed. “Einstein shit.”

  “How old is he?” I blurted. “How can someone so young accomplish so much?”

  Vic shrugged. “When he puts his mind to something, he does it. He’s always been that way. When he was young, he skipped a couple of grades. Straight out of high school, he went into the air force and became a test pilot. When he got out, he used his GI bill to get through college. By the time he graduated, he was only twenty-four, I think. He was selected by NASA quickly and flew his first mission when he was twenty-five…which makes him the youngest astronaut to leave the stratosphere.”

  I didn’t know much about the NASA program or astronauts in general, but that was the most impressive thing I’d ever heard. “Damn…”

  “It’s crazy,” Stacy said. “I wasn’t kidding when I said he was a genius. He must have gotten it from their father.”

  “Yeah, definitely,” Vic said. “The same thing didn’t happen to me.”

  “How long is he in Houston for?” I asked. “Does he live somewhere else?”

  “No, this is where he works when he’s not on a mission. He’s an instructor for NASA and prepares other astronauts for space. He specializes in engineering.” Whenever Victor spoke about his brother, there was always a hint of pride in his voice. “It drives my mother crazy. She wants him to get out of the program and do something else…but she’ll never say that to him. It doesn’t matter how dangerous it is, he’s never going to stop.”

  For someone to risk their life like that so often, they must really love what they were doing. If that was the truth, he should keep doing it. He would never be happy doing anything else, so why bother if it would just make him miserable. Some people were wired differently—and he was clearly one of those people. “He must love it.”

  “He does,” Victor said. “He really does.”

  A knock sounded on the door, so Torpedo dropped his bone and ran to the front door. He made a few barks to alert us to the intruder even though we all heard the sound too.

  “It’s open,” Victor called as he rose off the couch.

  Neil opened the front door with a case of beer in his hand. His eyes first went to Torpedo on the floor. “Didn’t realize you guys had a dog.” He extended his hand so the Lab could smell it. “Hey, boy.”

  “He’s not ours.” Victor came to the front door and took the case of beer from his brother. “Charlotte brought him over because they’re inseparable. He’s friendly, so he’s not gonna bite your face off.”

  “I was never worried about that.” He kneeled down and gave Torpedo a deep massage, digging his fingers into his fur and scratching him right behind the ears. He rubbed him so good that Torpedo started to tip over and prepare to fall asleep. “Someone’s ready for a nap.” He chuckled and rose to his feet. He ditched the NASA jacket and wore jeans and a t-shirt, and even though he was dressed so casually, his powerful form made up for everything else. His arms were thick and covered in veins, and his stomach was tight. His shoulders were the best part, broad and strong, like he could break down a door if he wanted. “I heard a rumor there would be nachos.”

  Victor chuckled. “Of course, all you care about is food.”

  “I’ve been eating dehydrated green beans and beef for three months. Yeah, that is all I care about.” He washed his hands in the sink to rinse off the dirt from Torpedo then greeted Stacy with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You look beautiful.”

  She beamed at the compliment. “Thanks, Neil.”

  I left the couch and joined them in the kitchen. Neil had just turned around to grab a beer from the fridge, and after he twisted off the cap, he turned back to face me. He recognized me right away even though we’d barely said a few words to each other a week ago. “Charlotte, right?”

  “That’s me.”

  “Nice to see you again.” He didn’t shake my hand again, but he didn’t try to hug me either. He was polite, but he didn’t bend over backward to be as warm to me as he was to his family. Maybe he was hoping he could just spend time with his family, but now he had this strange woman to deal with.

  He was the most interesting man in every room he walked into, and it dawned on me that he probably got the same questions over and over again. People asked him about his time in space, reducing his entire identity to his career. It probably drove him crazy. I was just as curious as everyone else so I wanted to bombard him with questions, but I changed my mind before any of that could happen. “I think my dog likes you.”

  He brought his beer close to his chest, and his eyes softened in confusion when he heard my words. As if he’d expected me to say something completely different, all the tension in his body slowly faded away. “What’s his name?”

  “Torpedo.”

  He cocked his head slightly. “What made you pick that?”

  “Because he’s so fast—like a missile coming out of a submarine.” I glanced at my dog on the ground where he’d returned to chewing his bone. “It doesn’t seem like it now, but when we go on runs, he practically drags me the whole way.”

  His body relaxed even more, and a gentle smile crept over his lips. “He’s a beautiful dog.”

  “Do you have any pets?”

  “No,” he said with a sigh. “That would be too difficult since I’m gone all the time.”

  I kept my mouth shut and didn’t ask him about work. I could somehow feel the invisible boundary he surrounded himself with, like that was the last thing he wanted to discuss. He’d just spent three months on the moon, far away from Earth, and that was probably the last thing he wanted to talk about. When I got divorced, that was all anyone wanted to talk about. It was the most painful and humiliating experience of my life, but people still treated it like a discussion question for a book club. “Want some nachos?” I grabbed a paper plate then scooped the chips, cheese, and all the toppings onto the surface.

  He flinched again, like he hadn’t been expecting the question. “Yeah…sure.”

  “OKAY, THAT WAS BULLSHIT.” I got to my feet and raised my fist at the TV. “I don’t know how this asshole is on the court when he clearly flunked out of ref school. I’d pour my beer over his head if I were there.”

  Torpedo barked from the floor, like he agreed with what I said.

  “Then you would get kicked out,” Victor warned.

  “It’s not like I’m gonna miss anything,” I countered. “This game was rigged from the beginning.”

  Neil sat on the couch beside me with his beer resting on his thigh. He hadn’t said much during the evening, but he kept glancing at me every time I spoke. He was laid-back just like his brother, so quiet that it was easy to forget he was there at all. “Hate to say it, but I agree with Charlotte. But even if it is rigged, it’s nice to watch.”

  Probably because he hadn’t had a TV for three months. It was more isolating than being in the military. It was just him and a few crew membe
rs, so far away from the surface of the planet that no one could help him if something went wrong. There was only one kind of person who could survive those conditions—a hero.

  Too bad I couldn’t ask him about it.

  When the game was over, we all helped in the kitchen then said good night.

  Everyone gave Torpedo some love before we prepared to leave. Just when I stepped out, so did Neil.

  Torpedo was on the end of his leash, walking right beside me with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He was a docile guy, but he loved to be around people. Whenever I left him home alone, he was so sad to see me go. When I walked in the door every evening, he was so ecstatic he nearly knocked me over with his powerful tail.

  Neil caught up with us as we walked to the elevator. “How long have you known Stacy?”

  “We met in college, so almost ten years.” Stacy majored in political science then ended up working in public administration. I went in a different direction, so we’d only had one class together during our entire college careers.

  “It’s crazy that we never met.”

  “Well, it sounds like you aren’t on the planet very often,” I said with a chuckle, finding the sentence comical.

  “It feels that way sometimes.” He reached the elevator and hit the down button to go to the lobby. Then he slid his hands into his pockets as we waited for the elevator to rise to our floor and take us back down again.

  I did my best not to look at Neil by staring at Torpedo. Sometimes I was afraid I would stare at him too much and make it obvious I was attracted to him. Stacy said he wasn’t my type, and since she knew me so well, she was probably right. I drew an invisible line in between us and vowed never to cross it. This guy was a quiet enigma who didn’t seem to open up unless it was around family.

  The doors beeped as they opened, then we walked inside.

  The second Torpedo was in the elevator he parked his rear on the floor and started to pant.

  Neil watched him as we rode the elevator to the ground floor. “He doesn’t seem very fast…”

  “Oh, he is. But he’s also very lazy when he doesn’t have to do anything.”

  The doors opened to the lobby then we walked outside to the parking lot. It was a late-spring day in Houston, so the air was already quite warm and the humidity was hitting everyone hard. It would be a hot summer; that was certain.

  “Well, it was nice seeing you again.” I stopped at the edge of the sidewalk where my Tacoma truck was parked. I opened the tailgate so Torpedo could hop inside and get ready to feel the air on his face during the short drive.

  “You too.” He pulled out his phone and started to tap his fingers on the screen like he was ordering an Uber.

  “Did you drive here?”

  He lowered his phone. “I have a truck, but I can’t drive for two weeks after landing. It’s for safety reasons.”

  “Well, we can give you a ride home.”

  “We?” he asked, smiling at the way I referred to my dog as a person.

  “Yes, but I’ll drive—for safety reasons.”

  He chuckled and put his phone in his pocket. “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all. Where do you live?”

  “I live about ten minutes south of here, closer to Johnson Space Center. It’s a little bit away from downtown, but the commute to work is shorter.”

  I never ventured south of the metropolitan area unless I went to the beach. I knew the Space Center was open for visitors in certain areas, but I never took advantage of what was right in my backyard. I’d always been interested in science—just not space exploration. “Get in.”

  We got into my truck then I pulled away after programming his address into the GPS.

  Neil turned around and looked at Torpedo through the back window. The dog had his tongue hanging out and flapping in the wind. His gums were pulled wide apart even when we weren’t driving very fast. Neil chuckled then looked forward again, his hands resting on his thighs while the seat belt across his chest showed just how defined he was. When my belt was pressed against me, it highlighted the bits of fat I had. But on him…there was nothing besides muscle.

  I kept the radio on so we had something to listen to instead of filling the silence with small talk.

  I could tell he wasn’t a big conversationalist.

  That was fine with me—because neither was I.

  There was an unspoken connection between us that he wasn’t aware of. He had something he didn’t like to talk about, and I had something I didn’t like to talk about. He probably had no idea I was divorced and wouldn’t care if he knew, but I didn’t want to pester him with attention he probably didn’t want. He was an American hero, with a face that most people recognized. Once Victor had told me who he was years ago, I noticed I heard his name on TV and in the media. He’d even published a book a few years ago—that I’d never read.

  He looked out the window, his dark brown hair a beautiful color. He was a pretty man with a masculine frame, and it was hard to believe he was so fit considering he’d been in space for so long. How could a man like that be born gorgeous and brilliant? The cards were definitely in his favor.

  “Lived in Houston your whole life?” He finally broke the silence with a new subject.

  “Yep. Born and raised. You?”

  “My family is originally from Connecticut, but we moved here when I was one. So, basically.”

  “It’s nice that you can work close to family…when you’re here, at least.”

  “What about you?” he asked. “Do you have a family here?”

  “Actually, no. I’m kinda on my own…” They didn’t live in a different part of the country. They just didn’t exist.

  Thankfully, he didn’t ask any more questions. “I wish I could have been at the wedding. I saw pictures when I returned to Earth, and it looked really nice. I think I recognize you from the photos, actually. You were the maid of honor, right?”

  “Yes. In that ridiculous poufy yellow dress Stacy made me wear. Of course, you remember me.”

  When he chuckled, it was the sexiest sound. It came from deep in his throat, a sign of masculinity that made him more desirable. The man was so charming, it was dangerous to any woman with working ovaries. Who wouldn’t want to have this man’s baby? “That’s not the only reason why…”

  “Whatever you say.” I followed the GPS and drove farther south, leaving the main city behind and approaching the ocean. The closer we got, the more the temperature dropped, but still not by much. “Am I looking for an apartment or a house?”

  “House.”

  “How close are you to work?”

  “About five minutes. But with all the security checkpoints, more like fifteen. What do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a lab scientist. I work at a hospital near the downtown area.”

  “Really?” he asked, genuinely interested. “What kind of lab work do you do?”

  “I get samples from patients and run their tests for whatever the doctor is asking for. It’s a pretty routine job, the same thing every day. But it’s a good job, and I can’t complain. Sometimes I get results that are just so crazy I have to run the test again…but the results are the same. When that happens, I know someone is seriously sick, which bums me out.”

  He returned his focus straight ahead and didn’t say anything.

  Sometimes he was easy to talk to, but other times he wasn’t. His mood seemed to rise and fall on a regular basis. He and I were still just strangers, so perhaps it was no surprise he wasn’t comfortable with me.

  I was pretty comfortable with him.

  The GPS took me into a neighborhood, so I made a few turns until I pulled up to a beautiful house with a nice front yard. It was a house that could easily fit two parents and two kids. The thought never occurred to me that he might be married or have children. “Your house is beautiful. If I let Torpedo out of the back, he would be rolling around in that grass like crazy.”

  He smiled then opened the door. �
�My house is dog-friendly, so he’s always welcome.”

  “Even so, I’m the one who has to give him a bath, and that’s never fun.”

  He got out of the truck and stood in the open doorway as he looked at me. His t-shirt fell over his frame perfectly, and even when he wasn’t smiling, he was so handsome it was distracting. Actually, he seemed to look even better when there was no expression in his face whatsoever. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop being attractive.

  He was a young man who’d just spent three months somewhere far away. Just like a sailor on leave, he was no doubt anxious to get laid. He was charming and handsome, so he probably had a list of women in his phone book who would be happy to come over for a booty call. He didn’t even need to buy them dinner.

  I wished I could be one of the girls.

  No strings attached. Something easy. But that would be incredibly awkward with Stacy and Victor—besides, he didn’t seem interested in me. He hadn’t flirted with me once or given me any indication he found me attractive.

  “Thanks for the lift, Charlotte.”

  “No problem. I’ll see you around.”

  He shut the door then walked to the bed of the truck to give Torpedo a good rubdown before he walked into his house. He didn’t look back when he got the door unlocked. He just stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

  With his busy work schedule and my hectic life, I would probably never see him again—unless it was on TV. But that was okay because there was no reason to see him again anyway. I had a date tomorrow night. Hopefully, we would share a decent meal and have good sex. But if not, there would be something else out there.

  I had to believe I would find the right guy someday…someone who would love me no matter what.

  In sickness…and in health.

  3

  NEIL

  WHEN I WAS IN SPACE, Earth was just an object in the distance. In the Space Station, I saw Earth rotate every ninety minutes, so I could see the same continent several times in a day. That kind of distance changed my perspective on life.