Afterglow

by Artemis Anders

  Never fuck with a writer.

  During a lull on Saturday afternoon, Teagan wrapped her denim jacket around her shoulders, slightly chilled in the air-conditioned confines of the convention center. She hadn’t sold much Friday, filling her with dread that she’d made a mistake driving all the way to the Fires of Hell. The truth was, every con was different. At some she sold well, at others she took a loss. But she couldn’t afford a loss right now, and she hoped the Tucsonians proved to be the curious types who loved reading sci-fi. The trip would cost her several days of camping fees, two thousand miles worth of gas, and more miles on her aging truck… and it needed to yield more than sweat, dust, and a chance to see yet another cactus. Fortunately, Saturday had been better. There was still a chance she could break even.

  Just after 7:00, Teagan left the convention center, the desert heat blasting her like someone had opened the door to a giant oven. Yet, as much as she appreciated the AC, it felt great to be outside in the fresh air. She preferred being outdoors as much as possible, no matter what the weather.

  She picked up dinner and drove to her new campsite, a place that resembled an RV park more than a campground. The big campers and even bigger RVs dwarfed her truck, and there was no grass and barely any trees. Not really camping, in her opinion. Yet, the place was nice, with real bathrooms and a swimming pool and wifi.

  She sat at her picnic table under a tree, whose tiny desert leaves offered little protection from the setting sun. The sound of people chatting across the way, along with the occasional buzz of a cicada, felt far more peaceful than the nonstop din of comic con. Thirsty, she went to open the twist cap to her cold root beer, struggling to loosen it and eventually dropping it on the ground. When she managed to pry it loose, it sprayed her with the sticky beverage. She sighed and ate her chicken tacos, surprised at how good they were, how juicy and perfectly spiced. Even the corn tortillas tasted better than any she’d had before.

  Once it got dark and the stars began making an appearance, Teagan set up her telescope. Saturn would be viewable for another couple of hours. After re-sighting it, she located Saturn with her stargazing app. There it was… a yellow sphere surrounded by a thick yellow ring. Even with that simplistic view, not the gorgeous and detailed view that NASA could produce, it still amazed her that she could see a celestial object that was 750 million miles away, and with a device that cost her $350.

  “Is that a telescope, Daddy?” said a girl’s voice.

  Teagan looked over. A couple walked by in cutoff jeans, cigarettes hanging from their mouths. A girl of about seven lagged behind them.

  “Yup, that’s a telescope,” her father replied.

  “You want to come look?” Teagan said to her. “You can see Saturn!”

  The girl hesitated until her father spoke up. “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all. Look right in here.” She pointed at the eyepiece and the girl peered into it. “You see that yellow ball with the ring around it?”

  “That’s Saturn?”

  “It sure is.”

  The girl turned to her mother. “Mom, it’s Saturn!” She peered into the viewer again, then begged her father to look. He tossed his cigarette down before coming over to look.

  “I don’t see anything.”

  “It moves out of view quickly, due to the Earth’s rotation,” Teagan said, readjusting it. She motioned to it again, and both parents peeked, looking semi-impressed. She also let them view Saturn with her better lens, where Saturn was clearer now and they could see color variations on the planet as well as in the rings.

  “Thank you,” the mother said. “What do you say, Carly?”

  “Thank you!” Carly said.

  “My pleasure!” Teagan replied, waving goodbye.

  Teagan watched as the family walked away. How normal they seemed. Being a family, camping together, even if just an overnight while en route to some other destination. That’s what she wanted. Someone to camp with, to travel with, to enjoy the outdoors with. It’s what she’d always wanted. Somehow, it hadn’t worked out that way. Here she was at thirty-four, camping alone and traveling to comic con alone.

  Maybe that was her fate. Maybe she wasn’t meant to have what others had. Maybe her calling was to be that loner writer up in the mountains, with her romantic horror novels and her many cats.

  Teagan laughed a little. It was a real fear of hers, but at least it was a funny one. She put away her telescope and got ready for bed.

  Sunday morning, the first hour or two started out quiet like Sundays often did. But come noon, the convention center filled up again and the time passed quickly. When Teagan took out her lunch and her bottle of root beer, she considered when to begin her long drive back to Denver. Get a head start tonight and leave an easier drive for tomorrow? Or relax, watch a movie, and be well-rested for the thirteen-hour drive? Either way, she’d be glad to leave this scorching desert and return to Colorado and all its summertime promise of camping and hiking.

  During a lull, she talked with her neighbor, Lucia, a fantasy author whose books had giant swords on their covers. “Good day?”

  Lucia nodded. “Very. You?”

  “Not bad. Some quick math tells me I might break even.”

  Just as she picked up her sandwich, two men stopped at her table and asked about her books. She gave them the quick spiel on her two different series, handing each a book to peruse while she took a few bites of her lunch. As one of them asked her a question, someone else approached. That’s how it worked—long periods of nothing at all, followed by everyone wanting to talk to her at once. When she glanced over to greet her latest visitor, a jolt of excitement ran through her. It was Aaron.

  “Oh… hey!” she stammered. “You came.” He wore a plain gray t-shirt with his shorts, his muscular arms and chest filling out his shirt nicely. His sunglasses rested on his hat.

  “It took me a while to find you. This place is packed.” He glanced around the crowded showroom, awe in his expression. “I had no idea.”

  “You should’ve seen it yesterday.”

  “More crowded than this?”

  She nodded, realizing the two men had left. Her mouth suddenly dry, maybe from her sandwich, she picked up her root beer and began wrestling with the cap. Aaron held a clear plastic bag, inside of which was the back of a poster. “Did you find some art?”

  Without a word, Aaron took the root beer from her hands, removed the cap with one easy twist, and handed it back before turning his poster around. It was an artist’s rendition of an all-American, blue-and-red uniformed man holding a round shield.

  She grinned. “You like Captain America!” She took a swig of root beer.

  “He was my favorite, growing up. Are you supposed to frame these things or just hang them as is?”

  “They look better framed. Yours is a standard size, so a finding a frame should be easy.”

  Two more women approached and picked up her books. She greeted them and offered to answer any questions.

  Aaron glanced at her new potential customers. “I’m going to look around more. I’ll stop by again before I leave.”

  “Perfect. Have fun.”

  The rest of the afternoon flew by. During that time, she sold enough books to pay for her trip, which filled her with relief. But when someone announced over the PA system that the showroom had closed, Teagan glanced around. No sign of Captain America. He’d probably had all the comic con he could take, and left. She took a deep breath, disappointment coming over her.

  It was ridiculous to be disappointed. She barely knew this guy. It’s not like he came to see her.

  “I guess I’ll find myself a new leading man for my next book,” she muttered.

  “What was that?”

  Teagan looked over to find Lucia staring at her. “Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Again.”

  Lucia laughed.

  Teagan took a quick inventory of her remaining books before running to the restroom. She could probably get it all in one t
rip, albeit a really heavy one. She dreaded those three long blocks to her truck in the scorching afternoon heat. Yet, she wasn’t tired, so she decided to pick up a quick dinner and hit the road. Driving in the evening meant cooler temperatures, and she’d be heading east, away from the glare of the setting sun. But when she headed back to her table, someone was waiting for her.

  Aaron.

  Chapter Five

  “I thought you’d left,” she said, before she could censor herself.

  “I went to a talk about military in science fiction,” Aaron said. “I had to fight all the outgoing traffic to get back here.”

  “How was the talk?”

  “Interesting, actually. I had no idea you did so much research for your books.”

  “We try.”

  Damn, he was cute.

  He looked at her boxes. “Where to next?”

  “My truck, once I finish packing up.”

  “Need some help?”

  She blinked in surprise. “Um, sure.”

  Aaron set down his poster, squeezed between her and Lucia’s tables, and began putting books into her boxes. By the time she finished packing away her banners and her other paraphernalia, Aaron had her books packed up and the boxes neatly taped and stacked onto her dolly.

  “What about the tables and chairs?” he asked.

  “We leave those.”

  Aaron picked up his poster and tipped back the dolly. “Where to?”

  She hesitated. He wasn’t going to haul everything out to her truck, was he? “My truck is kind of far away…” When he just looked at her with those steely eyes, she added, “It’s hot out. I’ll feel bad if you lug my books all the way there in this heat—”

  “I think I can handle it.”

  She smiled. “Okay.”

  Off they went through the exhibit hall, until they reached the exit. Finally, they emerged into Tucson’s blazing afternoon heat. Teagan carried her banners and her bag as Aaron effortlessly rolled the dolly along the sidewalk. How much easier it was with his help.

  When they arrived at her truck, sweat glistened on her and the sun had already begun reddening her shoulders. She opened her topper’s back window and lowered her tailgate, revealing her makeshift home. Teagan prayed she hadn’t left out anything embarrassing for him to see.

  Aaron raised his eyebrows. “You’re sleeping in your truck? In this heat?”

  She shrugged. “At a campground. It’s not that bad. I’m only there at night, anyway…”

  He continued to stare, his expression difficult to read behind his sunglasses. She couldn’t tell if he found her adventurous… or just crazy. Within no time, Aaron had her boxes stowed away under her platform bed and she closed it back up.

  “Thank you, Major.” She smiled. “It’s much easier when you have help.”

  He nodded briefly, hesitating for a moment. “I don’t know what your plans are… but do you feel like getting something to eat?”

  Teagan stared at Aaron in surprise. He was asking her out?

  “And no, I’m not hitting on you,” he said. “I’m done with women.”

  When Teagan saw the tiniest smirk on his lips, she laughed. “In that case, I’d love to.” Any plans she’d had to get a head start on her journey home fell by the wayside, disappearing into that place where logical thoughts and consideration for the big picture met their untimely deaths.

  “There are some good Mexican joints in town, or we can try something else if you prefer vegetarian…”

  “Mexican sounds good. And I do eat meat.”

  “I wasn’t sure. You have that look…”

  “I get that a lot. But I’m an omnivore.”

  The intense afternoon sun bore down on them. Aaron looked up. “Let’s get out of this heat. There’s a good place south of here, called El Saguaro. I’d have you follow me there, but I’m parked a few blocks away.”

  “I’ll take you to your car,” she offered, deciding she trusted him enough to allow him inside her car for a few blocks.

  “You sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Aaron directed her to a parking lot as she drove past the convention center, the AC beginning to cool her sweltering cab. He pointed out his white Chevy truck and she pulled up to it, then followed him until they arrived at El Saguaro. Before she got out, she quickly checked herself in her rearview mirror. Her mascara hadn’t smeared in the heat, but her hair needed brushing.

  Inside the adobe restaurant, busy for a Sunday evening, they had to wait a few minutes for a table. Teagan excused herself and went to the restroom to brush her hair, suddenly conscious of her appearance. She wore jeans, a plain black tank top, and pink Converse. She looked kind of cute, actually. Not that she cared what he thought.

  Once they got seated at a booth, nervousness suddenly set in. She was having dinner with a guy. A hot guy, who’d asked her to join him. Wasn’t that a date? Across from her, Aaron studied his menu with his usual unreadable expression and his enviably long eyelashes. He didn’t seem the least bit nervous. Was he looking for an easy lay with the pink-haired nerd who made dumb jokes?

  She rolled her eyes at herself. If Lucia hadn’t had plans with her family Saturday night, she’d have had dinner with her too. Dinner was dinner. She scanned her menu, silence at the table until the server arrived to drop off some chips and salsa and take their drink order.

  “Margarita rocks, please,” Teagan said. “With salt.”

  “Same,” Aaron said.

  After the server brought their drinks, she took their order and disappeared. More silence. She took a salsa-loaded chip and popped it into her mouth. The chips were hot and fresh and the salsa spicy and delicious.

  Say something, Teagan. You’re the talker, not him. “So… how long have you been stationed here?”

  “Seven years,” Aaron said, taking a tortilla chip.

  “And before that? Assuming there was a before that…”

  “All over the place, here and overseas.”

  “Career Army man, then.”

  He nodded.

  “What do you do there, at the intelligence school? As you’ve probably guessed, I don’t know anything about the military or military intelligence.”

  “I teach. I train officers and NCOs—non-commissioned officers—on how to operate military intel equipment, including UAVs.”

  “UAVs?”

  “Unmanned aerial vehicles. Drones.”

  “Really?” Teagan said, excited. “Wow. Fair warning, though: I might need you as a source for book research…” She assumed he would shrug that off, either out of disinterest or because he couldn’t reveal sensitive information.

  “Happy to help,” he said.

  Not expecting him to be so obliging, Teagan pressed on. “Tell me more about your work.”

  Teagan expected a sentence or two, a concise summary of the kinds of things he did all day. But Aaron talked for a while about his work and the school’s mission. He spoke at length without rambling, went into detail without going on tangents, and answered questions she had. It was the most she’d ever heard him talk.

  Their dinner arrived, chili rellenos for her and a giant burrito for Aaron. The first bite of her cheesy rellenos tasted delicious. Was it just her, or was the food good in Tucson?

  “You’ve written a lot of books,” Aaron said. “I hope you don’t mind, I looked you up online.”

  She smiled. “I don’t mind. And I’ve only written five. Working on my sixth.”

  “How long have you been an author?”

  “Officially… three years. That’s when I published my first novel, so that’s when I start the clock.”

  “What’d you do before?”

  “I taught biology. I still do, actually, part time, to supplement my income.”

  “You need a side job with that many books?”

  She nodded. “Oh yeah. Making a living as an author is really tough. I hope to someday, but until then I need to teach.”

  “Do you like t
eaching?”

  “I like helping people learn about science and about the natural world. It’s just so amazing, all of it. But teaching has its challenges too: shitty pay, students who don’t show up to class and then wonder why their grades suck. But you probably don’t deal with that kind of thing with your students…”

  “Not that specifically, but there are other challenges.”

  “Do you like to read?” she said.

  “I’ve never been much of a reader. When I do, it’s usually military history or something related to work.”

  “No fiction?”

  He pondered that. “Some. But it’s been a while…”

  “Let me guess. Tom Clancy?”

  He gave a half smile. “How’d you know?”

  She grinned. “Oh, wild guess. In my experience, love of reading, especially fiction, is taught early. If you don’t come from a reading family…”

  “My dad reads a ton. It’s just…” He hesitated for a moment. “I have dyslexia.”

  “Oh,” she said, surprised by Aaron’s admission. “So if you’re anything like my students with dyslexia, you don’t have positive associations with reading.”

  “I don’t. I mean, I read fine, although I’m not fast. But it’s held me back in my work at times. I suck at learning foreign languages and that’s an important part of intelligence work.”

  “I’m sorry to hear it.”

  He shook his head. “It all worked out. I found my place and I like what I do.” He paused. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

  “Me neither,” she teased. “It’s shocking. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone your dirty little secret.”

  Aaron chuckled at that. “What’s your dirty little secret?”

  “My dirty little secret?” she said. “Other than being a nerd?”

  He shook his head. “You aren’t that nerdy. I want something good.”

  “Something good, huh?” Then she thought of one. “Okay. Your cute little dog, Patton? I had one just like him once. I adopted him, walked him, fed him… and I lost him in the divorce.”