True passengers / Chapter 42: Day 599

Day 599. I woke up in the morning and didn’t see my Friday in the den. So, I grabbed a lantern and went looking for her. I walked, trying not to make any unnecessary noise. Who knows what this crazy woman had in her mind? Maybe she decided to lie in wait for me again and attack me from the darkness? No, she’s afraid of me. I can feel it. Or maybe she’s afraid of being alone. Or both. Otherwise, she would have already tried to attack me at night. It’s a good thing I hid all the knives in a container under my bed and screwed it shut tightly… But it wouldn’t hurt to check. Why didn’t I check? Idiot…

At that moment, I suddenly see her sitting on the floor behind the cryocapsules, her face buried in the wall. She doesn’t notice me. She’s crying. I’ve seen her with red eyes before, but I didn’t think anything of it. Why should I care about women’s emotions? Space is not for the weak. Who is she mourning? Her boyfriend who was eaten? Or her worthless life? And why did she leave and hide? Didn’t she want me to get annoyed? Is she afraid of me? And rightly so… But now I approach her and gently run my hand over her hunched back. She flinches, turns around, and looks at me with her tearful, uncomprehending eyes. I silently look at her and automatically continue to gently stroke her shoulder.

She suddenly jumps up and, hugging me with her thin arms, presses her whole body against me. I hug her trembling shoulders and can barely hold back my own tears. Damn it, what has this cursed space turned us into? Are there still people sitting in this soulless can of titanium and steel? No… Animals that have broken out but remain in a cage.

Who is this girl hugging me now? What is she like? For the first time, I gently cup her face in my hands. For the first time, I look intently into her gray-green eyes. For the first time, I kiss her long and tenderly. And then I take her by the hands and pull her along with me. We climb up the vertical tunnel-spoke to the central compartment. After reflecting off the metal surfaces many times, the light from the lantern fills the entire space around us with magical sunbeams.

In all her short life on the ship, she has never been here before. And now she is enjoying the weightlessness that she had only experienced on simulators before. She rejoices like a child, bathing in the weightless light. And I just smile as I watch her. Happy and radiant, she floats, turning gracefully, and then draws me into this silly but sincere dance.

Our lips merge in a kiss, and we make love. For the first time, she gives herself to me. Without any force. By the way, have you ever done this in weightlessness? I don’t think so. I should note that despite all the inconveniences, sex at zero g has its own unique romantic charm.

We spend the whole day a little closer than usual, although we still don’t say a word to each other. And in the evening, she stays with me. She falls asleep, burying her face in my shoulder like a small warm animal. I bury my fingers in her dry, thin hair and fall asleep myself.