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cverture-a · 7 years

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Date #3 | @residuex

“I want to know everything about you.” Beth admitted, though hoped she wasn’t coming on too strong. She couldn’t help that since they had first met serendipitously, her curiosity had grown in immense fashion. The problem was further exacerbated by the rate at which they had been making plans to see one another as of late. They’d watched the sky together into the early hours of the night; had partaken in conversation over dinner that he made them before watching a movie she had insisted he could not prolong further; most recently they’d met for coffee, lingering longer in the cafe than the average casual get together. Eventually they had left the welcoming scent of baked goods and coffee beans in favor for a walk throughout Central Park, strolling slowly through the brisk fall air as if they both had been trying to stop time. Before either of them had realized, their eyes found the setting sun over the Central Park Reservoir.

It had only been scarcely a week since they had last been together, their time away spent supplemented with the game of “20 questions” they had begun weeks ago over text messaging; by now they surely had gone above and beyond game requirements, yet the more she learned the more she felt the need to know about this man that had made a comfortable home in her mind: she was always thinking about him, even when she had no intentions of such. It seemed there was a lot already that reminded her of him.

Ethan made her feel good, and in the purest sense of the word. He radiated a positive light that she had previously only briefly considered as something she could require. Each time they kissed, Beth was certain her knees would turn to jelly and cause her body to collapse in on itself - though a faint voice in her mind told her that even if she were to lose her footing, the last place she would end up was on the ground. Not while he was around.

Earlier in the week she had, though somewhat hesitantly due to a strange fear of rejection, extended an invitation for him to visit her at home - under the guise that they could spend hours laughing at old episodes of America’s Funniest Videos, a cache of which had been recently added to Netflix. In truth, Beth didn’t care much what they did - she only wanted to offer up her time, and hoped he would allow her some of his own in return.

The late afternoon sky had quickly turned shades darker out on the streets of New York, though still lit with ever present street lights. As hours passed with their attention (truly only half) on the television, kernels of popcorn strewn about from a battle they’d had at one point during the marathon. Half-gone bottles of water rested ahead of them on the coffee table, and other than the glow through her windows and from the television, lighting was dim; comfortable.

It’s while Netflix is queuing up the next episode that the words are spoken; head turning to offer a shy glance to the man that sat beside her on the couch. Beth herself was seated with her feet tucked comfortably under her, knees bent and facing him as her elbow provided leverage against the rear cushion - though Ethan was sitting like an actual human being, his back aligned properly with the rear cushion, as was intended by the manufacturer. He had one leg resting on the knee of his other, hand relaxing casually at his ankle. Following the statement, her glance was matched; though a subtle expression of bewilderment caused her smile to stretch thinly before she began to explain.

“Not in like, a serial-killer-i’m-gonna-stalk-you-and-kill-everyone-you-love-because-if-i-can’t-have-you- nobody-will kind of way.” Smooth, Johanssen.“It’s just that I sometimes find myself thinking about you. Wondering. Little things, like your favorite food. Or what your favorite time of day - or, right now, how crazy you think I am.” A nervous laugh escaped briefly parted lips before they once again formed a thin line, her hand fumbling as it entangled with its other. It couldn’t be hastened, the nerves nor the notion that perhaps she was beginning to go insane. It did, however, help to hear his chuckle of amusement from her string of words. Beth was thankful that at least she was entertaining, if nothing else.

“Those are bad examples, “ she began again, rambling away as if to offer up a better explanation. “I’ve never really wondered what your favorite time of day is. What I really mean to say is that I hope our game of twenty questions never has to end. Those text messages are often the best part of my day.” Except when she was actually able to see him, though she felt this may have been obvious without having to be so blatantly admitted. “I don’t know where all of this is coming from, and I apparently cannot stop talking.”

She refrained from rolling her eyes at herself, though became flustered as she stole another glance and met his eyes. The words ceased, then. They’d continue to fail if she tried to explain the way her heart began to pound, how her palms began to sweat and her mind was scarce of thought that pertained to anything but Ethan Andrews. It surprised her, the sudden need to communicate - and more specifically so, the need to communicate her emotions.

“Did you know that I started to develop software to help establish the idea of a ‘smart home?’” Beth didn’t mind changing the topic. She had begun to feel as though she had three heads, unsure of the level of vulnerability she was revealing to him - unsure if she would only end up making a fool of herself. “I headed up a software start-up with that very intention. My team and I coded various applications that most people are pretty familiar with. You know Alexa? Amazon’s cloud service? My company invented the fundamental code that allows her to turn lights off in a home, or change the temperature without having to do anything but speak.”

She was proud, sure. Yet nothing made Beth Johanssen more proud than her accomplishments of the ARES mission; how she had birthed the basic coding systems that operated Hermes, which would shuttle astronauts for missions to come to and from Mars. She understood it better than the back of her own hand, and sometimes she still found herself sifting through memorized sequences in her mind in order to further better the ship’s workings. As time passed, some algorithms became redundant or obsolete, and it had been her job to cultivate the best working operating system available.

“Selling the start-up had been easy, but saying goodbye to Hermes? That was hard.”

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She didn’t know what time it was - nor did she particularly care to know it, because as the moments had passed they settled into more comfortable positions on the couch. Beth’s knees were pulled to her chest and he was hunched forward, closer to where Ethan sat, turned with full attention to the woman who’d spent three years in space. Their heads were nestled close together against the shared back cushion of the couch and she could scarcely stand refraining from reaching out to hold her palm to the side of his face, or to allow her fingers to join with his. It was foreign to her, the urgency to feel such subtle affection. Even more so was the desire to give it - and yet the longer she sat looking at him, the stronger the feeling became.

“There are so many stories I could tell you,” she began again, after the silence had hung in the air between them. It had not felt awkward, though she noted that it had been strange that even in silence, being with Ethan felt right.

It was only another hour later that she caught herself yawning in the middle of explaining one of the many training exercise she and the rest of the crew had to complete before launch, keeping the conversation flowing with tidbits of dialogue that had mostly been from Martinez or Watney; the comedians of the crew — Or so they both thought. Beth was capable of staying awake for hours - often days - at time, but she realized that while she had that ability, not everyone was an insomniac like her; not everyone was often afraid to fall asleep. Hesitantly, she sat up in attention before rising, her feet planted firmly on the coolness of her hardwood floor. Her sleepy doe eyes peered down at him, a smile offered in assurance before she spoke with further invitation.

“Come to bed?”

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The sleep that they did have were mere spans of thirty minutes at a time wedged between conversations ranging from topic to topic; stories they’d shared with one another, more questions asked and answered. She would ask about his days teaching and in return offer up tales of her time off-planet. They’d offer up comment when deemed necessary, a chuckle here are there or the occasional hint that they were still awake. Beth had been happy when she whispered in question if he had fallen asleep and received no answer, her eyes glancing beside her at the man whose eyes were closed. He looked peaceful, and for a moment she committed the shadows on his face to her memory. Soon enough, he had woken again and they had proceeded with drowsy discussion. In the moments that became more serious, Beth found herself inching closer to where he lay beside her; a silent expression of thanks for him being there - that he was someone she could be happy to share things with - including her bed. And unexpectedly, her heart.

Eventually they had both drifted off, Beth having burrowed herself in closer to his chest so that her face was almost pressed tightly to the fabric of his shirt. As if he were waiting for permission to do so, she moved her hand to guide his arm - allowing it to drape over her small frame - his hand respectfully finding it’s place on her back. Before succumbing to slumber, she would later recall a feeling of relief wash over her; could anything truly ever be this good again?

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”Ta-daaaaaa, it’s an Eggo Triple Decker Extravaganza!” On the plate revealed three toasted Eggo waffles, between each layer was whipped cream and assorted types of Halloween candy; mostly chocolates such as Hershey kisses and Reese's pieces, but there were gummy worms hidden beneath the fluffy clouds of white. Beth had been given the idea from the recent release of the second season of Stranger Things, having quickly decided that she wanted to make the treat herself; it was simple enough, she thought, that not even she could mess it up.

“I don’t exactly expect you to eat this because it’s an obscene amount of sugar, but I did manage to warm up a few croissants.” It was important to note her words: warm up. Not for a second was Beth claiming to have actually baked the buttery, flaked rolls herself, but rather she had them purchased them the day before - with other breakfast trappings: orange juice and various fresh fruit she had found at the market - in preparation for a morning she was hoping she would be able to share with him. She had promised him breakfast after all, and so breakfast indeed he would have.

“Here we are again,” Beth’s eyes found him then, a wide and warm smile spread across her features. “In my kitchen, drinking coffee. Eating breakfast.” It was obvious that she was referring to the first morning they had known one another - she had found him making breakfast in the very same spot she stood in now. Though the previous experience had been much more tense; awkward, given that they hadn’t technically known one another then. Life was funny, sometimes. It was comical to reflect back on it now and Beth couldn’t stop herself from extending upon her tippy-toes, her hand resting upon his arm to steady her balance, to place a gentle kiss on the side of his face - and another quickly against the corner of his lips. “I’m really glad you’re here, Ethan.”

#residuex #🌌 BETH ￫VERSE ￫beneath the sky.#Um anyway

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