Alpha One - Chris Burton [65]
“I am not going to wait around, you bastard. We had something special here and you ruined it because you won’t commit.” Maria stormed off.
Jake sat there, slightly bemused, but with the growing feeling this was a lucky escape.
* * * *
Steve Costello went straight from class directly to Occupational Health. He suffered from headaches all week and, despite medication, he found it more difficult than ever to concentrate in class. Concerned this could be something which would impact on his jump ship training, he asked for a body scan to ensure all was okay.
The scan was conducted immediately and Steve was relieved that all was okay. The Medic suggested the headaches were stress-related and he should take a short break, perhaps a week’s detox. Steve laughed. No matter how tempting this was, he was still playing catch up on his work. He needed to work hard and be seen on campus. As he left the screening facility, he noticed Maria coming towards him. She walked briskly, clearly in distress.
“Everything okay?”
“Do I look as if everything is okay?”
“No, you do not. What happened? Is this something to do with Jake?”
“Yes. It’s over. Jake and Carla can go off and fuck like rabbits for all I care.”
Steve let her go past him. She was not taking this well. Maybe he should stop her. He called out but she ignored him and continued on her journey, presumably to the next Disciplinary Panel. I feel sorry for whomever stands accused before her today, he thought.
He grabbed his mobile comm device from his pocket and opened a comm link.
“Hi Jake. Do you fancy going out tonight and getting drunk.”
“You better believe it. Maria just dumped me.”
“I know. I just spoke to her. She didn’t seem happy.”
The two friends agreed to meet later. Steve still had a headache, but a few drinks would rid him of that.
* * * *
Jake awoke with a start. It was light but still early. Another freighter left en route, to a distant star system. Jake had a sore head and the noise from the space port didn’t help.
Jake and Steve spent much of Friday night drinking themselves to oblivion. Somehow he found his way home and presumed Steve must have also. It didn’t look as if he crashed on the floor. The evening was amusing. They both let rip and enjoyed life a little. Steve grew a little confrontational half-way through the evening, when he again accused Jake of infidelity with his ‘girlfriend’. Jake told Steve to wake up, nothing went on. Steve shacked up with Lydia last week. Steve backed off and the two of them went on to enjoy the rest of the night, drinking well into the early hours.
Jake got up and took a shower before donning his towel robe and sitting down at his workstation. He needed to finish his presentation on Quadroponics and, having showered and taken an anti-sickness tab, he felt much better and ready to start work.
Two hours later, Carla arrived and made coffee while Jake finished off his presentation notes. Satisfied he completed his task, he dressed quickly and took a seat next to Carla and proceeded to tell her what happened last night. He missed the bit about Steve and Lydia. Carla was sympathetic, but knew Jake was not that concerned.
What did concern Jake was what Carla said next.
“So we can go to Titan as two single people. That should make life interesting.”
Carla definitely came on to him again and Jake found it difficult to resist. She was an alluring woman at the best of times, but this morning she looked particularly good in her tennis whites.
“Yes, we should have an interesting time. Does your sister know we are coming?”
“Absolutely. She will be putting us up in the AUSWAS accommodation block, which is very pleasant.”
“Okay sounds good.” Jake looked to change the subject quickly. “Are you up for Tennis?”
“Yes. The question is, are you?”
“I am fine. The tab I took has cleared it all up and my head is clear.”
Maybe on the outside, he thought, but most definitely not on the inside.
The two ‘friends’ left Jake’s apartment