The Aftermath (Book IV) [NaNoWriMo13] (On Hold)

Chapter Two - The Job

                                                                       Chapter Two

                                                                         The Job

     Riding with Jack was a peaceful experience. I missed being able to just sit next to him. We’ve been so busy lately that we seem to be passing ships in the night nowadays. I can’t even remember the last time we shared a romantic kiss. It seems like every morning or night we’re too tired for anything. So it was pleasant to just hold hands as he flew me to the house I was working on.

     “Are you still working with Liam?” he asked when we landed.

     I resisted the urge to sigh. Jack hates Liam. He thinks he’s annoying. But in reality, Jack is jealous. He does that a lot. “Yeah, I am.”

     “Tell him I said hello.” He smiled a bit too widely.

     I rolled my eyes. It’s Jack’s sneaky way of making a threat towards the guy. I unbuckled myself from the seat and carried my thermos full of piping hot coffee. “I’ll see you later.” I placed my finger under his chin and pulled his lips towards mine.

     “Maybe. We’ve rarely seen each other…” he murmured, snatching my wrist between his thumb and finger.

     “I know. It’ll start getting easier when less work needs to be done.”

     He tilted his head to the side; all signs of humor left his face. “I miss you.”

     My feet seemed to be glued in their place. I’ve missed him so much lately, even though he’s been sleeping right next to me every night. Everything that’s been going on has been preventing me from being able to spend time with family. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had a meal with my mom and Joe. We’ve all been distracted. It’s almost like I haven’t seen Jack in months. “I miss you, too.”

     His lips pulled up to the side. “Let’s ditch our jobs and spend the week in one of the houses near the forest? We can build a fire and you can give me a back massage.”

     A laugh escaped my lips. When was the last time I’ve laughed freely? “As incredible as that offer is, I think we should be responsible here…”

     He scowled. “Being responsible sucks. Let’s be wild and free.” His lip pouted out just a bit.

     “We’ll do that when things are getting better here. I’ve got to go work now.” I pulled away from him reluctantly.

     “Wait.”

     I spun around to see him holding my thick black coat. He slipped it on me and sat back down him the pilot seat. “It’s freezing outside. I’ll see you tonight when we’re both drowsily walking to bed?”

     “Definitely.”

     I hopped out of the ship and right onto the dying grass below. Lately it’s been so cold that the grass has been freezing. Renton’s weather isn’t like earths; it changes quickly, without warning even. One day it’s three-digit temperatures, the next it’ll be snowing. The past few weeks, however, it seems to have become within freezing temperatures. Personally, I hate it. I’ve always loved lying out under the sun with the heat brushing my skin. I’ve never been into winter, except for the fact that Christmas is in winter.

     “Samantha!” a voice shouted from a distance.

     I looked up to see Liam waving at me with a large grin. Liam is definitely a morning person. He was leaning against one of the trees near an older looking house, his face red from the cold air. I shuffled towards him, my hands gripping the thermos as tightly as humanly possible. The freezing air continued to bite at my legs, going right through the holes in my jeans. I’ve been desperately hoping that we’d find some jeans about my size in one of these abandoned houses. There’s a clothing shortage because there’s definitely not enough people to even make fabric. So I’ve been only using what I’ve brought with me, which was wearing down quickly due to my job of cleaning and packing up useful items. I looked like a wreck, with my long brown hair in tangles and my faded jeans stained with some coffee I spilled on them yesterday. “Hey, Liam,” I greeted when I got closer.