One Giant Leap by Kay Simone

Author:Kay Simone [Simone, Kay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-06-22T18:30:00+00:00

“You OK, Curt?” Carmen asks. Her face is the perfect picture of concern.

“No, I’m not OK. I’m fucking worlds away from OK.”

“What’s up? I’m here to help.”

Best to just get the truth out there. This is driving him absolutely fucking mad — every time he thinks he can just stay on task and be patient, there Patrick is: being perfectly charming, perfectly distracting.

Carmen had said he should talk to someone. So goddamn be it.

He throws a glance over his shoulder to make sure the comms system is shut down. Everything looks like it’s off.

“I’m in love with the CAPCOM,” he blurts.

Carmen barks a laugh — high and clear — and it changes and crescendos as the physician shakes her head.

“Oh my God,” she says between gulps of air. “Oh my God, Curt.”

“I know. I’m fucked. I’m completely fucked. I don’t even know what he looks like.”

“Oh Curt you sweet, terrible man.”

“I’m in such shit. I know. I’ve completely fucked myself.”

“You know that he’s --”

Carmen interrupts herself abruptly, pressing her lips into a thin line.

“What?” he presses. “What were you going to say?”

“I can’t,” she says. “I’m not supposed to talk about this.”

“To talk about Patrick? Did he say something to you?”

She frowns.

She knows something, he thinks.

“Oh come on,” Curt says, desperate. “Is this some doctor/patient confidentiality thing?”

“No, Patrick isn’t my patient. It’s a not-betraying-your-friend’s-trust thing.”

“It is Patrick then. Fuck.”

“He told me something about someone on the mission. And I’m assuming it’s someone still on the shuttle with us. And I’m guessing it’s probably not K.C.”

“You have to tell me,” Curt says. “I’m commanding you.”

“It doesn’t work that way, commander,” she says, grinning. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t think you’re completely fucked, though.”

“You don’t think I’m, y’know, mentally ill?”

“Of course not. Why do you say that?”

“Because I haven’t met him,” Curt says. “Because I have no idea what he looks like.”

“But you know how he thinks and you know what he cares about,” she counters.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve been talking to him too, Curt. And I can’t recall a time in my life before now when I’ve known someone for such a short duration of time and felt like I know them as well as I know Patrick.”

“God. God. You don’t know how relieved I am to hear you say that.”

“It’s not just you,” she says. “It’s like he doesn’t have a filter. It’s very refreshing, actually, to talk to someone that unguarded.”

“Refreshing isn’t the word for it,” Curt says. “It’s wonderful. It’s perfect. It’s goddamn intoxicating.”

Carmen snorts.

“What?” he asks.

“I take it back. You’re so fucked. Just listen to you.”

“I know,” Curt says seriously.

“Well, I’m not here to play orbital matchmaker,” she says. “You should probably cut out the middle man and tell him how you feel.”

“Now? We’re in the middle of a goddamn mission.”

Carmen shrugs.

“No time like the present,” she says. “Maybe it’ll bring you both some relief.”

“I hate it when you know something I don’t,” Curt says.

“I always know things you don’t, commander.”

“Fair enough. I hate it when you know things about me, though.

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