The Lottery: A Last Billionaire Romance by Karpov Kinrade

Author:Karpov Kinrade
Language: eng
Format: epub

18

MAREK

“I think the most important thing is to create a self-sustaining city on Mars. That’s, I think, the critical thing for maximizing the life of humanity; how long will our civilization last.”

–Elon Musk

* * *

Welcome to Mars.

We made it.

My grip on Azalea’s hand never wavered, but now that we are here, I must release her so that I can get us out of this contraption and onto solid ground.

I hold my harness down for three seconds until the lock releases, then swing down to stand on the floor—or in this case, the wall to my bathroom. I am now face-to-face with Azalea, even though her head is sideways, her hair dangling down as if frozen in a wind-blown still photo. I should release her from the harness immediately, but... I must kiss her first.

She smiles against my mouth, her breath soft on my skin as she whispers, “You did it.”

“We did it,” I say. “It took many of us. All of us, really.”

She nods, then closes her eyes. A tear leaks out, and I reach over to brush it off her cheek with my thumb, then I release her harness and pull her into my arms before lowering her feet so she can stand. “Are you injured?” I do not think this is what ails her, but her safety is my most pressing concern.

She shakes her head. “I’m fine. Just…”

Her voice tapers off and I nod in understanding. “It is a lot to absorb.”

She laughs suddenly, more tears streaming down her cheeks. “That’s the understatement of the year. So what now? We just gonna… let everyone hang around for a while?” She gestures to the harnessed seats we just climbed down from, and I chuckle at her pun.

“The longer they ‘hang around’, the more time we have together,” I say, only partially in jest.

She rolls her eyes, but her cheeks pinken and the corner of her lips curve into a brief smile.

I want to always be the one making her smile, I realize. The truth of that hits me in the chest, knocking the air out of me.

Her kindness and passion for life shines through her eyes like a lighthouse in a storm, and I want to bask in that glow forever. I have never felt at home anywhere, but with her, I realize she is my home.

Captain Millard’s voice crackles through the PA. “Everyone hold on tight for a minute, I’m going to get this thing right.”

It is not entirely clear what she means, but I immediately do as instructed and grab hold of Azalea’s harness, pulling our faces close as I secure myself.

The ship starts to tremble as the engines fire. There is nothing more than shaking for a few seconds, then the entire shuttle lurches forward before crashing back to the ground, now right-side up. The inertia pulls my feet off the ground, but I keep a firm grip on the harness with my hands, my eyes never straying from Azalea’s, until the ship settles.

“As you were,” the captain says casually.

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