Acquired Tastes

Preface

2077 a.d.

Lucy, the fourth oldest of his nine siblings, dropped him off at the airport. They barely spoke on the four-hour drive, but the words they did say probably outnumbered those of the past four years. Instead, she spent most of her driving time blowing smoke out the window and fidgeting with her most recent engagement ring. Whenever Neil took a turn driving, she distracted herself with her phone.

Even after the mostly silent trip, neither of them moved when she pulled up to the curb outside the terminal. For a long time, she just stared straight ahead, biting skin off her lip. When Neil finally undid his seatbelt, she looked over at him, her eyes desperate. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Neil said softly, though he'd never felt less sure. "Are you?"

She gave him her best attempt at a smile and nodded slightly, eyes red. For several long moments, they just looked at each other, that strange awareness eating at Neil's stomach, reminding them that they were somewhat strangers despite everything they knew about each other, every experience the two of them shared that no one else did. Lucy swallowed hard, studying his eyes. "I always knew you would be the one to make it out."

Neil's throat tightened. He tried to speak, but found he had no voice. Lucy noticed this and gave him a little smile, then turned and opened her door, popping the truck to get his bag. Neil got out, too, and swung his backpack onto his back. For several seconds, the only sounds were the cars pulling up and leaving around them. Finally, Lucy opened her arms, wrapping them around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. It felt strange; Neil hadn't hugged her since he'd been taller than her, which had been at least the past four or five years. He hugged her back, suddenly afraid to let go, and waited to let her do it first.