The Law of Attraction [Chris Beck]

Chapter 2

One Year Later

         It was less than forty-eight hours before the Ares 3 mission was to begin; technically it started a long time ago when they selected the crew and began dumping supplies on Mars. But the crew would be heading into space in less than forty-eight hours and that was what Alice considered the start. It was a start for her, something so fresh and new, something she'd never even considered before Mitch Henderson suggested it to her. She hadn't slept well in days, unable to contain her excitement, but it was that excitement that stirred up problems at home.

       "We should talk about this," Patrick, Alice's boyfriend of five years, brought up as they ate dinner. Music was playing softly in the background.

         "About what?" Alice looked up. She truly wasn't sure what he was talking about.

          He scrunched his pale eyebrows. "I know we all have history, but it isn't supposed to ever come back to the present."

          "Oh." Alice put her fork down and grabbed the remote, turning the music off so that they were in utter silence. She was not the type to let something like this slide, or to beat around the bush. Her relationship meant a lot to her and so did this mission. There was no way she was backing out now and so she had to ensure that Patrick understood that their relationship was just as important to her. "What do you need to know? Ask any questions."

         "Don't go all analytical on this, please," he said. One of Alice's habits was that she brought her work mentality into the relationship.

        "Okay," she agreed, although it was easier said than done. "Your biggest concern is what?"

          He made a face; the way she spoke suggested she was still working, but he ignored it for now. "This guy, Buck... Beck?"

          "Beck," she confirmed. Before he could go on, she explained it for the hundredth time, "It was nine years ago, I was transferring from my old Canadian school to an American one, and we had a class together. Pub night rolled around near the end of the semester; I didn't even know his name until that night- we went back to his dorm-"

          "Alright." He raised a hand. "I don't need to know the details."

           Alice realized she had gotten swept up in the memory and cleared her throat. She hoped that Patrick didn't read into that, and suspected that he wouldn't until she was gone, unable to contact her frequently. His mind would begin to run, he would be able to have infrequent video chats with her and see Chris in the background, and his mind would make conclusions. She had to stop that now, to make sure that there was no doubt in his mind before she left. She just wished he hadn't waited until two days before she left. 

        "Pat, nothing is going to happen. I'm going to be gone for a long time, but I'm going to come back home. I'm still going to love you, and only you. I need you to trust that I know our relationship is strong enough to get through this next year. You trust me, right?"