Why are you here?

One Last Time

"Warp coin test number thirty-two."

The warp coin sprang to life, casting a blue glow over the laboratory.

"Portal holds steady." Radley watched the vision of the brick wall alleyway in front of him. Slowly, he stepped towards it. Pulling a screw from his pocket, he tossed it through the portal. It fell to the ground on the other side with a tinking noise. "Artificial matter transports normally." He said, surprised.

He glanced over at Radlynn, who'd climbed off the table she sat on to move slightly closer. Radley stepped towards the portal. He hesitated, then grabbed the stem of one of his leaves from behind his head and poked the portal with it. It didn't sizzle into nothing like he expected. Radley stuck his hand through the portal, then stepped through it altogether. He knelt down and grabbed the screw he'd tossed, then stepped back into his own dimension.

Radlynn stared in shock. "Did it-" she looked from him to the portal. "Does it work?"

Radley nodded. "Yes," he looked over at the warp coin, then walked over and turned it off. "Yes it does."

"So I-"

"You can go home." He finished for her with a nod. He smiled earnestly.

"I-" Radlynn was silent for a few moments, processing it all. "I don't wanna go yet." Radley looked at her surprised. "I-I wanna have dinner with you one last time." She said.

"...oh," Radley smiled a little bit. "That sounds nice."

Radlynn relaxed a bit, smiling. She walked over to Radley and took his hand. "I'm cooking." She said. "Since you...won't get to eat my food for another while." She added. Radley's fingers intertwined with Radlynn's as they walked out of the lab.

Radley sat at the dining table, watching Radlynn cook. She'd improved so much in her time with him. He was...proud, in a way. Not just of her cooking but of her. "...Radlynn?" She looked at him. "Having you here has been great."

Radlynn swallowed and smiled. "And I liked being here." She murmured. "And...meeting you, of course."

They ate dinner, sitting side by side at the table. Radlynn scooted her chair closer to him and rested her head against his arm. They didn't speak much, there wasn't much to say. There was unspoken affection between them as they sat there eating.

"That was wonderful," Radley finally said as he set down his fork. He looked down at Radlynn and smiled shyly. "Thank you."

Radlynn smiled widely, and stood up. She grabbed their plates and hesitated, then suddenly kissed the top of his head. Radley tensed, his face turning bright red. He stared at her.

Radlynn placed their dishes in the sink, then walked past the kitchen to the living room. Radley looked over at her curiously. He watched her rummage around on one of the shelves until she found a dusty CD player. She picked out the CD she wanted, then turned towards Radley.

"I noticed you had this," she stepped towards the coffee table and set it down. "And I- wanted to dance with you."

Radley snapped out of his daze. "Dance with me...?" He asked. "I uh- I don't really...know how..." He looked away from her timidly.

"I don't either." Radlynn laughed nervously. Her cheeks flushed, making Radley stare. "But I don't think you really need to, you just...do what feels natural."

"I don't think I've felt natural once in my life." Radley replied with a smile. Radlynn laughed and walked over to him. She grabbed his hands and tugged him up.

"C'mon, you creep." She said with a grin. She pulled him over to the living room and hit play on the CD player. The song began with a soft, melancholic piano. "Just follow my lead, okay?"

"Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry,"

Radlynn stepper back and tugged Radley. He stepped forward.

"You don't know how lovely you are..."

She smiled up at him and stepped to the side. Radley mimicked her. The two of them turned in a circle.

"I had to find you, tell you I need you,"

"Just like that." Radlynn murmured softly.

"Tell you I set you apart...tell me your secrets and ask me your questions, oh let's go back to the start."

As they continued to dance Radley relaxed. He looked down at Radlynn, his cheeks blushing softly.

"Running in circles, coming up tails, heads on a science apart..."

His grip on her tightened just a little.

"Nobody said it was easy..."

Radley rested her head against him and they turned another circle.

"It's such a shame for us to part."