I stared at the ceiling, my heart thudding far too fast for sleep. My brain wouldn’t shut up, kept circling the same fucked-up loop, replaying the banter from earlier. The bet. The teasing. The way Emily’s voice had dipped when she talked about Ryan. The way Zoe looked at him like he was dessert.
And me? I was just... here. Sandwiched between two women I loved being around, who might have been joking. Or might not.
Slowly, carefully, I slid out from under Emily’s arm. She murmured something incoherent, shifted, and settled back in. Zoe didn’t move.
I padded barefoot to the kitchenette. The tiny space felt cavernous in the dark. I grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and sat on the bench, the one by the viewport. The stars were streaked in color through the atmosphere. Alpha Centauri, our new home.
New rules, right?
I took a long sip of water, then just sat there, swirling it in the cup, listening to it slosh quietly as the walls closed in.
What the hell are we even doing?
I love her. Emily. That’s not in question. Never has been. She’s everything. The way she smiles at me when no one else is looking. The way she puts her hand on my knee when I’m stressed out, like she knows when I need grounding even before I do. The waterfall... Jesus.
But the way she looked at Ryan tonight?
I’d be blind not to see it. And I’m not mad. Not really. Ryan’s my best friend. Has been since forever. If she wants him, hell, if they want each other, I get it. Of course I do. He’s smart, handsome. Charming. Has that lopsided grin that makes people melt.
But fuck, it hurts.
I took another sip, trying to cool the heat behind my eyes. This wasn’t jealousy. Not exactly. This was fear. That I’d misread everything. That maybe I wasn’t enough. That maybe all this, the affection, the comfort, the sex, was just temporary. Fun. Experimental.
She says she loves me. And I believe her. I do. But then she flirts with Zoe and Ryan and... what am I supposed to think?
And Zoe? God, Zoe was practically in my lap during the portal delve. She’s fun and wild and dangerous in a way that lights a fire in me I don’t know how to put out. But what would Emily say? Would she even care? Was that the point of the bet? Was she giving me permission?
I exhaled hard through my nose, leaning forward to press my elbows to my knees. Swirled the water again. Watched the reflections shift.
I hate this.
I hate not knowing the rules. Back on Earth, everything was clearer. You dated someone, you had boundaries. But here? Out here in the stars? There’s no roadmap. No parents. No culture. Just us. Figuring this out as we go.
It’s supposed to be fun. We’re young. We’re alive. We’re in a new fucking star system.
So why do I feel like I’m drowning?
<hr>
The Peregrine rumbled forward, its massive wheels crunching over uneven terrain, lurching slightly as it maneuvered through the dense forest. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting flickering patterns of light and shadow across the armored hull of the vehicle. Inside, the atmosphere was surprisingly lively given the hours we’d already been on the move.
I was behind the wheel, eyes focused ahead, my hands steady as I guided the vehicle over roots, rocks, and the occasional dip in the path. Beside me, Chris sat in the passenger seat, freshly recovered and enjoying the simple pleasure of being out of the healing pod and back with the crew. Great.
“Gotta say,” Chris began, flexing his fingers a bit, as if testing out his freshly healed arm. Show off. “It feels damn good to be out of that pod. I was starting to forget what real air felt like.”
I glanced over at him. Yeah, well, enjoy it while it lasts before Emily and Zoe start throwing themselves at you again. They might even take bets on it, probably. “Yeah, well, it’s good to have you back, even if it means I have to listen to your backseat driving again.”
Chris grinned, unfazed. Of course, he is. The guy''s ego is bigger than the Peregrine. “Hey, somebody’s gotta keep you sharp. Can’t let you get too comfortable, Captain.”
The thick, towering trees that had surrounded us for kilometers started to thin out, giving way to shorter, younger growth. The dense underbrush that had slowed our progress earlier was now sparse, replaced by patches of open ground and smaller, scraggly trees. The ride smoothed out, the constant bumping and jostling less severe as the terrain became more forgiving.
Chris looked out the window, scanning the landscape as we moved through the thinning forest. “You see that?” he said, pointing out the clusters of smaller trees. “Looks like this area got hit by a forest fire, maybe years ago. All this young growth... it’s like the forest is trying to come back.” Great, Captain Obvious has returned.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
I nodded, my eyes following Chris’s line of sight. “Makes sense. Explains why it’s been easier going. The old forest must’ve been wiped out, and now it’s all starting over.”
“Good for us, I guess,” Chris said, leaning back in his seat. “Means less wrestling with tree roots and boulders for you. Although...” he glanced at me, a teasing smirk on his lips, “I was just starting to enjoy the bumpy ride.”
“Keep it up, and I’ll drive us straight into a swamp.” I tried to keep my voice light, but even I could hear the hint of an edge to it. It''s not that I didn''t like Chris. He was a good guy. A great guy, even. It''s just... he was too great. Too perfect. Too much of a threat to any guy with a pulse and a pair of eyes. And with his perfect muscles and that jet black hair that always looked effortlessly cool... ugh. It was exhausting.
<hr>
The rest of the crew was scattered in the back, making the most of the journey. Emily and Zoe were seated near the back, heads close together, whispering and giggling about something that occasionally broke into soft laughter. Probably about the bet. And me. Whatever the joke was, it had Emily biting her lip to keep from bursting out, and Zoe was leaning in, her eyes sparkling with mischief, like a damn cat that got the canary.
“I swear, you two sound like you’re back in high school,” Ryan called over his shoulder, pretending to be annoyed but grinning all the same. He was trying, bless his heart. Trying to be part of whatever "it" was with Emily and Zoe. He had no idea. “What’s so funny back there?”
“Oh, nothing,” Emily said, a playful lilt in her voice. “Just girl talk. You wouldn’t get it.”
“She means you wouldn’t be able to handle it,” Zoe added, winking at Ryan, who just shook his head, a faint blush rising on his cheeks. Poor bastard. He''s like a lamb to the slaughter.
Danny, meanwhile, was stretched out on one of the benches, arms behind his head as he joined Joey and Ryan in a heated debate about movies. Probably still floating on cloud nine after finally getting it on with Zoe. “I’m telling you, they just don’t make action flicks like they used to,” Danny said, sounding exasperated. “Everything’s so... digital now. I miss practical effects.”
“Preach,” Joey said, nodding emphatically. “Give me a good old-fashioned car chase any day. None of that CGI nonsense.”
“Yeah, well, good luck watching any of that on this trip,” Ryan said, gesturing around the cabin. He was trying to steer the conversation away from whatever the girls were giggling about. Smart move. “I love the Peregrine, but man, I’d kill for a big screen right now. We need to rig something up for next time.”
“Tell me about it,” Danny said. “We get back to the Triumph, and I’m scheduling a marathon. I’m talking classics, no interruptions.”
The conversation continued, drifting from movies to old TV shows and their favorite series, filling the cabin with the easy banter that had become the crew’s trademark. The Peregrine pressed on, crossing streams and navigating the occasional obstacle, but the journey felt less like a grind and more like a road trip, each bump a reminder of the adventure we were on. And, yeah, a reminder that I was apparently the only one who knew about the ticking time bomb that was Ryan''s virginity and the bet that was riding on it.
We were making progress, but it was slow. Whoever colonized this planet, yeah... they''d need to pave the hell out of it.
<hr>
We had been traveling some days now from that fateful day at the waterfall, and it had been great. The wildlife was still low-level, so short excursions outside the camp were still feasible. Danny and Zoe had spent plenty of time ''exploring'' or ''collecting samples,'' but they didn''t fool anyone.
The fire that night crackled, sparks snapping upward, swallowed by the canopy above. The scent of charred meat lingered in the air, rich and savory, mixing with the crisp bite of pine and damp earth.
One of New Dawn’s moons hung overhead, pale silver against the darkness, its craters and ridges visible even with the naked eye. And beyond that, threading across the sky in a vast, luminous band, were the planet’s rings. They shimmered faintly, reflecting the [bonfire]''s glow, casting a ghostly light over the treetops. Not quite as bright as Earth’s moon, but eerie, beautiful.
The creature Ryan had killed, something lean and fast, all muscle and sinew, had actually tasted decent once we’d thrown it on a spit and let it roast over the open flames. Now, full and warm, we sprawled out in the fire’s glow, the tension from the day’s drive bleeding away into the night.
Emily must have noticed the way my gaze lingered because she shifted, tucking her chin against my shoulder, following my line of sight. “Still not used to it, huh?” she murmured.
I exhaled softly. “Nope.”
She was curled into my side, her head resting against my shoulder, fingers absently tracing along the seam of my bodysuit. Zoe was doing the same with Danny, but unlike Emily, who was fully committed to being cozy, Zoe was only half-present, the other half dedicated to her usual pastime: messing with Ryan.
“Wouldn’t kill you to admit that was good, would it?” Ryan was lounging across from me, leaning back on his elbows, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Zoe smirked, tilting her head back against Danny’s chest. “Oh, it was fine. A little gamey. Might’ve overcooked it.”
Ryan scoffed. “Overcooked? I nailed the sear.”
Chris chuckled, stretching out his legs toward the flames, hands laced behind his head. “She’s just getting under your skin, man.”
“Should’ve packed some actual seasonings,” Joey muttered, nudging Chris with his knee. “Not all of us are savages.”
The warmth of the fire seeped into my bones, and for a moment, I let my mind drift. Nights like this, they reminded me of home, Sandworth Falls, New Hampshire, deep in the woods, hiking with my dad, his voice guiding me through the trails. My mom, Maddie, laughing as she tried to keep up, my two younger brothers running ahead.
Before the System. Before everything changed. Hell, even back then, I’d spent just as much time hiking with Ryan and Danny, our own little world carved out in the forest, pushing deeper, seeing who could find the best spot to build a fire, who could catch the biggest fish, who could hike up the trail the fastest. Mt. Percival, Mt. Morgan, our usual trails.
Here? No names yet. No paths or stories were passed down. That would be up to the colonists. We wouldn''t be naming landmarks. We were just the first footprints in the dirt.
I sighed, shifting slightly to pull Emily closer. “Someone should have grabbed some blankets from the Triumph,” I muttered.
She hummed, nuzzling against my neck. “Mmm. You should’ve grabbed some blankets.”
I smirked. “We were in a rush.”
Zoe stretched, her voice dripping with mock concern. “Don’t tell me our fearless captain is cold?”
“Not cold,” I shot back. “Just appreciating the fact that I could be warmer.”
Danny exhaled a laugh, squeezing Zoe’s waist. “You’re always cold, though.”
Chris shifted, his eyes flicking toward the trees. “Anyone else noticing the wildlife getting louder?”