by Daya Daniels
Miranda rolled her eyes. “You and your theories, Tyler.”
“It’s true.” Tyler moved quickly to stand. “They’ve found signs of alien life in the deepest parts of the ocean. In the Mariana Trench and the Challenger Deep in Guam. That’s going to be my next research paper.”
“This was fun, guys, but I have a few assignments that I need to get to tonight,” Miranda said slinging her bag over her shoulder. She gave us a small wave as she took the stairs out of the planetarium.
“What are you thinking about, Evie?” Tyler asked as he stacked some papers on a desk.
“I don’t know, nothing.”
“Aw, come on. Give.”
I laughed at Tyler when he settled back down in the chair next to me.
“It’s good to have you with us, Evie, here. I never thought it would happen. I mean you always seemed so uninterested in school and then bang, you’re here with Miranda and me almost every day. We’ve been here for almost five years and in one year you have surpassed the two of us.
“You’re a fucking genius. Who knew! It was like you were here one day and gone the next and then when you came back you were just different,” Tyler said squinting his eyes at me.
I immediately avoided his gaze.
“You can calculate trajectories for landing on the moon in your head, Evie. Do you know how fucking amazing that is?!”
I chuckled, staring at my hands.
“I’ve always wanted to be an astrophysicist, Tyler. Now, I’m closer to that dream.
“Maybe I will work for NASA one day.” I smiled.
“Yeah,” Tyler whispered.
“You and I, we’re friends, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
He paused in thought for a moment. “If something happened to you, would you tell me then?” His brown eyes focused on mine.
“Of course.” I lied.
“Do you want to get something to eat?”
“Sure, I’m starving.”
“There’s a Burger King around the corner,” he said grabbing his bags.
Evie
I sat across from Tyler in the Burger King across the street. Cars whizzed by along the street. A black Camaro stopped at the traffic light. I felt my heart skip a beat, expecting to see Luke driving. I watched as the gun metal rims spun slowly when the car took off as soon as the light turned green.
“I was surprised you agreed to grab a bite with me,” he said getting my attention.
“Why would you say that?”
“I don’t know, you’ve just been strange lately, standoffish, especially with me.”
“Strange?” I chuckled, biting into my delicious, calorie-ridden burger.
“Yes.” He kept his eyes on me. “I just figured you were going through something.”
“I am, I guess.”
“A gift?” he asked arching an eyebrow at me, looking at the white Audi that was parked just outside the window.
“Something like that,” I mumbled.
“You must be very special to him,” he said sipping his soda through a straw, looking up at me.
“I hope so,” I whispered, not meaning to say it aloud.
He snickered. “I’m sure you are, Evie.
“If you ever have time, I mean maybe we could link up on study nights. There’s a number of things you could help me with, Evie.”
I laughed looking at him. “Seriously?”
“Yeah,” he said throwing his hands up in the air. “I’m not going to let pride stand in the way of knowledge, Evie. That’s not my style…plus, I like you, Evie. As a friend I mean. I always have.”
“Thanks.”
I was enjoying this friendly banter with Tyler. It was nice to just sit with a man and talk. We were friends. There was nothing romantic about it. We were just two people having a friendly conversation. I missed the days when my life was easy. I missed this.
“Have you ever heard of keyter?” he asked.
I froze in place, trying not to look like a stunned deer. “Um yeah, I think so.”
“It’s an ancient stone that is believed to be trillions of years old. It hasn’t been found on Earth since the early 1700s, and even then, all they found was a small spec of it. It has all kinds of uses.
“Keyter looks like diamonds but more brilliant and more flawless…like the ones in your ears.”
“What about it?” I asked, giving Tyler and unreadable expression.
“Nothing really. It’s just that the other night when we were out in the desert with astronomy club, I found traces of it. It was on someone or in something but I couldn’t tell who but the scanner I had detected that it was definitely there.”
“Oh.”
“So, I bought a metal detector. I was going to head back out to the area sometime this week to look for it. I know it won’t find the keyter but it will lead me to indicator minerals that might be nearby it give me a better chance of finding it.”
“You’re obsessed, Tyler.”
He laughed. “Yes, maybe I am.
“I have all sorts of theories.”
“Like what?” I asked shaking the leftover ice around in my paper cup.
“I believe that the government has the ability to manufacture the weather. I believe that the human race originated from aliens—we are a test species. I believe all of these sightings are aliens come back to observe planet Earth.
“I’m not sure the reason though, maybe trying to keep track of how quickly we are destroying it.” He laughed.
“Let me see what else,” he said staring up at the ceiling.
“I think anything is possible, Evie, in this strange and crazy world we live in.”
“Oh?” I asked amused.
“What else do you believe in then?”
“I think you’ve been to outer space,” he said flatly, bringing his gaze back to me.
I gave Tyler a blank look. After a few seconds, I spoke.
“You’re insane.”
He arched an eyebrow at me, awaiting my reaction and kept his gaze on me. “Everyone thinks I’m crazy, Evie, don’t worry.”
“I’m not.” I laughed. “Saying things like that could get you killed, like Miranda said,” I joked but not entirely.
He bit into his hamburger with gusto as he watched me. “I’ve always believed in the unbelievable, Evie. You can tell me anything.” He gave me a strange look.
Tyler agreed that we would meet once a week on whichever days were convenient to go over physics and chemistry assignments together. I didn’t mind.
What good was knowledge if I didn’t intend to share it?
Evie
Today was Valentine’s Day. Each time I walked by a flower shop that had roses in the windows or by a card store displaying love notes in the shapes of hearts, I became nauseous.
There were couples everywhere hugging and kissing. They were cuddled up walking the Strip cuddling and taking selfies together. Each time I saw them, I just wanted to barrel through like a massive bowling ball, ruining everything in my path. I was definitely in the land of the haters.
Lately, I was spending more and more time with Miranda and Tyler, skulking around in the desert at night, in a heavy winter jacket and beanie taking pictures and filming the sky overhead.
I was in class during most days.
Ariana and Karl were married the week before and had just moved to Arizona. It was still cool now but Ariana told me that in the summers Sedona was hotter than Nevada, which I had a hard time believing. It was strange being so far away from her but we Skyped each other nearly every day, to make up for it.
I was redecorating my apartment and furnishing it with dark colors and warmer tones to suit the brooding mood which seemed to be following me these days. I’d become great friends with my vibrator over the last few months. In fact, we were best friends.
Weekdays I spent at home studying for finals. Weekends I would sometimes venture out on the Strip to gamble a little or have a drink with Tyler and Miranda or the Russos. Often, I
would just sit alone and try and make new friends with whomever I would bump into. It was something I was never good at…making new friends, being sociable, but I was learning quickly.
Now, I sat at the busy bar of Flora, the Russos’ new restaurant. It was a Saturday before dinner time and the restaurant was empty. Flora was expected to be fully booked tonight. Dana asked me to stop in to do some taste testing for menu changes that she wanted to implement.
“I’m not sure I like these?” Dana said, scooping a shrimp with some green fennel on top of it into my mouth.
Her hair was up in an exotic twist and she wore a bleached white chef uniform.
I made a sound that told her I thought it was delicious and she sighed.
“I’m not sure, Evie. I don’t like them.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “You’re the chef, Dana. I just come here to eat.”
Dana smiled. “Here, taste this,” she said, passing me a skewer of peppers and beef, which was also mouthwatering.
“Steak?” I asked.
“Nope, bison.”
“Aah.” I bobbed my head a few times. “It’s good.”
Dana sighed, slumping into the stool next to me. “We are putting in nearly eighteen-hour days between these restaurants but we are turning record profits. It’s been unbelievable.”
“Wow.”
“I know,” she said. “But believe it or not it doesn’t feel like work, except for today. I desperately need some sleep.” She chuckled.
“Thank you, Evie, so much, for helping us with this.”
I smiled, taking a sip of the Taittinger champagne the bartender poured me.
Dana laughed again before she spoke. “When Tom and I first met you, we thought maybe you were some rich, snotty, trust fund baby.”
I smirked.
“Then when we found out that you were just a college kid that worked in a diner as a waitress only a few months before coming to Las Vegas, we knew we had to meet you, Evie.
“Tom and I didn’t come from much and we have scraped and worked hard in order to make our dreams come true, like you,” she said as a bright sparkle appeared in her grey eyes.
While I appreciated the compliment, I wasn’t exactly living my dream, but I guess to anyone looking from the outside in, it could appear that way.
“Thanks,” I said softly.
“I mean where did you get all the money from, Evie? Did you meet some rich, amazing man?” she asked prying.
“Something like that,” I muttered.
“Well, where is he?” Dana asked throwing her hands up in the air.
Your guess is as good as mine.
“We’ve just been apart,” I said simply.
“Well I hope you get him back, Evie. Tom and I would love to meet him, whoever he is.”
I took another long gulp of champagne, not wanting to think about Luke today. It always just made me feel sad. I reminded myself that I was in a great, amazing, fun place. I forgot sometimes that anything could happen here, if you wanted it to. I stood from the stool I was sitting on, realizing I was still in my workout clothes.
“What are your plans for today, Evie?” she asked.
“The spa actually and then home studying. I may slip out later and catch a movie but not sure yet,” I said giving Dana a hug before leaving.
Evie
“How are you, Evie?” Ariana asked.
“I’m okay,” I said trying to hide the sadness in my voice.
I’d driven from Las Vegas to spend a night in Rachel at my grandparents’ house. I was also meeting Tyler and Miranda in the desert.
“You look good.” Ariana’s hair was shorter but she looked pretty as ever.
“Evie,” she warned. “You’re not okay. I can hear it in your voice.”
I sat back from the screen of my laptop and took a deep breath. “I miss him but I know I can’t change anything that’s happened so I think now I am just in an acceptance phase. He’s not coming back.”
“Evie, I’m sorry.”
“I just need to start over.”
“Have you heard from Steven?”
The last text that I’d received from Steven that I didn’t reply to read “I’m sorry for everything.” Frankly, I was sorry too.
“He left a bouquet of flowers at the security desk at my apartment building but aside from that, not really.”
“How’s the restaurant business going?” Ariana asked.
“It’s going good. School is going well too.”
The Russos’ restaurants were doing well and packed to the maximum nearly every night. Flora hadn’t had a slow night yet. The money that I’d invested in the operation had nearly tripled. Everything seemed to be going well. It was only my love life that needed to be resuscitated.
“Are you socializing regularly, making new friends?” Ariana went on.
I smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine in that department, Ariana. It’s just all the rest that is so messed up.”
Ariana grabbed her phone and showed me around her and Karl’s new house. It was a spacious two-story home with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a swimming pool. Karl sat on the sofa watching baseball and threw me a wave.
“Hey, Karl. I miss you guys,” I whined.
“I miss you too, Evie.” Ariana smiled.
“Promise me you will visit next month,” she said.
“I will.”
“I love you, Evie.”
“I love you both,” I said before ending the Skype call.
Luke
The temperature had definitely dropped. The dry desolate landscape was pitch black for miles. I reminded myself of what was beyond it...what I was here for.
I dusted my suit off with a handkerchief I pulled from my pocket and used it to clean off my shoes in the process. I straightened my jacket and stood tall. Pulling a new handkerchief out, I tucked it into my breast pocket.
Running my hands through my hair, I craned my neck to look up at the night sky, admiring the beauty of the distant stars and galaxies. I could name each and every one of them and map them with my eyes closed.
The lights in the distance served as a beacon for where I needed to be. I took a deep breath. This would be my last mission for a while, the most important one.
I set off walking, feeling the crunch of sand and gravel beneath my black pair of custom Testoni Norvegeses.
I needed to find some tulips.
Evie
I was lonely, going through the motions of my life on autopilot. I missed Luke terribly. It had been almost six months since I’d seen him and nearing the end of March. The weather during the day was warming up but at night it was still cool.
I spotted Steven earlier in the week, having dinner with his boss and a few people in Todd English’s Olives restaurant in the Bellagio. A beautiful dark-haired woman with blue eyes sat next to him. I watched them through the glass of the restaurant window, while he held her hand under the dinner table…the way he used to hold mine, brushing his thumb over the back of her hand. I felt my chest constrict when I took in the affectionate gesture that I thought was only reserved for me. Silly me.
Saying hello was completely out of the question, so I quickly rushed off before
being spotted. Steven always bounced back quickly. It was something I was never good at, wishing desperately sometimes that I were.
Taking a sip of the decaf cappuccino I had in my hands, I stared at my reflection in the glass in front of me. I’d stopped at the local Starbuckss this evening after leaving the valet desk in the building and heading through the expansive lobby. Quickly, I wiped my tears away, trying to escape my own thoughts. I replaced the cap on the paper cup, giving my typical wave to the security guard. I headed into the elevator, taking a deep breath, unable to stop my eyes from watering over. When the bell dinged I rushed inside, looking for Kitten who was nowhere to be found.
The place was quiet like it always was, filled only with me and my hopelessness. Rummaging around the kitchen, I decided to
make an Eggo for dinner, ex the maple syrup. I stared at the yellow box for a long moment, while it toasted, unable to contain how dejected I felt. I began to sob, taking frantic breaths as I did. What was happening with my life? I ate the Eggo slowly between my tears.
The depth of grief I felt was almost physical. It felt like my heart had been ripped out in more ways than one. I’d lost Luke. I’d lost Steven twice. I had no clue which way I was going. I’d been abandoned. I was in the exact place I was in a year ago...alone.
Bawling into my hands, I slumped over the center island in the kitchen, suddenly noticing the vase in the center of it that held white tulips. I took a deep breath, scrutinizing it for a moment.
“Please don’t cry, Evie,” the deep voice said.
I jumped, moving away from the counter startled, looking around into the darkness a few feet ahead of me. A large shadow loomed in the doorway and held Kitten in his arms. He gently ran his hand over her fur, before setting her down on the tile floor, before she scurried off.
“Luke?” I croaked out.
“Please don’t cry,” Luke repeated walking towards me.
I sobbed more, wondering if I was dreaming.
“Luke,” I said again, between a smile and another sob.
“Yes.” He skimmed a finger over my cheek. “How are you, Evie?”
This was one of those strange moments when almost every feeling you’ve ever felt, sadness, happiness, anger, irritation and empathy are all rolled into one. I didn’t know what I felt or if I could even put how I was feeling into words, so...I slapped him.
I dropped my burning hand quickly, while Luke casually recovered as if it were nothing. He ran a hand over his jaw and took a deep breath, looking down at me.
“Why didn’t you contact me, Luke? You could have done something,” I cried.
“I did once, Evie,” he explained with a long sigh. “You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand, Luke?”
“I didn’t want to hold you back. I thought about it many times, believe me. There were things I just couldn’t promise you,” he said softly. “I’ve missed you. How are you, Evie?” he repeated his original question.