Beyond the Stars (4 page)

ETs, or hollow external fuel tanks, were used as building blocks for the Space station. Normally, the Space shuttle is lifted off the ground by two rocket boosters that drop off and parachute into the sea after two minutes. The fuel needed for the next six and one-half minutes in order to reach orbit is provided by the ETs. Once exhausted of fuel, these large, empty tanks will become the modules that are outfitted by our construction crew once in orbit. They could be turned into living quarters or research labs, depending on the need. All the preliminary electrical wiring would be prefabricated in the walls of the tanks prior to launching to help facilitate the construction process.

“Why? Will you
miss
him?” said Tess, probably insinuating that there might be something going on between Noah and me.

“
Oh
, no, I’m just used to seeing him every day. That’s all,”

I said flatly, as if I wasn’t interested. Even though our relationship was disappointingly platonic, I liked spending time with him. I thought Noah was very good-looking, but he was just a friend. Besides, he treated me like I was one of the guys. He frequently told me about girls he had dated with little censorship. I could never tell if he was trying to get my opinion or if he was only bragging about his active social life.

“Do you have a boyfriend, Sami?” she asked softly.

“Currently, no … not right now. I don’t have time for that,” I said defensively.

“Well, I enjoy being single, too,” she quickly replied, sounding like she was sorry she had asked. “But, you do make time for fun, right? All work and no play isn’t good for anybody.”

“Sure, I love to read and knit, and I run almost every day,” I said proudly, cutting her off. This was a touchy subject for me. I felt comfortable in my own little group of friends but never was much of a social butterfly.

“
Oh
,
good,
” she stated sarcastically. “I was afraid you might just go home every day and be a hermit,” she surmised, as if she could read my mind. “You know—a night out on the town might be fun once and a while. I’ll have to take you out with me sometime.”

“Sure, sounds great,” I answered without thinking.

What was it with people always trying to make me do something? I was happy living my life just the way it was. My parents had always made me try everything as a child in hopes it would make me a well-rounded person. They liked to take me horseback riding and taught me how to snow ski and water ski. Sometimes I think it was just to appease their personal sense of parental accomplishment. But I always agreed to oblige them in whatever they wanted me to do. I found it very hard to disappoint my parents. They had given me everything and more. I chalked it up as a drawback to being an only child. They both seemed to have an endless supply of energy and money when it came to me. Man—I’m glad I moved out.

CHAPTER 3

FRIDAY

Tess and I worked on many different projects at a time. It helped to keep our minds fresh and made the job exciting. Today, Tess and I worked on trying to design functional and practical living quarters for the Space station and resort with all the comforts of home, while utilizing the least amount of square footage as possible. We studied cruise ship schematics as well as hotel layouts. The development of an Outer Space paradise that mirrored a five-star hotel was not a new idea. It just wasn’t feasible in the past. Previous Space companies failed to get the project off the ground due to the lack of funds and available resources required to support such an endeavor. The Space Island Group brought the idea to life by opening channels to private investors and utilizing existing technology. Physicists, engineers, and designers around the globe eagerly signed on to help make our quest a reality. Money was no longer an issue as public interest grew, and the budget became practically limitless due to all the investors. Problems were being resolved at incredible rates due to the sharing of information and the conglomerate of great minds. This was truly an exciting time to be privy to all the technological advancements taking place.

Friday came, and Tess seemed to remember our conversation from a few weeks earlier regarding my social life. “Sami, we’re all planning on going to happy hour at the Honi Bar after work today.
You
must join us,” she stated, as if it was an order.

“Really? Who all is going?” I asked curiously.

“Everyone. Josh, of course, and Michael will come for a little bit, but he always likes to get home before his son goes to bed. Noah and some of the guys from engineering are going to be there, too. Oh, it will be
so
much fun. My favorite band is even playing there tonight,” she said with excitement, determined to make me say yes.

“Sounds great. I would love to see how Noah is doing.”
I really could use a night out.
I hadn’t spent anytime seeing the city. Plus, I’d be with the only people I knew in town. One of my greatest weaknesses was getting too wrapped up in work. I always found it hard to stop thinking about a project once I started something. I think my obsessive-compulsive traits tended to be overpowering at times. I could work for hours and hours without ever taking a break. I struggled with being a perfectionist. I tended to beat myself up until I got whatever I was working on right. Tess was right on target. I needed more balance in my life.

The day flew by quickly. Tess walked into my office to remind me it was almost time to go. I was busying leaning over my cluttered desk. I liked to spread out my projects for the day. I had been glued to my chair for the last four hours and didn’t even realize that it was five minutes till five.

“Samantha, it’s time to quit. Let’s go. I’ll walk out with you. Say, do you want to ride with me tonight?” Tess offered.

“That would be great. I have no idea where that place is, anyway,” I said while I continued to clear my desk.

“Well, I’ve got to go home and get ready, but I can be at your place by six.”

“Oh, I’m ready now,” I replied. Just then, I heard Tess sigh in frustration when I looked over at her, only to meet her disapproving look.

“Sami, you really should turn it up a notch. I mean, those clothes are fine for work, but they aren’t doing you any justice,” she said bluntly.

“Fine, I’ll change into my bar clothes,” I replied, taking offense, although I knew that would please her. I could only plead guilty when it came to ignoring my wardrobe. I liked dressing simply. Wearing a polo shirt and semi-casual pants was a standard. It was easy to throw them on and took little effort on my part. I wished I could be as polished as Tess, but frankly, I really didn’t care that much about how I dressed. Tess, on the other hand, took fashion seriously. She appeared to have a very expensive lifestyle and enjoyed taking care of herself. She was single but always had dates. She made it clear that she would never date anyone she worked with, even though the guys would be lining up and taking numbers. I’m not sure if she realized the way people looked at her. I needed to do my best to make her proud.

I rushed home to my apartment and hastily whipped open my closet door after stripping off my
boring
clothes. Argh! I had nothing to wear. Oh come on, I had to have something remotely sexy. I searched through the hanging garments and replayed Tess’s words in my head. “Tell me you’re not wearing that!” I pictured her saying as I flipped each hanger. Finally, my hand stopped upon a black tank that I usually wore under a blouse that was too sheer. Quickly, I pulled the hairclip, releasing my long hair, and let it fall loose before I pulled the low-cut, form-fitting tank over my head. I then slipped on a skin-tight pair of jeans, my black strappy heels, and a pair of dangly earrings. I touched up my makeup and gazed at myself in the mirror, feeling confident in my slutty ensemble. Tess would be pleased.

Tess arrived outside of my apartment exactly at six. I had never met a group of people who were so precise about time than the ones at SIG. “Hey, Sami, you look great,” Tess cheered when I entered the passenger side of her bright red Porsche.

“Thanks, Tess. Nice car,” I said. Of course, it would figure that Tess drove a car as impressive as she was. Without delay, she accelerated the vehicle with break-neck speed. I held on and had to brace myself when she stopped too suddenly at each red light leaving my apartment. I couldn’t help slamming my foot down on the imaginary brake on the passenger’s side floor. My attitude began to change after we attracted the attention of many onlookers. Riding in the car was exhilarating. Unlike other cars, you could actually
feel
the power of the motor. Now, I didn’t even need to go to the bar. It was exciting enough just driving around town with Tess in her sports car.

We arrived at the bar in less than thirty minutes, partly due to Tess’s driving. I had only looked down at the speedometer once to discover we were going eighty-seven miles per hour while on the highway. I thought it was better if I didn’t complain about the speed … after all, it was her license. Instead, I talked about last night’s show on the Discovery Channel. It was Shark Week, after all. We walked into the loud bar looking for our friends. The place was busy, and the music was blaring. There were people lined up at the bar waiting for drinks, and every table was filled.

“Hey, you finally made it,” said Josh, coming up beside us. He was wearing what he had worked in all day. Maybe I should have been born a man. “We landed the best tables in the house,” he stated proudly. He pointed to a group of high tables literally five feet away from the bar that were positioned directly in front of the hallway with the restroom sign. “You see, Sami, as the night goes on, none of us like to walk too far to get to the bar or the restroom,” he boasted.

“Great! You thought of everything. Do I know who to hang out with or what?” I acted impressed about their strategic location. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time this group had gotten together for happy hour.

We walked over to the tables, where I saw Michael and Noah sitting with three other men I had never met. Noah quickly rose to greet me and gave me a friendly hug. “Sami, what have you been up to? I
never
get to see you anymore. Are they working you too hard in the physics department?” he said, sounding overprotective and sort of hurt. I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt for ignoring him.

“No, I’m good. Things are going great. I’ve just been really busy, that’s all,” I assured him.

Tess looked at the group of men at the table. “Let me introduce the rest of you. This is my friend, Sami. She’s in need of some fun tonight. We need to show her how to leave her mind at the office,” she said with an ornery grin, revealing her true motive.

Noah quickly introduced the others. “Sami, this is Brian, Roland, and Jack. I’ve been working with them in engineering.”

They all said a quick hello, except for Jack. He stood up from his chair to shake my hand and smiled a crooked smile that made my heart jump. His welcoming gesture lassoed me right in. It also didn’t hurt that Jack was ruggedly handsome with sandy blonde hair and a five o’clock shadow that he probably developed by noon. He was attractive in every way. I shook his large hand and glanced at his firm, muscular body, taking it all in. I caught myself staring and quickly raised my eyes to look him in the face. It was a mistake. His blue, smoldering eyes peered through me like I was the only person in the room. I dropped his hand and sat down awkwardly to hide my sudden mysterious onset of dizziness. I purposely looked away, trying to ignore my clumsiness.

“Sami, we should get together sometime. Hey, we are all going white water rafting next weekend if you want to come along,” Noah offered enthusiastically.

“White water rafting, are you serious? You could drown or hit your head on a rock or something. Um …I think I’ll pass.” My widened eyes clearly displayed a look of disbelief that he would find that fun.

“Okay, it’s not for everyone. Maybe we could do something else,” he said with a disappointed frown.

“Here we go,” said Josh, coming up behind me with a handful of drinks. “Ladies, I took the liberty and got you the happy hour special, the house cosmopolitan.”

“Thank you, Josh. You’re the best,” said Tess.

“Thanks, Josh. What’s in it?” I asked.

“Hell if I know. It’s a chick drink. I’m sure you’ll like it.” He smirked as the others laughed.

“
Hey
.” Tess nudged his shoulder for making such a sexist comment while giving him a stern look to control himself. Everyone quickly quieted down, trying not to offend her. I could tell that the guys were just happy that she graced their presence for the evening.