Chapter 5: Late Caller

“You sure you don’t want to stick around a little longer?” Jamie’s coworker asked, gesturing to the break room at the back of the store. He was still wearing an apron emblazoned with the supermarket logo, while Jamie had just finished changing out of his uniform. “We sent Mike out to get some pizza, figured we’d play some poker before we close up. Pitch in for a slice?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Jamie replied. “Besides, Mike still owes me creds from last Friday, I don’t think he can afford to play me again.”

“Alright,” his friend chuckled. “See you on Monday, then.”

“See you,” Jamie replied, waving goodbye as he stepped out of the store. He took an elevator down to the street, then set off in the direction of his residential building at a jog, his own labored breathing rising above the sound of the music from his earbuds. Exercise still brought him catharsis, he would jog for miles after work, running until he couldn’t go on. It was autumn again, and the trees were starting to shed their leaves, creating piles of red and gold on the sidewalk. As beautiful as it was, it brought back painful memories that he preferred stayed buried.

He soon arrived at the lobby, riding an elevator up to his floor. He stepped inside his apartment, his mesh shirt and running shorts soaked in sweat despite the cool weather. His apartment was modestly furnished, he hadn’t really made any serious attempts to decorate it or unpack much of his old belongings since he had moved in. It had all the amenities that he needed, and any free time was usually spent outside. The rent was affordable, at least by city standards, and he didn’t have much in the way of disposable income at the end of the month. The layout was almost identical to the one that he had lived in with his parents, an open-plan living room and kitchen, this time with a single bedroom.

Before taking a much-needed shower, he headed to the microwave on his kitchen counter, starting to warm up a snack. The sound of rain pattering against the wall-length window soon joined the drone of the microwave, Jamie looking out at the stormy sky as he waited by the counter. It looked like he had just missed the downpour. He had noticed the overcast sky on his after-work jog and had decided to take a shortcut instead of following his usual route in order to beat the storm.

There was a loud ping, and he opened the door to his microwave, juggling the steaming packet of noodles in his hands as he brought it over to the kitchen table. He set it down, starting to dig in, turning on the monitor that was mounted on the living room wall with a voice command.

Just as he was finishing up his meal, he heard the buzz of his doorbell. He shut off the newscast that was playing, rising from his chair. Curious, he hadn’t been expecting any company today. His parents usually called ahead before they visited, as did his coworkers, as he was often out. It was late in the evening, too, a very irregular time for people to drop in unannounced.

He walked over to the door and hit the control panel in the frame, a view from the exterior camera appearing on it. There was a figure standing in the shadowy hallway, so tall that their face was above the frame.

“Who is it?” he asked over the intercom.

“I’m looking for Jamie,” the person replied, their gruff voice crackling through the speaker. “Does he still live here?”

“Yeah, you’re speaking to him.”

“May I come in?”

He didn’t see why not, keying in the door code. The dark silhouette placed a huge hand on the door and pushed it open, forcing him to take a few steps back. Their shoulders were broad enough that they had to turn sideways, ducking through the entrance, their head brushing the ceiling as they rose to their full height.

As the lights in his apartment illuminated the visitor, he realized that it was a Borealan, the ears and tail unmistakable. Her figure was that of a female, her fur still damp from the storm. The stranger was wearing clothes of human design, but their dimensions were almost comically exaggerated to fit her massive frame. She sported a brown leather bomber jacket with a furry collar and cuffs, and a massive pair of cut-off jean shorts that ended at the knee. No shoes, just a pair of large, paw-like feet tipped with black claws. Jamie craned his neck to look at her face, the coloration immediately familiar to him. She had the same blonde hair as Liz and her father, cropped fairly short, and the same caramel skin tone. Was this some relative or family member? One of her sisters, maybe?

“C-can I help you?” Jamie stammered, somewhat overwhelmed by the presence of the creature in his small apartment. Her long, fluffy tail threatened to knock his coat rack over as it swayed back and forth.

“Have I really changed that much, Jamie?”

His heart froze, and he looked the Borealan in the eye. There was something familiar about her facial features, those emerald-green irises sparking recognition as they peered back at him.

“Liz? Is that you?”

“So you didn’t forget about me after all,” she chuckled, reaching down to ruffle his unkempt hair. Her hand was the size of a damned dinner plate, she could probably have enclosed his entire head in her fist if she had been so inclined. Her voice was deeper and coarser now, but unmistakably her own, the inflections dredging up old memories. “You grew your hair out,” she added with a smile. “I always liked it long.”

“You’ve ... grown,” Jamie replied. He did his best to sound positive, but this was a shock to him. Three years with no contact, and then she shows up at his door out of the blue, greeting him like they had only been apart for a few days? It didn’t make sense.

Liz’s smile faltered a little, and she looked around the apartment, taking it all in.

“Hey,” she continued, seeming less sure of herself now. “I realize this might be a little ... weird. Sorry to drop in on you like this. I couldn’t get through to your old number, so I went to your folks’ place to look for you. They gave me your new address, and ... well, here I am. You mind if I sit down? I’m still getting used to Earth gravity again, it’s a little strange.”

“Oh, of course,” Jamie replied. He turned, scanning the room for a chair that might be able to support her massive frame. As well as being tall, she was built like a truck. She looked like she must weigh at least five hundred pounds, and most of it was muscle.

He gestured to his couch, and she made her way over to it, striding on legs so long that her hips were at chest-level to him. She lowered herself down onto the cushions, the frame creaking worryingly beneath her weight. She had to extend her legs out in front of her, as the couch wasn’t much higher off the ground than a footstool would have been for someone of human proportions.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Jamie asked, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. “Do you still like beef-flavored bouillon cubes?”

“You remembered,” she chuckled. “Yeah, that would be nice. I haven’t had that for a long time.”

He walked over to the kitchen counter, putting his back to her as he filled a kettle with water and set it to boil. He watched it intently, not wanting to look at her, pretending that it needed his undivided attention. He had always fantasized about her appearing one day out of the blue, declaring her love for him, and throwing herself into his arms. Now that his fantasy was a reality, he just felt cold, sick. Why had she come back now? Why had she never contacted him?

Liz seemed to sense that he was distant, and he heard the couch creak as she shifted her weight uncomfortably.

“I realize it’s been a while,” she said in that oddly recognizable, yet unfamiliar voice.

“Three years,” Jamie replied, watching as steam begin to rise from the kettle.

“I kind of imagined this going differently,” she chuckled, trying to mask her discomfort. “I thought you might be glad to see me, but I guess ... things have changed more than I anticipated.”

“What are you doing here?” Jamie asked, his tone a little harsher than he had intended it to sound. She hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

“I ... just wanted to see you again,” she explained. “I had a hell of a time on Borealis, and getting off-planet is a lot harder than just booking a flight. There are no spaceports, no tethers, not much civilian traffic going out. My only option was hitching a ride on a UNN jump freighter on its way to a deep-space outpost, and from there, I caught a ship to Sol system.” She laughed again, more disbelief than humor this time. “Damn, Jamie. I came seventy-five light-years, cooped up in cabins barely large enough for humans, and you’re not happy to see me? Did I make a mistake in coming back here?”

“I ... I’m sorry, Liz,” Jamie sighed, regretting his outburst. “It’s just a shock seeing you again after all this time. I thought you were long gone, I never expected to hear from you again. I assumed you’d moved on.” And I was finally starting to deal with it, he neglected to add.

He poured the hot water into two mugs, adding a teabag for himself, and dropping a bouillon cube into Liz’s drink. He stirred it with a spoon until it formed a beef-flavored broth, taking deep breaths, trying to compose himself. After feeling alright for so long, all of the emotions that he had buried were rising to the surface again, threatening to overwhelm him. Liz watched in silence as he brought her drink over, handing it to her. After hesitating for a moment, he sat down beside her, trying to stay on his own side of the couch as the slant of the cushions drew him towards her.