Recap: I’m Kate, Sam’s best friend, and housemate with her and Tom, her boyfriend.

We had been living at Tom’s for nearly a year now, me in the Annexe when I wasn’t away with work which had got busier as we kept soaring our birds into the near heavens and sometimes further.

Tonight, I was at the Business Network function at a nearby local yacht club and presented on the topic Small is Beautiful: To The Moon about RocketFactory’s achievements.

After the presentation, I mingled for a while, and then from behind, I heard Rockeeet Giirlll. I knew that it could only be Sam’s ex James, as that was his nickname for me. I liked him when he was Sam’s BF, but my guard was up to respect Sam. I turned around and said, “Hi.” We chatted politely for a bit and then he said, “Guess who I saw just now?” 

I looked at him quizzically no idea. He continued, “Kelly” [Tom’s miserable ex]. I shot him an evil glance as, for Sam and me, she was simply a bitter, failed thief (of Tom’s memory for Jo and thus unworthy of any of emotions), which he smiled at and continued, “I heard her bitching to some people that her ex had hooked up with a busty tart and she hoped the tart could cope with his feelings towards his ex’. I decided to have some fun, so I walked over to her and with a smile said ‘Hi sexy, remember me?’ They all looked at me wondering who I was, and Misery said ‘No idea.'”

I was thinking, James is hot but even clothed, Tom is hotter, and inside me, Tom is pussy-melting hot.

He continued,” ‘Thought so. I’m the ‘Busty Chemical Engineer’ [emphasis] Tart’s’ [sneer] ex. They are happy together and I’m happy for them.’ Her face dropped like a brick at that”, he shrugged, “and I said ‘You’re very pretty, ‘“ pausing to let the compliment sink in, “‘but you’ve always been miserable. Now you’re pretty, miserable, bitter, and very jealous,‘  and I walked off.”

I smiled at James and said sadly and very quietly, “Not ex, late. We miss her too.”

He looked puzzled at my comment and then he got the meaning: she was Tom’s late fiancé, and we had known her when she was our classmate. As then the ball dropped, he smiled sadly at what Kelly’s jealousy had put Tom through and replied quietly. “Tom’s a great guy, are they happy?”

Despite the throng, I felt the room go dark and quiet as he experienced Tom’s Dark.

I said, “Very. We moved in with him. Me in the annexe.”

Just then, his girlfriend appeared, Jenna, smiling and happy. Her smile died as she saw our mood. She friendly-hugged me as she knew me from when she piloted the S-92 that I was on for unsuccessful rocket catch, but felt my limp feeling, then hugged her man and felt his sorrow too. “What’s up?” she asked.

He hesitated and I said acidly, “You see that group over there,” pointing at where Kelly was, “We know that jealous bitch very well. She is Tom’s ex. Your boy’s just sunk her,” and pursed my lips, glaring.

Jenna was shocked at my response as she’d never seen me nasty.

He turned to Jenna and said, “When you met Sam at The Dog, what was your first impression?”

She hesitated and said, “You’re both pretty, both taller than me. Sam’s slightly taller than you.”

James said, “And…”

She moved over and whispered in my ear, “You looked like you’d just been fucked, maybe by the same guy.”

I ran two fingers briefly on her side. Then she released me and said to James, “Relaxed.”

I could see James was hesitating, so I said in my Mission Control Voice, “Like my babies [boosters], straight up boy.” 

Jenna gently smiled at the comment, except when we’d worked together, my baby was falling, and she was up front trying to catch it and return it home for reuse. We had scored 50% on that.

He said sorrowfully, “Tart?”.

She replied in her pilot voice, “Fuck no. That bitch said that about her?”

He leaned over and gave her a peck, “I heard her say that about Sam, so I went over and sunk her,” as a deep sadness appeared on his face and conveyed by his voice, from what I’d just told him about Tom: that Kelly was jealous of two people now. He realised what she had put Tom through when they were together, as he knew and liked Tom since he was with Sam. His respect for Tom had increased when Tom took him out for a drink to open up about his new relationship with Sam, his now ex.

My time here is over, it’s time for Jenna to shine her light into James’ dark like we do to Tom, I thought and said to Jenna, “You have a great guy. He won’t call a bitch for what she is in front of you. Bye,” and forced a smile as I broke away to the sorrowful rasp that is Mark Koffler’s Romeo and Juliet, grabbing my jacket and headed out for a contemplative, moonlit walk home.

Jenna, feeling her boyfriend’s sadness, hugged him tightly, but gently and looked into his eyes saying, “How well do you know him?”

He said in a voice that would make a church mouse seem raucous, “We,” [Him, Sam, and Kate] “knew them from The Dog.” He’s a nice, friendly guy, but Misery was always standoffish, sullen, and borderline rude. When we got home, they used to muse about whether they knew him from somewhere, but after a while, that thread stopped. I thought they either found out or gave up.”

Jenna said, “You didn’t ask?”

He replied, “No. I respected them to tell me if I needed to know. Now I know and understand why I didn’t need to then. How well do you know Kate?”

She said, “We had two goes at catching falling boosters. I’d have her back again anytime in the helicopter.”

James said, “Personally?”

She replied, “She’s nice. Gave me the headlines on Tom and Sam.”

He sorrowfully repeated, “‘Not ex, late. We miss her too.'” 

She replied, “Kate said that?”

He nodded, holding her close, “She respects me and decided I needed the truth. Poor sod, having to deal with that. That’s why they stopped going on about him: they twigged. Now he’s got someone great,” as a sorrowful smile forced its way onto his lips.

Acknowledging his generosity, she kissed him gently. “Sometimes the cork would shift, and the rich liquid would seep, sending him into a sudden darkness. Another bottle’s contents turned rancid, and it fell to the floor, shattering and headed down the drain. A third bottle was growing and a different, but deepening liquid was filling it.” She mused, looking into her love’s eyes as he looked back in disbelief at her.

She continued, “His Soul: The Love Shelf, or something like that. Can’t remember where I read it. But the first bottle had been slowly filled by a sweet, rich liquid, then suddenly the tap was removed, and the cork slammed shut.”

He said, “First one: Love found and lost. Second one sounds like jealousy or envy. Third one, new and trusting relationship,” and hugged her tighter.

She peck-kissed him on the lips, “Drip,” another peck kiss, “Drip,” kiss, “Drip,” and held the final kiss.

“Us,” she concluded, and they walked out into the cold night.