FAR FROM ERIS • FreenBecky •

THIRTY - ONE

Freen listened to Becky moving around in the back room while the hurricane wind continued to hit the shop windows. She was trembling, what was supposed to happen now? She hadn't thought beyond finding Becky and replying to that last message in person.

She would lie if she said she hadn't fantasized about kissing Becky more than once in the past few days, but reality had completely surpassed any short film that Freen had in mind. Now all she could think about was the warmth of Becky's skin on hers, and that she would return in a few seconds from the back room and she had no idea what to say to her.

Becky was taking longer than necessary to get some clothes for Freen because her brain seemed to not be functioning correctly. She had wanted that for a long time. Too long. Years imagining what it would be like to have Freen in front of her again to confirm that what she felt that night on the bridge wasn't a crazy idea or a product of her imagination. Still, she didn't need to kiss her to realize it. They didn't even have to interact the first time Becky saw her, trying to blend in with the crowd at the bookstore on the day of Freen's book launch.

Becky led a fairly monotonous life, from classes to her apartment, from her apartment to classes. She had friends, but she preferred to be alone most of the time. Her most notable social contact was the calls with Patty on Wednesday nights, and her endless hours wandering through social media. That day, like the previous one, and the day before that, she was on the couch in her plush pajamas looking at her phone when a post slipped through among the thousands she saw every day. Her eyes widened when she saw that photo, and her heart raced. She knew Freen was in that city, yes, but seeing a photo of her, after not seeing her face in years, was like a free falling.

-Oh my God, it's her,- Becky thought as she sat up on the couch. -Has she written a book? 'Far from Eris'? I can't believe it. Did she remember?- She got up and started pacing around her tiny living room.

-Maybe she hasn't remembered anything, maybe the book is called that for any other reason and not because that's what the bridge was called, Becky,- she sighed. -Still, what does it matter at this point? It's been six years.- She looked at her phone again, noticing that the post had been promoted by a bookstore, citing its followers for Freen's book presentation.

Becky bit her lip. She knew she told Patty she wouldn't try to contact Freen after finding out she didn't remember anything. The old lady practically made her promise not to talk to Freen about the subject ever again, but she never made her promise not to go looking for her at some point. She looked at her photo again. -She's even more beautiful than six years ago, damn it- she thought. -Well, Patty, I promised not to tell her anything and I'll keep my word. But bumping into her isn't a crime,- she muttered as she locked her phone and went to her room to pack her suitcase.

And then she saw her, sitting on the couch with a tall black-haired guy and another girl who seemed to be having a fight with a champagne bottle, and all her skin reacted. She had her just a few meters away after so long, and she couldn't approach her. Not yet. So she did what she had come to do, grabbed one of the books, and opened it to the first page reflexively. There was Freen's dedication, and her heart almost leaped out of her chest. It was for her, it couldn't be for anyone else. She caressed the cover. 'Far from Eris.' Far from that bridge, far from her, far from life.

Eris, 95.7 astronomical units away from Earth.

-Becky?- Freen's voice brought her back to her thoughts. -Are you okay?-

-Yes, sorry, I'll be right out,- she said, returning to reality as she picked up an old pair of sports pants and the red plaid shirt hanging on the coat rack. -I'm sorry, I got distracted,- she continued as she walked towards Freen. -Here you go. It's not freshly washed, but it has its vintage touch,- Freen smiled and reached out to take the clothes. 

-Do you mind if I go change?- She was far from ready to undress in front of Becky.

-Of course, yes. You can go in the back,- Becky replied, suddenly nervous. -Don't worry,- she coughed.

Freen smiled again. Seeing Rebecca nervous was something new and strangely attractive. At least now she wasn't the only one who seemed like a nervous wreck.

She entered the small bathroom next to the storeroom at the back of the Flower Shop, and took off her wet clothes. She put on the pants without paying much attention, and took the opportunity to dry her hair with the towel hanging behind the door. She would ignore that her underwear was also somewhat wet because she refused to be without a bra locked up with Becky while the storm subsided, so she looked around for the upper garment that the girl had lent her, worried about whether she should wet it or not. And then she saw it, a red plaid shirt perfectly folded, and a flash behind her eyes forced her to close them tightly as a piercing and almost unbearable pain appeared in her temples. She couldn't even scream in pain because it was so sudden and so intense that she was left breathless. And between the flash and the pain, she visualized a clear image in her head: a girl clutching a railing with a shirt just like the one she had in her hands fluttering in the wind, and suddenly, the sound of water. The gut-wrenching sound of water.

**