Out of Place- Episode 5: Now That We're Out Here

The next morning when I woke up to the cabin, Dell wasn’t in his bed. In hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have freaked out and gone looking for him like I did, but in the moment I was terrified of what she might have… been saying about me. (I could easily lie but this is a journal after all.) I got up and opened the door, I tried to navigate the unfamiliar ship on my own until I heard chatter and laughter. Before I went in, I tried to listen in on what they were saying. I couldn’t exactly make out any words but it sounded like three people were talking.

I casually entered the room. “Dell I’m having a crisis.”

“Oh, well I’m having breakfast, would you like to join?” he said relaxedly

He was sitting next to some octopus shaped being and across from Enly.

“Daaave.” Enly smiled thinly at me through slitted eyes, she gestured across the table “This is my boyfriend-”

“The hell he is!” I yelped

“Actually, I am.” the tentacled man said, leaning forward so I could see him better.

I made a small noise and felt my face go hot again. 

Dell gave me a small strange, questioning smirk. 

“Dave, come sit with us! They’ve been telling me all about where we’re going, it sounds amazing!”

I pulled in a seat between Dell and Enly. Dell's leg was bouncing as he leaned in close to show me all of the tourist sights he had found on the tablet.

“Dell, I’m from there.”

He stopped swiping “Oh.”

I looked at the tablet, “Ah, I’ve never seen that one.” I said.

“Oh really?” he cheerily read off the name and description of some hokey tourist sight.

I already know all about this kind of tourist trap, but the excitement he read with made me think it may actually be fun to go.

When he stopped reading, Enly cut in “Yes and Dell has been telling us all about this Earth place. He said he may even make an entry or two about it since it’s kind of illegal mess with it.” She said in a trickily sweet voice. 

I was so caught up in her suspicious tone change and the fact she had a two way translator that I almost missed what she said.

“Oh, so you risked your neck for me twice, stranding me there and stealing me off when I got comfortable.”

Her happy facade cracked a bit “You're here due to unfortunate coincidence. Trust me. I would have never purposefully picked you back up.”

“Then why’d you pick up a call from Earth?” I pressed

She angrily sighed, “I thought I was picking up a ticker…” she said under her breath

“Oooh risk something like that for a few extra bucks.”

“Yeah! I would! Because unlike you, I have a long term idea of what I want to do with my life!” She shouted

I looked her in the face. I remember so many scenes like this.

“Just because I want to see as much as I can, and don’t have a plan for everything in my life doesn’t make how I want to spend it worth any less.”

I left the table and strode off into the hallway. The blinds on the corridor windows were open and I could see the stars float by. Mostly small ones, far away, but while I sat I saw one that was closer, still thousands of miles away but much bigger than the others that could be seen in the distance. The lens over the window blocked out the harmful white hot light and left the burning blue and after a while, we passed it too. 

When Dell saw that I had calmed down a bit, he came out and sat down with me. We didn’t say anything, there was just an understanding silence between us. I put my head on his shoulder.

“Well this sucks to wake up to.” He said.

I don’t know, it wasn’t even particularly funny, but it made me laugh. He laughed with me, after that, the air felt lighter. It felt like just a little bit of the tension I had started to build in my head over what Dell might think about me because of this was removed. He has a contagious smile.

It seemed like he wanted to say something about Enly and I but couldn’t find the right words or maybe question.

“We were only together for a little bit.” I explained “I met her after I had been traveling the galaxy for a while. She definitely fell harder than I did. She seemed cool, and when she said that she wanted to date me I didn’t really know how I felt. She was nice enough and I didn’t want to just turn her down… so we went out. I tried to convince myself that I liked her, but… I really didn’t, at least not in the same way. I just, I was too scared to break things off myself and I guess she got so fed up with my distance and confusing feelings and ended it herself.”

I felt really cringe after saying all this to him and apologized.

“Hm, I think you might be aromantic buddy.” Dell said after a while.

“What, no. Honestly- I’m surprised you didn’t add some mention of it being because I’m from a different planet.”

“Oh come on, you know I’m not like that. Or- do you think that’s what it is?” He said.

“No, or- I don’t really know but- look I just, I didn’t mean to say that. I’ve just been so-” I motioned with my hands and made a noise “turned around because of this.”

“Dave, you’re alright. If it’s any comfort, I’m glad we’re stuck in space together” He laughed a bit.

“Yeah, I suppose there are worse people to be stuck with.” I jokingly eyed the door to the dining room.

“Hmm” He grinned.

When Enly and her new boyfriend went to do something in the control room, Dell said we should probably eat breakfast. I tried to give him the closest thing to human food I could find. He’s been fine, so far. 

A lot of us being here has been this. Me, writing at night and trying to duck around Enly. And Dell, somewhat becoming friends with her. He hasn’t said it, but I think he wants me to talk to her more. I did, every now and again. It was almost always awkward or angry, but I think we’re coming to understand each other just a bit. Obviously, we still don’t like each other.

We’ll be getting to Serin tomorrow, it’s been four days. I’ve tried to explain some things that Dell might need to know, but it’s been so long I could hardly think of anything. I’m sure Enly has told him all about it.

Really, it's cool to be back out here, I just wish it didn’t happen like this. I know that as soon as we get on Serin we’ll have to get out right away.