Carolina: I need a drink.
Papa: Bleach would not be an appropriate beverage.
Chapter 30
“I’ve been sciencing up Sexy Time since 2022.”
-Rand
The ride back to the hotel was pretty quiet, save Carolina’s phone dinging with text messages every minute or two. I could tell whatever it was mortified her to the point that she turned off her phone.
The sun is beginning to set as we enter the penthouse. Carolina skips over to the glass doors and slides them open.
“It’s gorgeous out here! Look at this view!”
I watch her twirl around on the balcony, a massive grin on her face. That makes me smile. I love seeing her happy like this. And knowing what she went through makes it that much sweeter.
“How about I order room service, bring some wine out there, and we enjoy the show?” I poke my head through the door.
Carolina gives me a sexy grin and nods.
No man in the history of the world has ever ordered room service as fast as I did.
I return with a bottle of rosé, two glasses, and the box I grabbed from my lab on the way out of Saber Security. I pause to watch Carolina skipping around the balcony. There might have also been the slightest hint of jazz hands.
I chuckle.
She whirls around, clutching her heart. “For fuck’s sake! You scared the piss out of me.”
I laugh harder.
She points to the items in my arms. “What’cha got there?”
I wiggle my eyebrows. “Well, Ms. Saber. I have the finest rosé wine to be found in the hotel, two glasses, and a special present for you.”
She claps and flounces down on a chaise lounge. “Gimme!”
I set down the wine and glasses on the table next to her. “Nuh-uh. First, we’re going to drink to this magnificent sunset. Then you get your present.”
Carolina rolls her eyes, huffs out a “fine,” and accepts the glass of wine I pour.
I settle in on a chair next to hers. We sip our wine and silently watch the sun’s descent into the Gulf. I’m watching for a green flash that won’t come because there’s not enough curvature of the earth here. Out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it’s possible to see a brief green flash as the sun dips over the horizon and shines back through the water.
“Damn,” Carolina sips her wine. “No green flash.”
This startles me, and I nearly drop my glass on the ground. She laughs. “What? You think you’re the only science and astronomy nerd in the house?”
Just when I thought I couldn’t like this woman any more, she surprises me like this. I was in real fucking trouble.
The stars start winking into view. I clear my throat. “So, did you, uh, know that the North Star is not the brightest star in the night sky?”
Carolina shrugs. “I did not.”
“Polaris, also known as the North Star, is the 50th brightest star in the sky. It’s about 430-light years away from Earth. That means it’s really bright. A luminosity of 25-thousand suns. It gets its name ‘North Star’ because it’s located directly above the North Pole. And it won’t be the North Star forever. As the galaxies expand, Polaris’ place and location will move too. But we won’t have to worry about that. We’ll be long gone before that happens.”
My ramblings amuse Carolina. “I love it when you get all sciency.”
“I’m fascinated by our spot in the universe and how small it is. Did you know you can fit 63 Earths in Uranus?”
