Nigel had seen the inside of way too many hospitals in his life, but he wasn’t expecting what he found. He followed April down a flight of stairs and into a long corridor. To his surprise, the hospital had power. He passed several darkened rooms that gave him the creeps. The smell of rotting flesh and decay was evidence that something had gone very wrong here. Moments later, he found himself in a room with Jet, who was looking out a window. April closed the door to give them some privacy.

“Hello, Josephine.”

Jet gave Nigel a constrained smile.

“Hey, Nige.”

“You wanted to see me?”

Jet hugged herself, looked at the floor, then rocked back and forth.

“Oh right, I know that we’ve been through a lot, Nigel. And I… still care for you. But I think our paths have diverged.”

“I remember when we first met while in the hospital. You saved my life,” Nigel said.

Jet gave him a look of anguish. She wasn’t expecting him to bring up their high school days. Then she did something unexpected: she laughed.

“You came to visit, and your ass was peeking out of your gown,” Jet said.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Yeah, my cheeks were rather chilly, too, as I recall.”

The two shared other memories. One of their most precious was deactivating Delta and bringing April back. Jet might have been breaking up with Nigel, but she was very much a part of Nigel’s family as far as he was concerned.

“I hope you know that I will always care for you, but I don’t think that love is for us. What I mean to say is that—” Jet said.

Nigel watched as Jet let go of her emotions. She sobbed for a very long time. He wanted to go to her, give his first love a comforting hug, but he hesitated.

I don’t feel the same way I did a year ago. And why don’t I feel broken up about it?

“You don’t have to explain yourself. I can only imagine how difficult it was for you being held captive. But I, too, was held against my wishes, so I know what it’s like,” Nigel said.

“You have no idea,” Jet snapped.

Nigel looked out the window, watching the sun lower in the horizon. He must have run their potential reunion in his mind hundreds of times, the possibility of this stark reality had never occurred to him.

“I just wanted to say that whatever you do, be safe. And know that I will always love…” Nigel trailed off.

Jet buried her face in her hands. The door opened, but Nigel didn’t see who it was. He needed time to process all of this, but there were more pressing matters at hand. He turned to find Blanka and Sally waiting near the doorway.

“Is this your chosen?” Jet asked.

Nigel smiled. “Yes—but…”

“I’m happy that you’ve found someone who loves you like I used to,” Jet said.

“It’s time, Nigel,” Blanka said.

Sally gave Nigel a sympathetic look. He turned to Jet one last time, and her expression changed to the bemused happiness he had fallen in love with all those years ago. Now, he realized that he was no longer the cause of her delight—Sally was.