boxes and squares #4.4: now know the answer

October 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Maria Boone is 26.

warnings: gratuitous kissing, nudity, excessive swoon, NSFW 😍

previously: Maria vs the bugs // why would she want to keep you? // the revenge dress 

“Have a good booty call,” Lou joked as she dropped Maria off at the train station. For as serious and ornery as Lou could be, she was also very immature sometimes. This wasn’t just a very expensive booty call. This visit was pivotal. This visit would make or break everything, whether the rest of them understood that or not. Maria understood that, and that’s why she was scared before she ever agreed to come. 

But she only had herself to blame. She had to remember, this was all her doing. She kissed him in the kitchen at work when he already decided he was leaving. She invited him home to her bed before he was ready to stay. And now here they were in this mess. She told him she would be okay with this, and she promised him she wasn’t giving up. She really had no right to feel impatient, even if she was sometimes. She was only human, and her human heart had needs. Her human heart cried out for more. 

Scraps, please just throw me some scraps, just enough to keep believing a little longer.

But sometimes when she begged for scraps, every so often, he delivered her a feast.

boxes and squares #4.3: then fall in love

October 2088. Jordan Graham is 28, Jack Phoenix is 39, Nessa is 38, Maria Boone is 26.

previously: Micah Phoenix dies

Don’t worry about what Jack is doing, or how well, or how fast. Except that Jack just graduated onto the medium wall today, and his first attempt was going flawlessly. Jack was spritely, dexterous, and precise. He was actually ready for the medium wall weeks ago but probably didn’t want to make everyone else feel bad.

Envy never helped anyone, Jordan told himself. He hated to be like this. It made him feel ugly and unfair. So instead, he told himself that he was making progress, too. Slow, sure progress. Today, for example, he hadn’t eaten dirt all day.

Not yet, anyway.

Jack’s wife, Nessa, came to their evening climb session sometimes. They let their kids run wild around the water park, and Nessa came to check out Jack’s progress.

That damn envy again, as much as he wished it away. Jordan wanted his own kids to be here, running wild around the water park. They would love it here so much.

Nessa stood at the bottom of the cliff face and gaped in horror. Jack jumped up to the next hold, all hands and toes in the air. Jordan had seen Jack do that many times before, but this was a fresh nightmare for his wife.