"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Brynn smiled at Chase. He kissed her. Flowers, rice, music, cheering.
Brynn couldn't remember the last time she was this happy.
"I need a raise, Jake. I'm getting married soon."
Jake snorted. "That's a new one. Everybody wants raises, Brynn. Have you seen the economy lately?"
"Yeah, they say it's really good. Come on. A dollar an hour more?"
Jake sighed. "You drive a hard bargain. Fine. But not until next month. Maybe consider a second job, too?"
Brynn rolled her eyes. "This one is more than enough."
Brynn waited anxiously for Chase to show up. The pizza place she'd picked was supposed to be the best in town. If there was one thing she knew he loved, it was a good pizza. Pepperoni and olives. Deep dish. Oregano and parmesan.
She waved as he came in. She gave him a big smile. They'd only started dating again a few months ago, and she already felt like this was going somewhere. The way he looked at her. The way she looked at him. And of course... everything else. She'd tried the apps. Chase had, too. All it took was a random text from Chase to get her attention again. What if..? they'd both asked themselves.
"We're older now," Brynn said.
"More experienced and mature," Chase added.
"We could try it."
So, they tried it.
Then Chase tried the pizza. It was good. Not too greasy. He leaned back in his chair. Through the front window of the little pizza joint, the city was busy. Buses and bikes and pedestrians. The usual hum of life. Just a normal day in the city.
Brynn held Chase's hand. She grinned at him again.
Ryan Andriesen sipped his coffee, slowly nudging the bacon across his plate, debating whether to eat it. Things were going well at Magna, at least compared to some other parts of the economy. He was pleased with himself for passing on a bunch of those fly-by-night dotcoms, although a few survived that didn't quite expect. He'd watch for their IPOs, that was for sure.
He sat in his usual seat along the wall, the tall windows beside him. He could see the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges from here. Maybe not the highest-elevation restaurant on Earth, but the highest-grossing? No doubt.
Ryan found himself wishing he had a piece of this action. The new head of leasing around here said the whole place was "undervalued." If only Ryan had gotten a lease here a couple years ago, he could've made some real bank now.
Live and learn, he thought.
Vral looked over Stak's analysis. "Nonsense."
Stak grimaced, insofar as their kind could. "It's not nonsense. It's science."
"It's magic as far as I'm concerned. There's no future in it."
"Interesting choice of words."
"I'm not one for jokes, Stak. Hide this gibberish before one of our superiors catches wind."
"They're a billion light years away. What could they possibly do?"
"Bring the proverbial hammer down, that's what! Now, put this away and let us never speak of it again."
"The time will come, my friend. The time will come."
"Again with the jokes!"