"You don't?" Rhys was staring at Angie as she told him that.
"You don't want to go back home? You want to stay here?" Here was Datalus. A planet two solar systems away from earth. Angie and Rhys had just met a few days ago and so far it had been a whirlwind of activity.
Angie sat down in the sand. "Want to hear why I wished I was somewhere else?"
Rhys sat beside her. He casually reached over and held her hand in his. "If you want to tell me."
"Yesterday, at least I think it was yesterday, was my best friend's wedding. She was marrying my ex boyfriend. She pretty much stole him away from me and really has no idea how hurt I was. I was too stupid to tell her exactly how I felt so I was going to have to stand up and support Katie as she married that slime bucket."
Angie looked up and saw Rhys playing close attention. He didn't look too bored so she continued.
"As I put on my makeup that morning, I realized it was supposed to be my wedding. I was supposed to be marrying Brad, not Katie. I began to think of what all the guests would be thinking. They'd be looking at me wondering how stupid I really was supporting this marriage."
"You're not stupid. You're pretty smart actually." Rhys reached out and pulled her into his lap. She was trembling and he knew enough to hold her tight. Angie took a deep breath and continued.
"In the water yesterday you touched my stomach where I have a scar. I'm very self-conscious about it not because it's big and ugly, but because of how I got it. Katie and Brad were dating behind my back. They wanted to tell me, but were afraid of how I would react. Katie and I went out to a bar and ended up almost getting mugged. The thief had a knife and was about to stab Katie, I moved her out of the way and he stabbed me instead. I needed emergency surgery because he had sliced open my spleen. I woke up in the hospital, alone. Brad was nowhere to be found. He had left a message on my cell phone telling me he was breaking up with me."
Angie's eyes were full of tears and Rhys wiped them away the moment they spilled down her cheeks. He was rubbing her back.
"God, baby, I'm so sorry."