City of the Air

We walked out to the edge together, behind us the city rose out of its base, up into the clear blue of the sky. Below us, we could see the peaks of the snow-capped mountains rising up out of the clouds as the city sailed serene above them. I put my hand out to touch the clear material of the viewing area. It was not glass, it was not plastic, whatever the material was there was a slight vibration to it, barely detectable unless you kept very quiet and very still.

Mia turned from looking out at the clouds below, saying something about how solid they looked, while at the same time so soft, enveloping. I could see what she was hinting at and took my hand away from the clear material – whatever it was – and wrapped my arms around her.

She smiled up at me, her dark skin glowing in the warm light, shining with health. We kissed lightly and smiled into each other's faces. My one hand moved up underneath her loose top, my thumb just brushing the edge of her nipple. We were about to kiss again when we heard the hiss of the door behind us. We separated and stood side by side, each with both hands on the handrail in front of us, and a perceptible gap between our bodies.

Behind us, I could hear the distinctive tread of the boots of the guards, more than one of them. I had a sudden shiver, fearing that perhaps some technician other than me had discovered the security camera above our heads was defective and had repaired it.

“Good evening Citizens,” one of the guards said as they came up behind us.

We turned. “Good evening, Sergeant, Private,” Mia and I replied almost in unison as all four of us nodded at each other as though we were puppets all controlled by the same string.