As Matti and Gregor across the courtyard towards the embarkation terminal, a weird sort of mania began to take root in the pit of Gregor’s stomach.

He looked around, letting his senses drink in the last of the lonely little rock he’d called home for so many years, when he noticed Matti giving him a most peculiar look.

“What?”

“You’re humming.“

“I most certainly was not!”

“Ha! Yes you were! Everyone here witnessed it!” He paused for a moment, looking around them. “Alright, so there’s nobody out here with us. But you were humming, I swear you were!”

Matti crossed his arms in front of his chest, a mischievous look in his eyes.

“So what if I was,” Gregor exclaimed as laughter escaped out of him, “What are you planning to do about it?”

“Oh, nothing at the moment. But when you least expect it, there I’ll be, ready to blackmail you into getting me some girl’s phone number!”

Gregor laughed as he and Matti walked through the terminal doors and joined the queue for the next Mars voyage.