In the windy city, Mason strolled home from a day filled with bothersome clients and office chaos. His untucked shirt dangled in the breeze. Loafers soaked with spilled coffee squished with each stride. He wanted to run home, but he played human pinball as he bounced back and forth to find a path through the hundreds of Chicagoans.
    After passing the traffic jam of people, Mason jogged to his apartment and found advertisements on his doormat for pizza down the street and planet colonization. Gazing around at his dimly lit, empty apartment, he thought, What am I doing? I spend all of my time working, and I never do anything fun. When’s the last time I had friends over?
    Snuggled in blankets and grasping his phone, Mason scrolled through his contacts looking for a friend to call. A notification dropped down on his screen of a news article with the headline, “Repton, a Planet with Life.” Mason, sparked with interest, researched information about Repton. The lengthy application prompted him with ninety-five questions divided into five sections: leadership, work experience, personality, health history and family. The application ended with a contract that stated, “Should you be accepted to move to Repton you will be a committed member of our team. After pressing ‘Accept’ you are finalizing your decision to move to Repton.” He Googled everything that could go wrong with the transition to a new world, and after an hour filled with apprehension and excitement, he clicked, “Accept.”
In the morning, Mason woke up startled by the pounding sounds that traveled through his apartment. Wandering toward the door, the sounds increased in volume. He looked through his peephole, and cautiously opened the door. He stared straight ahead, able to see only a foot in front of him, “Hello?”
“Hi, I’m Abby. I just moved in two doors down. I really need your help. When I came back from my coffee run this morning, my door wouldn’t unlock. My first day of work starts in thirty minutes, and I need to arrive on time.”
“I’ll be right there. I have to grab my glasses. What’s your apartment number?” Mason asked.
“218, but I’ll wait for you.”
They trotted over to the rusty door. “The previous owners always had trouble with this lock, too. I think I remember how they opened it.” He shoved the key in the golden lock and started turning it. Mason asked, “Where do you--,” then, the key snapped.
“Is everything okay? What happened?” 
“Do you have an extra key?” Mason asked.
“I do, but it’s on my kitchen table, inside my apartment.”
“I have tools in my apartment. We can use them to take your doors off the hinges. I know the building manager would agree that you need a new door, anyway.”
“That’s fine with me. I’ll call in sick.”
“On your first day? Slacker,” Mason joked.
After working diligently on the door for twenty minutes, Abby said, “You have a lot of tools.”
“Yes, my dad gave them to me shortly before he died from lung cancer six months ago.”
“My mom passed away last year from skin cancer, I’m sorry.” 
Comparing their similarities, he felt a connection to her. “It was the hardest time of my life. He was my best friend.”
Unscrewing the last bolt, They were able to detach the door. “I have to go to work, but I can help you assemble your new door tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“I’ll see you tonight.”

Mason’s door gained popularity that day, when another knock filled the room, “Hi, Mason. I used the tools you left at my apartment and fixed the door.”
“What color door did you get?”
“Follow me. I’ll show you.”
His face reflected the bright pink color, “Now, that’s a statement. I like it.”
Standing in the cold hallway, Abby said, “Do you have any plans tonight? I’m going to explore a new Indonesian restaurant I heard about, and I thought it would be more enjoyable if I had someone with me.”
“That sounds amazing, I don’t think I can eat another meal of Creamy Cadet cereal. Let me grab my jacket.”
He held the door for her as they walked into the Indonesian restaurant. The waitress sat them at a small corner table with terrible lighting. His nose curled at the smell of the restaurant, but he stayed optimistic for Abby. They learned a lot about one another’s lives in the next hour. Their relationship deepened with every minute.
When they walked home Mason asked, “When you traveled in Tanzania, what did you enjoy more, seeing elephants everywhere or the African food?”
“My favorite part was learning about a culture that I didn’t know anything about until I lived there for six days, but I had a great time seeing the elephants, too.”
The next night he went to her apartment and invited her to an Ethiopian restaurant. Over the next few nights, they continued to explore the city of Chicago. With each adventure, he found joy in his discoveries and time with Abby.
A month after they met, Mason strutted into his apartment building humming to his favorite song, a beaming smile on his face. Walking past Abby’s fuschia door, he saw something hanging out of his mailbox. He thought, Could it be my acceptance letter for Repton?
They had dinner together and visited a digital art museum. As they strolled through a park, Mason felt an urge to tell her about the application response sent to him that afternoon. “I have to tell you something.  Please let me explain before you ask questions. The night before you knocked on my door, I applied to move to the new planet, Repton. Lonely at the time, living my boring life. I searched for an adventure to bring back the excitement left in me. When I met you, I hoped every night that they would decline my admission,  so I could stay closer to you. The hours I spent hoping were worthless because I received my acceptance letter earlier today.  I leave thirty days from now.”
“Moving across the galaxy slipped your mind? You’ve dragged me along, for what, to leave me heartbroken while you explore a new planet?” Abby screamed and rushed away.
“Abby, wait!” Mason yelled, but she left him standing alone, the same way he’d leave her thirty days from then.
He knocked unsuccessfully on her colorful door for five days after their argument.  Finally, he found her sitting outside of his door. She said, “The past month we’ve spent together I’ve felt a connection that I have never felt before, and I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I let you go. I looked into the possibility of moving to Repton, too, but next month’s rocket was full. I researched it more and applied for the following flight.”
    “Wait, you what? You’re coming to Repton with me?”
    “Not right away, the next rocket flight doesn’t leave until a year from now.”
    “Are you serious?” he asked.
    “Yes, I know it’s crazy to move a thousand miles from home to chase after a guy, but I know my life would be boring without you.”

    November 25th, 2045, the day of the rocket launch. Pacing back and forth, he grabbed his packed bags off his dusty table. Walking to Abby’s apartment for the last time, his stomach felt uneasy with a mix of excitement and nerves.
    Mason looked around at the people that would be traveling with him. He saw a large mix of people, and began to think he belonged.
    A voice over a loudspeaker stated, “Please begin boarding the rocket.”
    He looked at her, and said, “I’ll see you later.”