Page 57 of Jarran

Taron left as the last light faded from the dome. Jarran watched him walk toward the tunnel entrance, his tall frame silhouetted against the amber glow of the settlement’s lights.

He turned back to the field. The crops were dark shapes in the dimming light, row after row of plants he’d sewn and tended. He ran his hand along the top of the stone wall. The surface was cool and rough under his palm.

Then he walked home to find Evie inside, curled on the wide couch with a tablet in her hands. Her light, flowing tunic draped over the gentle curve of her belly. Her hair was down, falling loose around her shoulders. She looked up and smiled when he came in.

“Good visit with Taron?”

“Yes.” He crossed the room and held out his hand. She took it and he drew her up to her feet. She came willingly, setting the tablet aside, and tilted her face up to his. He kissed her. Soft at first, and then not soft at all. She made a quiet sound against his mouth and her fingers curled into the front of his shirt.

He pulled back just enough to look at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were warm and her mouth was slightly parted.

“Bedroom?” he asked.

She grinned. “Bedroom.”

He tugged her toward the hall, his hand wrapped around hers, and she laughed as she followed. They spent much of their spare time this way. He had no complaints.

Later, with Evie asleep beside him and the dome dark and quiet overhead, Jarran lay still and stared at the ceiling. Her breathing was slow and even. One of her hands rested on his chest. He covered it with his own.

For the first time since he was a child, Jarran Bando was home. He had soil under his fingernails and a woman he loved beside him and a child on the way. He had a brother who visited, a community growing up around him and crops that needed tending in the morning.

He closed his eyes. Sleep came easy, the way it always did now. No shadows. No pressure. No voice at the edge of his thoughts.

Just peace, and plants, and all the love that a heart could hold.