And so I went.
“...and that’s the biggest communal veggie garden, and over there’s the fruit orchard, and here’s a freaking rock I trip overeveryfreaking time. See it? Memorize it. Or you’ll fall flat on your face. Don’t ask how I know.”
“Is that why your face is so flat?” I teased.
Paz crossed his arms. “I was born that way, thank you very much.”
I snorted. Paz’s tour of the village was as entertaining as it was educational.
I bent over and lifted the large rock easily. Pieces of debris fell off of it. “This rock?”
Paz’s jaw dropped. “Have I ever mentioned how hot your physical strength is?”
I puffed out my chest. “Tell me more.”
I geared up to flex my muscles and throw the problematic rock out into the field, then thought better of it. It might crush a flower by accident. Instead I jogged to the perimeter and placed the rock carefully on a sparse patch of soil. When I returned to Paz, he grinned.
“Thank you, my savior. My toes are now safe forever,” he joked. “Well, that’s pretty much the whole tour. The only thing you haven’t seen is my den.Ourden now.”
My heart skipped a beat at his correction. Everything felt so dreamlike. I hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long time.
I looped my tentacle around Paz and pulled him into a tight embrace. I buried my nose in his curly head fluff and sucked in a deep breath of it. His scent drove me wild.
Paz chuckled. “Is this a tip for my amazing tour?”
“A tip of what?” I asked.
“Oh, right. Never mind. Hey, c’mon, I want to show you our den.”
I followed Paz to a low hut. I was forced to duck my head so my horns would fit through the door.
“Hm,” Paz said, noticing the problem. “That’s okay. We can fix that later.”
He flopped down into a bed made of kofotta fibers and patted it invitingly. I slumped next to him. Even I couldn’t resist the silky-soft allure of the bed.
I sighed, caressing the fibers. “It’s been a long time since I had a real bed. Or even a branch to sleep on.”
“For real. I can’t believe you slept on the cold, hard floor all that time.” Paz yawned and turned towards me. “So? How does it feel to be back?”
“It’s different,” I admitted. “But good.”
Paz pressed a kiss to my cheek. “It’ll start to feel normal soon. I promise. I felt the same way when we first arrived.”
“I believe you, Paz.”
We cuddled on the bed for a few blissful moments. I had to admit, it was nice knowing there was an entire supportive community outside my den. I would sleep easier that night—though cuddling with Paz helped, too.
“By the way,” he said, “I told everyone about my pregnancy.”
“And?”
He grinned. “They were all stoked, obviously. No big surprises there. And everyone thought it was an awesome idea tothrow a feast—to celebrate both my pregnancy, and the return of you and the others.”
A ribbon of warmth floated in my chest.
“That sounds nice,” I murmured.
Glancing at Paz’s midsection, the warmth within me flared. I sneaked my hand beneath his onesie to stroke his bare belly. Since returning to the village, I’d allowed him to wear it again. After all, Linn’ar went through all the trouble of crafting it just for my filum—a thought which no longer filled me with hideous jealousy.
