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When the barest rattle crept in, I almost closed my eyes.

I’d only met him a few days back. A week ago, I would have said it wasn’t enough time to care about someone. But then I looked at Ava, Kirby flashed through my mind, and I knew I’d never been more wrong.

Tim rested his hand on top of Varesh’s. “There are… a few things… I need to say to you, my love.”

I squeezed Ava from behind. “We should go outside.”

This wasn’t our moment. It didn’t belong to us.

She hesitated for a second, then eased away from me and leaned over the bed. “See you, Tim,” she said, touching her lips to his forehead. Her chin trembled as she stepped aside and made room for me.

I sidled past her, taking Tim’s hand in both of mine. “Rest easy, mate.”

He mustered a small smile, struggling to keep his eyes open. “Try not to miss me too much.”

My throat burned, and a weight settled on my chest. I smiled and rubbed his hand before letting go.

We stepped back from the bed and made space for Sadie and Theo.

Ava’s gaze moved over Tim and Varesh one last time, then she sighed, and we headed for the door.

After the warmth of the wood fire, the air outside felt several degrees colder. We’d escaped through the laundry door to avoid running into other people just yet, our breath forming wispy clouds as we stood under the back verandah.

Someone moved past the lounge room window nearby, and a child’s cry broke the silence, the sound muffled by the glass.

For the first time in a while, neither of us held weapons—just when I’d started to wonder if they’d become permanent attachments.

Ava crossed her arms and shivered, keeping her back to the house.

“Come here, little heat thief,” I said, opening my jacket.

Her eyes gleamed as she came over to me. With her arms folded between us, she pressed her cheek against my chest and released a sigh that came from somewhere deep down.

Six days ago, I hadn’t even known her, and now she fit into the space like it had always belonged to her. I held her close, resting my chin on her head as we took in the view behind the house. The same view Tim had from his bed.

An empty washing line sat off to the right beside a patch of lawn, with a swing set in the centre, waiting for Theo’s niece to come outside and play. Garden beds bordered the space, and between the backyard and the olive plantation, an expansive veggie garden overflowed with greenery.

The place had been set up for the future long before they had any idea what was coming. I could help with the irrigation and build long-drop toilets to make our new lives more bearable. Use my skills and earn my place here.

“It feels strange,” Ava murmured.

“What does?”

“Standing here with you, feeling happy when Varesh is losing the love of his life.”

I stroked her hair and looked out across the paddocks. A cockatoo squawked, and somewhere far away came the bleat of a sheep. “I think you can be happy and sad at the same time. We’ve been both for days now.”

Ava nodded against my chest. “This entire trip’s been insane.”

Inside the house, footsteps moved across the wood floor, and a door closed. Voices carried through the lounge room, a jumble of male and female, with a young girl’s laugh mixed in, too.

Ava lifted her head and gave me a sad smile. “The place is coming to life.”

Given the caravans out front, we’d be meeting a few new people today while we said goodbye to a familiar one. “Might take a while to get used to the noise again.”

“Maybe. I’m just going to throw myself into it and hope for the best.”

Just like she did everywhere else. I stared down at her, framing her face in my hands, sweeping my thumbs across her cheeks. Before we went back inside, I dipped my head and kissed her properly while I still had the chance.