Tomorrow
"You're leaving again, aren't you." It was not a question and Aloy sighed wryly.
"That obvious, huh?"
"No, I just recognize that look."
"Look?"
"The 'I'm feeling confined and need to see the world' look."
She looked up at him. "Erend, I . . . "
He shook his head, smiling with that fond, dreamy expression he got sometimes when he looked at her. "Never apologize for being yourself. I know you get restless when you're stuck in one place for too long. I knew that when I married you. As long as you come back safe, I'm satisfied."
Tears filled Aloy's eyes. "I love you," she said. "I know I never say it, but I do. Very, very much."
He cupped her face in his hand and leaned down to kiss her softly. "When are you leaving?"
"I . . . Tomorrow if I can." His face fell, though he tried to hide it. He deserved better than her. He deserved someone who would settle down with him in Meridian, who didn't feel the itch to roam, to climb, to sleep under the sky.
"Well, the sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back," he said. Aloy felt another wave of tears rising hot in her throat.
"We have tonight," she whispered, gripping his scarf and pulling him to her. "Tonight I'm all yours." She kissed him with every ounce of passion she could muster, trying to convey in that single action all the words she couldn't say, all the love and guilt and joy she felt in that moment and every moment.