“Will it rain all night?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
We listened to the rain for a few beats. Sometime in the last couple of hours, its constant hum had become cozy instead of anxiety inducing.
“Are there rainbows on Eukaria?” I asked.
I’d experienced a storm before, but when it was over, I’d been too frightened to poke my head out and scan the sky. Instead, I holed myself up for a couple of days just to make sure it was well and truly over.
With Farr’vye, I didn’t feel scared. I felt brave enough to try.
He must’ve recognized the wordrainbowbecausehe smiled warmly and replied, “Yes. Would you like to see one?”
The rain kept pouring. A dull boom of thunder cracked in the sky, already farther away. My eyelids felt heavy, and Farr’vye’s chest was the best pillow ever.
“Maybe after a nap,” I conceded.
Farr’vye wrapped his tentacles around my frame, bundling me up in all his appendages as if he’d never let go. And maybe he wouldn’t.
And maybe I didn’t want him to.
When I roused from my slumber, I found myself already clean and dressed in a fresh onesie. Farr’vye must’ve taken care of me while I was asleep. Just one more reason he was the best lover in the universe.
My heart floated.Lover.That word didn’t encompass everything he was to me. But what else could I call him? Boyfriend felt too shallow—and technically incorrect, given that Maeleons had no gender binaries, so he wasn’t really aboyat all.
Partner? It worked, but it felt a bit distant. Also lopsided, since we weren’t really equals. Farr’vye was always the one taking care of me while I flopped about like a fish out of water.
Mate…?
A warm, fuzzy feeling tingled in my ribs.
Matewas good.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
Farr’vye hugged me from behind. A smile spread across my face, alongside a blush. That was a morning greeting I could get used to.
I rubbed the leftover sleep from my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Nearly dawn,” he purred in my ear. “You slept through the night, my little human.”
I shivered pleasantly at his smooth voice, and the return of my pet name.
“Is the storm over?” I asked.
His long ear twitched as he listened more closely. Mine weren’t as sharp, but I couldn’t hear the rain pounding on the roof anymore.
“Sounds like it. I hear rain, but it is mild,” Farr’vye said. He pulled me up to my feet. “Shall we take a look together?”
I smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
As we opened the door of Farr’vye’s hut, I was greeted by the delicious scent of fresh post-rain air. It smelled so good, cleaner than any air I’d smelled before, and I filled my lungs with it.
Light rain continued to fall through broken clouds. The sun had not yet fully risen, casting only the first light across the purple and pink sky. The village was quiet. It seemed like Farr’vye and I were the only ones awake.
“The ground is still wet,” Farr’vye pointed out. That was the only explanation he gave before scooping me up into his arms and carrying me outside. I guess he didn’t want my foot covers getting damp.
Using a tentacle, he pulled the hood over my head.