Naomi didn’t know what she’d been expecting. A promise that he’d send the kid some birthday messages. Maybe be around once he landed on Cavendish, whenever that would be. Not this. She had wondered why Evan had agreed to man the communications base on top of his job. It wouldn’t have been out of loyalty. She thought perhaps Valerie had something over him—bailed him out of legal fees, perhaps. His hacking abilities and infernal curiosity could easily get him into just a little too much trouble.

She’d thought that last night before quarantine was simply a release of pent up physical attraction. Like a gasp after holding their breath for too long. The knowledge that it wouldn’t matter, no one would find out. Instead, he was telling her he’d wanted her for fifteen years. The whole time she was in college, and when she was married, he had been hung up on her. She’d stumbled through that crumbling marriage, for what? Evan had been there. He’d been right there.

Naomi Lovelace: We wasted so much time, letting what others would think trip us up. What do we do now?

She stewed while she waited.

Evan Kan: What we can. But I’ll be as involved as you’ll let me be and as much as I can be from here. It’s still weird. I never thought kids were in the cards for me. Much less under these circumstances. We’d win longest distance relationship.

She laughed, and it caught in her chest.

Naomi Lovelace: It’s late. Everyone will be asleep by now. I should go hunting for more secrets now that I’ve told you mine.

Evan Kan: Good luck. And thanks for telling me. Don’t know exactly where we go from here, but we’ll figure it out. I’ll send through your instructions after this message. Goodnight.

Naomi scanned what he sent, making sure she understood the steps before she turned off the tablet.

“Shitting shit,” she muttered in the darkness, but she was lighter than she’d been in weeks.

Before she went hunting through hard drives, Naomi tiptoed back to the observation room with the last square of chocolate. She curled up on the little window seat, pressing her body against the enforced panes that looked out in the darkness. She licked the gold wrapping for the last hints of chocolate.

It’d been a while since she’d sat there and stared into the abyss on her own. Mars wasn’t visible from this angle. They were speeding back to where they’d just been to go so much further. She didn’t know what it meant, for her and Evan. There were so many miles between them. Soon it would be part of a galaxy.

She stroked the rise of her belly, letting her thoughts swirl. The chocolate’s sweetness faded.

Time to upturn some stones and see what lurked underneath.