“Ow,” she complained, rubbing the underside of her left arm. It was definitely going to be bruised.
“You ok?” Asher asked, swallowing his laughter.
“Yes.” She leaned back. “But I’m not sure that I could repeat that if you paid me. Aaaaaah,” she groaned as she settled.
Though large, the tub was not truly large enough for two people and their bodies met in a hundred little places, sending fiery jolts through her with each touch. Fi closed her eyes and tried to focus on melting into the water.
“Fi?”
“Mmmm?” She felt like a jellyfish.
“Was everything, um, you know, was everything ok?”
Fi’s eyes flew open. “You’re kidding me, right?” she laughed.
Asher’s face reddened and she realized that laughter was probably the wrong response.
“No, no,” she cooed, leaning forward to kiss his kneecap where it jutted above the water. “I just assumed that it was pretty clear.” She grinned and leaned back again, enjoying the lapping of the water as she moved. She closed her eyes. “I mean, I was a virgin, Asher, I was hardly experienced enough to fake anything.”
A splash of water hit her chest and she opened her eyes. His smile was tight.
“All right,” Fi said, pretending to roll her eyes. She sat forward again, draping her arms over his kneecaps. “I know it really means a lot to you that I, you know, enjoy it,” she said, feeling the flush rise in her cheeks. Asher’s nod was hesitant. “It was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had,” she said, and he exhaled noisily.
Wow, Fi thought, he was really worried. It made her glad that she’d said it. Then again, it brought the details rushing back to her mind, and she felt her desire stirring again. She added, “To date,” and he sucked in his breath.
Bingo, she thought as she reached for him. He stopped her and gestured instead for her to turn around. She made a face. It had been difficult enough to get into their current position, but his smile suggested that it would be worth it. Carefully, she worked her way around until she could lie back against his chest.
“Close your eyes,” he murmured.
Her breathing quickened as she obeyed, sinking into darkness. She felt the soft sponge press against her collarbone, sending rivers of warm water running down her chest. Without her sight, she could focus entirely on the sensation. Though it was nothing more than a squeeze of water, the gesture was unbelievably sensuous, and she felt herself began to shiver. The shaking starting at her core and worked its way outward. Even her teeth began to chatter.
“Are you cold?” he asked, suddenly concerned.
“No,” she shuddered. It was such a strange feeling that hit her, almost like the feeling of adrenaline before a fight. “Overwhelmed.” It was all she could manage.
“Breathe,” he urged gently.
His hands touched her thighs and traced along them lightly under the water, shushing her while she relaxed. Fi did as he said, taking deep breaths to slow her heartbeat.
“Phew,” she breathed as the shaking subsided, and she gave an embarrassed little laugh. She did her best to turn to look at him. “Sorry.” The wave of hunger and energy had surprised her. There was a reason people referred to it as being “turned on.”
He kissed her cheek. “For what? I feel exactly the same way.”
“Please,” she said softly. “Don’t stop.” Asher began caressing her with the sponge again and she closed her eyes, relaxing into it this time.
After a few minutes, she sighed. This time the switch had flipped more slowly. “Ash?”
“Yes, Fionnuala?”
“I’d like to take you up on that ‘taking our time’ thing now.”
“Taking your time means a lot of things, Fi.” With one fingertip he traced a line across her shoulders, and goose bumps followed, marking her desire. “It can mean me taking time to make sure that you have pleasure.”
“That sounds nice,” she interjected, and he chuckled, still tracing his fingers across her skin.
“It can mean taking the time just to sit in a warm bath and give you goose bumps.” He pressed his lips to her neck and she reflexively giggled, as he knew she would, from the tickle. “And it can mean telling you that I love you and reminding you how beautiful that I think you are.”
Her eyes flew open and filled with tears. She turned and reached back to touch his face, her fingertips floating across his lips. “So patience is a virtue?”
He leaned down to kiss her cheek, the touch so light it made her shiver. “Exactly,” he whispered.
“So show me,” she said, as she snuggled back against him again.
It would be awfully nice to take some time. This was a honeymoon after all. Later they would have things to do, places to go, and a million things on their minds. And they would have Kiara with them.
But for now, she sighed as hot water from the sponge streamed over her skin…for now she would enjoy every single second with Asher. After a few sweeps, the sponge found its way to her thighs. Before her mind left her completely, Fi had one final thought. How in the world does anyone get anything done when there is this?
---------- Asher -----------
On their last morning, Asher awoke to a beautiful dawn. Soft pink light broke through the trees and filtered into the shelter. Fi was already stirring beside him. Light always woke Fi, her smile awaiting him most mornings. Waking up to her had to be the best possible feeling in the world, he thought. He stretched and muscles all over his body complained.
“Wow, Fi. I’m actually pretty tired,” he chuckled.
“You’ve been busy,” she leaned in to kiss him. “Do you think maybe we should finally eat something?”
He laughed at their inside joke. The prior evening they’d realized that they’d forgotten to eat all day. Again. They’d forgotten everything he’d thought they might do with their two days away. Once they tried going for a walk, but it devolved into an outdoor make out session. Of course, they still had barely eaten, and his stomach gurgled at her suggestion.
“Definitely.”
He pulled on his jeans and reached for his t-shirt. She handed him an Eden granola bar and he made a face. The variety of food in Eden was a lower priority than its nutrition, but it sometimes got really boring. Fi snickered and tore open her granola bar as she pulled on her own jeans and t-shirt. Asher tried to distract himself as she dressed. Now wasn’t the time. Gary would be there any minute, and Fi would just about kill him if they got caught in the act.
He sat down on the bed with a sigh and crunched his granola bar as Fi folded their wedding clothing carefully and placed it into the small pack that he’d brought. She stopped for a moment when she picked up the beautiful blue belt and fingered the silver clasp, her fingers tracing the curls of Eve’s branches and roots. Shafts of sunlight streamed into the little room and her eyes caught fire, the brown burning to topaz. He reached out and touched her hand.
“Hey.”
Her smile at his touch completely destroyed him. He felt like he’d been turned inside out and upside down all at once. Like always.
He stood and wrapped her in an embrace. “Was your honeymoon ok, Fi?”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Her lips were soft and cool.
“It was perfect, Ash. Absolutely perfect.” She looked around the little room wistfully. “I almost wish we could stay here forever.”
Asher nodded. He had to agree. Just then, they heard the distinct sound of an engine. “Annnnnd, that’s our cue,” he sighed. He opened the door to the lean-to as Gary pulled up with a wave.
“Good morning, you two,” he said. “I hate to be the one to bring your honeymoon to an end, but the time has come.”
Fi gave him a half-hug through the Jeep door. “No, Gary, thank you for giving us this little time away. It was a wonderful escape.”
As they clambered into the backseat, Gary turned and handed Asher a tablet. “Here, I thought that you’d want to see this sooner rath
er than later.”
What now, Asher wondered with irritation. They were literally only seconds from his honeymoon, and already Gary had work for him? “Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Oh no,” Gary laughed. “It’s your wedding video.”
Oh. Asher laughed to himself and relaxed. He’d forgotten that Sara had captured the ceremony for them. “Sorry, Gary,” he said. “It’s just that you usually bring us bad news.”
Gary grunted, and Asher turned his attention to the tablet. He held up his right arm so that Fi could snuggle against him and they could watch it together. As she settled, she pressed her right hand to his chest, just above his heart, and he rested his cheek on her head. He loved the way that she folded into him perfectly. He tapped the tablet to start the video and the sound of Rachel’s voice and the violin began playing as they jounced along in the back of the Jeep.
When they arrived at the garage entry to Eden, Gary stopped on the long downward sloping ramp in front of the door, and Fi looked up in surprise. He pulled the parking brake and turned to look over his shoulder. A mysterious grin lit up his face.
“Why did we stop, Gary?” Fi asked.
Asher knew she was as surprised as he to see that the garage door was closed, with all its camouflage netting in place.
“Want to give me a hand, Asher?” Gary asked. He hopped out and strolled down the ramp toward the door.
Asher turned to Fi and shrugged before following. With Gary’s direction, the two men managed to roll back the camouflage netting foot by foot. Once it had gotten to the halfway point, Asher heard Fi gasp. She was staring down at them with wide eyes.
He turned to Gary. “What?”
“You’ll see,” Gary winked. “Just keep rolling this thing with me, or we’ll never get inside.”
With a few more grunts they had rolled the entire netting layer away, and Asher jumped down so he could see. It was his turn to gasp.
“I know, right?” Fi joined him in staring at the grey metal door to Eden’s garage. Painted in a shade of grey just slightly darker than the door was a giant circle with an apple tree in the center, its branches and roots curling gracefully. Eve.
“Why, Gary?” Fi murmured.
“Well, we couldn’t very well paint it orange, Fi. That would destroy the whole camouflage effect.”
Fi’s mouth dropped open, and both men laughed as she smacked Gary on the arm. “That’s not what I meant.”
“All right, Fi,” Gary acquiesced, and his face grew serious. “You gave us a symbol, Fi.”
Fi shook her head. “I don’t understand. It was Lucy that thought of it…she just wanted a symbol for me, for our wedding.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, no!”
“What, Fi?” Asher said, confused. She was silent, so he turned to Gary. “What?”
“Well, Asher, let’s just say that you two were the last Eden colonists to see your wedding video.”
“What?” Now he was just repeating himself.
“You both know that everyone in Eden wanted to be able to attend your wedding, but it wasn’t safe,” Gary said. “We arranged for a viewing in the rec pod and everyone came…even Darryl.”
Fi’s blush deepened and Asher swallowed a laugh. “That’s nice,” he said. “I mean, all of Eden is family now. Right, Fi?” He kept his tone light, deeply aware of how much she hated attention.
Gary stepped in. “Fi, it’s not just about you. It’s about Eden. That symbol of Eve was more than a decoration…it was like an identity for us.” He stopped and chewed his lip and then sighed. “If this bothers you,” he waved at the door, “then you’d better prepare to be a little surprised once we get inside.”
“Ok,” Fi finally conceded. “I give. It’s nice, I guess.”
“Good!” Gary grinned, and he triggered the door. It ground open and they maneuvered the Jeep inside and then headed to the sanitization chamber.
Once they were through, they found Larry waiting for them on the other side. “Welcome back, newlyweds!”
“Larry,” Fi hugged him.
Asher bit back a smile. She was such a ridiculous hugger. She hugged you whether you wanted it or not, period. To know Fi was to be hugged by her.
“Why are you here to meet us?” she asked him, curious.
Larry waved his hand in a pretend bow. “I’m here, Fi, to show you to your new family pod.”
“Really?” She clapped her hands together. “I thought it wouldn’t be ready until after we left for the summer Seed.”
They followed Larry as he explained over his shoulder. “Well the truth is that it’s not going to be livable for a while because of the construction all around it. But I wanted to show you anyway.”
Asher nodded. Eden was bursting at the seams. It didn’t take too many years of tight quarters plus limited birth control to lead to population growth. Their family pod was going to be in the new wing.
As they walked, passing colonists murmured congratulations. It only took a few of these encounters for Asher to notice a trend. Obviously, this was what Gary had meant. Every single woman and girl in Eden was wearing Eve. Literally. They passed a researcher in a lab coat whose canvas messenger bag bore a bright green Eve, drawn in marker, it appeared. A girl from Fi’s class stopped to say congratulations. Around her neck hung a blue piece of plastic carved into the symbol of Eve. Several women and girls appeared to have drawn Eve onto a headband, armband, or collar.
As they stepped out into the main field cavern, Larry stopped. “Look, guys. Look at what it meant to us.”
Asher whirled to follow Larry’s gaze and gasped. On the main wall above the tunnel, the one that could be seen by all pods with a view of the fields, was a large green painted symbol of Eve, with Hippocrates’ quote beneath.
“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be food,” Fi read in a quiet voice. And then below that was the additional line, “Long live Truefood.” She stared at the wall and read the words over and over, her lips silently repeating, “Long live Truefood.” He reached out and grabbed her hand, and she gave it a squeeze. Her eyes were shining.
“Ok,” she nodded, “I get it.”
Asher finally did as well. This was what Gary meant about Eden needing a symbol. Eve wasn’t theirs…she was everybody’s. She was the embodiment of their hopes.
Fi shook her head as she wiped her eyes, and they kept walking. Another girl passed them who appeared to have drawn Eve directly onto her bicep in black marker, and Asher felt Fi’s hand squeeze his in shock. He bit back a chuckle successfully, but Larry did not. His laughter at Fi’s expression burst out before he could contain it.
Fi stopped, her hands on her hips. “Listen, I get the whole symbol of the colony thing. But what is the deal with all the women,” she began, and then stopped as another girl congratulated them.
The girl had the symbol of Eve drawn on her cheekbone in blue somehow. Even Asher had to admit that it was disconcerting. They’d only been gone two days, and it was like Eden went Eve-crazy in their absence. Fi’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she accepted the congratulations, and Asher lost the battle to contain his laughter. He busted up as the girl walked away.
“C’mon Fi,” he teased. “You said you were into fashion when you were younger. What’s wrong with being a trendsetter?”
Fi narrowed her eyes, but Asher couldn’t stop his laughter. Sometimes she was so easy, he just couldn’t resist. Not that Larry was any help. He was laughing just as hard.
“I just hope to God that whatever was on that girl’s face was eyeliner and not Sharpie,” Fi said, stomping off.
“I think your wife is annoyed with you, Asher.” Larry chuckled, his laughter finally subsiding.
Asher rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Summer Seed
----------- Fi -----------
In the past, Fi had found the grey meeting room dreary, even with Eve and the fields surrounding her visible through the window. In fact, after enough time, she found
everything that occurred inside Eden to be pretty dreary. Now, the time she had waited for had arrived. Summer was once again on the horizon, and it was time for the Seeders to plan their next trip.
“I vote that we keep heading south,” Sara said, as the group discussed their plans with Larry and Gary.
“But then we waste the first month retracing areas we covered last summer,” Sean argued. “Sorry, Sara. It’s not like I want to put a damper on your trip to Disney World or anything.”
Sara made a face. “Disney World,” she scoffed.
Sean turned back to Larry. “No, seriously, we want to cover as much new ground as possible so that we can get the most out of our effort. I say we head west, do the Great Lakes both north and south.” His hands traced across the map on the tablet.
As Fi’s gaze followed the path he traced, she realized that Sean’s plan put them near Chicago. Her gaze flew reflexively to Asher. He remained silent, but the longing in his eyes was unmistakable. He’d seen it too.
“I agree with Sean,” she said. “That area should be sort of populous. I mean, relatively.”
“Yes, with the proximity of some large cities, a large water and fish supply, and few Dead Zones, that area should have survivors,” Larry agreed. The door opened and Louis strode in, followed by Darryl Heil. “Ah,” Larry smiled, “your timing is impeccable. I was just about to have someone get you two.”
Lately Darryl had been spending more time with the colonists and was starting to figure out how to interact again. Fi suspected that Darryl was always something of a reclusive type before he’d retreated into himself, so it didn’t surprise her that his effort to rejoin the human race was a bit of a painful process. Still, he was making the effort. She smiled at him, and he ducked his head and then smiled back awkwardly.
“So you’ve decided on the next route?” Louis asked.
“Yes,” Fi said. “We’re going to Seed the Great Lakes this summer.” Her hand found Asher’s knee beneath the table and squeezed it. He gave her a half-smile. Though everyone knew that Asher’s parents were last known to be in Chicago, Fi was the only one whose mind was as fixated on it as his.
Seeds of War Page 21
