Ally and Joshua lay facing each other in their bed, the doona covering their bodies, their clothes strewn throughout the apartment from the door to the bedroom. Though there wasn’t a lot of space between them, their outer arms met in the middle, their fingers entwined, lightly moving. The atmosphere was soft and intimate only minutes after their passion was satiated.

“Are you alright?” Joshua asked softly.

Ally nodded, her lips unable to do anything but smile. “I feel as though I’ve come home.”

“I feel the same way.”

She looked at their fingers and the way they linked together. “How long have you wanted this?”

He sighed. “About six months after I met you.”

“Did I do something amazing or dazzle you in some way?” She laughed at herself.

“Yes,” she frowned and he chuckled, “perhaps not to the world…but I was…captivated.”

“What was it?”

“You know the bodega? It has that stand out the front with seasonal specials?” She nodded. Joshua rolled onto his back and gazed upwards. “I was buying food and I came out to see you looking at the stand. I recognised you from the gym. You were talking.”

“Not to myself…not in public.” Ally groaned.

“No, to the plants.”

“Plants?”

He turned his head and gazed at her. “You were talking to the plants, trying to pick one.” Ally’s spine trembled as he turned back to the ceiling. “You know most people buy a healthy looking plant, thinking it’s got a better chance of surviving. But not you. You picked the weediest, saddest little plant…and you told it you were going to take it home and give it a reason to live.” He shook his head. “Your kindness blew me away. I worked out which plant it was and made sure to remind you about it when you were fighting with depression.”

“You have no idea…” He twisted, concerned as tears trickle down her cheeks. “That plant? The Zanzibar Gem?” He nodded. Ally licked her lips. “It’s the reason I’m not dead.”

“I don’t…”

“I was on my balcony, ready to jump and I thought…I can’t leave my plant inside to die. I promised I’d look after it. You reminded me to let it drink the rainwater.”

Joshua’s hand shook as he pressed his fingers to his forehead. “That’s why you went back inside. When you did I ran. I don’t even remember running or what passed me. One moment I was on my balcony, the next I was in your apartment, seeing you standing on the railing, your arms open wide…”

“In time to pull me from the edge.” Ally took his hand and kissed his fingers.

“It saved your life.”

“No, you saved my life.” She insisted then craned her neck to look at the balcony. “It’s happier out there with your plants. Happier than it ever was alone.”

His arm scooped around her and drew her to his chest. “Where we’re meant to be.” He whispered, his voice taking on a deep, heady burr and Ally nuzzled in close, deeply content.

Moving into Joshua’s apartment took almost no effort. There were very few items she wanted to bring other than personal things like the pictures of her parents, her clothes and some memories of her childhood. The rest of it she didn’t want to bring.

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“It’s all grey on grey,” she insisted when Joshua questioned her frugality, “I love your colour and I’m happy to add to it. I don’t want these old memories. Just the good ones.”

Without the rent of her apartment making a dent in her savings, Ally had a reasonable yet diminishing bank balance to live on.

“Sooner or later, I need to get a job.” She said before licking the spoon Joshua offered her. “That’s good.”

He went back to stirring the pot on the stove. “No rush. Take the time to figure out what you want before you leap into any major changes. I can look after us for a bit.”

“Helps when you work for the building’s gym so they give you a rental discount.”

“True that.” He glanced over his shoulder. “How’s Horizon Nemesis going?”

“Getting there,” Ally tapped the tablet, “but again, no rush.”

Joshua tapped the spoon free of the excess sauce and put the lid on, turning it down. “Leave it to simmer and it’ll be ready in an hour,” he leaned over the counter and kissed Ally as her head came up, “hrm…what could we do in the space of an hour?”

She giggled, allowing his strong arms to wrap around her, lifting her up and carrying her to the bedroom.

It was tangible yet unquantifiable.

It was real yet ethereal.

It was safe yet vulnerable.

And as messages popped up from Hannah and Adam as they travelled Europe on their honeymoon and sent pics through, Ally felt as though she was experiencing the same thing.

Only they didn’t need Europe to entertain themselves.

Everything in the city seemed touched by their amour.

Nowhere they went together was not somehow made romantic and beautiful.

Joys were shared and sorrows were carried together.

A month after Ally had moved in officially she looked up from her laptop where she had been writing, sitting on the bed.

“Done.” She declared and Joshua looked at her, working through a series of stretches.

“Done as in…” He breathed in and out and Ally blushed at his bare torso.

“I’ve finished the Aloy story arc.”

Joshua turned around to face her, standing to finish his breathing exercises.

“Does it have a happy ending…or am I going to have to read it to find out?”

“The problem with reading what I’ve written is that it doesn’t go into detail about the first two games. It kind of recaps them but…” Ally closed her laptop and pulled a face. “It was hard enough learning how to capture Karl’s artistic skill in words.”

“Hrm,” Joshua brought his legs in together and let his shoulders drop, “so I need to play the games? I’ll have to buy them…and a console…”

“And a TV.” Ally laughed. “I’ll recap it as thoroughly as I can.”

Joshua fell forward and landed on the bed, Ally bouncing up and down as he rolled onto his side and looked up at her.

“Just tell me one thing. Is Aloy…happy?”

Ally leaned down to his level and kissed him. “Sublimely…though not in the way she ever thought she would be.”

Joshua kissed her back. “I am intrigued…”

A few weeks later Ally juggled two bags of shopping from the bodega up to the apartment and put them on the counter. She took everything out and laid them in order.

“I am going to do this.” She vowed. “Joshua does so much of the cooking. My skills are basic at best but I’m going to do this. Fresh ingredients, simple to prepare yet delicious. That’s the byline for this. Let’s see if it’s right.”

She began by chopping all the ingredients and preparing everything in advance so that when she started cooking, there would be no panic about something not being ready to go.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, expecting a call from Hannah. She and Adam were due to come home any day.

“Hello honeymooners.” She greeted then blushed. “Oh…sorry. I thought you were someone…Uh…you’re calling from where? I see…”

When Joshua came home, he found Ally curled up in the recliner, staring at the phone on the counter.

“Hey gorgeous, looks like you bought half the bodega…Ally?” He immediately sat on the coffee table and leaned towards her. “What’s wrong?”

She felt small and weak. “I got a call…from Commando.” Joshua jolted. “I didn’t recognise the voice but I’m to go in to talk to the CEO tomorrow morning.”

“They can’t tell you what to do. You don’t work for them anymore.” Joshua said strongly then softened. “It’s going to nag at you, isn’t it…if you don’t go in?” Ally worried her bottom lip and nodded. “I’ll get someone to cover my shift and come with you,” he faltered, “if you want me to.”

“I do,” she whispered, “I wish I was more like Aloy, I really do. I want to be bold and fearless and not put up with crap…and maybe I should…”

“Ally,” Joshua caught her eye, “I’ve come home to see the last three months of confidence you’ve built up become unstable. No one, not even Aloy, should face that alone. We’ll go and listen to what they have to say. I won’t butt in unless I feel like you’re being belittled.” He cupped her face. “You’re not alone, do you hear me? I love you. I won’t ever leave you.”

Ally gave a little gasp and threw her arms around him, holding him tight. Joshua let her hang on for as long as she needed.

“We’re not going to let them steal our joy,” he murmured, “now, what amazing meal were you cooking up?”