A little snippet of writing from today. New start to a story that never quite worked before, but I am hopeful that my brilliant new approach (it’s going to be an interstitial, tying together several other stories) will snap it into focus. Fingers crossed. It’s still pretty rough and first draft-y, but I think it’s starting in the right place now, which is something.
*****
Amara rolled over from her side to her back, trying to find a more comfortable position; it had gotten difficult recently. She desperately missed sleeping on her stomach; that was going to be the first thing she did when the baby was born. She had a long list of first things she was going to do when the baby was born…
“Everything all right, kunju?” The sun was just barely coming up; by its faint light, Amara could see that Narita’s eyes were still closed, but her partner reached out a sleepy hand to rest on Amara’s bare belly, rubbing reassurance.
“Fine, fine,” Amara said. “Sorry to disturb you.” Narita had been working long shifts in the hospital over the last several months, with so many of the non-human medical personnel leaving the planet. Amara felt guilty stealing any of Narita’s precious sleep.
Narita asked, “Do you need anything? I can get you some water…”
So I have to pee again in half an hour? She didn’t need to say that part out loud. Narita probably had some mod that meant she never had to get out of bed to pee. “No, thanks; I’m fine.”
In retrospect, Amara wished she’d taken more advantage of the opportunity to send Narita out in the middle of the night to find her bizarre foods, claiming cravings. It would have been funny. But the truth was that all she’d craved had been fresh fruit, and Narita’s parents had provided as much as she could eat from their orchards. A benefit of marrying rich that Amara hadn’t anticipated – not that she’d actually gotten married. “Go back to sleep. I plan to.”
Narita murmured agreement, but she didn’t remove her hand; instead, she slid closer, snuggling her long, lean body against Amara’s curves. Not so conducive to sleep, but still, nice. It was hard to be too tense with Narita’s body warm against her side, Narita’s fingers tracing slow, lazy circles on her belly. Desire stirred, and Amara stretched her right arm out, sliding it under Narita’s neck, pulling her just a little closer. Her partner’s hair smelled like the bubble bath from last night: vanilla, rose, and cardamom. Entirely edible.
*****