The Explorer drifted through the blackness, its engines silent, its mission complete. Commander Elara Vance stood at the observation window, Kaelen beside her, their hands intertwined. The stars were the same—bright, endless, full of promise.
“The crew is talking about going home,” Kaelen said. “Earth. They want to see it one last time.”
Elara looked at the stars, at the vastness of space, at the life they’d chosen. “What do you want?”
He turned to face her, his hands on her shoulders. “I want whatever you want.”
She was quiet for a moment, thinking about the cottage, the garden,