Anyone could have predicted that under those shirts and jeans, Luke's going to look pretty good. He does every odd job the Alexandrians ask of him, and plenty of those involve hard work outdoors. But God, she didn't expect him to be this handsome. He's strong without being musclebound, he's not too hairy (because ew, too much chest hair), and really, it's just all of him when you get down to it. She's willing to be there's not an inch of him that isn't attractive.

And he was just looking at her like she's more than just skin and bone and sinew (and scrawny skin and bone, at that--she doesn't have any delusions of curviness at this point). Like they've both survived for years just to get to this point. At this moment, watching the light hit Luke's skin, it feels like nearly everything was worth it, if it got them to this point.

(Nearly. But everything that doesn't qualify doesn't need to be dredged up again.)

Beth takes his hand, looking up from his breastbone into his bright blue eyes once more, and leans in for a kiss. A soft one, as tentative as everything else has been since things got weird. But there nonetheless, as there as her hand on his bare chest, right over his heart.