Seven years ago as the economy collapsed amidst ever more serious climate disasters, Ethan Casey went into a billionaire’s survival bunker in the wilds of Alberta. Now suspecting his boss is not telling the bunker’s staff the truth, Ethan sneaks out to learn if the world is really in chaos. He meets forest ranger Jules Martell, who tells him the world is changed but is rebuilding, and that he and everyone in the bunker would be welcome in the nearby town of Goose Lodge.
Ethan returns to the bunker to tell the others the truth, prompting many of them to leave with him. Ethan had to go back to bring the others out, but he had to return to Goose Lodge to find Jules again. This time, he knows he will never return to that hole in the ground. Jules becomes Ethan’s guide to the town, and the way they live there, introducing him to strange ideas Ethan must learn to embrace. As they grow closer Ethan also becomes a forest ranger, and he and Jules act as liaisons to the bunker, tasked with persuading the last holdouts to leave. Soon only Ethan’s old boss, Sinclair, remains stubbornly locked in, with a vault of gold and gems, and dwindling food supplies.
Spending time alone in the forest with Jules feels like all Ethan needs to make him happy. But the forest holds secrets and sadness for Jules, and the town is not the perfect utopia Ethan thought at first. And Sinclair, alone in the bunker, is growing ever more afraid and bitter, and determined to ruin the happiness Ethan has found with Jules.
By the time Jules dug out a spare blanket for the futon, and added a couple of cushions to use as a pillow, the shower had stopped running. He turned when the door to the bathroom opened. Ethan appeared wearing only a towel around his waist, water beaded on his bare skin. His broad chest and big shoulders and arms were pale, but as fine as Jules had been assuming.
“Ah, sorry,” Ethan said, “I should have taken my pack in there with me.”
Wordlessly, not trusting his voice, Jules found the pack by the side of the bed, and handed it over. Ethan said thanks and retreated back to the bathroom.
Well damn, it was hot in here. Jules was starting to wish he’d allowed Dr. Wapusk to find somewhere else to put Ethan up. And this futon with highly inadequate bedding was absolutely not good enough for a guest. He should probably sleep on that himself and let Ethan have the bed. Ethan in his bed ...
He busied himself finding his pajamas -- he usually slept naked in the summer. The pajamas were for when he went to visit the family. But he couldn’t sleep naked with a guest. Unless the guest ... And stop that. He had to totally derail that whole train of thought. Even if Ethan was receptive, it wasn’t appropriate. The guy was in a vulnerable position. He had a lot to decide, and should have a clear head for doing it. He didn’t want Ethan to think later that Jules was trying to seduce him into coming back to town. All he could offer Ethan right now was a welcome. If he did come back, well then, they would see what happened then.
So when Ethan emerged from the bathroom in shorts and a T-shirt, Jules ducked in there to take a shower himself and didn’t mind that there wasn’t much hot water left, because a cold shower was what he needed right now. By the time he emerged, Ethan was on the futon, putting his discarded clothes in his pack.
“You can take the bed, if you want,” Jules said, going on quickly to avoid confusion. “I don’t mind the futon.”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m not used to having guests.” At least not ones that slept on the futon rather than sharing the bed.
“I was in the military. Believe me, this is luxury in comparison to some places I’ve slept.”
“Right.” He climbed on the bed. He’d probably have to sleep with no cover to avoid boiling, wearing those damn pajamas. “Can you lean over there and crack the window a bit? We’ll be grateful for the breeze, believe me.”
“Is that safe? Couldn’t someone break in?”
“We don’t have a lot of crime. And anyway, they’d have to step on your face to climb in. I don't know how heavy you sleep, but I’m guessing it's not that heavy.”
He rubbed a towel over the ends of his hair that had gotten damp from the shower, then quickly put it in a chunky braid. He’d wake up with a frightful bed head in the morning otherwise, and he’d prefer to avoid that with Ethan here. He tried not to stare at Ethan’s butt, when Ethan knelt on the futon and pushed up the window. Still, when a man had put so much work into his glutes was it impolite not to notice? He turned away quickly, grabbing a hair tie from beside the bed and finishing the braid, when Ethan turned back and lay down again.
“Are you ready for the light off?” Jules asked.
“Yeah.”
Jules turned it off, but in a few minutes his eyes adjusted. It wasn’t yet fully dark outside yet, so he could still see around the room, everything in shades of silvery gray.
“This is my first night outside the bunker in seven years,” Ethan said quietly. “Will there ... will there be a moon?”
“What? Oh, yeah, I don’t think it will rise until after midnight tonight though. It will still be out in the morning.”
“Okay.”
“You haven’t seen the moon in seven years?”
“Only through glass.”
He couldn’t imagine what he could say to that. After a while he couldn’t hear Ethan moving around much anymore. His breathing was getting slower.
“I’ll show you the moon,” he said softly, only a whisper. He didn’t think Ethan heard him.
