Commonwealth: A Novel of Utopia, part 2, chapter 10
Author’s Note: This is an excerpt from my novel Commonwealth. The rest of today’s installment is free, but only on my Patreon site. If you want to read the next part today, it’s already up on Patreon as well. You can sign up for as little as $1/month, or $2 for exclusive author’s notes and behind-the-scenes material. There’s also a table of contents for all published chapters.
A hand on Rae’s shoulder, shaking her awake. A familiar voice.
But she was so tired, the bed was comfortable, and sleep felt so pleasant. Willing the disturbance to go away, she rolled over and closed her eyes.
A second shake, more vigorous. She stirred.
“Rae? You should wake up.”
She opened her eyes reluctantly, squinting in the dim light. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, until she recognized the face hovering over her.
That’s right. Will’s bedroom.
“Mmm… What time is it?”
“After midnight,” he said.
Then memory slammed into her. In an instant, she was wide awake, sitting up and clutching the sheet to her chest. The lights were turned down low, and it was dark outside.
“I let you sleep as long as I could,” Will explained. “You needed it. Butโ”
“But it’s after midnight,” she completed the thought. “Which means the voting is over.”
Will was sitting next to her on the bed. He had gotten dressed, but it didn’t conceal the tension in his frame. He was in the grip of some powerful emotion.
“That’s right,” he said solemnly.