“Home” 2024 Fictional Flashbacks! Shortlist

If she closes her eyes she can shut out the distance so when the wheels hit the driveway she can pretend home is just around the corner. Then she can try to love him again despite being here, in Augusta, where she said she’d never live.
He brings her tea as the day ends, her hands still grubby from planting. The twin aches of loss and new beginnings collide in a sigh. He squeezes her hand.
‘When will those be out, then, by spring?’
Her toes touch the fresh earth over the bulbs she brought from home.
‘Yeah. By spring.’