He was experiencing another nightmare, panting, twisting and turning, grumbling under his breath. Fiona, eyes still shut from heavy slumber, reached over to place a hand on his arm, rubbing it in a similar fashion he had done to her a while back. He woke immediately, watching her sleeping form, wondering at and relishing in the feel of her soft hand touching his skin. She didn't know what she was doing exactly, and that's when he suddenly understood. That comfort through touch, that touch itself was instinctive, subconscious almost, primal. It was subdued all these years through the morning injections, but people could learn again. He knew that now as he watched Fiona's face glowing in the moonlight that snuck in through their window.

At first, Jonas' small acts surprised her. Like the morning she awoke and felt his arms hugging her frame as he continued sleeping. She extricated herself from his grasp carefully so as not to wake him and wondered why he had done this. She figured maybe he had another nightmare of some sort and perhaps this was his way of coping with the pain he constantly felt. So she shrugged it off.

Soon, there were more and more mornings of waking up to the feeling of his strong hands wrapped around her, his presence warm and safe, his smell musky. She tried to understand how this made her feel but all she kept coming back to was the newborns she took care of each and every day. Babies that needed care, touch, and affection in order to grow properly. But once they matured, they no longer needed these things as much. So how was Jonas capable of making her feel like a newborn craving such basic needs? She shook the thought away, deciding to attribute his strange behavior to his work as the Receiver.

There were other things he did too that she had trouble explaining. Like when she would be leaning over the sink, washing plates, and he would come up behind her to ask if she needed any help, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. Or when he helped unbutton the back of her work shirt when she would get ready for bed at night. He would move her long hair out of the way, his fingers brushing the nape of her neck as her hair fell over her shoulder, the small touch making her shiver involuntarily. There were even days when he showed up at the nursing center with a bouquet of flowers he'd picked from the gardens for her. She'd keep the flowers in a vase in her office, staring at them, growing more confused by the day. She didn't know how to respond to such actions, wasn't sure what they were supposed to mean.

They were discussing feelings over dinner one evening. Jonas always had trouble with this part of the day. Sometimes he'd decide to share his feelings with her, other times he'd opt for simply staying silent and listening to her talk. Today he shared how he got to visit Lily at her workplace and how happy it made him to reconnect with his sister. Fiona tried to smile as she thought about why Jonas would go to visit a family member. Members of their community rarely ever kept in touch with their parents or siblings once they grew up and had family units of their own.

"How was your day, dear?" He asked, using that odd and antiquated term of endearment that just added to the confusion building up inside her. She was getting a little frustrated and she didn't even know why.

"My day was..." She picked at the remainder of her food. "It was, uh, good..." She stopped herself, knowing that she was close to lying. Jonas and his strange behavior had been on her mind all day. She looked up to see him standing before her, reaching for her plate.

"Are you finished with your food? I'll take your plate." He offered with a kind smile. She nodded and handed it to him, following him to the kitchen. "What else happened today? I apologize for interrupting you." He asked, urging her to continue. She leaned against the wall with her hands crossed in front of her, watching him wash the plates and put them away.

"I accept your apology." She mumbled, lost in thought. "I'll be honest with you, Jonas. I've been feeling very... confused lately."

"How so?" He asked, drying his hands on a towel. He approached her and leaned closer, using the towel to wipe away a remainder of food from the corner of her mouth. She blinked at him, adding this to the list of his odd behavior.

"You confuse me, Jonas. You do things like that and I... I don't know how to react." He opened his mouth to respond but she put her hand up to stop him. "I know you've mentioned this is all because of your work as the new Receiver and I'm trying my best to be understanding. I just wish..." She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. She felt him take her other hand in his and opened her eyes to see him standing closer.

"Do you really want to understand me?" He asked, desperation in his eyes. She nodded at him earnestly. "I think I know of a way for you to glimpse my world." He spoke at a whisper and she wondered what he meant by "his world". Surely it couldn't be so different from her own. "Stop taking your morning injections."

She took a step back.

"What?!"

He shushed her, hoping that the cameras in their house wouldn't pick up on their conversation.

"Trust me, Fiona. If you stop taking your injections, you'll be able to feel how I feel. You'll get a glimpse of the life everyone has been robbed of."

"What are you talking about? Do you know what you're asking? I can't stop taking my injections, it's illegal. Besides, the machine would know that I've skipped."

"Use an apple, like I do. The machine can't tell the difference." He urged her.

"Jonas, I don't know. I don't want to get caught-" She stopped mid sentence as he bent down to kiss her cheek. She froze, trying to comprehend the bizarre feel of his lips on her skin. What did he just do? She had never seen anyone do something like this.

"I apologize-" He started to say when he saw how uncomfortable she was.

"What was that?" She asked softly.

"It's called a kiss." He took both her hands in his. "And I so want you to understand it like I do. If you skip your morning injections, you will."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. Jonas was worried that he'd finally taken it too far. That tomorrow she would request to be separated from him and leave for good. He worried that the Elders would be looking through the cameras and find out what he'd done, that he'd be taken away and released.

"Okay." One simple word from her mouth and his fears were momentarily silenced.

"Okay." He echoed with a grin on his face.