They walked towards the setting sun, hand in hand. One of them struggled with the drooping bushes, coating her dress with their seeds of future. The other led her on as best as he could through the thickened shrub. It was sepia everywhere, the rocks, the trees and even the soft down on her hands. He kept looking back at her to see if she felt what he was feeling, the many memories, and the many personal secrets. It looked as if she was at least trying to. The slant of her golden head, the questioning look in her mysterious eyes, and the steady pressure of her faithful hands spoke a million tongues.

The thin path, almost erased led them on, sometimes meandering, sometimes straight, led them on under overhanging branches weighted with thick thorns. The leaves caught them both as if wanting to leave their temporal stamp on their special moment together. Birds cooed distantly, the wind spoke through the gaps between their souls, and the sky embraced the land in all directions. Perhaps, she was wondering. What is this place? Where is he taking me? But before she could find her voice again, there it was, finally.

The place of his past. The place in which he shared a billion little things with people lost with the rain of time. The place which seemed to exist outside of existence. An enigma of loneliness, a symbol of solitude and a menhir of love lost and found.

The horizon stretched around them like wet linen, only spoilt in the north by the concreteness of reality. He pointed out to her the little landmarks out on the edge of vision. A quiet slowly descended on them both. The quiet of an evening putting to sleep the day’s many noisy novelties. He sat himself down into the groove, fitting him perfectly as always. She too sat down and looked into his eyes deeply as if searching for something. She was trying to find something important. She had given up a lot for this very moment. She had endured hard words, cruel taunts, and self-doubt to be there with him at that very instant. But would she find what she was looking for? It would be such a huge disappointment if she could not. She would not be able to rewrite her choices or restate her opinions. She would not be able to forgive herself or castigate his vacillation.

But his eyes spoke up. There were the answers finally, swirling in the liquid brownness of his elegant eyes. There were the symbols of trust and belief. She smiled, a smile of confirmed content, a smile of open love.

However, he still held himself distant, nervous and wary of high expectations. She tried, tried to come halfway and meet him there. He did see that but still could not make himself travel that tiny distance. Too many past hang-ups, too many high hopes. Her smile faded a little, the questions started throwing their tilted shadows again on her fragile face. But…

The final movement fell into place. Her head turned upwards and his head bent down. Their lips touched and love exchanged places.