Love, and Other Destinations

the beginning of infinity

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That's the thing about the city I fell in love with. 

With its melancholic star-studded sky, imperfect strangers rushing by with dreams of touching the horizon, and flickering neon lights illuminating the bustling streets. It was home, and yet home became less about four walls and a roof and more about a person. Home was the beautiful woman with the afro, a smile touching her maroon painted lips as she swept through the crowd, photographing Times Square. It was the man hurrying to catch the train at 6:04 PM, his one hand grasping a briefcase while the other hosted a half-eaten toasted bagel. It was the small girl with her dusky blonde hair falling out of pigtails, her strawberry ice cream cone dripping down her arm as she looked at the unexplored world above her with wonder. It was the man playing the guitar, rose-colored cheeks and dimpled smile breaking out as a passerby dropped a few pressed dollar bills into the hat by his beat up Converse sneakers. These strangers were blissfully unaware that the stars were aligning so that they could become a part of someone else's life, even if it was for one moment gone in the blink of an eye. 

In this city, destiny crossed the paths of two lost souls, intertwining them into one. The story of us, which in reality was a part of something bigger. It started with splashes of color. Blue like ocean waves nipping at sand, red like burning flames of fiery passion, yellow like the glowing sunshine shining down on blossoming sunflowers, brown like the soil we were built from, green like the roots we've never truly let go because they are our identity, our blood. All of the colors spilling together into a rainbow, a mosaic of broken pieces and hopeful eternity.

Street Art. That's what it was called. I never imagined street art to be so raw, so vulnerable. It was when I met you. You didn't notice me, at first. You were too busy spritzing the most magnificent of purples on the wall. I was on my way to the airport but I stopped, intrigued by the paint splatters on your t-shirt and determination in your eyes.

"What's this painting called?" I asked. 

You turned, observing me curiously. "Infinity," You said after a beat. 

"Why infinity?" 

"We won't be here always, but this? This artwork will. For generations to come, for all of the artists and dreamers. When I let my light shine onto this wall, it transforms into forever." You paused, smiling. It was one of the most beautiful smiles I've ever seen. "Love's infinity, after all."

Your words were all I could think about on my flight back as I watched the sun-kissed horizons and ethereal floating clouds. And just like that, I realized what love was. A beautiful mess of colors, a work in progress. 

And you - you were everything this beautiful city embodied. You were home. 

But mostly? You were infinity.