Divine Affinity

11

The night sky was a beautiful art, alive with raw energy. Stars adorned the sky like little sparkling silver dots that promised life in the darkness. The moon, large and round above the sea, lighted a way to heaven because even if the night commanded the stage, the moonlight beamed a silver avenue over the water. The ocean breeze came upon them as a sweet and salty essence. A cool air whipped over the waves and it howled in a low whistle. The sand felt a little cold under their feet. Their hairs waving softly as the breeze caressed them, mimicking the waves in the ocean. The bonfire lit up the night even more, warming their hands and faces as they sat around it. A frisson of pure joy as they gathered around those flames. The flames lipped with the joy of an eternal dancer, sparks pirouetting, giving it all on that sole performance. The wood crackled every time a new stick was thrown into it. The group was sitting around the fire talking and singing and laughing. Eddie was missing someone by his side though. Eiry was by the shore, detached from the rest of the group. She had been with them for a while. She had a beer and smoked a joint that was passed around, but when he started being questioned about Seattle it became heavy for her. He noticed how she tried to hold on and then she gave up, getting up and walking down to the shore to be on her own. While the others talked amusingly, Eddie watched his girlfriend. Her jeans rolled up her legs as her feet got caressed by the tiny waves that disassembled by the shore. Her black cardigan wrapped tight around her, sheltering her from the humidity that came from the sea that late at night.

"I think you need to talk to her." A voice made him startle even making him shudder lightly. Eddie turned his face to find Rae sitting by his side.

"Do you know anything, Rae?" Eddie blew some smoke of his cigarette away and looked in her eyes. "Anything... I don't know... Did something happened while I was gone?"

"She didn't tell you anything?" Rae curled an eyebrow. She knew Eiry would talk about everything with him. Eddie shrugged though.

"She did..." He took another drag on his smoke, making a pause to blow the smoke away. "...but I don't think she said everything. She is..." He looked down at the shore again.

He knew her eyes were set on the white foam of the waves as she tried to listen to the ocean's song only. Her hair waved as the soft breeze infiltrated under it. A black beanie on her head. Not that it was that cold, but she thought it looked cool and so did he. He adored her style.

"... distant." He whispered, looking back at Rae. "I feel her distant. Like she is avoiding something."

"She didn't tell me anything." Rae rested a hand on his shoulder and then rubbed it. "I don't think she told me more than she told you, I mean."

"Did she tell you how she felt about Seattle?" Eddie insisted. "Because it's about that. It's about moving."

"She told me she liked the city and the people she met." Then, she shrugged. "That's all she told me. "She's a bit afraid, but I think that's normal when you are about to change your entire life." Eddie took a deep breath and buried the butt of his cigarette in the sand, then threw it in the beach ashtray.

"That's what she told me." He then nodded.

"Maybe you should try to talk to her again." Rae shot him a smile. "You know she won't say more to any of us than she'll say to you." Eddie smiled too.

"That's not true. You're her person. When I met her, she already had you and I know how much she trusts you."

"Eddie..." Rae looked into his eyes. "You are her person. Ever since she met you. Ever since you two became a couple that you are her person. Don't doubt that."

"I know..." He nodded. "...but you are too." Then, he looked down at Eiry who was still in the same position. "I'm gonna go down there." He crossed his legs and pulled his body up, dusting his shorts after.