The bench beneath is more than warm, the hot summer sun having warmed it throughout the day. A day a little more than just warm, my breath is short even just from walking, regardless the fact we were both running not even five minutes ago, laughing as we went.
The sun is not as high in the sky as when we'd started our day, the breeze beginning to overtake the warm rays the enlarged sun is still basking us in. The sky is painted with crimson orange and auburn yellow. The faintest pink has begun to cover the buildings, shading the trees in a fairytale shade, life in the city going on as usual, despite this magical glow of evening. My mind giggles and settles under the emotions high and powerful from today. From walking and talking, to sitting and sharing a strange sort of delicious dessert and spilling secrets even we've never told each other, regardless of our years together, to just moments ago, running from a story after finding ourselves reckless, young, and utterly free.
I glance to the heavy, infiltrating presence beside me. The scent of his mint and cedarwood is still radiating off him, even after the whole, hot day. His eyes are watching around, as a few people walk near us. After a moment, as though he felt the weight of my eyes on him, he turns to look at me. The look in his eyes, the gleam, the mischief, the radiance of our time together today, it all has my body going cold, despite the sweat still on my neck and back. The sudden cold has me all too aware of the warmth if him and his proximity.
I smile at him.
I look away, glancing down at my lap, my hands folded together. With a mutter of sudden shyness, I say "Days like this remind me what made me so entranced with you." I sneak a peek at him, his eyes gleaming brighter, his eyelashes moving up and down as his eyes jump back and forth from my eyes, to my hair, to my lips, to my neck, and going in one big circle again.
"It does feel that everything else fades; us against the whole world." His tone is rich, pulling something from deep in me. My heart stops for one moment.
I smile softer this time, a confidence flowing through the marrow of my bones. The words hang in the air between us. "I don't think I've smiled so much in so long," I evoke. I turn to look at him fully, my hair, pulled tight in a ponytail, falling from my shoulder to slide the length of my back as I crane my neck the smallest bit to meet his eyes.
"What do you mean 'in so long'?" He questions. I smirk.
"In so long," I echo. I hold back my giggle. "Since a whole three days ago when I landed here and saw your handsome self waiting for me.
He chuckles,, a sound that makes my insides spin in adoration. I could listen to his chuckles and laughs all day. "To think we broke a record and may be banned from that store, just for this fun," he recounts.
"But it's all worth it," I decide, looking back to my lap, my feet tip-tapping the ground in a restlessness sort of action from my excitement. I let my head rest against his shoulder. "It was all worth it, to end up sitting here with you."
"I agree," he replies softly. He presses a kiss to the top of my head.
Our silence falls upon us in a light blanket, making me sigh contentedly.
"But you know," I begin. "You're going to need to slow down for my sake. I'm too short, my legs can't keep up with you."
I hear him huff lightly from his chest, most likely recalling the many times he had to stop and pull me just so I could keep up with him. Cheek still rested on his shoulder, I shift my head so I can look at him. He's looking at me with a raised eyebrow in amusement, a teasing glint in his eye. "Oh? Is that a challenge for me, then?"
I laugh, shaking my head. "No!"
He smiles, shaking his head with me. We don't break eye contact. He doesn't back down from me, his stare intense and studious. He tilts his head at me, the air around us pressing into my skin, my mind, my soul.
