Autumn

24: When skies brighten

Kissing Autumn was red. Her lips were stained crimson as they pressed against Theodore's jaw. She was as soft and delicate as a butterfly, but every single one of her kisses ignited a fire within his heart. When their lips met, it was dangerous and exciting. He was intoxicated by the gesture, completely drunk on her love.

"Theodore."

God he loved it when she said his name.

"Yes?" he answered, drawing her closer. 

"Picnics by the beach seem much more romantic in books and movies."

He laughed, giving Autumn one last squeeze before letting go. "Other than the cold, I'm having a good time."

Autumn's thoughts were orange. Every idea she had was wonderful, despite all the flaws. She was spontaneous and impulsive, brave and adventurous.

She had suggested they have a picnic by the beach. The weather was awful, typical for a winter afternoon. The skies were dark, monstrous clouds overhead. Autumn had cut up some oranges and the segments sat untouched in a tupperware container between them. The winds were harsh and sand blew into their food like an unwanted blessing of glitter.

"Somehow your chattering teeth has me unconvinced," Autumn said.

He clenched his jaw and gave a tight lipped smile.

"I don't deserve you," she said, smiling. "You always do things to make me happy."

Happiness with Autumn was yellow. It was bright and cheerful and beautiful and warm. He loved seeing her smile. He loved knowing it was because of him.

A drop of water splashed onto Autumn's freckled nose and she crinkled her face from the cold. She glanced up at the angry, grey clouds and spread her arms wide, welcoming to be blessed with the rain. 

Theodore wanted to shy from the wet weather, wanted to seek comfort and warmth indoors. But seeing Autumn so utterly inspired by the idea of a storm made him appreciate the beauty of something he would have considered a nuisance. She changed his perspective.

Growing with Autumn was green. It was refreshing and invigorating and uplifting. Theodore learnt how to challenge himself to be better for her every single day. 

"Let's go for a swim," she said, kicking off her shoes and running down towards the water. 

In her brisk escape, her felt hat got caught by the wind and flew away. Autumn didn't notice, she was laughing too hard, racing to get to the frothy tongue of the sea. She turned back and smiled at Theodore.

"Come with me!"

Theodore simply stood and shook his head, but he couldn't help the upwards tug of his lips. "You're insane."

"And you're too safe," she answered. "It's going to rain anyways, we're granted to get soaked. Let's make an adventure out of it."

Autumn reached out her hand, urging him to follow. Theodore wiped his hands on his jeans and looked down at the blanket they had laid out on the sand, pretending to contemplate. But in his head, he already knew he would join her. He knew the very moment she turned and smiled at him. 

He raced after her, Autumn crying out in childish delight as they dove into the water. Theodore grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her back towards him. The water was cold and it lifted to surround them, as if it were part of their game. 

A particularly large wave engulfed the couple and their laughter was silenced as they were pulled under. Theodore lost his grip and Autumn was taken out of his reach. He resurfaced a moment later, gasping for air, blinking to clear his vision, but there was still a chuckle lodged in his chest.

The laughter never left his lips though.

Losing Autumn was blue. He barely took a breath before he crashed back into the waves in search of her. Theodore suddenly understood why the colour was associated with sadness. It was all-consuming, suffocating, frightening. Everywhere he looked, it was blue, he couldn't escape. 

The sea was furious, keeping Autumn down. Or perhaps the water wasn't angry at all. Maybe it was merely mesmerised by her beauty, attempting to claim her as a creature of the ocean. 

But Theodore wouldn't let that happen. Through blurry vision, he found her, tendrils of dark hair fanned out around her face. He managed to grab hold of her before he kicked off and brought them back up.

Finding Autumn was indigo. A mixture of overwhelming emotions; fear, happiness, worry. But most of all, it was relief.

She coughed and spluttered, trying to get rid of the water that was trapped in her lungs. He was patient with her, rubbing circles into her back. And although Autumn was breathless by the end of it, she still reached up and clung to Theodore. It was raining hard at that point. He held her tightly, water dripping from his face.

He thought it was from the ocean.

It wasn't.

Theodore carried Autumn into the beat up Corolla and cranked up the heat. He switched the radio on and kissed her forehead before he ventured out into the cold again in search of their things. He managed to pack everything up, except for Autumn's hat. It belonged to the beach now.

When he returned, Autumn was no longer shivering. Theodore dropped down into the driver's seat, his clothes sticking uncomfortably to his skin as he fidgeted. The two didn't speak, but the car was filled with a million thoughts. They sat in solitude until he decided it was time to hit the road.

As soon as they were on the streets, Autumn started humming to the song on the radio. Theodore's chest tightened when he saw her smile. All the fright and anxiety he had felt earlier quickly evaporated.

Adoring Autumn was violet. She was a girl filled with passion and ambition,  mystery and magic. She was rich with emotion and perspective and life. 

Being with Autumn was red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. A rainbow.

She was both sunshine and rain, the perfect balance to make something so absolutely mesmerising.