Star-crossed lovers

On this early spring day, Otho was adjusting his white toga with some fibulae. He was all dressed
up and almost ready to go. From a distance, he could hear the noise created by the life of the city.
He was very excited, because Lysander had promised to meet him at the river when the sun would
be the highest up in the sky.

Leaving his house, he followed the path that would lead him to his destination. As he was crossing
the main street to reach a narrow lane, he realised how much he loved this lively town. The soft
scent emanating from the bakery was stimulating his keen sense of smell, and the cobbler who was
humming a sweet melody as he was using his tools to craft a shoe almost made him want to join the
worker in his job. Otho had no doubt he was going to spend a very good day, and on his way he
picked up a rose from a shrub in order to please his significant other.
A gentle breeze caused the bottom of his toga to slightly whip up, although it wasn't strong enough
to make him feel cold. He raised his head to see the position of the ball of fire in the sky, that way
he knew he wasn't late. He had the impression that a shaft of sunlight was pointing out the place he
would finally meet Lysander. He stepped up the pace, eager to reunite with him.

The river was a hard spot to get to, therefore it was not very popular among the people of the
metropolis. It was situated on the western border of the city, at the foot of a rather steep hill, making
it accessible only for the very good walkers. For Otho, it was a haven of peace free of any human
activity and flowing amidst a spectacular landscape, therefore he went there everytime he was
looking for a place to escape the bustle of urban life.

The two lovers had met there about a year before, on a mild summer night. Otho's mind had been
too busy for him to get some sleep, so he had decided to go to his favourite place to benefit from the
peacefulness of sleeping nature and from the subdued light of the star-filled night sky. But he had
come upon someone who had been calmly swimming in the deep water. It was Lysander, who had
found himself in the same situation as Otho and had decided to take a midnight bath. It was love at
first sight. And since then, they had never left each other.

When Otho arrived to the intended location, he got this feeling of déjà vu, as Lysander was already
there. But this time he was only sitting beside the river, dipping his feet into the water, quietly
admiring the beauty of the nature that surrounded him: The brilliant reflection of the sun rays on the
surface of the stream; the few butterflies taking a break from flying, light enough to land on grass
stalks without even making them falter. He was wearing a white linen toga with a floral embroidery
of the same colour on it, emphasizing his fair complexion and his rosy cheeks. The wind was
caressingly stroking through his hair and he seemed at peace, away from any care in the world.

He hadn't seen him yet, and Otho could have stayed there for a century without even blinking an
eye, cloaked in the shadows of the trees in silence, contemplating the astonishingly pretty view that
was leaving him speechless.

Yet he had to make himself known, because he didn't want to let his lover wait for him any longer.
As soon as he left his state of awe and amazement, he attracted Lysander's attention by stepping
forward noisily. The one who had arrived first immediately turned around. They both had the
biggest smile on their faces, glad to meet again, since they had not seen each other for two entire
weeks. Otho gave him the immaculate creation of the goddess Flora he had picked up on the road,
and he could see his sweetheart's eyes light up at the sight of this flower, synonymous of passion
and devotion. Lysander had deep blue eyes, reminding Otho about the colour of the sky on nights
when the moon was full and all the stars were just as visible. Both hearts were warmed up. It was
only the two of them inside their own bubble, in a place akin to the Garden of Eden that made them
feel as if they were the only ones to exist. They both wanted this moment to last forever.