Just a Moment

It had been almost a month since they broke up.

He said they shouldn't see each other for a while, because things might be awkward. So they didn't. And she waited. She waited, knowing that nothing would come of her waiting, and that he was gone for good this time. He had said so, after all. He had also said that they would be friends still, just as always, just as before. She knew that a friendship was all she could hope for, that the relationship was really over this time. She had tried to comfort herself with the thought that they'd still be friends, but more often than not that seemed like a feeble consolation for what had been lost. She often wondered why things had to be the way they were, why everything had to interfere. Why the world had to be the way it was, and why they weren't strong enough to overcome everything. Sometimes she even wondered if she had meant anything to him in the first place. But at any rate, there was nothing she could do about it, so she figured she might as well just accept it.

She just figured she'd let him sort things out in his own mind, and take a while to get over him. She had been going about her daily life, as usual, but with a sort of stiffness. She was numb; tired of feeling the pain of being alone, and so she had shut herself off from the world, from her pain, from him, and even from herself -- And she seemed okay. She looked okay. She felt...

It had been a while.

He called her that night, and told her that he'd be in town for a few hours, in case she wanted to hang out. She did, of course, though she tried not to sound so eager when she said so. As she got ready to go, she talked herself through the situation at hand. "Don't screw this up, this can't be weird, I can't let things get weird between us." Right before she left, she gave herself a last once-over in the mirror like she always did before she went out, just to make sure that she looked all right. She paused for a moment, then put on a few extra swipes of mascara, and a touch of perfume.

Right when she stepped into the car, she stole a quick glance over at him, then quickly averted her eyes, because after all, friends don't stare at each other. They greeted each other casually, and decided to go to an office park where they used to sit and talk during the summer. When they left, he had turned on the radio so as to fill the awkward silence. After a few minutes though, they began talking, and before long, they shut off the music entirely and their jokes and laughter took its place. They had both forgotten to act casual around the other one, and each were comfortable doing whatever they felt like, just like they always had been.

They got out of the car, still laughing at the last joke, and started walking through the empty parking lot. Suddenly, he bolted off a few feet. She stood there in the moonlight, her dazzling eyes beaming in his direction. She giggled and waited to see what he had found. He returned a moment later with a long stick. They laughed at his fascination with this stick, until she found a small squash on the ground. "DUDE!" She pitched the squash to him, and he smacked it square on with the stick. The squash smashed, and squash goo flew everywhere, splattering a little on both of them. He reached down and scooped up a handful of squash goo from the ground and flung it at her. She shrieked with laughter and started running across the parking lot, with him chasing after her. She was laughing so hard that he easily caught up with her, and grabbed her around the waist, causing her to jerk to a stop and laugh even harder. They caught their breaths walking back to the car, still giggling occasionally. He offered her some juice. She took a few sips, then realized how thirsty she was and began to drink it faster. Once she put the drink down, she realized that he had been looking at her, and their eyes locked for a brief second. He bent down and gave her a hug, then looked at her for just a second longer -- then they both recovered their masks of nonchalance, and headed to a path that led to a nearby lake.

At the beginning of the path, he grabbed her hand. They walked together swinging hands and chatting gleefully like two little kids, up the path to a large mound of earth that overlooked the whole lake. On top of the mound there was a fence, and beyond that there was the calmly shimmering lake which reflected the clear, dark purple sky, and the thousands of tiny stars that shined in the distance. She ran ahead, standing up on the bottom railing of the fence, looking out over the lake. He stopped behind her, and watched her small, delicate figure glide through the darkness ahead of him. He then approached her slowly, watching her hair flow gently in the quiet breeze. As she stared over the water in amazement at its beauty, she felt his hands slowly slip around her waist.

She was neither surprised, nor confused, or even hesitant. She simply closed her eyes and let the breezes caress her skin, and felt his soft lips press themselves against her neck. He held her there for a few minutes, and they stood in silence, relishing in each other's presence. For once, it didn't matter what had happened in the past, or what would happen in the future. All they knew was this moment, and the two of them there together.

He took her by the hand, and lead her to a bench, where they sat and gazed at the brilliant stars that persisted through the darkness. He put his arm around her, and again, they sat together in silence, savoring the moment, and for the first time truly accepting it for what it was. Just a moment, nothing more, and nothing less.

Eventually a certain longing took root in both of them, and they could both feel it grow. They felt its presence building until, at that last endless second, their lips met, softly locking together. He took her in his arms, and he gently stroked her face with one hand. Her arms wrapped around him, and the entire rest of the world disappeared. There was no longer distance, or parents, or age, or time, or other people, or anything. None of that existed. All that mattered was that they were there together. They stood back up, and were immediately absorbed into each other again with another kiss. As their lips peeled softly apart again, their eyes met with understanding, longing, and regret. There was no need for words, for their eyes showed all the complexities of their thoughts, amassed into one glance. All they wanted was to be there in that moment in each other's arms. For these two, right then and there, the world was right. Yet, at the back of their minds, each one wondered what was to become of them. They wondered if there could possibly be any hope for them, any room for their relationship in this crowded place that we call life.

During the last few minutes they had left together, they stood in each other's arms. She buried her face in his chest, wishing she could just melt into him. His head rested on hers, and he ran his fingers through her hair, embellishing every strand of her angelic existence.

It was with great reluctance that they retreated from this momentary paradise. Hand in hand, they could be seen under the moonlight, slowly trudging towards their greatest adversaries, the very things that had pulled them away from each other in the first place -- their lives.