forgive me

for wanting

to dive

into you,

swimming in

your veins,

cupping your heart,

and basking in

the warmth of your

soul.

forgive me for

wishing upon

the stars in

your galaxy,

wishing for the impossible

yet, always wishing.

forgive me for

strumming the

strings of your

heart with my

calloused yet

gentle fingertips,

i love

the music that

emanates from your

core.

forgive me

for causing

you to fall into the

earth

creating the most beautiful

scar the world has ever seen.

-forgive me.

Farith walked over to the window, gently grasping Hannah’s wrist and pulling her along. He pointed outside, and Hannah saw that a nice soft snow had begun to fall outside her house.

“What is that strange substance falling towards the ground?” Farith asked. “Are we under attack? Is this a new weapon devised by the viraks?”

Hannah laughed. “No, it’s called snow. It’s basically frozen rain.”

“Suh-no,” Farith attempted to pronounce the human word, making Hannah chuckle again. “Snow.”

“That’s right,” Hannah nodded with a smile.

“It’s very beautiful.”

“But a pain to drive in,” Hannah shuddered as she recalled her harrowing adventure with the snow buggy.

Farith pressed his hand against the window. “How often does this phenomenon occur?”

“Depends on what part of the planet you live on. Some countries never get snow, other parts always have snow, and other parts have an in-between mix.”

“And which category does Opal fall into?”

“Well, since we are located in the Midwest, we alternate between three seasons: blazing heat, frigid cold, and construction.”

“Well then,” Farith said, letting go of Hannah’s hand and striding over to the front door, “if it is so cold outside...” he opened the door and walked out into the flurry, wearing nothing but his sweat pants and short-sleeved T-shirt. “Then I wonder how long I need to be out here before I die.”

“Farith!” Hannah groaned as she ran to the doorframe. “Get back in here! You’ll freeze!”

The esmera only chuckled, and with a wicked grin on his face, beckoned to Hannah.

“Then you must come and keep me warm, my Green Onyx Enfulzi.”

“I promised your father I would protect you from the viraks, not your own stupidity!” Hannah yelled.

Farith pouted. “So you’ll let me sit out here in the cold, all alone, on a strange planet where I don’t know anyone?”

Hannah rolled her eyes as she pulled on a pair of boots and tromped out into the street. “We’re too old for this, Farith. We’re adults now. You’re acting like a petulant child.”

“A child with a very beautiful babysitter.”

Hannah’s face flushed at the sudden compliment as she came to a stop in front of the esmera prince.

“Alright, I’m here. Now can we go inside before we freeze?”

Farith leaned forward and planted a kiss on Hannah’s cheek, which elicited a squeak of surprise from her. He then gently wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace.

“We won’t freeze if we stay like this,” he said.

Hannah was too shocked by the sudden proximity of Farith’s person to her own to argue the issue further.

And so they stood out there, in the middle of Harbinger Lane, holding each other and watching the snow peacefully dance around them, until Hannah caught Tracy filming them from the living room window and ran in to stop her from uploading it to her YouTube channel, yelling all the while that “He’s not my boyfriend! He’s just too stupid to put on a coat or come inside and I promised his dad I’d keep him alive!”

The wind is howling, and whipping up the fabric awning of the terrace.

We can see the sea from our humble abode. It's crashing up against the rocks, the spray flung up higher than the surrounding buildings. We watch in awe, as it begins to rain.

The raw, cold gusts hit my cheeks as we stand, huddled together. It's time to batton down the hatches. We go inside, locking doors and closing shutters. They rattle softly against the windows. Spanish houses were not build for these weathers, but we're well accustomed to these bad climates. A pile of fresh smelling logs sits beside the fire place.

We perch on the floor, and begin assembling a base.

It's such a beautiful moment, a static excitment in my stomach, filled with warmth and love. We light the fire, and gather the appropriate chairs.

Nustled up as close as we can get to the fire, and eachother.

It's catching alight, the pine smoke pluming up the chimney. It smells delightful, wafting up my nostrils. I can feel the heat expanding, and radiating towards us.

I'm so relaxed and at peace with the raging world.

It's just us, and the fire. Closed in for the night, ready to begin again tomorrow.

For now, we will relish in these cosy comforts, and our shared love.

We gingerly chat, appreciating our peace and these soft moments.

The fire flicks, and spits. It crackles, and pops. Something that cannot be tamed, but here we sit with our very own stack of rebelious burning blaze. It fills me with hope, knowing we can face anything, together.

Together we grow and heal through our past wounds.

This connection is so special to me.

There's something magic here. Something so special, I can't quite put my finger on it.

I just know, that I'm where I'm supposed to be.

I'm consumed, head-over-heels in love. It's more than love, it's life.

It's a connection. A connection to this beautiful soul, who understands, who cherishes.

Who lets me be the most me I can be, and I for him.

We stack the fire high, as high as our tender devotions, as high as our minds will allow.

We just sit, in a mutual silence now. Comfortably quiet, just enjoying the warmth of the fire, filling our hearts with as much of these enchanting moments as we can hold.

When the fire dies down, we're left with the burning embers of eachother.

Ready to sleep. Ready to live. Ready to love.

Blissfully happy.

White clouds bathing in a murky pond

As swirls of steam billow around them.

So full with nowhere to go,

The warm current spins them in circles

As it warms their gooey center.

The bitter sting of steam burns quivering lips

After a hard day of being out in the winter

And the mind retreats into the cup

As the eyes watch the ravishing of the planet

While waiting for the net episode to load.