“Are you ready?” he asked looking down at her.
She shook her head, “No.”
He looked away and back at the view. He breathed in deeply then moved to stand behind her. With his chest pressed against her back, he leaned into her and braced himself on the wooden rail. She rested her weight on the rail and touched his hands with hers.
The sun was setting which radiated the scene with a fairytale like air. They watched the koi swim ignorantly in their lush pond. A slight breeze blew through and rustled the tree tops knocking a few leaves from their home. They drifted down and disturbed the koi who nibbled them thinking it was food. Somewhere above birds chirped and somewhere below a frog croaked.
Hidden amongst them in a makeshift Japanese tea house, they witnessed this secret life. None bothered them. It almost seemed as if they belonged there.
He pressed his lips against the back of her head and kissed her gently. She smiled.
“It’s been awhile,” she said.
He didn’t answer at first but watched as another leaf fell through the canopy and into a rock garden not too far off.
“It has,” he agreed.
She shifted around and turned to face him. Wanting more of his attention, she nudged his chin with her nose. He looked down and she felt as if he peered into her very being seeing past everything around them.
Tilting her lips upward, she kissed his lips. He returned the act. Her eyes shut then and she was lost within his delicious coffee laced lips.
When the kiss ended, he gave her three extra delicate pecks on the lips. He knew she loved it when he did that. It had to be three, too. He didn’t know where she picked it up but he wanted her to be happy.
“Are you happy?” he asked already knowing the answer.
She kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck whispering, “Yes.”
A smile grew on her face as she said that and she sighed deeply knowing it was time anyways. He let go of the rail then and wrapped his arms around her.
She nuzzled his neck as a pair of butterflies flitted around them. They froze and watched as they circled before flying off to join the others.
Pulling away, he kissed her lips and said, “Come on.”
Sighing, she nodded her head as they turned away. He linked his arms with hers and together they followed a short trail to their backdoor.
They wiped their shoes off on a matt and stepped inside. He left her side to grab a bottle of red wine. He didn’t care for it too much but he cared about her.
He poured them both a glass as she changed and grabbed a blanket from the closet. Once he had changed into a soft pair of old sweats too, he walked into the living room where she was stacking some wood in their stone fireplace. He left their glasses on the coffee table then and went to help her start it.
Soon, the fire crackled to life and they sat back against the couch on the rug laid out. A tv sat not too far off but instead he turned on some music and they watched the colors of the sunset reflect on the walls of their home.
He leaned over and kissed her again. Instinctively, she curled up closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. She looked up into his eyes and watched as the flames danced within them. He felt her gaze and glanced down at her.
She kissed his lips once, twice, three times. But, she wasn’t done. Abandoning her glass of wine, she yearned for his touch and he was more than willing to make her happy.
© 2017 Jessica Santos
Eternally Changing 