A familiar jazzy tune comes on the speakers and envelops the log cabin. He swallowed the aphrodisiac and looked at her. She absorbed the gaze, and that gaze perpetuated her entire existence. The moment was just right.
Girl, you could have anyone, so why’d you choose me?
The lyrics shook the boy to the core. In this moment, in a world surrounded by six billion strangers, it was just two of them right there and then. The entire universe outside of the cabin could disappear into a void and they wouldn’t notice. Or care. Because isn’t the point of love having someone who could replace that universe, and more? A hundred lifetimes wouldn’t be enough to explore this vast planet, but one was enough to explore each other to the depths of their souls.
The boy stood up from the couch and stepped towards her. Tentative, but confident. Soft, but defined. Paradoxical, but the truth. Then one more step. And another, until his gaze could focus just on her face, two piercing eyes, blushed cheeks and lips that glistened like the chandelier above. The air became heavier as he reached his hand out towards her. He exhaled, a puff of cold breath meeting the burning furnace in his foresight. Then he smiled. She smiled back. She grabbed his hand and they embraced. Just as the melody cascaded into their ears, the two were in perfect harmony.
I want to take you to paradise.
But this was paradise — or perhaps something greater. Paradise is a place where only happiness exists, because there is an absence of darkness. In the cabin, there was both. The happiness extended infinitely beyond their embrace, against the backdrop of a snowy night only lit by the disappearing sun. Light against darkness, and darkness against warmth. So maybe there was a place that transcends the heavens, after all.
You can keep me warm on a cold, cold night…
The night is cold, but the ember of love is forever warm.
