A Love Drowned in Time

FALLING INTO FOREVER

At first, Jake met Sarah on the cloudy day when the sun was obscured by the clouds and the atmosphere was saturated with the scent of the earth before the rain. Jake had run to the lake, which was his favorite place when his mind got all knotted up or worried. The lake always calmed him - the gentle slapping of the water against the old pier, the shrill calls of gulls flying low over the water, the trees encircling the area, as if to shield it from the rest of the world.

Today the lake was not clear, the opposite shore was not visible and the edges of the world were hazy, which brought some kind of mystery to the place. Jake looked listless, aimlessly choosing pebbles on the sand and throwing them into the water to make circles of ripples which broke through the foggy waters. He had many things to think about today but the lake did not seem to calm his mind like it usually did. If anything, the eerie nature of the changes brought about by the mist over the landscape was preventing him from being centred.

He looked up as the sound of a boat knock against one of the empty docks came through the heavy air. That's when he first saw her: a single female figure standing in the middle of the old wooden pier and half concealed by the silvery fog. She was clad in black, had her hair down to her shoulders and stood there with her face close to the black waters. There was something about her standing alone there that stirred something in Jake as if she truly belonged to the lake as a spirit that emerged from the mist to guard the unknown depths. He looked at her thin and motionless form, fearing that he is the only person in the world who takes a walk at the lake on a rainy day. She stood as still and deep in contemplation like him, as much a component of the blurry surroundings as the naked trees and the strands of fog.

Jake hardly left his sight off the woman. He did not wish to interject into her peaceful daydream but he felt compelled to step out on the dock and meet her, greet her. Perhaps they were both looking for some form of escape and solace in the midst of the stunning landscapes. He had still not made up his mind as to whether it would be appropriate to approach her or not, when the woman seemed to feel his eyes on her and angle her body a little in his direction. Jake waved at her but the latter did not acknowledge his gesture. The woman only looked at him gravely then moved a little while turning her back to him and walked slowly back to the end of the dock disappearing in the still dense fog over the lake.

Jake watched until her outline was no longer discernible: he sweltered with an intense desire. This meeting left him full of questions and otherworldliness. Who was she? Why had she glanced towards him tears gathering in her eyes before she had looked away from him without saying anything? He had never witnessed her at the lake but whenever she was here, it felt like she was from another world though somehow he felt like he had seen her somewhere before, maybe in the past but could also be in the future. When the first fat drops of rain started to patter, Jake gave one last long look at the deserted dock before the mist and melancholy came down on him. With his hands in his coat pockets he turned slowly back up the tree-lined space that led to the lake and watched the rain seeping across the skies above his head as if his thoughts were as dark and troubled as the day.


Mesmerized, Jake realizes that he is gradually slowly walking down to approach this woman without interrupting her peaceful daydreaming. But at the same time his attraction to her was undeniable, as if they were predestined to meet here in this hush of slumbering shrubs at this exact hour. The woman, who was facing away from him, suddenly looked back when the gravel beneath his boots scrunched noisily in the quiet.

When their gaze first met, the usual glance that two strangers share upon meeting, Jake was left speechless by their magnetic connection. Her eyes were a deep hazel - warm, intelligent, and very perceptive, but with something hidden in their depths. There was a tender, almost embarrassed smile blossoming across her delicate face and although she tried to look away almost immediately Jake could tell she was just as affected by their surprise meeting as he was. They were two strangers, but it was as though they had always known each other - two souls that had been searching for each other.

Jake was not a firm believer of love at first sight. But in that case, when he looked into her eyes without saying anything, he had the first glimmering of some deep bond between him and this woman he did not know. As if he were walking through the park with her hand in hand, as if they were two old friends who have known each other for years. Sharing laughter, secrets and pains. A future not to come, but present in its own way as if it were the only one possible.

Finally, Jake cleared his throat and pointed at the portion of the bench close to her. "May I interrupt you for a while? My name is Jake."

Her smile widened, the shyness returned to her eyes but she nodded politely. "My name is Sarah, and yes, I would like that."

Then Jake sat down on what seemed to be a weathered bench, the dimming light falling gently on them, Jake felt that this first coming together was the germ of an alterable and genuine reality. What happened next is beyond imagination but Jake had an instinct feeling that Sarah would be a significant figure in his life. Not someone with whom you could just casually say hello, but a person, for whom it was important to keep her in your life regardless of what happiness or misfortune the years had in store. At that moment when their eyes met again, Jake was sure that Sarah realized the importance of this moment as much as he did.


Their conversation with each other was as natural as the water that runs freely through the valley, finding its way over and through the rocks and boulders that it encounters. The two did not appear to be ill at ease or stammering at any point while they were conversing. Subjects shifted from one to another in a very smooth and organic manner that is characteristic of a conversation between two people who are comfortable with each other.

They discussed everything with equal ease, from childhood stories to silly personal preferences, to severe anxiety and dreams that had been untold to anyone. The verbal communication could almost be described as being synchronous, as if the moment when they sat face-to-face and started telling each other the truth was fated to occur and was not just a random coincidence of fate.

But that was all over now, for in no more than six or seven hours at most, what had started off as a clandestine lust on first sight when they first met had quickly turned into a something far more profound - a shared affinity, a newfound bond, a rapport, however tenuous, between two near-strangers. While the two could have easily become friends, they began experiencing rudimentary elements of intimacy and mutual comprehension on conscious and subconscious levels.

So engrossed, they were in an intimate discussions, in sharing confidences and whispers that had never before been uttered, that they did not realize that the day handed over the reigns to the night as the warm golden sun of the middle of the day slowly sank behind the trees and the water to the other side of the lake. It was only when the last twinkle of light vanished and there was nothing but the flat surface of water in front of them that they remembered they were at night. By then it was too late, or perhaps just the time was just right: both understood instinctively that whatever this was between them was becoming far too significant to dismiss as a mere fancy, and that they were on the brink of an affair - however brief or long - over which they would have no control.


One warm summer night, Jake took Sarah out for a ride in the small wooden boat he had built himself during the past few months. With the sunset fading into the purple hue of twilight, Sarah gently let her fingers swim through the water and enjoyed the circles waves that followed her movements.

Here and there fireflies started coming out and twinkling in the midst of high grass and the reflected light of the water. Sarah looked at the tiny flashing lights mesmerized by a natural phenomenon. Their motion appeared to be in harmony with the cadence of the water slapping against the sides of the boat as Jake rowed vigorously.

When they were in the middle of the lake, Jake stopped rowing, and let the oars slide into the water. It appeared that there was no living creature around, apart from the chorus of frogs and crickets that sing as soon as they emerge along the marshy line. Above, the first dim stars began to twinkle in the still dimpling sky.

Jake watched her carefully, seeing her lying on the wooden bench with her head tilted up and a faint smile on her lips; her eyes looked at the stars beginning to twinkle. She had long hair and it was disheveled and fell on her cheek, gently swaying with the wind. He looked at her and when she noticed him doing so, she laughed softly, a sound that Jake felt was music to his ears.

"You know out here is pretty nice," sighed Sarah as she directed her bright and pleasant smile at Jake. Then she added: 'Thank you for bringing me.'

"Pleasure is all mine," was all that Jake could utter, though he blushed a little at the dim light.

For a long moment they did not speak, just listened to the crickets, the occasional call of a night bird. Then Sarah sat forward, looking serious. "You know you can speak to me about anything, don't you Jake?" she said softly.

Jake looked into her encouraging eyes and grasped her hand in the worn seat. Her skin was as smooth and cool as silk under his coarse hands. "I know," he added with a smile.

Sarah gently placed her hand on top of his and gave a little squeeze. When the daylight was slowly decreasing, her face looked as if she was filled with warm emotions toward me. Jake threw caution to the wind and let the mystery of the situation overwhelm him as he gently moved closer to her. Though, when his lips gently touched Sarah's for the kiss, he felt her calmness as she reciprocated the action. It was a beautiful moment that was timeless and the flashes of fireflies that surrounded them as they twirled together.


And so, Jake and Sarah fell silent and let their conversation fade out. This was no ordinary kind of silence that comes with the realization that there is nothing else left to discuss; it was full of anticipation and desire. Jake was all too painfully conscious of the electrifying tension, of visible vectors that operated between them and drew him to her even as he should pull back. And yet he was not able to restrain himself, to put up his usual defenses and professional barriers.

He found himself leaning incrementally closer as his eyes traced the details of her face: the bow-like architecture of the upper lip and the fuller curve of the lower one; the slightly scattered freckles on the high cheekbones that he liked so much; the slightly opened lips and the small gasp she takes when he makes the distance between them even smaller. Everything else receded to the periphery and the background: the only reality was this time, as if the rubber band was pulled to its limit and as tight as it could handle, humming with the expectancy of what comes next.

Jake gulped, and when he bent his head lower, all his attention was sharply directed at her lifted face. They had been half-closed, heavy lids concealing her ebony eyes; but then they snapped wide awake, her unusually pale face focusing on him. He observed the heaving up and down of her chest as she breathed in short bursts of air. The chemistry that was present between them was electric, it was as if they were both charged with the sort of energy that precedes the start of a tropical storm. It had become as if the moment had its own voltage; Jake could almost see the sparks leaping across to her skin, bursting into a bright flame as they moved over the surface of the charged space that their nearness had begun to build.

Neither could have said later who eventually moved the last few inches when the moment appeared to take an eternity and yet was over in the blink of an eye. But then it was as if very gradually over time or one morning they woke up with the urge, and whether it was that slow movement towards each other or one of those lightning bolts of desire, their lips met gently, and they kissed. The kiss was tender at first, almost shy as they fell into the unknown abyss. Then passion awoke and there was a swift clinch, desire overcoming shyness. They no longer could contain and eventually, they both surface, like fish that have been struggling under water for so long; the feeling of relief, happiness, the godly feeling of letting go to what they both have been secretly and desperately needing. For a brief instant of time there was no memory of pain, no concept of death or fear, no censorship of desire - there was only the present and the other and the self. Everything else faded to black and white, just them and the fire of their mouths searching for each other frantically. Fingers clawed at hair, heads pressed close; they descended into the sickly euphoria of the kiss, with no heed for the time or sense.

When their lips touched, the kiss was tender, sweet, passionate and full of a longing like the first spatter of a rain before a storm. From second to second, from pulse to pulse, the first touch of lips developed into something that went far beyond a kiss and became a silence filled with the most meaningful attestation of the connection between the two - a connection not of words.

What was whispered in the meeting of lips and the exchange of breaths in the car was probably the very first signs of the sprouts of love slowly beginning to emerge, cautious but so full of potential when it comes to withstanding whatever the future holds in store for them. The kiss said the promise and freedom coupled with choice-the destiny they felt was not oppressive but one they had chosen.

The fresh wonder they felt in each other, the magnetic attraction drawing them ever nearer, was amplified by the kiss's implicit vow: "I choose you; I like the fact that you are here in my life now; I trust the happiness that we found in each other even if we do not know where the future will lead us." And although they are new to each other, new to each other's moments, the touch of the lips said something that their minds could not put into words: That they both were given a wonderful opportunity to forge ahead hand-in-hand, a love that felt both destined and utterly free.

Following their first kiss by the lakeside, Jake and Sarah found themselves more entangled in a loving relationship than the two held dear. They continued to meet in the evenings that followed at what they had adopted as their special corner to further develop the budding romance.

When they explored the small coves and winding forest paths they also found things about each other's character they never knew before. While roaming around, Jake would unexpectedly pull out such delicate acts like a bouquet of flowers collected in the wild on the way, poems Jake wrote on scraps of paper when they met something interesting, or records he thought Sarah would like based on her preferences.

As for Jake, Sarah introduced him to immense happiness, passion, and the desire that he did not experience for quite a long time. She saw the world through poetic glasses and could see beauty wherever others could not see even a hint of it and that included even the tiniest of details. In time, she enlightened his senses on how to live in the moment - how to listen to the whisper of the wind as it sings through the falling autumn leaves, how to read beyond the words of poems.

In Sarah's delicate guidance, Jake began to regain the sense of wonder which he thought he had lost for years. Her world was full of various pleasures for all senses, only if one could learn how to pay attention to it. As they exchanged these gifts - tangible and non-material - their bond strengthened further. Every evening walk was filled with new charms and at the same time, new aspects that could be added to the growing perceptions that they had of one another. So in passion, in understanding, in beauty, in companionship, Jake and Sarah were given that one final element that made their lives rich and full - perfectly, gloriously, splendidly complete.

The extended nights also provided opportunities to share some experiences from their childhood as they engaged in aimless conversations under the moonlit nights. The comfort and familiarity that they developed with each other also brought closeness and so were the stories that they were sharing and the lessons that they learned from each other. Such this increasing awareness of the other's soul and emotions only deepened their bond and affection for each other; feelings for which they both felt thankful.

heir love was characterized by intimacy and affection; the couple enjoyed the warmth of the love they shared as if they existed in their own little world. Most of the time, they spent their moments together taking a stroll down to the old wooden harbor on the lake at night, armed with only two thin, frayed blankets to cover themselves as they slept under the stars above.

These nights under the stars became a haven for Jake and Sarah as they tried to navigate the complexities of their lives, these nights they built something together that was only for them and the love they have for each other. They whispered there, they revealed their desires and their vices and their worries and their passions that no one else knew. The gentle waves of the lake appeared as though they were gently caressing their whispering voices and their listening ears.

When they found themselves kissing there, entwining themselves on the rotting wooden dock of the harbor beneath the clear blue sky it felt like they were making a promise to each other that is between them only. Their increasing closeness was somehow more significant than anything else in this world, and this was created in the nights by the lake. The kisses symbolized a physical consummation of the love and the future they planned to have together, free from the confusion of the real world.

In the following weeks and months the abandoned area of the lake transformed into a symbol of the secret meetings between Jake and Sarah and their discreet affection. The spots where they lay back to watch the sky, whispering sweet dreams, seemed to forever hold echoes of the past every time they got back. Whenever Sarah stroked her fingers over the grey boards that once contained her and Jake, walking hand in hand, she could hear the whispers of their words and the soft laughter that seemed to lie inside the wall.

The lake also started to seem like a third wheel in their relationship, as it being the silent witness to their profound conversations and as being the background for many passionate kisses in the cover of stars reflecting in the calm water. Alone they had come, but as they lay extended along the harbor clad in nothing more than the nakedness of provocative glances they exchanged, covered with the sky above, it was as though the essence of the lake had embraced them and the private paradise they discovered in each other's embrace. The rest of the outside world with its roughness and headaches was gone and only Jake, Sarah, the net of stars above them, and the noise of the sea to tell them that this place belonged to them and them only.

The love between Jake and Sarah was timeless and boundless; they were indeed fated to be together. After the first meeting, they realized that there was a spark between them, a chemistry that was unlike anything they had ever experienced before.

This means that when they were together, time seemed to stand still whereby they spent what felt like hours just chatting and getting to know each other in detail as human beings, with our strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and interests. They would discuss for hours, often, the sun would rise while they were still at it. They simply could not stay away from each other - attraction of the kind chemistry that could only be compared with the force of gravity.

Each time Jake spent time with Sarah, he felt that his eyes were opened anew to the beauty of life. Holding hands for a walk in their favorite place; cruising down a coastal road with an open top car; discovering a city and its tastes; being silly while wandering around the streets. What would have been ordinary with anyone else was having magical experiences with Sarah.

And when it rained, they would go out like school kids, removing their sandals and twirling in the rain. Sarah would twirl under Jake's arm taking his hands feeling the rain on her tongue as she laughed. He would hold her tightly as the rain drenched them while they swayed and sang to every romantic song that played on the radio.

Each angora, each hug was like being home and at the same time exploring new frontiers. Whenever their gazes met, one felt a cord linking them together, inside and out. They could convey paragraphs within distance with a single glance. They brought thrilling electricity in their friendly touch, in their passionate and sexually charged attraction and interest in what was yet to be discovered between them.

In many ways it was the love story that felt eternal and larger than both of them individually. When they looked at the sky and saw the countless stars scattered around, they dreamed of their love being inscribed in space. I was reminded of the concept of two trees in the old growth forest, which have deep roots and connected branches and they stand together and strive towards the sunlight together. In any case, Jake understood with absolute clearness that he finally met the kind of love that poets sing for ages, a woman named Sarah. It was her safe haven; in each other, they had built a lush, abundant emotional territory.

Jake and Sarah love each other very much but their affection is not obsessive causing destruction. Their relationship was special in that they did not need to say a lot of things to each other as they both understood each other very well.

The small wooden pier where they used to stand had become a sort of a shrine for the two, filled with memories of secret whispered conversations and love making. As they slept under the blanket of stars the outside world was shut out and all that was left was the rhythm of the water gently lapping against the beach and the two hearts beating almost in unison. There was no need to discuss anything in these tender moments.

Whenever Jake and Sarah wrapped themselves around each other and lay looking at the star-lit sky, they would sometimes voice out their wish of eternal love. They wanted to have a kind of companionship that would stand the test of time and one that would enable them to go through the trials of life in terms of career, family, and even old age with a sense of togetherness. An interesting desire was longing to continue the kind of passion that they felt for each other in the present time without changing, unmodified, which ignored the real world.

In times when they were apart, Jake realized that he was inclined to dwell on her throughout the day, in very mundane and insignificant incidents: sunlight glinting on the red strands of an unknown woman's ponytail, a line or two of a pop song that played on the radio, delicate gloves displayed in a shop window. Every small perception of the day would bring out memories of the sweet moments he had spent with the woman he once held dear and this made him yearn for her company again. This is how intimate their relationship became, that even when they did not see each other or touch, the air seemed to be charged with her electricity.

From the context, the reader can learn that Sarah was even more enamored with Jake when he was away from her, dwelling on their conversations and the physical aspects of their relationship. She noticed herself absently drawing their joined initials on her work desk like a lover-struck teenager. The feelings he evoked within her were not just passionate, but passionately so, free from any restraint. There was always a joyful note when they got back together after being separated for some time - and the joy of it came from acknowledging that they both wanted the reunion just as badly as the other did.

The closeness that is shared between the two was clearly seen when they reunited, how Jake relaxed the moment he saw the figure of Sarah walking towards him, the delight in Sarah's eyes when she saw Jake waiting for her. While grand gestures to express their feelings were not shared and public declarations of affection were not expressed, the emotions behind the gentle hand gestures and soft touches were not in doubt. This is rather ironic since an outsider may even become aware of the affection that Jake and Sarah had for each other even before the two even touched or spoke loving words to each other; this was through the mere attraction that they had unconsciously developed toward each other across the space between them.

That is the language of souls who discover their other half, which has no words, but is not devoid of meaning. To Jake and Sarah, the planks of a lonely pier had transformed into a platform where they articulated silence to the very core of their being under the cover of the vast sky studded with stars miles above them. They confirmed with their touch and mouth the things that words could not express. And in the whisper of the waters in the lakes shore, they spoke of love that will never die but continues to pulse like the beat of the seas creating an unbreakable bond in spite of the storms in life.

In the case of Jake and Sarah, their initial stages of the relationship were quite romantic and sweet; they spent most of their time together enjoying beautiful days in the beautiful coastal town in which they lived, and cozy evenings watching the sunset on the harbor. In long leisurely strolls down by the wharf, they became intimately acquainted with each other's soul in a way which did not take years to develop.

But even the most intimate relationships between two individuals could be subject to bouts of insecurity. Before long, Jake and Sarah became faced with the reality of their promising relationship being filled with doubts and fears, both of which seemed to arise at the best of times. Jake felt that he might not be enough for someone like Sarah; Sarah on her part was unsure if she wanted the same things in life as Jake and if she loved him half as much as he did.

These periods of anxiety were in contrast with the days when they accidentally fell into the mode of flirting with each other. Jake and Sarah understood these fears as part of the negative intrusive thoughts in an otherwise healthy relationship dynamics. Still, recognizing that they had nothing to worry about only slightly diminished the emotional impact of doubt. There is always an element of fear even in the most glorious beginning that something so beautiful cannot last.

During those moments of doubt, Jake and Sarah learned to shift their focus towards the structure they have cultivated rather than moving further away from it. In such a situation, they preferred to recall the tangible emotion that occurred when they first met each other and caught each other's gaze in a bar, the safety and understanding that they established with each other during the nights and the realization that there was a chance, a possibility, that they had stumbled upon someone who could make them feel comfortable and safe.

It is a moment when Jake becomes obsessed with the idea that something is wrong with him and he is not good enough, when suddenly Sarah grabs his hand and whispers they fit perfectly. If Sarah was feeling anxious about the future, Jake wrapped her in his arms and she eventually was reassured by the fact that he was so grounded. The harbor - where Jake first said to Sarah that he is falling in love with her - became a symbol of the conviction they could give each other. Thus, whenever the undercurrent threatened to drag them down, Jake and Sarah's minds were full of everything they had constructed together. For them, love is a choice, their choice to choose one another over and over again.

It was not a love that spoke of eternity or profound words, but a love that did not need to proclaim itself, but rather lived in the small gestures that Jake offered to Sarah. Every time that their gazes would find each other, it was as if they shared some private wordless comment on the great treasure that they had found in the other.

The two were most often seen at an old, worn out jetty near the shore of the lake. It was a place dear to them, the place where they had their first kiss under the moonlight. When they got back there, they felt like they were in their own home, no one would have to explain the feeling to them. They would spend hours in shared silence, Jake's arm hung loosely around Sarah's shoulders as they watched the glistening surface of the water.

Sometimes, one would look at the other with eyes full of love and proceed to kiss for what seemed like ages. Their embraces seemed never to be a sign of passion, but a declaration of the wonderful relationship the two of them had - a relationship that made everything else dull and ordinary disappear. By losing themselves in each other, they discovered a unique and marvelous aspect of life which the two have never encountered before.

The time they spent by the lake was rather mystical - they were in a world of their own, not of this world. The concerns and anxiety that might have filled patients' minds during the day disappeared, and only tenderness and satisfaction remained. The time they spent together on that weathered grey dock was stolen, yet their laughter, passion, and the communion that transcended speech rendered even words superfluous.

Sometimes, when the conversation came up with friends and family regarding how they knew that they loved each other so passionately, Jake and Sarah would simply grin meaningfully, as there was no way to convey the degree of confidence they had in their feelings. Yet they understood, as children understand the existence of the earth and their life on it. This they were happy in, in leaving this as the silent but powerful message of their connection that was invisible to others.

As for the rest of the world, their relationship might have looked like some sort of a blind date - but Jake and Sarah didn't care for that. For in the refuge of one another they had discovered solace, and in the quietude of that union they felt the first stirrings of a love that would be as eternal as they. The future was unclear, but they stood before it without trepidation, for in a shared look, a pat on the hand, a kiss that was not only ardent, but also as two souls uniting without words and without fear.

When they have built a beautiful romantic relationship, it feels like there is nothing better in life, and this feeling is often accompanied by a touch of skepticism. As is always the case in any relationship, the first signs of uncertainty showed up, and the two faced them head on while believing in the love they had developed with each other. In any case, neither of them had thought about a situation in which their fates would apart from the current unity of their arms.

Instead, they formed an unspoken agreement to face all the adversities together as one reinforcing the other, whenever the need arose to overcome any odds that life might throw at them. Crises - financial ones, family problems, health concerns - no misfortune was severe enough to threaten the very existence of their togetherness as long as they were struggling with it side by side. Their love was a continuous current; the one side was raising the other.

But in the deepest recesses of their consciousness, there always echoed a note of uncertainty. Could this degree of intimacy and understanding, of affection and attraction truly remain long term? Or might the first excitement be quickly replaced by something more mundane? Would the flames turn into embers and become a happily married couple? Was it possible that the tangible reality that surrounded them was simply an enchanting mirage - the wonderful fairy tale that was doomed to fade in front of the reality that no one wants to acknowledge?

These unspoken insecurities did not stem from there being any cracks in the relationship itself. Instead, they stemmed from a more general disbelief in the permanency of perfection. Each of the partners secretly reflected on whether such a perfect union was capable of enduring in an imperfect world. Maybe for once, the reality would not let down the expectation. However, the overall cultural discourse of the temporality of connectivity sowed doubts that could not be eradicated easily.

However in moments such as these the two deliberately steered themselves towards gratitude, being present and having faith in each other. Combined, they decided presciently that it was best not to imagine 'what if' or to look ahead to a future that they had not yet written but to embrace each eventuality when it emerged. If they kept up this ethos of honesty, self-exposure, and a willingness to learn, then the future had to be secure even if there might be some rough patches along the way. No matter what obstacles the future would bring, they would find them and overcome it side by side, defining their own destiny in time instead of being bound by traditional norms. For now, they embraced the concept of a single lifetime of love with the purpose of preserving it forever.

Neither of them thought of the future that was lying ahead of them in terms of the developing romance between Jake and Sarah as they sat on the old dock looking down at the crystal clear water of the lake with their feet touching the edge of it. Eager and happy about the new feelings, the new interest, the new passion, they were thinking only in the present.

The dock on which they now sat had been aged and had seen countless happy and boisterous days - children running and jumping into the cool waters on hot summer days, families enjoying quiet picnics as they waited for the sunset, fishermen setting out for the day as the mist still clung to the water. Today, it entertained two young individuals who not long ago were complete strangers but now they could be excused for feeling that they are on the brink of the journey that might turn their lives around.

During the initial period when Jake and Sarah were just acquaintances, they had been cautious, unable or unwilling to presume or presume too much. But with each long talk and each small reveal, they had started to experience the first inklings of desire. The initial interest had bloomed into passion helped along by phone calls at night and drives with the car windows open.

And now here they were, in a place that could have been from an entirely different era, observing the play of light on the miniature sea's surface as they unfolded rare and hitherto unheard fragments of their lives. She saw them relieved, with their shoes off and their hands linked together, and it made her wonder in amazement at the feeling of ease she had with this person who had only entered her life so recently.

And as the light begins to dwindle signaling the coming of dusk, it was understood by both of them that this thing that was developing between Jake and Sarah was special. Neither of them had dreamed in the solitary world; each inhabited they would come across a person who shared a soul as similar to theirs. Still, they had managed to get themselves here, to this exact place, at this exact time.

The answers to tomorrow and all its questions and complications could come fast, but for now, Jake and Sarah were happy enough just to share the present as the lake spread out before them. Here they had found something precious which they instinctively knew must be guarded - a new perspective, a perspective that somehow cancelled out the nullity of the loneliness and assured them that there was at least one person who cared enough to share the burdens of their existence.

They had left the past far behind them, and the future was a mere blip on the horizon that they had no patience to consider in the given moment of happiness. When the first stars twinkled in the velvety sky above, Jake and Sarah forgot about the clock and the problems, surrendering to this beautiful moment.a moment that was both grand and ephemeral, unique but never-ending. Tonight, this was sufficient - the promise of infinity embodied in two hands clasped together.

Please follow me for Chapter 2.