the surrendering skies, and two hearts beating to the same melody

The sun had already set as she walked past the sandy shores, the wind blowing away her oversized red flannel shirt and pulling at her long, tangled hair, sending goosebumps down the bare legs draped only in a part of cotton shorts, a risky outfit for this kind of early Autumn weather. Not that she cared really, but rather welcomed it being the strange conundrum that she had been all her life.

She watched the sky as it still held some light in all its fading out-glory - turquoise green with a tint of blue shades, romancing away with deep blushing pinks - burning auburn oranges waiting to take over as soon as the night would lose its power to the dawn. She walked for what seemed like an endless journey - maybe it was an hour, maybe three, she wasn't sure. All that she knew was that she needed it; setting her mind into a more peaceful state that held place for her to write, or maybe even paint - she smiled at the thought.

The waves crashed softly against each other as they moved around with the powerful arms of the wind that seemed to want to have control over everything in its reach, moving to some peculiar yet beautiful kind of dance that was for her to witness. She smiled at the sight, at the same time feeling more goosebumps creep up her skin. Automatically, she wrapped the soft, worn-out shirt around her. And as she did so, she thought of the arms that always brought her warmth. She thought of the long fingers that intertwined around hers in a way that always left her lost for words. In the best possible way.

She looked up at the lights from the small houses and a few hotels spread around the beach and searched for the one place that actually mattered. All of them were beautiful, especially at a night like this, filled with the breathtaking spectacle provided by Mother Nature herself, filled with the wind, the waves, and with that one-of-a-kind breeze from the ocean. A combination that she could never resist, and never wanted to refuse. She looked up again and lifted her hand over her eyes, trying to see better through the darkness and the wind constantly pushing locks of her hair into her face. She squinted her eyes, concentrating, and smiled with relief as a small silhouette appeared in the distance, getting gradually bigger with each moment. A relief that could only appear in the presence of your home - that one person on earth meant only for you.

She ran up slightly, with a smile that held some guilt to it. The person lifted their hand in the air and waved it as if letting her know they were approaching. She watched the other woman shake her head as if being both amused and slightly annoyed - a famous combination for them both.

I thought you said, "Just one hour to clear my mind, just enough to not become crazier than usual". Wasn't that the agreement, woman? Or does one hour mean something a little different in your original, native tongue?

Okay, first of all, don't get smart with me. And second, what I said before was an assumption, darling. You know, I don't wear a watch.

Well, it's something that I'm still working on. I know that one day, I will make you see the right way.

She shakes her head but doesn't comment, instead she comes close and wraps an arm around her home, letting her hand move around her waist and rests her head on the other woman's chest. Listening to the symphony of a heart that brought her the most peace. Her love grumbles something under her breath, but holds her close in return.

Come on, let's get back before you catch a cold. I ordered some takeaway and opened a bottle of red, the one that you liked so much the last time around.

Well then. I expected punishment and a lecture. No bribery, darling.

Well, as you always say, "one does not stop the other".

That's fair.

She whispers and lets her love lead her back to their little beach house while the sky darkens its colors, deepening the turquoise and pink shade even more, shyly inviting bright points of light and reason to the spectacle, while a delicate crescent moon shows them the way back. She smiles at all the majestic beauty above her head and thanks the universe for the gift that it brought them. A gift that somehow always let them find their way back to each other. Each time for longer until reality became them always in skin's reach, at an arm's length, and close enough to feel the breath of one another when their souls would whisper the loudest. She watches as her love walks into their place, all lights already on, filling the space with warmth, showing off all the corners and surfaces that their love occupied so well, so naturally.

Just a beautiful, perfectly messy existence they accepted into their lives, something that they waited for what seemed like so many lifetimes. A blessing that they welcomed with gratitude that held no limits.

She takes one more look at the darkening skies now so graciously filled with stars, and inhales deeper as the wind intensifies, causing the waves to intensify their spectacular dance. She walks in with a smile.

Mmm, a storm coming? - Her love asks curiously.

It seems so.

Then we are definitely sleeping with the windows open in the bedroom.

As if there is any other way to do it right.

She smiles and massages the side of her neck, breathing in deeper and exhaling with something that fills her with a sense of rest and peace. Something that only comes from another soul, inside which you found your home. Someone who finally showed you that survival mode is not the only way to live.

With her, I find rest in my bones, rest that I never found before - a pause for the chaos always present in my body and mind. In her, I find someone that I can finally surrender to.

In the best possible way.