“What? Can’t swim?” I said.
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried.” I must have given him the most puzzling look. I looked down and noticed he was holding a flower. It was just like the other two. He handed it to me. I took it in my hands. When I did, our hands brushed. Something about his skin. It seemed alive. Every time I touched him it was like an energy vibrating off of him onto me. I sat down on the swing that was tied to a far branch from the willow tree. He sat beside me but facing the other direction so we were facing each other. I twirled my bare toes into the ground while one arm looped around the swings and the other held the flower. I hadn’t notice but the sun was fading away. It wasn’t night, the clouds were just covering it. It started to get windier. My hair started blowing every which direction. He reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear. Every time he did this it felt like a shock of electricity moving through my body from my head to my feet. We locked gazes. His eye looked like they had seen the universe. There was so much mystery in them, but so much light as well.
His hand was still on my face when I felt a few water droplets hitting my cheeks. In a flash it started pouring rain. It was more rain that I had ever seen, but the sun seemed to be shining through the rain. We both ran to take cover under the center of the willow tree, hoping it would shield us from the sudden down pour. He looked worried. Almost sorry, as if he had caused it. I felt like my whole body was radiating with life. I couldn’t help but to laugh. I ran out into the rain and twirled around. I wanted to be in the rain. It felt like a part of him. My hair was dripping and my dress was soaked. My feet were covered in mud. It felt good. When I stopped spinning I looked over at him. He seemed puzzled. He smiled and slowly walked towards me.
Everything seemed like it was happening in slow motion. Each drop of water was illuminated by the sun’s rays. Again, I saw it. It was like a window behind him. Something was glistening in the rain. It seemed like gold specks floating around. The rain seemed to be stopped around him. He seemed taller, bigger. I had to keep blinking. It was like waking from a dream. So fuzzy I couldn’t make out. There was more to him. I knew it.
We were close now. He put his hand on my face. With it came a chill of warmth and electricity fly through me. It felt both warm and cold at the same time. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. With each passing second he seemed to get closer and closer. Finally he leaned in. I could feel his breath on my face. I closed my eyes and our lips met. It was the softest, yet strongest kiss I have ever experienced. He felt like a silk statue. He was firm and strong, but soft as silk. When he finally leaned away and I opened my eyes. I saw him gazing at me with such intensity. I wanted to be with him, to be close to him. I felt like a charged magnet. The closer we were the stronger the pull was. I felt giddy. I had so much energy rushing through my body. I laughed and spun around again, but he stopped me mid spin and firmly pulled me close to him pressing his lips to mine and letting them separate. The kiss felt so passionate. I wanted to stay there forever. His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me close. His lips intertwined with mine. He slowly let go and looked at me. His eyes seemed to ask if I was okay. If it was okay that we had kissed. It was more than okay.
As I looked into his eyes I felt like I wanted to know him. Know everything about him. “Let me see you.” I said. He looked confused.
“I haven’t gone anywhere.” He replied.
“No, I want to see the real you.” I begged.
“It’s not a good idea.”
“Please.” I said reaching up to touch his face. He grabbed my hand and stepped back. He looked at me, then closed his eyes. He seemed to disappear, but I could still feel my hand in his. I kept blinking. The water from the rain seemed to move around him, but he didn’t seem to be there. There was that same shimmer I saw before. A form started to take place, but it seemed to be transparent. The first thing I saw was his eyes. It was like I was looking at an old photograph that had captures two images. There was the dominant one. The garden, with nothing but me. The, there was this other being. The longer I stared, the clearer he became. He was much larger than before. He had wings. I think they were wings. Not like bird’s wings. These didn’t seem to have a real shape. It looked both like a spider web and a shield. He was beautiful. I couldn’t peel my eyes from him. I couldn’t speak. I didn’t want to. I knew that I had never seen anything so beautiful, and I never would again.
My eyes wanted to drink every ounce of him. I’m not sure how long we stood there just starring at each other, but eventually he turned about. He seemed alarmed. His glow turned from gold to a red tent. Like the sun was burning brighter than I had ever seen. The rain stopped and he was gone. I called out to him. I didn’t know where he went. I didn’t know why he went.