Closing the Distance

Serenade

The next morning, Calli found a link from Raf in her inbox. As promised, he sent her a video of him singing. She opened it excitedly. She couldn't wait to see it.

[Raf speaking to the camera:]

"As promised, I made a short video of me singing one of my songs. I hope you like it, Calli. My heart and soul are in this one!!"

The video played, and Calli watched in awe at Raf singing.

At the first line, Calli could already hear that Raf's voice was rich and soulful. It immediately took her breath away. It had the rasp of Jökull Júlíusson but the deep resonance of Eddie Vedder. His singing felt like a warm blanket wrapped tightly around her.

Tears formed in Calli's eyes as she gasped when she realized that Raf wasn't just singing to her, he was singing about her.

"I never knew I was missing something

Until you came along

Now I know you were the woman of my dreams

the other half of my soul

It's the love story

Of my life

I was lonely

Now never happier

It's a long road to get to you

But worth every mile

Worth every mile down this road

As long as it takes me to you

I know that you're worth it

And I'll find my way to you

No matter how long it takes

Or how far I have to go

I'll never give up on us

I'll never let you down

You are my reason to keep going

My reason to keep fighting

I'll never give up on us

I'll never let you go"

As the song ended, Calli sat with her arms wrapped around herself. Tears trickled down her face. She couldn't believe she found this incredible man.

After the last note, Calli heard Raf's voice as he spoke into the microphone...

"I love you, Calli. You have touched my heart like no one else has - ever."

Calli picked up her phone to text Raf. Her hands were shaking. She took a deep breath and instead switched to a voice message. "Raf. That was by far the most beautiful song I have ever heard. Your voice is transcendent. If I feel this way after only seeing you on a video I can't imagine how it will be in person. All that I know is how easy it is to love you. And tomorrow, you'll see love written all over my face when we finally meet."

After hearing Calli's message, Raf smiled widely, staring at the wall as he imagined their first meeting. His heart was soaring so high. He couldn't wait to see her.

*************************

Calli was so nervous. Her long brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail. She wore a cream-colored sweater and a dark skirt with knee-high boots. She waited at the airport terminal for Raf's flight to disembark.

Raf stepped off his flight with his suitcase in one hand and a guitar case strapped to his back. He smiled and scanned the area...then he saw her. He strode over to Calli, set down his luggage, and hugged her, picking her up in his arms and spinning her around in the air.