She started meeting him almost everyday. He started to feel colder and warmer at the same time. She couldn't deny or hide behind a facade of just asking questions. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢. It was impossible for her to come to terms with it.
She absolutely loved him. Which brought her back again to the same old question. "What is love?" She finally felt like she had an answer. But would he even care to ask again? A tornado of thoughts swirling in her mind, as she walked towards him. The air was humid and the smell of saltwater felt welcoming. There he stood, shining, perhaps even brighter than the sun behind him.
"Has anyone ever told you just how beautiful your eyes are?" She said, finally standing in front of him.
"Yes. You have. Multiple times." He said, grinning like an innocent kid.
"Well don't get tired of hearing it." She said, smiling back at him. He did a mock salute as they started to stroll beside the waves.
"Can I hold your shoes if they're troubling you?" He asked. Without a word, she took them off and handed them to him. She walked a little further away from him to dip her feet in the sea. It instantly made her smile. Everything felt perfect. Felt sweet. And warm. Maybe she was delusional. Or maybe.... Just maybe... She had found exactly what she was looking for.
She walked beside him, barefoot as he talked about himself. About his friends, about his family, about his life, about his goals, about his favorite games, his favorite movies. The more he talked, the more in love she felt.
"I forgot to ask you. When we first met, you asked me what was love to me. I wanna know what is love to you." He said, rolling up his sleeves.
She thought for a while. A few beats passed. Her head felt like it had a heartbeat of it's own. The vulnerability of that question made her throat dry.
"Acceptance." She said, finally. He nodded, signaling her to go on. She didn't speak for another few moments as she sat down on the sand, him following suit.
"Love to me, is acceptance. An oath, a promise, to love someone, despite of everything. Despite their flaws, despite their shortcomings, despite their past, despite everything. A complete and whole acceptance of someone. Looking at someone in the eye and telling them, that they are loved, no matter which phase of their life is going on. No matter who they are. It's acceptance to me. Love is acceptance." She said.
Her own vulnerability made her tear up. It felt like, for the first time, she had let out something that she never could before. It rattled her inside. She never felt more free.
"Do you think it's easy to accept someone? Despite everything?" He asked, warmth emanating from his side.
"Yes. That's how I love. That's the only way I know how to. I keep it like an oath, to always accept and love and want and desire someone."
She said, looking at him. There was no denying the look in his eyes. It mirrored her as well. His lips broke into one of his gorgeous smiles.
"Then that's how it's gonna be. You and me. You will always be loved and wanted and desired by me." He said, his fingers pushing her hair away.
"Do you mean it?" She asked, a lone tear slipping down her cheek.
"Cross my heart." He said, holding her face like as if it was the most fragile thing to ever be held.
She smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He was the sun. Bright and beaming and warm. She was the moon. Rocky, dusty, made of ice. Her destruction was imminent, but like Icarus, she would've gladly melted for him. And only him.
