Hearts On Fire

We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow

Imagine Person A falls asleep lying on Person B. Person A starts whimpering for whatever reason in their sleep and Person B holds them closer to comfort them.

The shoot had been long and gruelling. The location had, at times, reached temperatures of unbearable heat and the time zone was the complete antithesis of anything vaguely familiar. The financing of the film had been a problem from the start but not one member of the cast or crew could have anticipated how many times filming would be postponed in order to gather funds along the way. The final hurdle was the nineteen hour flight from Australia to Minnesota, followed by the two and a half hour drive from the airport to the small, secluded log cabin deep in the woods.

Danny Huston finally made it back to base, or one of the few bases he and his lover of almost two years affectionately referred to as "home".

During his long absence, Jessica had been sure to keep herself busy. Her familial commitments had been her saviour and she had immersed herself in her photography. Then, a week before Danny's scheduled arrival, she had packed up her dog and made the journey to her cabin to prepare. She had replaced the thick, heavy curtains in favour of those with softer, thinner material. She rolled and stored many smaller rugs away and repainted the front and back doors gleaming white. She aired the place out and let the summer in. Fresh candles and incense occupied every room and the darker throws and cushions were replaced with her lighter collection. Everything was reserved for the warmer months. As a result, the space became lighter and more open and Danny was convinced she was on the verge of completely remodelling, before she ensured him she just needed a hand moving the couch a couple of inches forward. She had created the perfect place to summer, the perfect place for them to fully absorb one another once more.

It was July and it was the hottest Northern Minnesota had reached all year. Post arrival, Danny had slept for two days straight, utterly exhausted from his six months away. He slept nude, flat on his back with a thin white sheet situated just above his waist. The curtains were slightly parted to permit a bright strip of warm sunlight to cross the bedroom. The windows were open and the breeze of a pedestal fan on constant rotation kept him cool.

Jessica had never seen him like this. After just over half a year apart she feared change, some unspoken, gradual shift that would result in the end. But, two nights ago, when she turned to see him walk into the living room, worn and shabby, the surge in her heart and the tears that pricked her eyes confirmed to her that no one else would do.

For two days she busied herself around the house and in the garden. She baked his favourite desserts and drew him baths in the late afternoon when he would wake. She sat on the floor by the tub and held his hand, rubbed his back, washed his hair. Jessica was so overjoyed to have him back for the second part of summer that she left his side only to allow him to rest.

In return, Danny sunk into her tenderness, revelling in the side of her he could barely imagine the seasoned, dedicated professional possessed when they had met in the small LA office years before. He had never believed that he could love and be loved so fiercely.

***

A week had passed and Danny was now making a solid effort to reacclimatise. It was late morning, the pair were spread on sun loungers on the decking of the small jetty by the perfectly smooth surface of the lake. Jessica lay on her front, swinging her legs slowly in the air as she concentrated on her novel. Danny rested back beside her, the support of his sunbed propping him up as he looked out at their idyllic surroundings.

The lake was the most unbelievable blue and glistened like a pasture of diamonds. The blueness of the sky blended almost perfectly with the water and the absence of even a single cloud highlighted the tips of the trees that surrounded them. The pureness of the blue and the earthly tones of the green provided the most sharp yet natural contrast Danny had ever seen, and he could not think of a more perfect place to be.