Narrator's pov
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We see photos of people living their lives and we frown for a second, knowing it could never be us. Their smiles in those photos seemed so genuine, something we couldn't seem to find. A genuine smile
Autumn had those photos all around her house as a child, cut from magazines of TV shows where her favorite actresses hold their Emmy's high above their head, filled with joy that their hard work paid off. She dreamed of the day she'd match their smiles
And that day was today. That moment she's waited for her whole life was finally happening by being in the company of her girlfriend
"OH MY GOD IT'S A FISH" Autumn squealed at the small bubbles that rose to the water surface
"God you're so cute" Kate giggled
"Babe look! IT'S A FISH" The raven hair girl smiled before leaning her head over the edge of the canoe, her fingers brushing against the push and pull of the water
"I'm gonna take him home and name him beetle" She smiled
"Beetle?" Kate chuckled
"YESS BECAUSE THEY'RE TINY AND CUTE AND WE'RE USING THEY'RE PRONOUNS BECAUSE I CAN'T EXAMINE A FISH'S GENITAL AREA WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT, I'M NOT A VET" Autumn squealed
"Ugh god" Kate giggled
"We'll build an aquarium that's the size of a wall and we'll just have them in there"
"Won't they get lonely?" Kate asked
"Oh... But they'll have us" Autumn pouted
"Ugh come here" Kate giggled, reaching her arms out like a small child and awaiting her girlfriend to come into her arms
The matte black canvas sky had stars sprinkles across it like white sugar. The darkness was thick, the girl's could feel the hairs on their arms raised and the bite of the wind had left its mark in the form of small bumps that were tingling on their arms
A cold night that gave them ever more reason to draw closer to one another, to feel the natural warmth they were born to give
The water moves softly around Autumn's outstretched fingers, caressing cooly, eddying in their wake. She pulled her hand out and watched the drips, both transparent and opaque at the same time. They fall as if snatched by gravity to the saline below, each one swiftly haloed by ever-growing rings, distorting the pebbled sea-bed
In the breeze her hand was cold, yet her back was warmed by the heat of Kate's chest as she sunk into her embrace
The usual blackness of the night was replaced with the brilliant colours of a hundred lanterns
The lanterns were the dreams of those who lit them, illuminated like stars against the inky black night, floating along the canoe as they passed by. Those on the water merged with the reflections of those in the sky, creating an unearthly experience. Autumn orange. Ironically, the only colour that could be seen on the summers night
"This is... Just perfect" Autumn whispered before tilting her chin up to face the girl
"You're perfect" Kate grinned
"No youu"
"No youuuu" Kate squealed
"Ugh shut up and let me compliment you" Autumn groaned
"Nope"
"Why are you so stubborn" Kate glared
"You like me when I'm stubborn"
