Exquisite moonlight glowed upon the land during a starry night. Reflection of the moon was getting dissolved in the running water of a city lake. A little bridge built over the lake carried the presence of Oriel in a scarlet-red dress, tight on her narrow waist, shining shoes of the shade similar to her dress, and hair resting lose over her shoulder.
She was waiting for someone, standing on the bridge, gazing at the beautiful moon drowning in the lake. Although there were other people, crossing the bridge to get to either of the sides, Oriel was the only one walking to and fro.
She went closer to the railing of the bridge, leaned against it and continued staring at the moon's reflection in the lake. As she fixed her gaze calmly at the lake below, her face glowed and got reflected on the lake surface, appearing more exquisite than the moon itself.
She suddenly felt a rapt pair of eyes on her face, she turned her head to the side, and saw Mr. Bruce coming towards from one of the ends of the bridge. "The beauty is unmatched, what do you say?" he asked.
"Indeed, the moonlight looks beautiful tonight."
"I intended to mean something else but... anyways," said Mr. Bruce. "
He had a thick over coat on and his hands reached to take it off as he saw Oriel in a dress. "What is this?" she demanded.
"I don't wanna see you shivering in the cold. Although the dress is pretty but not worth your health."
"I am not cold," she said as stopped him from taking his coat off. "I was the one who called you here at this hour, I hope you were not busy."
"Someone better take responsibility for calling me here, as if giving an order," he replied.
They started walking side by side on the bridge. The two pair of feet took slower and shorter steps. Anxious to utter a word form her mouth, Oriel thought again and again before saying, "I wanted to ask you something...,'
Before she could complete her sentence, Mr. Bruce's query came flying about, "Do you usually go around dressed up at nights, or is it just this time?"
"No, I don't go around dressed up at nights, it's the latter of course."
Mr. Bruce appeared to have become completely perplexed, "And why so?"
He intended to make an eye contact with her, but she evaded the meeting of the two pair of eyes. "Answer to you question depends on the answer that you will give me," she stated. "I will need you to be honest for this."
He was unable to blink for a moment while she stood in front of him, glittering before his eyes. "What's the hurry about? this beautiful night is far from over."
"I want you to name one person from your mouth," said Oriel.
"Whose name?" he asked.
"I don't know, a person whose existence has some influence on your life, other than yourself; someone who can convince you to have a surgery and desire to live year after year; or someone who has the right to be a part of your pain and sufferings. Please name one such person in your life, so that I can get this burden off my chest. I won't care if you kill me for this later, but I just can't live by carrying the burden of your secret."
The wind passed by, slightly blowing her tresses in the air, accompanied with the silence of the two individuals. "That..." he paused, "that sounds like a person who would hate to see me dead."
"Yes... is there any one like that?"
A wry laugh formed on his face and he chuckled in daze, "I don't think there's anyone in my life who shares the same features you mentioned above." He laughs loudly, as if he found it funny.
"If I can be such an existence to you, would you consider giving it a chance?"
His expressions restored to be serious and grave. "Do you really mean what you just said?" demanded Mr. Bruce. "Your words can be very much misleading."
Oriel gulped down moisture down her throat and went ahead to say, "I want you to give your life a second chance. I believe that you have given up early because you don't really have anyone you want to live for."
As she spoke, a frown developed on his face, "You might wanna stop talking now. That is enough looking down on me."
"You try so hard to look strong and careless but in reality you long for a shoulder to lean on and cry your heart out."
He moved a feet closer to her, in an effort to intimidate Oriel. "You might have eaten something wrong today."
"I just want to say that I am one of those people who want you to stay a little bit more in this world..." she said.
He was already standing so close to her and their breaths collided with each other. His eyes slowly moved down towards her lips and he went for it as they appeared to be plum and moist. He wrapped his arms around body her and pulled her closer till chest her pressed against his.
He started nibbling on her lower lip, so enthusiastically that she never got the chance to figure out what was happening to her. Her hands tried to push him away but the fervent lips devouring on her mouth made her hands lose their strength and her eyelids got heavier to keep open as a reflex.
In the midst of the rampant lip smacking by Mr. Bruce, Oriel also began kissing him back. Her hands locked behind his neck and she felt lighter than ever, as if in the air, getting carried by the tight grip of his hands on her waist.
They kissed as the moonlight fell on their bodies and a passionate figure of them also formed as their shadows.
"