You sat beside me, stretching your legs out in front of you, your gaze on the horizon where the sun was slipping away. "Do you ever think about what forever feels like?"
Your words startled me, and I turned to face you. "Forever?"
You nodded, a wistful look softening your expression. "Not in years or days. But in moments like this. Where everything feels so still, like it could last forever."
I wanted to say this moment is forever for me, but I stayed quiet, afraid my heart might speak too loudly.
Instead, I whispered, "Forever feels like a dream you don't want to wake up from."
You turned to me then, your eyes searching mine, as though you were trying to uncover all the things I wasn't saying. The air felt charged, every breath I took suddenly heavy with hope and fear.
And then you smiled.