A Dream

"So where are you taking me?"1

"You'll see."2

I could tell that he had smiled when he replied. I could hear it in his voice. My eyes were still closed tightly. It had been very tempting to open them to check our location, but for once I wanted to be surprised. I curled up tighter in the car seat (forsaking the rules of a seat belt and sitting properly) and rested my head against the window.3

The sunlight was forming shadows over my eyelids. I sensed that we were passing buildings or something else...something tall enough to temporarily block solar rays. Color was flashing like strobe lights. It was dizzying. I hid behind a lazily-placed arm over my eyes to block out the epileptic colors.4

Some time after that, the car slowed and then stopped. I asked him if I could open my eyes yet. He laughed softly and said I couldn't. I heard him get out of the car and shut the door. A few seconds later, I felt my own door open. I was stupid enough to not move once it was opening, so I nearly fell out of the car. His arms automatically caught me, concern rising in his voice. I laughed at myself and allowed him to hoist me up onto the ground.5

The ground...? It was uneven beneath my feet. I shifted slightly and realized that I was probably standing in the grass somewhere. But where was the road? I listened to our environment and noticed that there weren't any engines humming in the distance.6

"Where are we...?" I asked him hesitantly. He didn't answer me. Instead he closed the car door and took my hands into his own. I definitely wanted to open my eyes now, but I was being unusually obedient.7

I sensed him leaning down towards me and my body tensed. I felt his breath in my ear...8

"I'm going to pick you up and carry you."9

"Oh my God, NO!" I cried. I am definitely against any form of being picked up. Okay, I'm aware that I'm a short person. But it is humiliating to me for some reason...and it freaks me out. I instinctively tried to move away from him, but his arms were around me, and I couldn't move. Reluctantly, I stopped struggling. In a last attempt to stop him, I started to tell him about my weight, but he interrupted me and told me that I was not fat nor heavy. I grumbled to myself about how I didn't believe him.10

I heard him kneel down slightly and felt his arms hoist me up. I fiercely threw my arms around his neck to steady myself. I laid my head against his shoulder as he chuckled at my earlier attempts of rebellion. 11

"Are you sure I'm not too hea--" I began, but he interrupted me again and silenced me with "No, honey, you're not." I sighed against his neck.12

Suddenly I felt everything starting to tremble, and I knew he was walking somewhere. I held on to him tighter and hoped that I wasn't choking him. We traveled in this manner for some time. I still hadn't opened my eyes. Normally I would be proud to accomplish such a feat of patience, but my head was swimming with a tirade of thoughts that I was unable to decipher.13

Then we stopped. He slowly put me down as I unwound my arms from his neck. Then a hand took mine, and another hand was on my cheek.14

"Open your eyes," he said, just above a whisper.15

Brilliant color exploded into my eyes. I felt like I was surrounded by walls of flame. But there was shadow, too-- shade created by the tallest of trees.16

We were in a forest...and autumn's presence was here.17

I felt my lungs start to paralyze, stopping my breath in my throat. I turned around and around, trying to take every shade and every tone in. Truly this was an artist's canvas, and I was caught in a painter's dream. Every color was so deep and brilliant, I knew that there could be no match. Scarlet, clementine, aurelia, emerald, and the cerulean of the sky. I was bound in color, breathing in color, exhaling color.18

And the silence was like the heartbeat of the world.19

I slowly stepped forward, trembling. I laid my head upon his chest as he rested his head upon mine. I closed my eyes again; I felt like I had been blinded by beauty. His heart was playing a rhythm into my mind.20

I heard the wind calling to me gently like a lullaby. It caressed me softly, sending shivers down my spine. His arms held onto me tighter.21

Suddenly I heard rustling and felt more air move about us. I pulled away slightly to see what was going on and realized that the leaves were dancing around us. It was like being in the eye of a hurricane, caught in serenity as winds blazed with debris in a tirade of sound. The air was moving faster and faster, the colors were spinning like a potter's wheel, and then---22

Everything stopped. The leaves floated down like rain.23

...Rain.24

I heard a sound like tiny footsteps. It grew louder and louder, and then I realized I could feel it. Raindrops were sprinkling onto us, falling faster by the second. I wondered if he wanted to leave, but his arms did not budge.25

And then I felt something...something that I hadn't felt in such a long time.26

It was my own heart, calling to me.27

The forest is my true home. Only in the embrace of leaves do I truly feel at rest. And here I was, surrounded by colors that an artist could never replicate, and I was being held by the man who has my love. I leaned back into his arms slowly as the rain cleansed away my fear.28

His hands took mine and he started to shift with me in slow circles. We were dancing in the rain. I wanted to mention my irrational fear of my mascara dripping from the raindrops, but something told me that words didn't have meaning anymore.29

This was music. This was poetry. This was...perfection.30

The rain ebbed away into a mist, and we were still slowly spinning. I felt a gentle heat upon my skin and realized that the sun was shining through the treetops again. Everything sparkled as the rays were captured by the beads of water on the leaves. I wandered if the moisture upon my cheeks was from the rain or from tears of awe.31

I lifted my eyes to look into his. And then I realized that for once in my entire life, I was unafraid to have eye-contact with someone. I let him stare into my soul. I let his gaze fill me and envelope me entirely as I held onto his hands. He smiled softly as I lifted my hand to touch his rain-kissed cheek. I was trembling again, but I didn't notice it as much as I noticed the color of his eyes.32

It was like finding the ocean while surrounded by flames. It was the most comforting and beautiful color that I had ever seen, and I felt ashamed that I had never had the courage to seek such a color before. I had always hid my eyes in his presence. I never looked directly at him because I had been afraid.33

I wanted to apologize, but one his fingers was on my lips, silencing me. I also wanted to thank him for bringing me here, but I knew it was no use. So instead of thanking him, I thanked God in my mind for performing these miracles. And for the last time, I closed my eyes as Robbie leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.34

Memories fade after time...but I vowed to never forget this one.35