A Summer's Afternoon - a short story

 The air was humid. Far more humid than it should have been, the sun beating down violently, as we walked across the meadow, realizing that the woods had offered more respite from the heat that we'd noticed. I looked back nervously, locks of Torver's hair rustling in the hot afternoon breeze, as they followed me across the meadow. Nervously I paused at the edge of the path down to the river, partway though the field, waiting for a few seconds for them to catch up the last few feet. Stopped, I panted a little, both out of nerves and from the blistering heat of the summer afternoon. I wiped my brow, shook my shirt, and looked at them, unable to fully look them in the eyes, and nervous how bad the heat had made me smell. But they just smiled at me and brushed their hand down my arm to meet mine, grasping my fingers in theirs, as we stood there. I felt a sudden rush of even more heat to my face, as I cautiously lead them down the hill of the path, my hand leaving theirs as the path narrowed and the hill got steep. As it evened out, the brush grew thicker, surrounding the path with small pine trees, grass, and tall Himalayan Balsam flowers, some 10 feet tall. I pushed the brush aside as I lead them around a few corners, trying my best not to let the plants hit them, as we saw one bend of the river come into view. After one more bend, and a fallen down tree to step over, the small riverbank came into view, the water low due to the summer heat, and the rocky and sandy shore appearing before us. The water trickled so lazily down the bends of the river, in some spots it looked almost as if it weren't even moving at all.

"Well, here we are." I said rather shyly as I cast my right hand toward the water, the river small and narrow, a slight giggle escaping my lips, as I tried to catch my breath. The sheer humidity within the trees making my hair a mess, my palms sweaty, and my shirt cling to my body. Torver looked toward me, my head down slightly as I huffed a little in the hot air, and as they did, they brought their right hand to my chin, lifting my head up 'til our eyes met.

"It's beautiful here!" They exclaimed while smiling. "And so are you." Those last words spoken softer, and with more meaning. I tried to smile back, but feeling it was awkward, I put my head back down, hunched my shoulders a little, and tried to hide.

"It's okay," Torver spoke softly, their words floating throughout the trees. "It's okay." I looked back up, smiled, and with just about as much courage as I could muster, I grabbed their hand and walked them about 5 feet away to a spot where the bank of the river rose up a couple of feet and became a slight grassy knoll. I sat down, Cody following suit to the left of me, and took off my shoes, the slight sounds of the slow moving water all I could focus on, and proceeded to dip my right foot into the water below, my left leg under me across my body. I stared at the water, watching the bugs skate across its surface, and watching little bits of debris slowly rolling downstream, as I moved my other leg out from under me so both my feet could cool off. Silence. No words were spoken then, and none needed to be. It's almost as if the woods themselves, the trees, the river, the flowers, the birds, everything was holding it's breath waiting, and yet speaking for us at the same time. Their left foot dangled out further than mine as they splashed up a little water with their toes, watching the drops rain down, making ripples on the surface the slowly rushed away with the force of the moving water. The river in this one spot was a little deeper. maybe only 10 inches deep where our feet lay, but a couple of feet deeper just across the other side, which was only about 8 feet or so in front of us. I smiled as they flicked the water, and moved my toes throughout, trying to cool off. Silence still. I was much to afraid to look at them again, I daren't, my heart racing faster than a Peregrine Falcon in full flight, my face flush from heat and blush, a heavy feeling within, and yet complete bliss, happiness, solitude. The silence was finally broken when they spoke some minutes later. Their hand reached down to meet mine, squeezing gently, as I looked over and, once again, smiled shyly. Whispers of their voice echoed in my head as they spoke. Echoing also through the trees, and skipping across the river as with the beats of my heart.

"I love you." The words escaping their lips as if they had been held in a prison, and were now set free.

My mouth opened, in awe, but only opened slightly. I couldn't look away, not now, not in this beautiful moment which seemed to go on for ever. I could not even blink, my eyes staring straight into theirs, my heart beating faster with each breath, my mouth dry. A tear formed within my eye, and I would not have realized it had it not been for them reaching up with their left hand to gently wipe it away. The tear on their pointer finger, they kissed the finger, the tear moving up to their lips. I still did now know how to respond, and yet, they did not get mad. They let the moment be for as long as it needed, and it felt like a whole lifetime. Several lifetimes. I blinked, finally, and took in a deep breath, swallowing.

"I..." More deep breathing, heavier now, more sweat pouring down my face. I brushed it off with the back of my hand. "I... I love you too!" I spoke softly, quietly, yet enthusiastically. I began to gently cry, casting my head downward again, not wanting them to see. But they just leaned forward, shifted their body some, and put their arms around me, their hair enveloping my head. The embrace safer than any space I had ever occupied, their arms more comforting that any person I had ever known. Their love more meaningful and and beautiful than any place on earth. 

The river continued to flow. Quietly, steadily, lazily, on this hot summer afternoon.