I looked down to my feet and listened to the loud crunch of gravel under my shoes as we walked. A light wind of early summer blew and I shivered, which triggered a snicker from him. I loved that laugh. His hand gave mine a delightful squeeze as I looked up into those eyes, illuminating with a blue even the ocean didn’t hold.
“Cold?” he jeered with his signature smirk.

I smiled ever so sweetly and let out a laugh myself.
“Okay maybe I should have taken your jacket.” I retorted with an ear to ear grin.

The ground was hard and still frozen from the lingering winter months. The trees still shied away, naked and looking like death. Spring birds cheered with a longing for warmer weather, and for their trees to once again be full and beautiful. The air was filled with the classical essence of spring and I was in my fifth month of being the happiest girl alive. The world was spinning and I was at its epicenter.

I zipped up my hoodie and pulled myself closer to him. He’s always so warm, something he frequently teases me about (that and my forever pale skin). We exchange our signature geeky banter, and laugh our signature laughs as we continue to walk.
“Are we there yet?” I say as a burst of laughter washed over my face.

He smiles and stays silent while he leads me around the bend, into the opening between a cluster of trees. Down below us was the water’s edge, new boundless from the acrid ice of winter. Out over the edges of the lake were cabins and houses alongside docks of every size; previously abandoned for warmer housing inland during the months filled with snow. It was calm, so calm. Water inched back and forth on the shore as we walked down the small, steep hill to the bank. The sun sat lazily in the cloudless sky, and an unexplained sense of wonder and appreciation swept me away.

I pulled him closer and rested my head on his chest, just in front of his right shoulder. He was so warm. He kissed the top of my head while we looked over the lake, which caused my smile to grow once again. The sun bounced across the water, dancing happily with its return to spring. Somewhere off in the distance a loon cooed it’s lonely cry. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. I wondered what thoughts crossed his mind. I looked up into those eyes again and was flushed with that indescribable feeling.
“I love you.” He whispered, as if anything louder would have shattered the world around us.
“I love you too.”