The sun was setting over the city and it seemed as though the valley was engulfed in flames. The wind caught her hair as she let out a sigh, out of awe or resignation he couldn’t tell. Their fingers lightly touched but the distance felt enormous between them, growing deeper with every word. There was so much he wanted to say, so much she needed to hear. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. She looked over, soft brown eyes glowing fiercely. He was tensed; she could sense the pressure building up within him as he clenched his jaw. The wind tossed his dark brown strands, letting them fall perfectly framing his face. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought he was enjoying the moment, eyes scanning the city below. The sun lit up his dark brown eyes, creating a ring of fire around his irises. She didn’t know which sight was more breathtaking. He let out a half-hearted chuckle and leaned back into the grass, letting his arm curl under his head as a makeshift pillow. She took the cue and fell back, mirroring his movements. It wasn’t dark enough to see the stars yet, but they stared anyway. Maybe if they looked hard enough, they would make out the celestial lights through the haze. A glint of hope that maybe this wasn’t the end.

“It has to be this way.”

“It sucks.”

“I know.”

So much more needed to be said. Both were skilled at reading between words, letting their hearts do much of the talking. Their eyes met and for a fraction of a second, everything was all right. They were kids again, laughing and dancing in the grass; and then it was over. Running his slender fingers through his hair, he softly whispered, “Energy.”

“What?”

“Energy. The amount of energy in the universe never changes.”

“Yeah I know that. But why bring it up now?”

“Because. That’s all anything is - energy. Nothing will ever disappear, just change forms.”

She knew what he was trying to say. It was just like him to fall back on science when it came to matters of the heart. He had always been the more logical of the two, as she preferred to spend her days expressing all the vibrant colors of her world. He loved that about her, boundless energy trapped inside a casket. He was the only person who saw her for what she truly was and now it didn’t even matter. Nothing mattered. Nothing but them on the hill with their fingers interlocked. The sun hovered over the horizon for a while, and as the last light faded over the city they looked up at the sky. Billions of tiny lights scattered over the navy blue cloth.

“We will be up there too.”

“Right next to each other.”

“Where we belong.”

“Always.”