“Please,” he begged, his hazel eyes burning into my own, causing me to shift uncomfortably. This was new, this was unknown. His hands grasped onto mine creating a myriad of feelings: anxiety, paranoia and comfort.

“Please,” he said again, his voice dripping low with desire, rumbling like an incoming storm. My voice hitched in my throat, a captive mare, suddenly given a choice to run without restraint. It would have been easier if this was years ago, but now I was choking and drowning in uncertainty and remorse. I was lost in a sea of wild doubt, raw and pulsing with its alluring whispers. My heart was crying, my face was set in stone, wide eyed with the untamed look of a deer caught in head lights. This was no competition, I knew; I was far beyond the juvenile urges of irrational spontaneity. No, this was something nameless; it was a stirring that moved me close to tears, close to insanity, a feral animal trapped in a net with a hole just big enough to claw through if I was willing to risk falling off the sheer drop beneath me. And what he was asking me, such a simple request, I knew could be granted in a moment without another glance, without another thought. But the repercussions. The dilemma. I loved him, that was for certain, but the idea he was proposing was like unchartered territory that I had never even considered exploring. Like a wolf, he emerged from the dense forage and tempted me to follow him along this new path to Grandmother's house. His paws clasped onto my hand, as if channeling his will unto mine.

“I love you,” I admitted, his eyes still eager with anticipation. Waiting. Searching for a clue that eluded even myself in the confusion. How to continue? Unexpectedly, he pulled me into his arms, wrapping my body as if protecting me from whatever chaos, whatever doubts were stalling my response. From this position, I couldn't breathe properly as the beating of my heart thumped faster and faster; the mare had began running. There was no bringing her back. Gently, he lowered his lips to mine, a delicate, sweet kiss that lit up the hillside where we stood. Easy, like a puppy's nudge. He pulled away, eyes tamed; they no longer were a raging fire but a soft, somber light. He smiled and I practically melted; if it weren't for the tears in my eyes, I would have already erupted into eternity.

“No matter what, I'll always be waiting for you,” he declared, stroking my hands with his feathery caresses.

I know, I thought, my mind racing with endless possibilities, far, far away. And as if I'd finally reached the end of the universe, the world stopped and I smiled. For once, everything was clear of skepticism, distrust and fear. I'm getting married tomorrow, I confirmed, my pulse beating regularly, normal, complete.

Thank god it's not to him.