I still remember the last time I saw her face, her tan skin crinkled as a wide smile lit up her dark brown eyes. Her usually brunette hair had streaks of blonde running through it from hours in the summer sun. She tossed her head back laughing at a joke one of the boys told. Most of what they were saying was nonsense to me but it was worth listening to if it made her happy. Everything was better when she there and life seemed lacking when she wasn't. 

 

  The light from the setting sun seemed to curl around her body as she gracefully danced through the sand. She reached out for my hand inviting me to dance with her. To feel joy and peace and completeness with her. I willingly put my hand in hers trusting her to lead me into a world I'd never known and could never imagine. The sound of the waves, the laughter of the boys, the mournful call of the seagulls become a distant whisper barely perceptible through the exquisite sound of her heart beating. 

  She pulls me into the swells of the ocean and uses her free hand to splash the cool clear water over my body. I shiver with pleasure and splash her back watching each drop of water caress her smooth skin. She closes her eyes and faces into the wind letting it stream over her shoulders and through every tendril of her hair, her chest swelling with a deep breath of sweet evening air. I find myself wishing I could breathe her in forever, an exquisite high that would never end. 

 

 In a moment she turns and we are face to face. Her lips brush a gentle path across my cheek and as they reach my ear, they part and deliver a message more beautiful than all the colors of the sunset: "I love you." 

 In another moment I am walking the beach alone. The sun, the sea, the sand hold no color. There is no sweet music in the air for her to dance to, no hand extends to grab mine and show me the beauty in life and in love. The waves lap against my legs not in a welcoming embrace but a shameful slap as if demanding to know how I let her get away. The gulls call out asking, pleading for me to bring her back. When will she come back? But I remain silent. 

 The sun is setting into the sea but I am numb to the streaks of orange and pink it leaves in its wake. Somehow it feels as if I am losing her all over again with the passing of the daylight. I will be left in darkness without her smile to light my path, without her soft words to guide me, her gentle eyes to watch over me. 

  

  I am stuck in this moment forever. The perpetual setting of the sun and the perpetual loss of her, my love. 

  Juliene, sweet Juliene, come find me. I'll be here forever...waiting for you...

** inspired by the song Juliene by Daya