“Okay.Should I take anything with me?”
“No,no, I’ve got everything.”
Hecalled out to Peter and Frank, who were sitting in front of the place preparedfor the fire. “We’re off for the falls, guys!”
Frank,cleaning and preparing some fish, answered without looking at us, “Don’t doanything I wouldn’t do.”
“Iguess anything goes then,” J said with a grin as he slung a small backpack overhis shoulder. “C’mon!”
Wemade our path through a dense part of the forest, watching our steps. Birdssinging high up in the trees accompanied our hike. J didn’t talk. He waswalking in front, bending hard branches and holding them for me to pass.
Despitehis silence, I felt a strange excitement that I could not explain. My heart waspounding, and it wasn’t due to our strenuous walk. There was something else.
Is this only about the surprise hehad prepared?
“Whereare we going?”
“You’llsee!” He didn’t turn, but I could tell he was smiling.
Wepressed on.
Asthe path turned uphill and some of the vegetation changed, I heard a rumble, firstquiet and then louder and louder, though I couldn’t identify the sound.
“Doyou know what that is?” he said, turning to face me.
“No.”
“Good!Now, close your eyes.”
“Again?”
“Yes,again. Come!”
“Okay,”I said and closed my eyes, holding J’s hand a bit tighter.
Wecontinued walking, my steps careful. The rumbling sound was getting so loud Icould hardly hear anything else.
“Okay,slowly…” he shouted above the noise. “Step up. Now straight abit more. Okay, now wait here.”
Helet go of my hand. I had to use all my willpower not to open my eyes at thatmoment.
“Don’tpeek!” he called from somewhere in front of me.
“I’mnot!” I shouted back.
Itwas several passes before he returned. He took my hand and led me a few more stepsforward.
“Youcan open your eyes now!”
AndI did.
Infront of me was the most amazing sight of a river falling down a several IPs highsmooth black rock into a small circular lake. The sunshine found its waybetween the trees and refracted off the cloud of water drops from the fallingriver into an arch of six brightly colored stripes.
A waterfall!
And a rainbow!
“Whoa…this is…” I turned to him and smiled, because I could not voice my feelings.This was more than beautiful.
“Youlike it?” His smile was plastered from one cheek to the other. “There’s more.Follow me.”
Wecircled around the lake, my hand in J’s, until we came to the right side of thewaterfall.
Heturned to me and mouthed the words without a sound, as it was obvious I couldn’thave heard him even if he was shouting. We’llwalk behind the falls is what I thought he said, but this was sounbelievable, I grimaced a question with my eyes. He smiled and tugged my handto follow him.
Behindthe curtain of free-falling water, there was a small ledge wide enough for onlyone person to use at a time, so I walked behind him, holding his hand tightly, mindfulof the slippery floor as water splashed our clothes with fine drops.
TenIPs in, he stepped through a narrow opening in the rock wall and pulled me inbehind him. We entered a small tunnel and I had to rely on him leading mebecause it was pitch-dark. The deafening sound of the waterfall got quieter,and I could hear our steps again. The passage gently curved to the right, andmy impression was that we were walking slightly uphill.
Thenext moment, we stepped out of the tunnel and into a large cave. The roof ofthe cave was open to the sky and the orange light from the setting sun streamedin, transforming the rough walls of the cave into a mosaic of different hues oflight and shadow. A soft mat was laid out on the flat sandy floor.
Allof a sudden, I realized—this was my dream, my Vision of him in the cave. Myadrenaline spiked, and my heart started racing.
Itried to steady my breathing but my heart kept pounding madly against my ribcage. I was afraid I would faint again.
Hecame closer to me and took my hands in his.
“Ifound this place,” he said, looking around, “a few years back, just byaccident. And I remember thinking then”—he looked at the ground—“thatit would be a nice place to bring someone special. Although at the time, Inever thought I’d do that…” He looked at me. “But, then you came. And changedeverything.” He came closer. “Changed me.”
“Changedyou?” I asked, somewhat breathlessly. “How?”
“Whenthe crèches revived us, we all woke up, we started living again, but somehow, Iwas missing…” He pressed his lips together in a thought. “…life.”
“Ido not understand you, J. You were alive.”
“No,”he said, slowly shaking his head. Then he raised one of my hands and pressed myopen palm to the middle of his chest. “You see, I was living, but I wasn’talive. I was missing—fire, here, within me.”
Hiseyes smiled as he looked at me, such a clear nonverbal communication I couldnot misunderstand it.
“Now,everything is different. The flowers smell better; the air is fresher; the daysare brighter; people are nicer; food tastes finer; everything—everything!—is so much better with you here.” He released myhands and gently placed his palms on my cheeks, hisfingers warm on my skin. “De-freezing made me start breathing, but my heartstarted beating again once you came into my life.”
Iwas speechless, overwhelmed by his words, and—without any doubt—completelyin love with him.
Hebent down and kissed me, the touch soft and gentle. We stayed like this for a longtime. It was perfect.
He was perfect.
Hemoved slightly away and gazed down my body. He inhaled, keeping the breathlocked in for a few moments, but then said, “I know… I know about theinterpersonal space and all of those things you have on your Uni world, but…”He looked up into my eyes. “I… so… want to be near you.” He touched my neck andpulled me closer, whispering, “I want to hold you really, really close. I need you, Dora.” His body was now completelytouching mine, his lips next to my ear.
Myheart was drumming and I could hardly catch my breath. Theneed, the wish, the desire, deep inside me. I knew what he felt because—Ifelt it too. I needed him too. I wanted him too.
“This,”I whispered, “this was the place I saw in my Visions.Before I came here.”
“Youdid?”
“Yes.”
“Is…this
