A smile broke across her face as she listened to him talk. He was so passionate about his research it gave her a warm feeling. She had no idea what he was talking about, but she was content to just listen to him. His smile grew larger as he talked about an important breakthrough they had made that day concerning the potentials of some plant she had never heard of.

He reached across the table and trailed his finger along her hand. “And your day?” he asked with a smile on his face. She plunged into an explanation of the marketing campaign for a new restaurant. He nodded and grinned, even though he understood very little of what she was speaking of. Knowing she was happy was the only thing he was concerned about.

It did not matter to them how different their walks of life were. They understood the passions that filled the other with such delight. While his passion lay in science and research and her passion was in literature and advertising, sharing passion itself was what united them. The world around them may not have understood them, but they understood each other.

She finished her chai tea and he finished his raspberry coffee. They stood up from the table simultaneously and left the small coffee shop. A few people stared after them, wondering how they managed to be so entwined. They did not fully understand the relationship of those two; they wrote the connection off as young love and returned to their croissants.

“Where shall we go, Diane?” he questioned once they were on the sidewalk.

“To the stars,” she responded without hesitation.

He beamed at what most would consider a strange response. For him, this answer required no explanation. “To the stars it is,” he repeated, knowing they could go anywhere. He grasped her hand and together they moved purposefully toward the beach.

No words were needed between them now. Each was lost in their own thoughts, but they shared this experience. In the distance, waves could be heard crashing against rocks. Nearby, voices called to each other. Somewhere in the middle, a dog barked. They heard none of this; they only heard their thoughts and the beating of the other’s heart.

When the ocean was in sight, she broke from him and ran toward it. Her scarf flapped behind her and mingled with her chestnut hair. She leaped onto a rock and extended her arms above her head. The waves crashed into the rock, misting her with cold water. She turned around and grinned at him. She waved her hand, beckoning him to join her.

He smiled back at her, but did not hurry to her. Instead, he carefully found his way across the rocky beach, until he was at her side. She waited patiently for him and extended her hand to him once he was within reach. He grabbed it and clumsily managed to pull and push himself onto the rock.

She wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear, “Isn’t it magical, Warren?”

He gave an inaudible response. His face frozen in an expression that was a mixture of fear and awe, he pushed into her for support. To him, she was better for support than the rock beneath his feet.

“Just let go. Let go of everything.” She pried his fingers from her arms, where they had latched in a death grip. “Spread your wings.” She raised his arms to the sides. “Feel the magic.”

He let himself get lost in the sound of her voice. Soon, he understood what she meant. He could feel the magic everywhere around him. The mist of the ocean sprayed his face, sending shivers down his spine. The late evening sun reflected off the waves onto his pale, freckled skin. Her voice lingered in his ear, and he understood what she meant.

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