The afternoon of October 30th 2008

The sky was blending grey above me, the leaves on the trees had turned red, orange, yellow and brown, and were falling. Coarse grass beneath my feet tickled right up to my ankles. I watched, waiting in silence for him to appear. I saw high above me through the bareness of those branches, the man from the long stretch - stood in his bobble hat, staring through the silky pane of his bedroom window. He watched over me in his daydream as his thoughts drifted through the autumn air, clinging to the golden leaves that mesmerised him. They flickered and spun and waltzed over toward me but as I held out to catch his dream, my body jerked and our silence was broken. I chuckled to myself as I watched Tarun carelessly skip along the garden path and trip over his laces on the crazy paving. He lay there, staring over at me. Tarun cracked a smile and we laughed together at his foolishness as he pulled out a boney arm from underneath him, presenting a crumpled gift, the crimson colour of his blushing face, and every bit as beautiful. Reaching down to help him, I clasped my hand in his, and he tugged me to the ground. I laced his crimson face with kisses, and stared deeply into his eyes. His warm embrace gathered around my waist as his lips touched mine, tenderly holding us there. My head rested against Tarun's chest, listening to the sound of our breathing. I took his sunburned hand, peering up at the window I had watched from below. Only a little light leaked through the edges of the heavy curtains, drawn now, and I curiously wondered at the life that lived behind them.