And Then She Was Gone: A Short Love Story

As I reached over to where she had lain only moments before, I could still feel the glow of her presence in the fold of the sheets which had so recently cradled her warm, naked body. As I inhaled I could still smell her delicious odour, as fresh as the morning dew on a leaf at daybreak.

Reluctant to open my eyes and let the harsh light of day shake me from my never land of dreamy slumber, I allowed myself to doze a while longer, and to relive the sensations of the night that we had spent together; still so alive in my memory, that it seemed like only a few moments ago.

As images flickered across the screen of my mind, a contented smile began to play across my lips. Yes, we had lain entwined in each others arms, our bodies pressed together; lovers unable and unwilling to let go, whispering in each others ears, promises of eternal love, words of tenderness and beauty, our two hearts beating as one; we had wanted these moments to last forever.

Last night, choosing her moment well, she had asked me a very important question:

“Are you looking for love in your life, or are you looking for the love of your life?”, she had whispered in my ear.

Without hesitation, I had answered the latter. Yes, beyond any doubt, she was the love that l had been looking for all my life.

Cradled in each others arms, we were outside of time. There was no past, no future, only this all-consuming present moment. This eternal moment, pregnant with blissful contentment, was all that mattered. In our state of heightened awareness, even the smallest gesture, the slightest caress was amplified ten-fold, sending pulsations through each of us, in unison. We had wanted these moments to last forever.

We had made our solemn promises that we would never be separated from one another; never, not even for the briefest of moments; such was our complete mutual intoxication and devotion. Yet now, the very next morning, even before I was awake, she had left my side.

Yes, she was gone and she never even said goodbye. I already missed her so.

I felt an emptiness, a yearning inside of me, a void which only her presence could fill. A hunger which only her return could satisfy. Why had she left me so soon? Was she gone forever? Would I never again, feel her gentle caress, the softness of her skin, the unbearable lightness of her kiss? The thought of living without her was too much to bear.

As the gloom descended upon me, as the tears began to fill my eyes, I sighed deeply. I turned towards the pillow and wistfully stroked the furrow which had so recently supported her angelic face. With another empty sigh, I slowly opened my eyes and as my gaze fell upon the bedside table, I spied a scrap of paper with a hastily scribbled note which read “Gone to get breakfast; back in a tick”.

END

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