The moonlight was almost golden. It shone right on her face, in the likeness of a spotlight. Her natural hair was still a perfect fit for her face, and even after all these years, her lips still stood gallant, and they still knew how to call my attention. She still stood tall and proud, her breasts still upright on her chest, like the goddess that she is. Even after all these years, Elsie still had that effect on me, she still knows the right buttons to press. That girl you meet at 19, she does things to you, she leaves a mark on you. 

“Hey Elsie… do you remember how it used to sound over the phone?”
“Hi Cal… I still remember, like it was yesterday” She lets out that childish chuckle, a sound I thought I’d never hear again. 
“I don’t see a ring on your finger, does that mean…?” I give her an enquiring stare, laden with hope.
“Yes Cal…” Her voice trails off into tears and I immediately reach in, to comfort her, just like I used to do, all those years ago. 

I met Elsie six years ago, when I was 19. I texted a random number and our souls connected, these feelings bloomed, amidst the indecisive and inconsistent resistance. She’s five years older than I am, and had few months till she had to leave for law school, a long way from where I was, a long way from where I could touch her, and hold her, and kiss her. She fought the feelings she had for me, for fear of becoming attached to someone who wouldn’t stay forever, but alas, these feelings were inevitable. The more you fought them, the more they bloomed, like flowers that thrived in harsh weather conditions. 

I was ready to face the music whenever the time came. The longing for her touch on cold and windy nights, the quick flashbacks of intimate moments, nights where I have to comfort myself with the memories that we made. I would look at the pictures, still moments where we kept our love… we keep this love in a photograph. I was ready to face the distance, and whatever pain that it would come with. 

We decided to make the best use of the time we had. We went on dates, kissed in locations all over the city, and I let my hands travel as far as they could. I still remember that night. She gave herself to me, and I gave myself to her. She felt me within her, and I think she loved it. Her voice, her sound, her face, she gave into the pleasure I administered to her so carefully and intentionally. She eventually left for law school, and life happened.

Right now, six years later, “my baby” is sitting right in front of me. There’s no ring on her finger, and she still seems like the sweet girl that I fell in love with. I stretch out my hand, and she places her palm in mine, and I lead her into the night, to make more memories.