Ephemeral

Moonlight, soft, ephemeral, lovely… Pale, insubstantial beams cascaded through the open window. The curtains fluttered slightly in the night breeze- thin, translucent fabric billowing outwards, then folding slowly back in on itself.
Their gauzy shadows danced across the luxuriously carpeted floor; they climbed, swirling, up the blanket hanging carelessly off the side of the bed. A cloud, murky grey under the cloak of the night, drifted across the moon.
The room dimmed momentarily, the gloaming obscuring the two figures resting beside each other on the bed…

….and the cloud passed. The moon peered out from behind its murky veil; cold, clear, light illuminated the room once more. Lady Nyx plays with the imagination, does she not..? Penumbrae, shifting shadows, icy light…. Steady breaths. The gentle, incessant rising and falling; alveoli drawing oxygen from the tepid air.
Invisible eddies, swirling currents created with every inhalation.

A soft rustling; a measured movement. Slivers of light reflecting off of a pair of eyes, unfathomably dark in the weak light. A faint sigh, fading quickly into the night. How long? How long since the bell tower last tolled midnight, since they last looked upon each other? Since they each turned away, wordless, an unspoken understanding between them? Not for the first time, she wondered if he was asleep. Surely… surely, after all these long hours….

An indiscriminate clashing of thoughts… the warring of interests and wants and needs and longings; the agony of indecision…
An eternity… a veritable eternity passed. He lay beside her, on his side, face turned away. His breaths were deep, even. She could feel the warmth radiating off his back…
Surely… it couldn’t hurt… just a few moments…
Slowly, ever so slowly, raise your hand, move it forward…

She was awake. He was sure of it. He heard her sigh, felt her shift slightly under the covers, pause for the longest time, then, just as he was almost certain she had fallen asleep… light fingers traced their way slowly down his back; delicate, careful. What… how… could this… a dream? He remained still, unsure of what to do as she trailed her hand down his back once more, a gentle caress. Her hand came to a stop, resting softly on his arm, then began to withdraw, fingertips lingering as her hand lifted away slowly, almost reluctantly. Without thinking, he caught it and turned over, staring into her wide eyes…

He was awake…!