“Sorry,” Leslie said to Mark, putting her weight back on her own legs, which weren’t doing her much good anyways. 

            “It’s OK,” Mark said, not letting go.  It was no longer a catch, it was a hug.  “You look beautiful,” he said, looking into her eyes.

            “You, too,” she said dreamily, then realizing her mistake, she corrected, “I mean, you look great.”

            He smiled, and she did too.  As if on cue, a slow song came on and he took her hand.  “May I have this dance?”

            “Of course,” she said.

            He pulled her close, taking in her sweet scent of vanilla and shampoo.        

            “I’ve missed you so much,” he said.

            “I’ve missed you a lot too,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes again.

            “I’ve kept trying to come back but –“

“It’s fine,” she said.  She pulled back and stared into his brown eyes.  “I never thought I’d see you again, and you’re hear now, and that’s all that matters.” Tears were running down her cheeks, tears of joy, confusion, and what was coming next.

            He wiped away her tears with his thumbs, and, knowing what she was thinking, said, “We’ll see each other again.  I can’t take being away from you like that again.”

            She smiled and said, “I couldn’t handle it either.”

            Coming to a decision, Mark took her hand and led her out into the hallway, where there were fewer people, and out the door to the football field.

            “What’re we doing out here?” Leslie asked.

            “Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” he said, leaning closer to her, until their lips touched.

            It was a sensation Leslie had never felt before.  Her head seemed to be spinning in circles and she felt weak- like her legs had turned to jelly.  To keep from falling over, Leslie leaned into Mark’s arms, letting him surround her in warmth.

            They stood like that for what seemed like forever.  When Leslie felt well enough to move, she walked out to the center of the football field, lay down and stared up at the stars, and Mark was just behind her and he lay down next to her, and she moved to rest her head on his chest.

            They lay in silence, there was no need to talk.  Right now, all that was important was being together.  Together forever, they’d both thought of their relationship that way since they first met in kindergarten, and since then, their love only grew.

            Leslie now understood the meaning of the words, “Love does not die easily, it often grows while no one is watching.”  You just can’t fully understand it until you’ve experienced it.