The ground was a cracked, jagged, and uneven, feature of the precipice that was quite unfortunate for my balance in high heels.  Half a dozen times, I nearly fell.  Fell to what?  Another rock?  The ocean?  An untimely end?  With each slip, he squeezed my hand tighter; with each stumble, he pulled me closer.  By the time we reached the edge, I was letter and he, my envelope.

            To me, the crisp evening was piercing; the cold was violating me; somehow it penetrated my dress, crawled under my skin, and seemed to freeze my very heart.  I began to shiver, a regular occurrence with me, and Adam had grown accustomed to it.  Even with my slight convulsions, he managed to hold me as tight as he ever had.  Not only was my body warmed, but my heart thawed, my soul melted with his.

            I looked up into his deep blue eyes; they reminded me of sapphires.  Sadness still lingered I those sapphire eyes.  His brow was furrowed with concern, or was it regret?  Adam revealed his sadness only in his eyes; he tried to keep his physical reaction minimal, yet tears always gave way.  Adam may have kept his lip from quivering, but the truth always surfaced.

             The wind suddenly picked up- had I hot been grounded by Adam’s embrace, the wind might have blown me away.  The wind jerked me back to reality, a reality in which I was teetering on the edge of the world with my one and only love.  Maybe the wind wasn’t really blowing, maybe the ocean was sucking us into oblivion; whether the wind was pushing or the ocean pulling, I knew we had to sit down before the karma caught up with me.  I huddled close to him, and he pulled me closer; this is the meaning of embrace.  His legs dangled over the edge while I remained in an almost fetal position in his arms, both for warmth and protection.

            I turned to him in hopes of seeing his eyes display at least a slight twinge of happiness- but hurt was all I could decipher.  But then again, what more could I expect?  He manages to hold all his pain inside and continue to shower me in all that I don’t deserve.  Finally, in all the time we had spent on the precipice, Adam spoke to me.

            “Do you want to leave now, Jade?  I can feel how cold you are.  I understand if you can’t take it here anymore…” he trailed off, and I could hear his disappointment.

            “No, I want to stay, sweetie.  Here or home, I’ll always be cold.  At least here I can be with you, with you is where I’m most at home.”

            “Then I’m glad I brought you here. I know you’d enjoy this more if I could simply be happy, and I’m sorry I can’t forgive and forget your shortcomings, my love but---“

            “---I’ve given you no reason to forgive, nor any memories to replace what you would forget,” I interrupted. 

            “I may not be able to do either of those things, but I can, and do love. I love you, Jade, and only you- forever.  No matter what you do to me, intentional or unintentional, I will always feel best when holding you close to me.  You truly are my other half, and we will overcome this in time,” my soul mate prophesized.

            I nuzzled in closer to him, and leaned my head against his chest. I could hear the slow, steady, pulse of his heart, of life!  All I have ever done is cause Adam pain, and all he has ever done is remedy the hurt I bring to myself.  Each time I hurt him, he comforted me more, when it should have been the opposite.  Slowly but surely, I want it to be Adam’s turn to feel better now.  “I love you so much, Adam.  I hate what I’ve done to you, but there is nothing I can do; like you said, only time will tell.  Until then I know I will be happy in your arms, but will you be content with me?  Is it possible for me to be the light of your life again?”

            “I wouldn’t have brought you here tonight if I didn’t know that for sure.   You truly are my shining star, Jade,” he gushed. 

            He nudged me and pointed to the sky; I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many stars in one sky.  The night sky paralleled my relationship with Adam.  My mistakes floated, never forgotten, as huge planets, few and far between.  The myriad of stars in the sky, the shining, bright, white orbs suspended seamlessly on unearthly black- they each represent a happy moment, a time of pure bliss that neither Adam nor I would trade for the world.  Even with all those stars, the planets continue to exist; just as with all our happy moments, my mistakes have not yet been forgotten.  Nor do I expect Adam to forget, or forgive.  We simply live on, just as the sky exists.

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