t in ters of Brices Creek. It  large, maybe a

    moments before.

    It acular. tundra serally surrounded ting so close toget s see ter. From a distance, t like icebergs.

    quot;O; sly, quot;its beautiful.

    t in silence for a long  a group of cly cruggling to keep up.

    ter. t part. to move o touc ones and felt thers ruffling under her fingers.

    Noa out t earlier and  to Allie. Stered ttle ones, laughey swam in circles, looking for food.

    tayed until tance - faint but po ime to leave.

    Noao t of tronger than he had earlier.

    Sill amazed by ;

    quot;I dont knoe to Lake Matamuskeet every er, but I guess time. I dont kno. Maybe t off track or somet;

    quot;t stay?quot;

    quot;I doubt it. tinct, and t ter  to Matamuskeet.quot;

    Noaly overo fall, a lig first, tning, a pause, ttle louder noill getting .., cursing to o Moture...

    teady nocrying to defy gravity as it rode on erly  rees. ttle more, and big he clouds. hurricane drops.

    Allie enjoyed t to let it   of es, but s care. Siced, t s ness. It felt   felt in years.

    A cloud burst directly above to come doempt at keeping dry, making Noater.

    kno. Even to come, ed t sed to be caugorm like this.

    tes later, and Noao step out.  out  to drift a in case, ied it to te in t make any difference.

    As ying t Allie and stopped breat a second. Siful as sed, cely comfortable in t try to keep dry or line of s as t clung tigo   a cold rain, but  and protruding, tle rocks.  o stir and quickly turned atering to . ood, Allie took e t ruso it o spend t h her.

    Allie, too,   t it o ouc t it made ake a deep breat o tingle and a neween her legs.

    S somet pinpoint t time - yesterday after dinner, or ternoon in t saylor Cal maybe, just maybe, sopped.

    t inside, pausing in t;Did you bring a c;

    Sill feeling tions  showed on her face.

    quot;I t out of t migtle big, but its ;

    quot;Anyt; she said.

    quot;Ill be back in a second.quot;

    Noas, tairs, descending a minute later. ton pants and a long-sleeved s under one arm and some jeans  in ther.

    quot;; ton pants and s. quot;You can cairs. tooo if you  to s;

    S up tairs, feeling ered t ts and s on  to  and found a  ies on it, and t to  in t  drip on t a secret t being naked in t in.

    S  to ser being in t feeling on  reminded o live long ago. Naturally. Like Noah.

    S s  tucking in t toms just a little so t drag. torn a little and it nearly  s looked on  to t to t to to find a hairbrush.

    S  enougo get out tting it rest on  a clasp or a couple of tle more mascara. But le of y despite everyt back doairs.

    Noating before a fire, doing  to coax it to life.  see c  over ight.

    tinued to ces turned to flames, even and steady. urned to to straig a glimpse of  of turned back to her quickly.

    Even in iful. After a moment urned aacking the logs.

    quot;I didnt ; rying to sound casual.

    quot;I kno supposed to.quot; S  a tinge of amusement at how young he seemed.

    quot;anding t;

    quot;A couple of minutes.quot;

    Noas, ted to tc;Can I get you some tea? I started ter ;

    Small talk, anyto keep  damn, the way she looked...

    S for a second, sa  tincts take over.

    quot;Do you ronger, or is it too early to drink?quot;

    ;I ry. Is t okay?quot;

    quot;t sounds great.quot;

    arted tocc hair as he disappeared.

    tarted. Allie could  turned to ter for just a second. Moments later, anotime.

    Sook a quilt from t on t of ted t until sable and c s to sit beside  doo eachem.

    Outside, torm in full fury, winds whe rain in circles.

    quot;Its quite a storm,quot; Noacical streams on t toucc rise sliging it back.

    quot;I like it,quot; saking a sip. quot;Ive alorms. Even as a young girl.quot;

    quot;; Saying anything, keeping his balance.

    quot;I dont kno alic to me.quot;

    S for a moment, and Noache fire flicker in her emerald eyes.

    t;Do you remember sitting togetcorm a fe;

    quot;Of course.quot;

    quot;I used to t it all time after I   about  nig ;

    quot;;

    Sook anot  really. Not in t I remember. Youre older, of course,  youve still got till read poetry and float on rivers. And youve still got a gentleness t not even take a;

    about w s racing slow circles.

    quot;Allie, you asked me earlier  about t do you remember?quot;

    It s . You , and it  it ;

    Noaook a drink of bourbon, remembering, bringing back this was already hard enough.

    S on. quot;I remember being so afraid before I rembling, but at time being so excited. Im glad you . Im glad o s.quot;

    quot;Me too.quot;

    quot;ere you as afraid as I ;

    Noa speaking, and s y.

    quot;I t so. You alked to me anymore.quot;

    quot;I didnt  to get bet;

    quot;You did, te your professed innocence,quot; s;And Im glad you did.quot;

    quot;ell  us?quot;

    quot;After I got ;

    quot;as it ;

    quot;Not at all. I ;

    S go, and moved closer. S , and rested  like the rain, warm.

    Sly: quot;Do you remember ival? I asked you if you ed to see me again. You just nodded your  say a   too convincing.quot;

    quot;Id never met anyone like you before. I couldnt . I didnt knoo say.quot;

    quot;I kno; Sed ly at ;I t summer t;

    Lig moments before t as tried to undo teen years, boterday.

    urned from o;I ers I e you,quot; he said.

    S speak for a long while.

    quot;It  just up to you, Noa tell you, but I e you a dozen letters after I got  never sent t;

    quot;; Noah was surprised.

    quot;I guess I oo afraid.quot;

    quot;Of ;

    quot;t maybe it  as real as I t it  maybe you forgot me.quot;

    quot;I . I couldnt even t.quot;

    quot;I kno no  back t . t understand, t a young girls mind couldnt sort out.quot;

    quot; do you mean?quot;

    Sing s. quot;ters never came, I didnt knoo talking to my best friend about  ed, and t s surprised t you  e. I didnt believe t you

    and t all our differences made me  more to me t  to you ... And t you  Ne;

    quot;Fin and Sara;

    So stop ;I kno I never asked. I assumed t you  Neo start a ne me.  you e? Or call? Or come see me?quot;

    Noa answering, and sinued:

    quot;I didnt knoime, t began to fade and it o just let it go. At least I t it  in every boy I met in t feoo strong, Id e you anotter. But I never sent t I mig  to t you loving someone else. I ed to remember us like  summer. I didnt  to ever lose t.quot;

    S so sly, so innocently, t Noaed to kiss her when she finished.

    But . Instead  t back, kno  o ouching him.

    quot;t letter I e er I met Lon, I e to your daddy to find out   even sure ill be t;

    Srailed off, and t for a moment, bot in t.

    Lig the silence.

    quot;I ;

    quot;;

    quot;Just to o  youve been up to.quot;

    quot;You miged. My life isnt too exciting. Besides, Im not exactly ;

    quot;Youre better t;

    quot;Youre s, Noa;

    stopped t if  trol, trol  t fourteen years. But sometaken o it,  ake to heyd had so long ago.

    quot;Im not saying it because Im s. Im saying it because I love you now and I always ;

    A log snapped, sending sparks up ticed t burned t neithem moved.

    Allie took anoto feel its effects. But it  just t made tle tig  t black.

    quot;Let me get t; Noao t to to adjust tch easily.

    to spread again, and Noaurned to  ing  speaking, rubbing ly against . Noah leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

    quot;t;

    Scher.

    quot;Noa I  you to kno;

    quot; is it?quot;

    ender. quot;t just t. Youre t expect you to say t I ed you to kno;

    Noa as urned a  time. tting on a sea o ers of t never see eacead of anso , occasionally reading all of it or sometimes just a part. One part s least a imes, and for some reason it ran t said:

    t s so muco separate is because our souls are connected. Maybe time,  for t means t t ten to w will come.

    you, I see your beauty and grace and knoronger  every life before t someone like you, but you, for your soul and mine must alogetands, o say good-bye.

    I o tell you t everyt for us, and I promise to do all I can to make sure it does. But if  again and truly good-bye, I knoime, but for all times weve had before.

    Could it be? S? Sely discounted it, ing to o its promise in case it rue. times. But sitting o test t tined to al. Unless tars  together.

    And maybe t s  to look. Instead so  t bet  igo tremble icipation s t time together.

    It felt so rigo be  rigorm - it couldnt . Like magic, it seemed, t didnt matter anymore.

    Lig tside. Fire danced on .  October rain sed itself against t all other sounds.

    to everyt t fourteen years. Allie lifted  ly on t o ouc softly ill soft and tender, and sion dissolve into passion. Sed ly.  ture of oucook  to s, and a ouc.

    t setting  speaking, sarted to undo ttons on . c and listened to  breaths as she made her way downward.

    itton  ly at  oucly as possible, letting  and sly  c, feeling ween ly as s over ed o kiss he sleeves.

    it, ed  and ran  off. S s of breato ly caressed  ted bodies press togeto skin. ly as sed o pull off toms. S, and c  sloion as togetrembling  together.

    ongue along  skin of s, do and made it sparkle.  and beautiful, almost glo.  her hands on his back, beckoning him.

    to t made tly arcop ion. ride ed asting t t lingered on ion. ittle tempting froead ly rubbed  against  icipation.  of ening as s, whimpering sounds while he moved above her.

    il s take it anymore, and leness, felt  o take ed, to t to be.

    Sc, marveling at y as en al s and c and fell onto side. And  y, every facet of her life, slipping away.

    ted everytaken, and sion sed. It  on and on, tingling t ruggled to catcrembled beneat t it arted to build again, and sarted to feel t after t. By time topped and t, ed but uno stop them.

    t ternately making love by tcimes ed one of e poems as sen  feel ther.

    t on t t, and slept in eac nig  and radiant, and feel as if everyt in this world.

    Once, ered open and so touc o ly, to keep ime t looked at one another.

    subsided, o ;You are to every prayer Ive offered. You are a song, a dream, a w know  you for as long as I ;

    quot;O; so ed hing shed ever known.