Second Wave

She squeezed my hand as we walked towards the edge of the sea. Waves crashed on boulders protruding from the ocean. Seagulls landed for brief respite, taking flight again once the salt water reached their claws. Even the sea was too much for them. 

We both stared at the water, then looked into each other’s eyes. There was no turning back. No false sense of salvation to rescue us from our fate. 

And then, we plunged. 

***

The next day, I awoke, with an immediate awareness of the previous night. I shifted under the covers, causing my wife to drift out of sleep. I held her close, as her eyes opened and shut, her hair still wet from the night before. The midnight swim on the Atlantic Coast after the private ceremony confirmed what we knew all along. Even as we drifted, floating on the water, our impromptu game of Marco Polo kept us within range of each other. The crescent moon disappeared as clouds rolled in, casting dark shadows on the rippling waves among us. 

We had left our rings on the driftwood, next to some of our clothes. As we kissed under the brief moonlight I tasted the salt on her lips, a vivid memory I would not soon forget, if ever.

“Good morning, sweetheart…” I brushed her hair back, cupping the side of her face. She opened her eyes again. Instantly, I saw the face of the woman I knew the night before. 

She smiled back at me. “We did it.” She reached for the top of her nightstand, then sat up, visibly disturbed. “I think we left our wedding rings by the sand.”

I turned towards my nightstand, reaching for the jewels in question. She sighed, and laid back down. I took her left hand in mine, and slid the diamond ring onto her finger. “Will you marry me?”

She laughed. “Yes, I will!” She took my band with the smaller diamond, and placed it on my ring finger. 

I kissed her, once again detecting the salt on her mouth. It was delicious and savory. Just like her. ⚢