Asher

For this moment in time, Harper and I are floating on a map, miles away from everyone we know. There is something so freeing about that thought—the idea that it's just the two of us in this magical place where we discover something new every few steps. None of our friends have been here, nothing has been touched by the drama that we both brought to this country. I feel protective of that.

I've swallowed down the conversation I'm dying to have at least twenty times in the last ten minutes. What is this? What are we doing? What happens when we get back? I guess I fear speaking the words because her answers might not be what I want and tonight will turn from one of the best of my life to pure torture. We both have things we need to get back to—people who we have unfinished business with in my case, and those who care very deeply about her and are used to having her time and attention. I get that, I want it now too.

There's a tiny stand ahead. A street vendor that's closing up for the night. I tug her lightly and point.

"He's closing," she says.

I shrug. He can turn us away if he wants. "Let him decide if he wants to shoo us away."

His stand is very small and I realize we've been given such an amazing gift. He crafts his own items. There are wood carved signs, handmade jewelry, leather sandals and woven blankets. I run my hand over the items as he watches with a smile, clearly proud of his work. It's hard to focus though when I watch Harper's face as she studies each of his pieces. I want to buy her the world. I try to hold it in, but I can't help but laugh at that thought.

"What?" she asks.

"I'll tell you later." It's the first lie I've ever told her.

She shakes her head and makes an angry face before returning her focus to the small doll she's admiring. The sun is setting and the street is filled with a beautiful blue and purple hue. I wish I had a phone to take a picture. I'd like to capture the sky behind her as her hair falls in her face.

That's when I see it. A tiny silver ring with a stone the color of the sky. It's nothing spectacular—not a diamond or a ruby, but it's OUR sky. It's as if the man had chosen that stone because of the way it represented the sky above his town and the simple beauty that stunned. I make eye contact with him. Harper is busy with the doll and a tiny purse. I hold my finger up to my lips to let him know it's a secret, then point to the ring. He nods.

Harper hold up the doll, "Isn't it amazing the way her little dress has tiny beads around the bottom?" She flips the dress up and investigates his work without waiting for my answer.

The man makes his way over to me and pulls money from his till as if he's counting. He glances at her and when she's still studying the craftmanship of the beaded dress, he holds up the amount he wants for the ring. For a minute I worry that maybe the doll would make her happy, but when I slip him the money, I can see that she's already on to the next thing. I take the ring and put it in my pocket. I pray it fits.

I'm excited and nervous. Stepping back, I stare down the street at the setting sun. I don't want to leave. The night is warm on my skin, the troubles that await me are on the other side of that sunset and I just want to stand here and enjoy ever second before that stupid sun starts to rise again.

"You ready?" she asks from beside me. Her head tips and rests on my shoulder. I can't help but rest my cheek on top of her. My eyes close because as beautiful as the sunset is, the feeling of her against me is better.

"Sure," I answer. But we don't move.

"This isn't how I thought I'd be spending my nights here," she says softly.

"No?" I ask somewhat sarcastically. I rest my chin on top of her head. I've only known her for a short time, but something tells me I'm going to miss this so much.

"I don't think you had this on your itinerary either. At least not with me." Her voice trails off at the end and it breaks my heart a little.

"Hey," I say, "I just didn't know this was an option." I move back so I can look at her. "I think it's been an amazing deviation from the original plans. I can get wasted on cheap margaritas at home." I tip her chin up towards me with my finger beneath it. Her eyes stare back into mine.

"Getting wasted on cheap margaritas is what got us into this mess," she corrects me.

"That's right," I agree, with another laugh. "If we never got drunk, we wouldn't have gotten lost."

"True," she says. Her smile is sweet and again I wish I had my phone to capture it.

"And if we never got lost, we wouldn't have ended up here." I tell her.

She nods.

"And if we didn't end up here, we wouldn't be watching the sunset," I add.

Her smile grows.

"And if we weren't watching the sunset, we wouldn't have kissed," I say quietly. I lean closer, waiting for her to move towards me to let me know she wants the same thing in this moment.

She takes a deep breath as if she's thinking hard about this decision, but then her eyes close and she lifts her lips to me with purpose. I'm all too happy to meet her in the middle. 

***Thank you everyone for being patient. I'm excited to be one of the Wattpad Creators and am working hard in that program. I will be completing this story, I promise. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!