Page 74 of Falcon

It’s late, very late now in fact, and the streets grow more and more quiet the farther we get from the main hustle and bustle of the City Market area.

The air, even with the sun long since asleep for the night, is sticky and humid, but there is nowhere else I’d rather be right now than side by side with this incredible, surprising man.

“Wow,” he says, and it pulls my attention up to him as we stop on the sidewalk.

“What?” I look around to see what has him so captivated.

“That fountain is amazing.”

“That’s Forsyth Park. It’s one of my favorite places in the entire city.”

He gives my hand a squeeze and looks first right, then left before tugging me into the street so we can cross. “Come on then. Don’t keep all the good places to yourself.” He smiles.

We make our way across the empty street, lit only by the streetlamps, and to the tree-covered sidewalk that leads into the park.

Forsyth is a large, rectangular-shaped, stunningly green park in the center of the historic district. It’s the home of many concerts, birthday parties, children getting out all of their energy in the many play structures. There’s a large open grass field perfect for picnics, Frisbee, playing with your dogs. Really, this is the perfect space for anything you could possibly want to do.

But the landmark feature is the white fountain on the north end.

It’s a large, round fountain, decorated with sculpted statues shooting water from long horns in their mouths, gated all around, and dotted with multicolored flowers. It’s a beautiful backdrop for wedding photos, selfies, prom photos, or staring longingly into while you try to sort all the madness that is in your head. That last one is my main usage for it, to be honest.

The long walkway that leads from the center of the park to the fountain is lined with benches, and the sky is hidden by Spanish moss-covered tree branches.

The closer we get to the fountain, the louder the sound of the water becomes, and honestly, it’s so tranquil I almost, almost relax for just a moment, as if tomorrow isn’t going to come.

I wrap my hands around the iron fence that surrounds the fountain, and Falcon stands right behind me with his chest to my back, and his hands resting right next to mine.

“You know, during St. Patrick’s Day, they have a big ceremony here in the park and dye the water in here green. People take it seriously here. You’d think this was Ireland.”

“I’m sure that’s a sight to see.” He is resting his chin on top of my head.

“It’s bizarre, but I love it, everyone does. There are people all around here. News crews. Everyone.”

“I’d like to see that one day.”

I close my eyes at that and take a deep breath. “Maybe you can come back for it one year.”

I can feel each breath he takes, his chest rising and falling against me. Part of me wants to turn around and beg him to stay, but that’s not who I am.

I can’t get swept away in something I can’t even identify yet. All I know for sure is I enjoy spending time with him. I want to keep spending time with him, and I don’t want him to go.

I’ll miss him.

“Tell me what you’re thinking?” he asks.

Can he read my mind? Hell, he can do everything else. Clairvoyance wouldn’t surprise me at this point.

“Do you want the truth or an easier answer?” I don’t turn to look at him; I just stare down at the flowers. Purple ones to be specific.

“The truth. Only the truth. Always.”

“I’m thinking about tomorrow and how saying goodbye to you is really going to suck.”

“It’s not exactly going to be cake for me either, baby.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head.

“At the risk of sounding like a complete girl, I just…what is this, Falcon? Where do we go from here?”

“I wish there was a simple answer for that, but everything I’ve come up with in my head sounds too…insignificant.”

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