• The sun was high in the sky, and the street was crowded with many different types of people. There were old men and young men, teenage girls and elderly women, but the two that seemed to catch the most people’s eyes were a young couple walking slowly under an umbrella. Her arm was around his waist, his over her shoulders, and he held the umbrella so it protected every inch of her skin from the sun.

    They walked the narrow street on the sidewalk where hundreds of booths had been set up for the farmers market that started every Saturday morning in the summer time. She wore brightly striped tights under a short black skirt, and a long sleeved, high collared, lacy black shirt. He wore a loose fitting, blue, plaid dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up just beyond his elbows, a purple baseball cap, and soft blue jeans.

    The two continued to walk down the street, not noticing anything but each other, until they were in an area where almost no other pedestrians were around. Occasionally, she would put her mouth up to his ear and whisper something into it softly, a peaceful smile on her flushed face, and he would laugh and say something back, inclining his head toward her with a full smile.

    They came along to a country road where almost no cars drove past, either, and where large, open fields lay on either side of them. The boy turned abruptly and led her into one of the wheat fields, carefully keeping her covered by the umbrella and laughing. She followed him, smiling still and hugging him tightly.

    She was led by him, slowly, to a large, blooming tree in the middle of the field where the shade was full and the wind was slight. He pulled out a blanket from his plain, green backpack and laid it on the ground for her, and he helped her onto it. Closing the umbrella, he sat down beside her and smiled. He noticed that she was having difficulty breathing again, so, with a concerned look on his face, he pulled a cool water bottle from his bag and handed it to her, placing, as he did so, his arm lightly on her shoulder.

    He watched quietly as she gulped down his water, and then leant back against the tree, sliding the bottle back into the bag. They gazed into each others eyes. His eyes were so beautiful to her, so     soft and     gray.