It was still snowing but the clouds had parted and a ripple of pink was already spreading across the sky. He could not help but relive the past hour again and again inside his head, savoring its sweetness. The other smiled at him- a shy smile, hidden under thick layers of scarf- and he smiled back. They were okay. What they had gone through may have been irreversible, may have changed things forever, but he believed in making it work.

He grabbed the gloved hand and put it into his own pocket. Warmth immediately squeezed back. They stood like that for a while, motionless, simply bathing in their synced breathing and the warm glow. Rays from the sky speckled their whole world pink and gold. Little puffs of vapour attempted to interrupt the view, but he was never more comfortable out in the cold.

Without a warning the images came back at him. Endless nights of tossing and turning, worries clouding up his head like poison and made him claustrophobic. Trust, betrayal, relief, hurt- all washed over him like a huge wave, crashing onto the banks of his mind and exploding into million drops of tears. He remembered concluding that it would never work, when the world- his whole world- had opposed them and clawed at every step he dared to take. It had seemed like there was no other option than to give up; to give in to the nightmares and monsters that lay in front of him, behind him, and even in his blind spots.

Yet here he was. Standing by the sea that had grown calm and accepting. Standing by the one who wiped the nightmares completely clean. There were no more dreams, except for the ones that he had cast onto every single shooting star that the other conjured up for him. He had fallen; now he was saved. He no longer believed in impossibility.

Sensing that they were ready, he motioned for the recording to begin. They would save this moment. Not only in their memories, but also in the hearts of all who saw the video. And then, after ten, fifty, even a hundred years, others would come to the exact spot where they were standing and watch the same promise that unfurled in front of them now.

Sunrise.