July 26th, 2014

The wind was warm, brushing like a shy lover’s chaste kisses over wind-flushed cheeks. The sun was bashfully peeking out every now and then behind billowing soft downy white clouds; a small child hiding and playing hide and seek behind the legs of his parents amongst the strides of adults. The leaves rustled with the kisses of the zephyrs and tiny birds chipped and chirped, fleeting and flitting amongst woody boughs like impish woodland pixies.

It was a rare beautiful autumn day in Central Park. New York.

Two trench coat-clad figures sat on a park bench. One in a shiny luster of creamy beige. The other in stylish ashen gray.

Both nursed steaming paper cups of ‘Abraço Expresso’ coffee in their hands, some of New York’s best brew. Slender fingers were interclasped and clutching at the comforting warmth permeating from the bitter aromatic drink.

A café cortado for the blonde. Caffé latte for the raven.

A pistachio cookie sat on the lap of the former. A rose almond cookie for the latter. Both cookies lay in index-thumb pinched states, but who had eaten what? It was hard to tell. Crumbs of both led small minute trails to both sides. Perhaps they had shared.

The raven shivered a little, gathering the collar of her beige trench coat closer and tighter around herself. The blonde’s head tilted a little to her companion’s side, still staring straight ahead, the slight movement being the only indication she had heard her friend’s actions.

A slender hand unwedged itself from its death-grip on the coffee cup and wound surreptitiously around the raven’s lithe waist, drawing the younger girl close.

Tiffany snuggled in closer still until her thigh was pressed up against Jessica’s, their knees touching. She laid her head on the blonde’s thin sculpted trench-coat-clad shoulders.

Silence swathed gently over them, thick and comforting like grandmother’s handmade winter quilt.

Save for the gentle whisper of the autumn breeze that blew fiery orange-red heralds of the nearing winter…there was nothing else to disturb the peace.

…

…

…

“I really enjoyed today Jess,” Tiffany mumbled, her cheek pressing against the older girl’s shoulder.

“Me too Tiff…I like this…just the two of us,” Jessica said softly, staring straight ahead through her large shades.

The raven reached out one hand to pinch off another bit of Jessica’s pistachio cookie and savored it, the nutty rich taste chasing swirls around .

The blonde smiled softly to herself as she felt the slightest pressure of Tiffany’s hand on her thigh.

A few seconds later, a pinch of the young ballerina’s own rose almond cookie was placed at the photographer’s lips.

Jessica opened and accepted Tiffany’s offering, chewing at the little tidbit thoughtfully while still staring straight ahead. She could taste a bit of the younger girl’s apricot-scented hand cream on her tongue, mingling somewhat with the flowery smidges of roses and aromatic almond.

Beside her,