"Takes a ton of courage to jump. You gonna do it?"

       She scoffed at the unknown man's words, still gazing over the dark water.

       "I'm already here. That takes enough ing courage if you ask me. This would just be a waste of time if I don't do it. Here and now." She paused, turning to look at him. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

       She watched with curious eyes as he shrugged, walking over to her and leaning over the railing to look at the crashing waves.

       "Come on. People don't come around here just to hang out," she insisted. He smiled bitterly in reply.

       "I guess I thought I had a ton of courage too. But looking down now...I'm not so sure." He looked at his hands and rubbed his palms together thoughtfully.

       She smiled in understanding, turning back and sighing inaudibly at the sight of the night sky and the sound of the harsh waves.

       "You'll be okay."

       He turned to her in surprise before he smiled gratefully. A comfortable silence settled between the two.

       "I just want some peace," she suddenly whispered to the night sky. He didn't react, but somehow she knew he was listening. "I can't take it anymore. Everything is too ing much."

       He nodded sympathetically, inconspicuously glancing over at her. He took in her smooth skin, small face, round eyes, soft nose, down to her slender neck. His heart squeezed unexplainably tightly when he saw a purple bruise under her beautiful jawline.

       He turned back toward the water and took a deep breath.

       "I just want someone to care." She looked over at him curiously as he continued. "People should know that I have feelings too. I can hurt like hell too."

       Her lips formed into a sad, knowing smile. Her eyes trailed over his round face, thin eyes, defined jawline, chiseled chin, proportioned nose. Her breath hitched in at the overflowing pools of pain where his eyes were supposed to be.

       She climbed over the railing, sitting on the cold metal and letting her feet dangle over the churning waters. He held his breath as her pink-tinted lips curved up in a smile.

       "I guess we both came to the same conclusion," she said, swinging her feet back and forth, back and forth. He stayed silent, waiting for her to finish. "We both decided that the only way to find our own peace was this." He nodded in agreement, starting to climb over the railing to sit next to her.

       "We both have a ton of courage too," he added, settling next to her. She giggled a little, but he wasn't sure if it was at his words or at the shoe that slipped off her foot and fell into the waves with a small splash.

       She turned to him with a gentle smile. She held out her hand and he stared at her slender fingers, unsure of what to do.

       "By the sound of it, we're pretty much as fearless as ing lions on steroids. Might as well embrace it while it lasts." He blinked as her words sank in before chuckling and grabbing onto her hand.

       She grinned and squeezed tight on this stranger's hand before shifting her weight and standing with her back against the railing. He did the same and they met each other's gaze.

       She felt a satisfying type of relief when she saw his pools of pain shine with pure ease for a split second.

       He tightened his grip on her hand as they both squeezed their eyes shut, leaning forward.

       The wind blew past them, buffeting through their hair and ripping through their clothes, but they just sighed in acceptance, smiling silently as the icy water engulfed their bodies together.

       And the peace finally came.

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