Oblivion

Fresh summer air, so sickly sweet and refreshing, the kind of air that warms your soul and melts your heart in the most fantastic way, envigorates the senses of the some fifty people who are sprawled about my best friend's spacious home, nestled deep within the breathtakingly beautiful hillsides of Southern California. The sun sits high above us in the cloudless afternoon sky. The giant trees around the property are like a barrier to the bright rays of sunlight making it just the right temperature. It's the perfect day to celebrate the engagement of two hopeless lovers, my best friend Angela & her fiance Brendan.

"I can't believe you're getting married" I speak to Angela as we sip on cocktails in her enormous modern decor kitchen, watching as her guests mingle outside on the terrace.

"I can't believe so many people came to this stupid party. If one more of those prissy rich snobs asks to see my ring I'm gonna snap." Angela replies while downing the rest of her Apple Martini. Angela may have come from a wealthy family, but she was far from materialistic like most of the Californian upper class.

"Why are you even having the party, then?" I ask with a slight laugh from my throat.

Angela sighs dramatically. "It was Brendan's idea. You know him, he's always trying to impress his family and his colleagues. At first I thought it would be nice to invite some friends over to celebrate who we haven't seen in a while, but now it's just turned into this giant spectacle. I'm perfectly content just staying in here with the alcohol."

"I'll drink to that!" Angela and I clink our glasses together while pouring each of ourselves another martini.

"You know I'm glad you decided to get out of the house and have some fun." Angela says to me.

"It's your engagement party, you know I wouldn't miss this."

There is a slight sigh from Angela before she replies. "I know, but after everything that happened between you and Jared, you've just been so closed off. It's been almost a year, it's good to see you out and about having fun," Angela's glance shifts to the crowd of people out on the terrace, "And speaking of Jared.."

Against my own will I follow her gaze and almost immediately wish that I hadn't.

It was my turn to sigh, now. "You invited Jared?" I can hear my voice begin to shake as I try so hard to regain internal balance.

"He's me and Brendan's friend, too, ya know. I just thought that maybe you'd want to see each other."

"Ang, I haven't seen or spoken to him in 8 months," I pause to catch my breath which is unsteadily beginning to falter. "I need to get some air."

Very quickly I make my way out the back door, following the beaten path deep into the woods that surround Angela and Brendan's home, the one place that could always calm my unstable nerves.

It doesn't take long for me to become engulfed in the surreal beauty that surrounds me in every direction for as far as my eyes could possibly see. Enormous tree branches thick with leaves above my head let in patches of sunlight in the most unimaginable way. The smell of pine and fresh wildflowers float upward, straight into my nostrils, all while birds sing their sweet melodies in the near distance. It's no wonder why so many people escape to the wilderness when they want to escape the everyday hustle and bustle of the real world. This is truly beauty at its finest.

As I stand here I let the minutes tick by. I let the sights and sounds and scents fill my body with the purest of all sensations. I close my eyes. I let myself become calm. I breathe in and out deeply. I let the fresh, sweet air fill my lungs to the very top. I let the sporadic rays of sunlight creeping in through the trees warm my entire body to its core. I kick my sandals off. I let the soft green grass and slippery moist moss slide in between each of my toes. There is nothing in the world like this moment. This must be a dream.

"Under the burning Sun,
I take a look around.
Imagine if this all came down."

That sweet, beautiful voice that makes my heart ache.

I allow my eyes to open slowly, but I don't move, I won't turn to face him. No, not yet.

"So. How'd you find me?" My voice is calm, but inside, inside my arteries are pumping and pulsing faster than an Olympic Sprinter.

"Wasn't too hard. I know how much you love it out here." His voice is soft and husky, and incredibly close.

I swallow, and let an inaudible sigh escape my parted lips. Then I turn.

He's standing directly in front of me now, only a few inches separate us. He's impeccable, just as he always has been. That dark flowing hair, intensely vibrant crystal blue eyes that make every girl who lays sights on them completely melt. Fuck, I'm melting.

I want to throw myself into his arms, but I'm hesitant.

"We can't keep doing this, Jared." I speak, just above a whisper as I lower my eyes to the ground.

"Can't keep doing what?"

"This!" I say, arms now flailing, voice becoming louder. "We fight and break up, don't speak for months and then you just show up like every things fine. Like my heart hasn't be shattered for the past year because of you." My eyes are beginning to swell with tears, but I refuse to let them fall. Not this time. I will be strong.

"I know I made mistakes in the past. I can't change that. But what I can do is promise that none of those things will ever happen again. I never wanted to see you hurt, and as long as I live I promise that I'll never hurt you again. Tahlia, I..I love you."

I am silent. I look into Jared's eyes and I know that what he's saying is true. Whether it's the air around us clouding my perceptions or not, inside I know he was telling the truth and I let myself go. I don't hesitate this time, I don't even think of it. My body is in his arms and I feel safe and loved.

"I love you, too, Jared"

Our lips are connected as he lowers me down to the soft earth, our bodies quickly becoming entwined into one perfect being. I lied before when I said there was nothing like being alone in this place. There is nothing in the world like this moment, right now. Me and Jared joining our bodies together as we lay here, under the burning sun.