We stared up at the stars, the feel of the red and black plaid blanket under us and the warmth radiating off of us as he held me, made for the beginning of our last night together.

Sadness started to set in as we laid there thinking of how hard it would be to leave each other tomorrow, after a year together. Determined not to cry tonight, I sat up and looked across the river; there awaits a rusted red canoe sitting on the water’s edge just waiting to be used. So I push myself up and he does too, our curiosity burning our insides. We waded across the river, soaking our shorts. As we got closer we could see the red paint chipping on the side, the two wooden planks spanning the width making for shaky seats, but what stood out to me the most was the ragged rope hanging out the side. He grabbed my hand and helped me in and I grabbed the rope and stuck it in my back pocket. 

We pushed off the rocks until we felt the canoe start to move. We floated down the little river, moving with the current. I was sitting in front of him, gazing out at the river before us, when he grabbed my arm and turned me around. I looked at his tan skin (that I’ve always been jealous of), his dark brown hair that almost looked black, and lastly at his beautiful navy blue eyes that matched the river we were floating on. He leaned in so we were inches apart and said, “I love you.”

“To the moon and back.”, I readily responded. Then he kissed me with all the passion that had built up over the last year together but also with a hint of sadness knowing it would all be over tomorrow. I pulled away and grabbed the frayed rope from my pocket and grabbed his left hand. I wrapped it around his wrist and tied it with a knot. 

We may have thousands of miles between us now, but that night cemented our love forever. That decrepit piece of thin rope wrapped around his tan wrist as we locked eyes and knew in our hearts that our love would outlast any earthly thing.