The couple sat on the dock, watching as the sun met the sea with a blaze of light. Their swinging legs dangled over the side, stretching towards the orange-tinted water. “How long?” Caleb asked, watching the glimmering waves rise into the air, then fall as a gentle breeze pushed them back under. “Another few minutes.” Maya sat beside him, tense, closed. He had never felt her shut him out before. A white bandage was wrapped around the girl’s upper arm, the plain surface believing the wreckage underneath. The girl reached out a shaking arm, searching for his familiar fingers. He took her small, calloused hand in his, squeezing gently. Looking into her eyes, made golden by the sunset, he watched a single tear roll down her cheek. His heart ached. Catching his breath, Caleb tried to restrain his own tears. Suddenly Maya gasped. Taking her quickly in his arms, the usually clumsy boy laid her down on the sun-warmed dock. “I’m here, I’m with you,” he choked. He raised her hand to his lips, conveying his emotions with a gentle kiss. “My angel, my Maya, I’m here darling.” She smiled sadly. Even as the deadly poison raced towards her heart, she graced the world with her splendor. “You always said I was too beautiful for this earth,” she whispered. He tried to stifle his sobs, but it was no use. Salty tears rolled down his suntanned face. “I did, didn’t I?” He said. “I’m glad, it’s a sunset,” she murmured, turning to face the setting sun. “I always thought endings were beautiful.” The boy gathered Maya into his arms as her hand fell limp. His body wracked with sobs. “I don’t think I will live to see the morning,” he said. But in his heart he knew he would see the sun rise tomorrow, and the next day, and a hundred times more.