THE SILENT WALK
Fay slowly turned her head to the right, her gaze shifting from the bride to the person standing beside her. She found Kei already there, staring with an intensity that made the air between them feel thick.
~~~~~
Time seemed to stretch. Neither of them looked away. Fay began to walk toward Kei, her steps slow and deliberate, while Kei remained frozen, her eyes never leaving Fay's face. When they were finally standing just a breath apart, Fay's voice was a soft whisper.
"Let's go home," she said.
"Yeah," Kei replied, her voice slightly raspy.
Fay began to walk ahead, but she didn't get far. Kei reached out, her fingers brushing Fay's palm before firmly grasping her hand.
"_"
Fay stopped and looked back into Kei's eyes, her own expression softening into a tender smile.
"Let's go," Kei said and together, they walked out of the heavy wooden doors of the church, their hands locked tight as they moved through the sunlight.
.
.
.
As they reached the grand stone steps outside, Fay pulled on Kei's arm.
"Kei, let's take a picture together."
"Okay," Kei agreed, pulling out her phone.
They leaned in close, the massive Basilica towering behind them.
"1....2...3.....Smile!" Fay chirped.
They posed, but before they could tap the screen, an old vendor carrying a basket of local sweets approached them.
"Ma'am, I will take the picture of you two together," she offered with a kind, knowing grin.
Kei and Fay looked at each other and smiled.
"Okay, thank you!"
The vendor held the phone up.
"One… two… three!"
(Capture)
The first photo caught them both smiling brightly, the joy of the morning radiating from their faces.
"Ma'am, another one!" the vendor called out.
"Fay…" Kei murmured.
Fay turned her head to look at Kei just as the shutter clicked.
(Capture)
The second photo caught the raw, unspoken connection fay looking at kei with curiosity and kei looking back with a gaze that held the weight of years.
"Fay… I love you," Kei whispered.
Before Fay could respond, Kei leaned in.
(~~)
(Capture)
The third photo was a masterpiece. Two souls finally colliding against the backdrop of the ancient stone walls.
The vendor handed the phone back.
"Ma'am… look at your photos."
Fay scrolled through them, her eyes shining as she looked at the images.
"Beautiful,"
she breathed, her thumb lingering on the photo of the kiss.
"Yeah,"
Kei said, but she wasn't looking at the screen. She was still looking at Fay.
Feeling generous and happy, they bought several bags of delicacies from the vendor, sharing a laugh as they headed back to the parking lot.
.
.
.
Kei hopped into the driver's seat, still buzzing from the kiss. She turned the key.
Chicka-chicka-chicka…
Silence.
She tried again.
Chicka-chicka-chicka…
The car groaned but refused to wake up.
"What do we do?" Fay asked
"I guess the car decided it liked the beach too much,"
Kei sighed, trying one last time to no avail.
"Let's take the bus home. I'll just call someone to pick this up later."
"Okay,"
Fay agreed.
"Let's take the bus."
.
.
.
Kei gathered all their bags, hoisting them onto the large provincial bus. They found a spot toward the back. Fay slid into the window seat and Kei sat right beside her, their shoulders pressed together in the cramped space.
As the bus pulled away from the curb and started the long journey back to the city, Kei pulled out her earpods. She put one in her ear and felt Fay watching her.
"_"
"Want to listen too?" Kei asked.
Fay nodded silently. Kei reached over, her fingers lingering against Fay's skin as she tucked the other earpod into Fay's ear.
A soft, romantic melody filled their shared silence.
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎼🎼
A few minutes later, the steady humming of the bus and the warmth of the afternoon sun made Fay's eyelids heavy. Her head slowly tilted, landing softly on Kei's shoulder.
~~~~
Kei looked down at her and felt a swell of affection so strong it made her throat tight
(Cute) she thought.
She reached down and found Fay's hand again, lacing their fingers together. Kei tilted her head, resting it a top fay and as the music played on, they both drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep, swaying together with the rhythm of the road.
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎵🎵🎵🎼🎼🎼