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Being a lighthouse keeper is not for the faint of the heart. Isolation, horrific storms, and the perils of rescuing other became a part of Momo’s live. It had not been a life she had chosen to take but had come to it as a result of her marriage. Over time, she had grown accustomed to the solitary and silent life.
After all, her husband had been her best and only friend throughout her life, so it had not been difficult for her to decide to accompany him when it was his turn to be the lighthouse keeper.
However, now from time to time, after his death, Momo found herself wondering what would have become of her if she had decided not to follow him and wait for him in town. Sometimes she likes to dream of the life she could have made for herself. Without the need to be a handyman who fixed the various problems of the lighthouse and keep herself entertained on an island all alone. Without the responsibility for the safety and well-being of passing ships. Without the unimaginable amount of stress and hard work.
She had woken up that day with the same weight on her chest and a little faith and praying that something would come to her. While some pray for a savior to come quickly, others pray for a swifter death. Momo sometimes did not know to whom she prayed the most. Regardless of the scenario, she repeats over and over again the words "those who seek find", as if it were a kind of supplication, a pleading.
What Momo had not expected, was for that ‘something’ to arrive in the form of an unconscious woman on the seashore.
She was doing her routine walk at dawn to make sure everything was in order, when she came to the edge of the land and looking down into the sea, she saw her. Momo frowned, and for the first time in years, she felt adrenaline rush through her chest.
Momo ran as fast as her legs would carry her to where the girl's unconscious body lay. Slipping and sliding she managed to cut her way down a slope, stumbling as she ran along the rocky beach.
She quickly bent down, bringing her ear close to the girl's face, trying to control her own breathing to see if the other was also breathing. Momo touched her chest and neck, noticing a slight heartbeat.
She carried the young girl, and before turning around, she checked if there was no one else or anything that was accompanying her, when Momo realized that it was only that girl, she began her return to the lighthouse house.
It wasn't until Momo had the other girl lying on one of the beds that she took the time to look at her and realized that she had to change her clothes for a dry one. The other woman had a delicate face, slightly wavy hair, a pale complexion, a couple of moles on her face and her lips lacked color.
With trembling hands, from the shock, the adrenaline she was feeling, and the nerves of removing her clothes, Momo began to undress her, looking as little as possible. After putting dry clothes on her, a jacket, and covering her with blankets, Momo went downstairs to start breakfast.
_______________
When she awoke, she was greeted by the warmth of the sheets, and the smell of soup mixed with the smell of the coast. She shifted a little in bed, stretching and finishing waking up. She frowned and opened her eyes. She didn't know where she was, nor did she recognize the clothes she was wearing.
She sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room, there wasn't something besides the bed, the bureau with a lamp and a chair near the window. She walked to it and looked outside, there was the grass ending abruptly and then only the sea.
She carefully left the room, following the smell of the food. She arrived at the first floor, the house looked rustic, the furniture was made of wood, the floor seemed to be pure cement. She didn't really pay much attention to the rest at that moment.
When she entered the kitchen, there was a woman, who, although her back was turned, appeared to be young like her. When she pushed the door a little further to open it so she could enter, it squeaked, causing the other woman to startle, abruptly turning to face her.
"Shit," said the other girl, leaning back against the bar. Her voice was low.
"Sorry."
They both stood looking at each other, not moving closer, not saying anything, just, recognizing each other.
"You're hungry, the food is almost done."
"Where am I?"
"The lighthouse."
She frowned, at the lighthouse? Which one? The other girl, seeing that she said nothing, spoke again:
"You can sit down; you must eat something. You haven't been out of bed for days."
"Days?"
The other girl just nodded and turned away again to continue finishing doing her thing. She walked to the chair that was closest to her and could see the other girl's movements. She saw the table, only one of the places had a spoon and a glass with some liquid that she was sure was not water.
Before she could draw her own conclusions, she was startled when the other girl placed a bowl of soup in front of her. It smelled delicious; she heard her stomach growl as the other girl sat down next to her.
As much as she salivated at the smell of the food, she made no move to grab the spoon he had left beside her. She didn't know the other girl and didn't know what she might have put in the soup.
She turned to look at her, and she was already blowing at the little soup in her spoon to cool it. Her movements seemed almost mechanical, and she didn't turn to look at her either. She had deep dark hair down, big eyes that looked tired, a small scar running diagonally across her eyebrow, and pale skin.
"What is your name?" she asked her.
The girl stopped her movements in her tracks, putting down the bite she was about to eat. She turned to look at her. And saw in her face the realization that there was someone else there.
"Momo" her voice sounded husky.
"Momo" she repeated and nodded. But she saw Momo's face change and made a gesture as if she had just said the name of someone strange and distant. "I'm Mina."
Without another word, Momo went back to eating, taking her eyes off Mina. However, Mina did not take her eyes off Momo, she found it strange that Momo did not ask her more about her arrival.
They ate in silence, each looking down at their plate of food. And once they had finished, Momo collected the dishes from both of them and put them in the sink. Turning to look at her, Mina waited for her to say something, but Momo left the kitchen without a sound. Mina quickly stood up to follow her.
Reaching the second floor, they walked to the end of the hallway, past the room in which she had awakened. Mina waited for Momo in the doorframe of the room. It wasn't much different from the one she had, just an extra lamp, a small wooden desk, and a jacket on one of the chairs.
Her inspection of the room was obstructed by Momo's body entering her field of vision, who offered her a change of clothes.
Momo left her room, leaving Mina standing in the doorway, and disappeared towards the ground floor. Mina went to the room where Momo had put her and changed into the clothes she just gave her. When she turned to look at herself, she almost smiled at how big they looked to her.
When she went downstairs to look for Momo, Mina could not find her anywhere in the small house. She went out the kitchen door and saw her a couple of meters away squatting on the floor looking at something. She walked up to her and stood next to her, scaring Momo away again.
She turned to look at her from below, squinting her eyes a little from the sun shining in, Momo put one of her hands over them to shade them a little so she could open her eyes a little wider.
Mina saw how Momo looked her up and down, and she didn't know if it was because it was her clothes, or because she seemed to have already forgotten about her presence.
"What are you doing?" Mina asked her.
"Fertilizing the orchard."
"Do you need help?"
Momo denied and lowered her gaze back to what she was doing before. Mina sat down next to her, Momo gave her a quick sideways glance, but Mina kept watching what and how she was doing it.
As Momo worked in the garden, Mina watched her and felt the sun touch her skin. She wondered when was the last time she had felt the warmth of the rays on her skin. She looked around her. The grass looked bright green, the wind felt fresh and smelled of the sea breeze, in which, in the distance, she could see the reflection of the sunset in the movement of the water.
A shadow appeared next to her, and when she turned around, Momo was standing behind her, offering her a glass of water. Mina had not heard the kitchen door open or close.
"Thank you."
Momo hummed with a nod and sat down next to her, leaving a space between them.
By the time they returned inside the house, night had fallen, and the temperature had dropped.
"Coffee or tea?" Momo asked as she put water on to boil.
"Tea, please," Mina saw Momo nod "and food?"
Momo moved to her little refrigerator and see what she could do.
"Are beans and bread okay?"
"Sure."
Mina watched Momo prepare everything, and compared to the morning, she had grown accustomed to her very quiet manner. After dinner, Momo sent Mina to bed, while she stayed in the kitchen cleaning up so she could go to her nightly lighthouse chores.
_______________
A couple of days after she had woken up, Mina asked Momo if she could join her on her morning walk, to which Momo shrugged her shoulders and Mina took it as if she agreed. Mina's company on the early morning walks lasted for a day after learning that they were before sunrise. Instead, she started to wake up just in time before Momo returned, thus greeting her with coffee ready and a half-finished breakfast.
The first morning that Momo had arrived at the house with the smell of freshly brewed coffee, Mina had seen on her face something that looked like a foreign thing, but smiled as she watched Momo subtly raise one of her eyebrows when she tasted the coffee. What Momo didn't know was that, as the days went by, her silence had given Mina the opportunity to carefully observe her routine and movements.
However, it still seemed odd to Mina that Momo had not yet asked her how she had gotten there, yet Mina did not ask Momo her reasons for not doing so. And what seemed even stranger to her was the fact that she hadn't thought about where she was supposed to be, her soon-to-be husband, or her family. The only thing she was thinking about was Momo and the way she was.
The sound of the door opening and closing brought Mina back to the present.
"Good morning," she said without looking up from the stove.
"Morning" she heard Momo say at the same time as she poured coffee for herself.
"Everything in order?"
"I think I need to check the oil in some gears, but all good."
"Well, it will be when there’s enough sunlight," Mina brought out the dishes to serve breakfast "and after you've had something to eat."
"Actually, I was thinking of doing it tomorrow after I get back from town."
Mina served the dishes and sat down next to Momo, she turned to look at her with a frown.
"You're going into town?"
"We are."
“We?”
Momo hummed and nodded, popping a bite into her mouth.
"I was waiting for you to have the strength to go. It's almost a day, on horseback, away."
"Why?"
Perhaps Momo hadn't asked her about her arrival because she didn't care. Maybe because she knew Mina’s departure was inevitable.
But Mina hadn't thought about leaving.
"For them to come get you.”
"But I don’t want to leave.”
“Maybe someone is looking for you."
"Momo, I don’t want to leave.”
Momo opened and closed her mouth without saying anything. Mina had discovered that if she called her by name, Momo lost a little of her balance and guardedness.
Momo lowered her gaze and nodded; Mina let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry if I don't talk much," Momo said in a low tone of voice out of the blue. "I have always enjoyed silence."
Mina hummed without looking up from her food. After a couple of minutes just moving the spoon around the plate, she asked:
"And what about loneliness?"
Solitude was not something Momo had always been used to, but time had forced her. At the end, that is what life in the lighthouse is all about.
At first, she had tried to convince herself that she was not alone, that she had herself. A couple of years later, after seeing all those who had once gone to the lighthouse to keep her company leave and never return, she began to believe that her own presence was not enough.
"It's an acquired taste, I suppose."
_______________
By the time Mina reached Momo where she was working, the sun was already at its full height. She brought with her a jug of water and a glass for Momo.
She opened the door of the lighthouse and in addition to the endless spiral staircase, she found a single bed and a small wooden table with a lamp. When she reached the top, with heavy breathing, for the first time she appreciated the view from there.
"It's beautiful," she said as she walked around, admiring the view.
"It is, and hot."
"Oh right, I brought you water."
Mina poured and passed the glass to Momo, who thanked her and handed the glass back after finishing the water in one gulp. Mina sat down next to Momo, though far enough away so as not to get in the way if she had to move around.
Mina watched her every movement closely. She noticed how Momo’s muscles were marked in her arms as she made some extra effort. That certainly caused a new feeling in Mina.
Momo’s hair was pulled back in a bun, leaving her view unobstructed. Mina could see some beads of sweat running down her forehead and neck, caused by the extreme heat of that afternoon and the physical activity she was doing.
"How did you become the lighthouse keeper?" Mina broke the silence.
“My husband came from a long line of lighthouse keepers that worked on this coast for hundreds of years” Momo replied without turning to look at her. “He died on a stormy night."
Momo didn't quite know what that night had been like because only at dawn, she was alone. She could, however, more or less imagine what had happened to her husband: the dark night, a storm, severe winds, high tide and monstrous waves, yes, she could imagine where he had ended up.
"No one ever came?"
Momo stopped her movements for a second, reminiscing, hummed and went about her business.
"They did."
"Then why are you still here?"
Momo didn't know, up until thet morning she had found Mina on the beach, she doubted her own existence.
"Now it's the only thing I know how to do. Take care of the lighthouse." Momo wiped her hands on a rag hanging from her belt. "Besides, the tide and storms aren't as bad as they used to be. I could live here for about twenty days and go into town for about ten."
"But now you prefer the quiet life."
Momo was alone, and it wasn't as if there was any person waiting for her elsewhere.
"Yeah, something like that."
Silence fell between them again. After a while, the heat became too much for Mina, so she decided to go downstairs to start the meal and get some fresh air. Leaving the lighthouse, a seagull flew near her, she walked to the edge of the grass and looked out to the sea, following the seagull as it flew away on the horizon.
The wind blows over her face, blowing her hair out of her ponytail. Standing at the top of the hill, she is suffocated by the heat of three o'clock in the afternoon. With her eyes closed, she stretches out her arms and lets herself be carried by the incoming air current, takes a deep breath and the weight of her shoulder’s melts away.
She listens to the soft rustle of the grass behind her back and lowers her arms. When she opens her eyes, Momo is beside her, looking out to sea. They both walk to the shadow of a tree near them. This time, Momo does not leave so much space between them when they sit down.
Mina watches as Momo settles in, sitting with her knees bent and crossing her arms over them. She notices the fine, and almost faded, mark of where she assumed there was a ring on her hand.
"Did you love him?"
Momo turns to look at Mina and follows her gaze until she realizes that Mina sees her hand.
Momo knew there had been a time in her life when she had loved her husband, there was a reason she had married him so young. But now she couldn't remember when had been the last time she had even thought about him.
"Yes, I loved him." She turned her gaze at Mina "Have you ever loved anyone?"
Mina looked away, thinking. At some point she thought she might have loved the one who would be her husband, if they had spent more time together, if he had been gentler with her, if it had not been a union that would only benefit her father.
"I don't think so."
Momo continued to watch Mina. The daylight made her eyes sparkle and give a golden tan to her skin, a couple of strands of her hair fluttered in the wind, her lips looked bright pink. For the first time, Momo was letting herself admire Mina's beauty so closely and thoughtfully.
There was a new —or rather, forgotten— feeling inside her chest. It confused Momo.
"May I ask how you ended up here?" Her gaze was still fixed on Mina's lips.
There it was.
"I don't know."
The last thing Mina remembered before waking up in the lighthouse was the argument she had had with her soon-to-be husband. On how he had told her that he had bought her a ticket to go to England for a while to cure and treat her ‘melancholia’, her complaining to him that he had done so without asking her and how he could let her go just a couple of weeks before their marriage.
She remembers getting on the boat and seeing her almost-husband leave without saying goodbye. She remembers waking up to the smell of soup.
"I remember going through a bad time, saying goodbye to my family and then waking up here."
"Do you miss them?"
"At times."
Momo didn't answer, she knew what Mina was referring to, even if she didn't miss her husband anymore, at some point she had felt the same way Mina did.
"Is that why you don't want to go back?"
"What?" Mina turned to Momo.
"In the morning, you said you didn't want to leave. You were saying that because of the bad time you were going through?"
The reality was, Mina had never felt better and herself before being there with Momo.
"Yeah, something like that." She sighed. "Actually, my dad was going to marry me off for his convenience. So yeah, partly because of my bad time, partly because of my father."
What happens next was not something either of them saw coming, but Momo places her hand on one of Mina's wrists, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Mina watched, eyes wide in surprise, Momo's hand on hers, feeling a warmth, greater than that of the sun, on her skin. She turned to look at Momo, who was still watching her, and smiled at her.
Momo doesn't remember the last time someone smiled at her. Heck, she doesn't remember the last time she did. Also, she did not expect her heart to skip a beat at the sight of such a beautiful smile, nor the tingling sensation she felt from touching Mina.
Mina realized, and it might sound a bit silly and cliché, but Momo really did resemble the sea. As soft as a summer breeze, as strong as a wave breaking on a reef, was the feeling of having Momo next to her.
Momo did not remove her hand, nor did she look away when Mina held hers. Momo was sure her breaths were deeper, it was intimate, it was new, it was— And hell, Mina was still smiling at her.
She became flustered when Mina's gaze lowered to her lips, for a second, but long enough to throw her off balance. It wasn't like she was against the idea, but Momo wasn't ready for it either.
"I think," Mina cleared her throat, "I should go get started on the food."
With her other hand, she gave the hand Momo held over hers a little squeeze and stood up from the grass. Momo followed her with her gaze until she lost Mina inside the house.
_______________
The roar of thunder woke Mina, making her sit up in bed with a single yank.
Another clap of thunder was heard again, and her room was illuminated by the lightning. With bated breath and the sound of the thunderstorm hitting the ceiling, Mina hurried to Momo's room. Her heart began to beat even faster when she realized she was not in her bed.
Mina hurried downstairs to look through the window of the room where she could see a bit of the lighthouse. With the poor visibility she had because of the chaos outside, she could see that the light was spinning as usual, but the rest of the tower was off.
Besides the fact that she could not leave the house, Mina did not know where else to look for Momo, nor if there was anything else she should do in such cases. She sat in the kitchen with her gaze fixed on the door, waiting for Momo to return.
By almost nine o'clock in the morning, someone entering the house woke Mina up.
"What are you—" Momo startled as she felt Mina's body clinging to her waist. She held her breath and stiffened not knowing how to react to the unexpected contact. "Mina?"
"I was scared and worried about you" she replied against Momo’s neck. "I didn't know where you were or if you were okay."
Slowly, Momo embraced Mina's body, barely grazing it. She had forgotten what it was like to have someone else's body, someone else's warmth, next to her. And she didn't know what to do with all that she was feeling.
They stood in the middle of the kitchen for a couple of minutes.
"I'm fine," Momo said in a low tone.
She brought her hands up resting them on Mina's shoulders. She pushed her lightly to break away, but leaving her hands there, trying to tell Mina that she didn't have to let go of her waist if she didn't want to. Momo saw the glimmer of tears in Mina's eyes and the tiredness in small circles under her eyes. She gave both of her shoulders a little squeeze.
"I'm fine" she repeated. "By the time the storm started I hadn't finished starting the engine. Some things got stuck and it took me a little longer. I slept in the bed over there."
"The light in the tower was out and I thought you weren't there."
"I'm sorry I worried you. I'll make breakfast and then you can go get some sleep."
Mina nodded as she brushed away a tear that slipped away.
During breakfast, Mina looked at Momo more than usual, Momo didn't say anything about it. Finished eating, Mina asked Momo if she could please stay with her in her room until she slept. Momo agreed and they both went upstairs, when Momo was about to sit on the chair next to the bed, Mina asked her if she could sit on the bed next to her. She had to stifle her laughter when she saw Momo's surprised and embarrassed expression.
Momo again agreed, sitting with her back leaning against the wall and her legs stretched out. She watched Mina's movements with attention, and for a moment her breath caught in her throat as she thought Mina would cuddle up to her. She sighed when Mina just lay on her side, facing Momo but with her hands under her cheek.
Momo watched Mina fall into a sleep after a few minutes, watching as with each breath, her chest rose more slowly. She watched as her features on Mina's face looked better than when she had found her on the beach, still defined, but with more liveliness.
She resisted the urge to brush away a lock that fell down her cheek, afraid that if she touched Mina, she would wake up. As she was about to stand up and return to the kitchen, Mina moved one of her hands and stood on one of hers.
She quickly looked back at Mina, but she was still asleep, it had been an involuntary movement. Mina's hand felt soft and delicate. Slowly, Momo intertwined their fingertips, feeling the friction.
She leaned her head against the wall, turning her gaze to the ceiling of the room, which reflected the moving shadow of the tree. She smiled slightly.
_______________
Over the months, Momo had grown accustomed to Mina's presence.
One other stormy night, feeling the other side of the bed slowly sink, Momo didn't move so as not to give away the fact that she was awake. She continued with her eyes closed, waiting for Mina's next move; she expected the other girl to just turn her back to her and go back to sleep, Momo didn't expect to feel Mina's body clinging to her back.
She didn't turn to hug her, but she felt Mina's head resting on her nape, almost where her back begins, and she could feel how Mina had crossed her arms across her chest, hugging herself, and glued as much of her body to Momo's as possible.
The next morning, Mina was still in the same position, only now Momo had turned around and wrapped her in her arms. Momo awoke to the smell of soap in Mina's hair, but she shot her eyes open when she realized the position they were in. She didn't move, partly because of the panic she was feeling, partly so as not to wake Mina and embarrass herself.
However, she allowed herself to enjoy the moment. Feeling the warmth of Mina's body next to hers, synchronizing their breaths and letting her mind rest a little more. Momo closed her eyes so as not to be distracted by anything else, so as not to think about anything pending.
A while later, Momo's body was starting to cramp up from being in the same position, so she carefully lay down on her back, leaving Mina still curled up on her side with her head on her arm. When she felt Mina move a while later, she quickly closed her eyes and controlled her breathing, hoping that Mina wouldn't notice her awake state.
She felt Mina tighten her grip on her body and let out a small groan. Then she felt Mina tense up, as if she was becoming aware of the position they were in. And if Momo had had her eyes open, she would have noticed Mina's red cheeks before she let go of her body and settled herself by turning her back to her, pretending she hadn't slept snuggled up to Momo.
She opened one of her eyes slowly, seeing if Mina really wasn't watching her. She smiled and pretended to be asleep for another half hour before getting out of bed.
Momo never told Mina that she was awake that day.
For Momo, having Mina there was like getting fresh air. Mina was different from everything she knew; she was better than anything else. She liked to listen to her talk while accompanying her when she had to do lighthouse things, or when she had to check on the chickens and make sure everything in the coop was clean and in order, or when they both worked in the orchard in silence.
Being and listening to Mina, was something that Momo could spend hours and not get tired. It made her feel good at peace, it was comforting, it was nice, it was calming, it was—
Now, it was around four o'clock in the afternoon and they were lying on the grass listening and watching the birds. There was nothing to do but enjoy the day. Fortunately for them, the day was cool, sometimes cloudy, sometimes sunny.
"I had never birdwatched until I came here. I think that's why I was depressed."
"I would think your depression was because of your arranged marriage to someone you didn't love," Momo said without turning to look at her. "But if you say so."
Mina pouted her lips, and before she turned to look at Momo, she changed her expression to a serious one.
"Did you just make a joke?"
Momo looked at her out of the corner of her eye and then to the front again. Mina had to clench her jaw to keep from laughing.
"No..."
"Momo," Mina laughed "you did!"
Momo turned to look at Mina fully, watching her laugh. She told herself that she would never forget that moment together with Mina, lying under the shade of the tree watching the birds. Momo smiled without taking her eyes off Mina, it was impossible not to.
"Cute" she said with a light laugh, but loud enough for Mina to hear. Momo let out another chuckle when Mina stopped her laughter in its tracks and turned to look at her in surprise. Without removing her smile, she asked, "What?"
"You laughed" still with raised eyebrows, Mina smiled.
Momo hummed and let out another giggle, Mina chuckled with her. They stared at each other in silence. Mina had learned to love the silence, and Momo to be watched.
"Can I say something?" even though Momo stopped smiling, Mina didn't. "It's a little embarrassing."
Mina smiled even more.
"It's okay."
Momo sighed.
“Before you, I never smiled. I never laughed. I’d forgotten how. I was alone, and I didn’t know any other way. But you saved me, Mina. You make me feel appreciated, needed, wanted. You brought me out, and you gave me reasons to laugh again.”
Now Mina had stopped smiling too, and she didn't know what to do about the pang she had felt in her chest. She didn't know if it had been because of Momo's sweet words to her, or because of the pain that was not subtly hidden.
"Momo..."
Mina brought one of her hands to caress Momo's cheek, but before touching it, she waited for her approval. When she didn't move or take her eyes off her, Mina gently rested her hand. She heard Momo's shaky sigh.
"I got you," she whispered "you're never going to be alone again."
Momo saw Mina's gaze drop to her lips, she did the same, and when she returned to Mina's eyes, she was already seeing her back. Momo felt a pang in her chest, and if Mina’s heart beats the same way, she hopes Mina lets her know.
"What if someone comes looking for you?" Momo put her hand over the one Mina had on her cheek.
"No one knows I'm here. Maybe they think I died on the ship."
Momo bit her lip, closed her eyes and prepared to say the following:
"Actually, that day I sent a report of your arrival."
Mina sat up with shock. Momo missed her touch.
"You did what?"
Momo felt another pang in her chest at the gesture of betrayal on Mina's face. She straightened up as well.
"It was protocol!" she tried to explain, grabbing both of Mina's hands to keep her from leaving. "I didn't know you then, and I didn't know if you were going to wake up. But now it's been months, and no one came."
"What does that mean?"
"That no one is coming."
Mina punched Momo in the arm.
"Then why did you scare me like that?" she whined, loudly.
"I'm sorry."
Mina rolled her eyes at Momo's apologetic face.
"Good, because you're not getting rid of me that easy. I'm going to stay with you."
Momo smiled, but still with puppy eyes.
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
Momo motioned for them to go back to lay down. Mina nodded and they settled back down. Now their arms were rubbing against each other. With her eyes on the birds, Momo intertwined her little finger with Mina's.
_______________
Eventually, both fell into a routine. Mina would do things around the house and the garden and Momo would continue with the lighthouse and chicken coop, sometimes Mina would help where she could, and sometimes Momo would surprise her with breakfast already made.
Silence was still part of most of their days, they had learned to anticipate what the other needed, or just appreciate the small silent gestures between them.
Sometimes Mina would tell her about her childhood and the one who used to be her best friend, sometimes she would cry without knowing why and Momo was always there to hold her in her arms. Sometimes Mina would hum some song from her memory while making breakfast.
Momo would always hurry back from her early morning walk to listen to Mina's humming for a little longer. Sometimes Momo would also tell her about her life and how she had lost contact with her family after her marriage. Sometimes Momo did not speak all day.
Most afternoons, they would take a walk along the cliff, watching the sea, the beach, the birds, each other's eyes. Momo used to stand at the cliff edge, begging for a reason. Sometimes wondering if the lack of life inside her chest was not enough. Now, she would sit next to Mina to watch the sunset.
Now Momo breathed in the cool breeze and felt light; and not only did she feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, now she felt a greater one inside her chest.
With her eyes on the orange color of the sunset, Momo listened to Mina as she told her how it was that she didn't understand that she had never seen a sunset like the ones seen there before. In that the sky is one, the sun is the same, and yet, none compared to those.
"Maybe it's the company."
Mina turned to look at her, she also doesn't understand how she had gone so long without Momo's company; she doesn't understand the mysterious way the universe works.
And Momo is there, in the golden hour of the day, her hair moving a little in the breeze, her eyes sparkling —and Mina doesn't know it's because of her—, and her lips have never been so desirable.
"Momo" she calls to her without taking her eyes from her lips.
Momo turns to look at her.
Mina kisses Momo, and she loses all her breath. Mina’s lips are soft, her tongue is warm in her mouth. She pulls Momo closer, and for a moment they are indistinguishable. One skin. One crashing heart. No space between them.
Momo follows Mina before separating, trying to lengthen the contact a little more. They breathe with their eyes closed and their foreheads together.
Mina opens her eyes, and smiles at the reddish color of Momo's cheeks. She leaves a kiss on her cheek.
“I love you, Momo.”
Little did Momo know the first time she laid eyes on Mina; she was looking at the rest of her life. If she had to go back in time and warn herself, she would laugh sarcastically as if it were a cruel joke. How could she be lucky enough to allow herself to love someone like Mina? Someone whose voice is the calm to any storm that might irritate her head. Because when Momo looks at Mina, she feels like she can do it for an eternity, she feels infinite, she feels free, she feels—.
“I love you, Mina. I'll write it in waves. In skies. In my heart.”
She feels loved.