He sits on a fence as his black, curly hair blows in the wind. Captivating. His beauty is captivating—the type of beauty that gives a boost of dopamine upon sight. Her eyes are fixated on him, but his eyes are aimed at the scenic sunset above. Its orange glow makes the brown of his skin look richer, almost golden in color. She feels as if she’s admiring a painting that a more adept person might find all the stories held within, but she is simply stuck.

A love-lorn woman who feels more like a love-struck girl and who was forever bonded with the title admirer. Although she's technically more than that now since they’ve become friends. Or were they more like mere acquaintances? This trip they’ve gone on together was supposed to help her forget and rediscover herself, but all she’s discovered is that she’s a coward. A coward at her job who could never stand up to her boss, who belittled her constantly. Here she is now, a coward of the heart who couldn’t tell the man in front of her how she felt.

She looks away from him, her eyes moving to the sunset. Its orange glow blazes like the sight of bravery in action. Bravery was something she herself could never acquire. She finds herself wishing she could be the orange light of the sun. If she could blaze like a fiery fire, then she could burn every ounce of cowardice inside of her.

She clears her throat. He is unmoving, and the brave orange glow of the sun has enraptured him as much as the sight of him has enraptured her. She moves forward, nearing him and calling his name. Finally, his gaze moves towards her, lighting up at the sight of their drinks in her hands. He hops off the fence, coming down with the grace of a trained athlete.

Grabbing for one of the drinks in her hand, his hand lingers longer than it has to. He smiles a smile like clear skies after a week of dreary rain. She smiles back, but then her mind becomes foggy and her palms sweaty as her heart gains speed like a course-less ship spotting land. How sickening! Her love-sick crush feels like a never-ending cold.

He takes the drink, and she looks at her empty hand, still dazed.

“I’m glad you came,” he comments, taking a small sip of his drink.

“Me too,” she replies, her mind still hazy from his smile.

“I just love the air out here! It’s so fresh, and I don’t know, something about it makes me feel alive,” he says, and then dramatically takes a deep breath.

“Uh-huh,” she comments, still hazed.

“What about you?” He wonders, his eyes straying back to the fiery orange glow of the sunset.

“What about me?” She asks back, her tone confused, but she turns toward the view of the sunset.

They stand a bit apart, their shoulders so close to touching.

“How does being here make you feel?”

Like a coward, she thinks, but she doesn’t dare say that aloud.

“I could stay here for a good while, but I’m still a city girl,” she answers.

He jokingly lets out a groan of disappointment.

“I thought I finally converted you,” he says, his tone light.

“Never! My lungs are too full of smog,” she replies.

The sun’s almost gone, and its brave orange light will be gone until tomorrow morning. She wishes for the sun’s glow, hoping that its bravery will emanate from her, even if only for a minute.

“I wouldn’t brag about that,” he says with concern. “Tomorrow, let’s head over to that flower park, we drove past before.”

“Sure, that sounds like fun.” She says, taking a deep breath after. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What?” He asks, curious.

The night is here, and its darkness is a comforting blanket. A sure way to cover her as her cowardice takes over once again, but she does not let her cowardice win. Instead, inside of her, she feels the fiery hotness of the sun’s brave glow.

She lets her love for him be known and glow like the sun just before it says goodbye.