“Tonight will be our last sunset. You will never see me again.”

They sat on a precarious ledge jutting out of a sea-swept cliff. Her hand lay atop his, and the words she spoke were gentle. She turned her her head to face him, only to find his eyes already on her. Her eyes held his gaze for a moment before shying to the sea below, and then to the horizon. Only the sound of the waves crashing filled the silence.

Beside her, his chest heaved as he drew a deep breath.

“I wish you would stay.”

She did not know how to respond, and so said nothing. He tried again, “Can you not stay?”

A question she could answer.

“I cannot — you know I cannot, my love.”

The sun had become a pinprick on the sea, and the sky was fading to gray. Their time together was drawing to a close.