The moon was starting to peek over the horizon, and the earth was finally getting some respite from the thick, hot, stagnant air that had persisted during the daylight. My skin tingled in the cooling air, the anticipation had been swirling in my gut all day. I could finally shed the layers, let my hair down from my cap, and exist as myself, with him. No matter how many times I’ve done this over the centuries, pretending to be a human soldier was always challenging. The breaks given to me by the darkness was my Saving Grace, although tonight would be different. There was a feeling of urgency.

Ensuring I wouldn’t be spotted, I made my way to the lake’s shore, peeling off my woolen uniform as I went. “It so easily hid my curves from my fellow soldiers,” I thought to myself, as I removed the cap that held my long dark locks in place. No one saw me for who, or what, I was except for him, and we needed to keep it that way. It was getting harder for both of us to continue hiding what I was, and what we were to each other. So our nightly rituals slowly started becoming the norm.

The water was cool as it gently lapped at my feet, the waves a soothing melody. I took a deep breath and continued my march to slowly sink into the dark waters. Cooling down and feeling refreshed, I swam out deeper to ensure I’d know if I had an uninvited guest. My eyes better adjusted in dark than humans, it was easy to spot him. His once white linen shirt haphazardly buttoned, exposing more chest than was regulation, the navy pants carefully tucked into his tall, shining, leather boots. He walked with the same confidence when he was clothed, as he did naked, and was something that I rarely have seen in humans since the ancient Romans.

My eyes raked across his body as he stepped out of his clothes. I was staring, I couldn’t help myself, and he definitely noticed since a large cocky smile spread along his face as he sank into the water. I dived below the surface needing the cold water to calm my thoughts. How could he have such an effect on me? Never has any human caught my attention, let alone made my thoughts scramble so incoherently.

As I came back to the surface he had closed the gap between us, reaching out for me. His touch hot on my skin, a clear opposition from the cool water that surrounded us. His deep amber eyes searching my own for permission that he didn’t have to ask for anymore. I reach my hands up, burying them in his hair and crash my lips into his, giving him my answer. His calloused hands traveling down to my hips, my tongue searching for his, our legs gently brushing against each other as we continued to keep ourselves afloat. He tasted like honey, the warm summer sun, and the wheat fields blowing in the cool summer breeze. It was intoxicating, and I felt like I could never get enough of it.

He pulled away just enough to catch his breath, placing his forehead against mine. “We can’t keep doing this, Apollumi,” his words were almost breathless. My chest tightened involuntarily, but he continued before my thoughts could spiral. “I just mean, if we keep pushing the boundaries like this, we’re going to get caught. It’ll be a short drop and a sudden stop, or the firing squad, for us. We could just - “ He nodded towards shore.

“You know I can’t do that,” I said, feeling his grip tightened on my hips, but I wasn’t sure if it was in anger, or in nerves. “I have to see this through, it’s all I know how to do.” Looking in his eyes I noticed the worry glinting from them.

“It doesn’t have to be that way. We could go, start over.” His voice started to crack in the whisper, “What I’ve been hearing about tomorrow, it’s not -“ He paused unable to think about the lives that will be lost, including the possibility of losing our own. “This could be our last chance. Why don’t we just take it?”

A sad but knowing smile played on my lips, as I saw what our lives could be. A simple life of working his family’s fields. Our days spent in the sun’s warmth, laughing together, working together. Our nights spent entangled in each other. Maybe we’d have a dog and some chickens. Maybe even the legends were true and we could have a couple of kids, but that wasn’t our reality.

Our reality was that I was immortal, and I’ve been a warrior my entire existence, even before The Fall. I’ve known nothing except battles, killing, death and destruction. All in the name of protecting humanity.

I looked at him, doing my best to hide my own heartbreak. I would love nothing more than to live out the fantasy we both longed for. “I’ve heard the rumors and whispers among the men. I cannot leave them to fight without me. You know I can’t,” my voice betraying me, the sadness and longing played on every syllable. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, before speaking again, “Can’t we just enjoy the moment? Together? Tonight?”

Rejection.

My breath caught, watching my words sting; he could no longer look me in the eyes as he blinked back tears that threatened to fall. This hurt more than The Fall, like my soul was splitting in two. All he could muster was a slight nod. I quickly closed the gap that was between us, pressing my lips to his, begging for his forgiveness. I couldn’t face tomorrow without it, without him, and I knew it was selfish, but it’s not like I was going to get back into heaven anyway.

I felt every ounce of his sadness, as it turned into desperate hunger, and he crushed my body into his. His skin like a delicious fire against my own, the hard strength of his self control coiled taunt beneath his skin. His lips began moving with mine, and our tongues started their familiar dance, as we explored each other. My hands selfishly holding him tight to my lips, as he attempted to pull away.

Only allowing him to be centimeters away, his breath tickling my neck, “Give me a chance to change your mind?” The breathless panting of those words made my heart sing, and now I was the one that could only muster a slight nod in response, as he had already began swimming us to the small sand bar in the middle of the lake.