Grapefruit Moon

Oh my gosh, it was the most beautiful night! It was early fall, the moon, huge, hung perfectly in the sky with wisps of opaque clouds flowing across it and thousands of twinkling stars standing guard. The ocean air was cool and dry and our hearts were in the wind.

We were in separate cars, had met in one town and were driving to another. I sped up and pulled beside him to get his attention as we drove down the deserted stretch of highway, pointing at the sky. He looked up, and then looked at me, the smiles on our faces as luminous as the moon, projecting everything we felt inside.

It was a novelty for him, being around someone who was delighted by the smallest things and happy all the time. He liked it when people smiled, he could relax and let down his guard a little, and it picked him up, he was like a chameleon constantly adapting to his environment. 

We stopped for dinner and margaritas before checking in to the hotel. We looked out the window of our room and the whole beach was lit up from the glow of the moon. We had planned on taking a walk but never made it out of the room. It was a wild night and when we woke up we were both sore and his lip was bruised. He looked at me with that big grin and we decided that in the future only one of us was allowed to drink tequila at a time.

On the way home he stopped unexpectedly at a gas station, got out and came over to my car. I rolled down my window, he leaned in, I put my arms around his neck, we kissed and held each other, knowing we were going to have to part soon and neither of us able to stand the thought.

Something happened when he got home, he called later, was sad and a little cryptic. He said it was hard going back. I asked him what happened and he said he would tell me later, right now he just needed a little time and would call me the next day. I was surprised his mood would swing like that but understood and gave him the space he needed. He would talk all the time about that trip, my arms around his neck, the grapefruit moon, how it felt to be loved and wanted, and never wanting it to end.