Rain-Washed Nonexistence

: Through the mist of close kisses, the rain-washed evening returns! And with it, soaked in water, the ache seems to dissolve into something sweeter still...the moment I shut my eyes, everything around me sinks into infinite darkness...so bitterly cold!

: Tell me, Mili—how did you ever learn to love like this? The way you hold me in those beautiful imaginings of yours...will you ever find the words to tell me why?

: You see, in the loveliest of my thoughts, I only ever want your embrace...I have nothing grand to tell you; white egrets, flame-of-the-forest trees, the deepest green, a soft glow of light; the way you touch my body in perfect enchantment; or the flock of wounded birds, silent or struggling desperately to take flight—have you ever truly seen any of this, deeply seen it? How then can you understand my love, tell me?

: I only want to understand you...isn't that enough, Mili?

: It would be—if you were anything more than my imagination. Otherwise, all of this would vanish in an instant.