Narrator's pov
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We see photos of people living their lives and we frown for a second, knowing it could never be us. Their smiles in those photos seemed so genuine, something we couldn't seem to find. A genuine smile
Autumn had those photos all around her house as a child, cut from magazines of TV shows where her favorite actresses hold their Emmy's high above their head, filled with joy that their hard work paid off. She dreamed of the day she'd match their smiles
And that day was today. That moment she's waited for her whole life was finally happening by being in the company of her girlfriend
"OH MY GOD IT'S A FISH" Autumn squealed at the small bubbles that rose to the water surface
"God you're so cute" Kate giggled
"Babe look! IT'S A FISH" The raven hair girl smiled before leaning her head over the edge of the canoe, her fingers brushing against the push and pull of the water
"I'm gonna take him home and name him beetle" She smiled
"Beetle?" Kate chuckled
"YESS BECAUSE THEY'RE TINY AND CUTE AND WE'RE USING THEY'RE PRONOUNS BECAUSE I CAN'T EXAMINE A FISH'S GENITAL AREA WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT, I'M NOT A VET" Autumn squealed
"Ugh god" Kate giggled
"We'll build an aquarium that's the size of a wall and we'll just have them in there"
"Won't they get lonely?" Kate asked
"Oh... But they'll have us" Autumn pouted
"Ugh come here" Kate giggled, reaching her arms out like a small child and awaiting her girlfriend to come into her arms
The matte black canvas sky had stars sprinkles across it like white sugar. The darkness was thick, the girl's could feel the hairs on their arms raised and the bite of the wind had left its mark in the form of small bumps that were tingling on their arms
A cold night that gave them ever more reason to draw closer to one another, to feel the natural warmth they were born to give
The water moves softly around Autumn's outstretched fingers, caressing cooly, eddying in their wake. She pulled her hand out and watched the drips, both transparent and opaque at the same time. They fall as if snatched by gravity to the saline below, each one swiftly haloed by ever-growing rings, distorting the pebbled sea-bed
In the breeze her hand was cold, yet her back was warmed by the heat of Kate's chest as she sunk into her embrace
The usual blackness of the night was replaced with the brilliant colours of a hundred lanterns
The lanterns were the dreams of those who lit them, illuminated like stars against the inky black night, floating along the canoe as they passed by. Those on the water merged with the reflections of those in the sky, creating an unearthly experience. Autumn orange. Ironically, the only colour that could be seen on the summers night
"This is... Just perfect" Autumn whispered before tilting her chin up to face the girl
"You're perfect" Kate grinned
"No youu"
"No youuuu" Kate squealed
"Ugh shut up and let me compliment you" Autumn groaned
"Nope"
"Why are you so stubborn" Kate glared
"You like me when I'm stubborn"
"i-"
"Exactly" Kate smirked causing the girl to giggle
"Whatever" Autumn laughed
Kate smiled before placing a soft kiss on her girlfriend's cheek, Autumn's lips curved into a bright smile with a explosive feeling erupting from her heart with such a warm feeling that spread from her cheeks to every inch of her skin, matching her goosebumps
There was something so perfect about the night, the way Kate held her close to her heart both physically and emotionally
Autumn's blue eyes glistened with admiration, shades of gold flickered past the warm blue ocean as they examined every inch of her girlfriend
How could she land such a perfect person. Her smile, her laugh, her heart was so big and bright, never failing to make Autumn feel like she was the most precious gem in the world
An angel brought Kate to her and Autumn wasn't planning on ever letting the girl go
"I have a gift for you" Kate said
"Ugh no, you didn't need t-"
"Shhh just take a look at it" Kate smiled, quickly kissing the girl's cheek before accepting a box from Rick the paddler
Autumn shook her head smiling before proppering herself up to face her girlfriend. Kate chuckled and pulled out a box from her bag
"What's this?"
"Open it and find out" She said
Autumn frowned before her fingers wrapped around the small bow, unhooking it's knot and allowing it to flow over the rectangular box
The necklace wasn't a simple silver chain with a pendant, one with the Celtic trinity shown by woven swirls. It was bore bold with a thicker design, Autumn ran her fingers along the chain until it reached the pendant of a small glass orb with what seemed to be a small chunk of a grey rock inside
"Your favorite movie growing up was moonlander, your eyes always grew a bit bigger when you talked about it, I swear I could get lost in the way you smile when you describe that movie over and over again. It drove you into wanting to be an Astronaut.. But your parents wouldn't allow it. So you did the closest thing could have. You acted in a movie about outer space and it was the best project you've ever worked on. The way everyone described the joy in your eyes when you were on set was so surreal, there's just something about you and the moon that's connected. And I know you don't wear tiny necklaces at home so I got you something wider with a piece of the moon inside it" Kate grinned
Autumn's smile was one of growing happiness, starting small and spreading wider with each passing second much like a spring flower opening
"You got this for me?" Autumn whispered
"Yes, I did" Kate chuckled
There's rare people in the world, those who see us for what we are inside and not just bones with veins and blood pumping through them. There's rare people on this world that would do anything to see us smile, to make sure our cheeks are stinging from that rush of emotions in our hearts. There's rare people in this world and Autumn was happy that she had one in her life
"Seriously, thank you for this. It's so peaceful, God it's a perfect end to a day especially when it's with you" Autumn whispered
"Well, the night's not over yet" Kate grinned causing the girl to frown
"What do you mean?" Autumn asked
"Just, trust me" Kate said before nodded her head to the area behind Autumn's head
Autumn frowned, she had been so wrapped up in staring into those chocolate eyes that she hadn't realized what was going on behind her
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUTUMN" They screamed, catching the girl off guard
"What the fuc-" Autumn squealed before falling backwards in the boat, almost tossing them both overboard when it shifted slightly to the side from her weight
"Oh my God, you're gonna kill us!"
"We ain't making it past 21" Rick snickered
The crowd screamed on top of their lungs, some holding cardboards sprinkled with glitter and lights that individually spelt out Autumn's name as they all stood in a vertical line on the yatch
"Girl, what in the world" Autumn laughed as she adjusted herself
It took just a few seconds for everything to settle in. Familiar eyes met her own as they screamed for her in excitement. Autumn's smile started to fade when she saw the scene before her
People were all scattered along the rails of the luxury Ambrosia Yatch, their grins reaching their ears and their screams louder than the men arguing that they couldn't be put on a raft during the sinking of the titanic. The three layer boat towered over the small canoe, a wooden plank was thrown down, connecting to the canoe and awaiting the arrival of the two girls. Golden balloons with silver swirls made an arch at the top of the boat. The rails were all lined with fresh flowers that showed so bright despite it being the night. Music pumped through the entire yatch, vibrating the dancefloor where many were already enjoying their cocktails. Ethan and Jamie stood at the arch with two confetti cannon
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOE" The two screamed before allowing the millions of colourful paper to fly into the air
Autumn's eyes locked onto the thin papers, watching them sway with the wind slowly and drop to the ground so beautifully with grace
Those who held cardboard of Autumn's name also screamed even louder as they all made their way over towards the arch
"AUTUMN. AUTUMN. AUTUMN" They screamed for her to join them
But the girl was paralyzed, her brain had stopped working in that moment and no one knew what was going on in her mind
Except her