Of all my visits here, I was alone. Until now.

I stand between on the shore Brooklyn Bridge on my left side, Manhattan on my right, the river flowing endlessly before me. I used to sit here for as long as I got, if I actually were bored, watching the waves wash the shore, feeling the wind bite my skin. The cold didn’t bother me; nor the loneliness. I had no reason to leave, no one waiting for me, no warmth to return to. Yet, the city moves, and so the people and the days.

But today, I am not alone.

I waited for you here, the way I always do. The wind made my hands numb, my breath came out in clouds, the cold seeping into my bones. I would have sat here all night, waiting, if that’s what it took. And then–there you were.

You walked toward me, slowly, deliberately. From the smile on your face, it was apparent that you wanted me to wait a bit more. With each step you took, something inside me shifted, something so powerful that changed everything–the cold, the waiting, the loneliness. All disappeared. You came close, two feet between us, and simply said: “Welcome”. That was enough–enough to warm me inside, and forget the world, the people, and nature.

We sit by the shore, covered in a blanket, no fire, no light, still warm. My arm around your shoulders, your head resting on my chest. I can feel your warmth, the slow rise and fall of your breath, the way your fingers rest slightly over my hands. It should be nothing–just skin to skin, fabric against fabric–but if felt like everything.

You turn to me, and, for a moment, I forget how to breathe. My heart moves faster and I don't know why, but your eyes, catching the city’s light, slowed it down. And then you smile. Not like the one you present to the world, but the sincere one you only give to me, the one that stops the time.

Then you kiss me on the lips. I feel the warmth and nothing else. Your fingers tighten around mine, my hands pull you in, and in that second, I know–I don’t need anything else. This is what warmth tastes like. This is what love feels like. Simple, yet feels like home.

And then, I taste the sourness. I look up to your eyes, and see that you're crying, your tears slowly flowing down from the cold. I feel you; I see the pain in your eyes, the truth that we were not meant to be together.

You tell me to close my eyes, and wait. I do as you say. I hear the voice of your shoes, walking from me, leaving me alone into the darkness. After some time, I open my eyes, and hear the sound of the river; nothing more.

You leave me, and again, I am all alone once again. I sit by the river, throwing stones and feeling nothing, not even the cold. It’s all me and the river again, with that one kiss from you that I will never forget.