Tonight, meet me at the place where we first said those three words . . .

The note glared up at me like a white rose petal against a black background since the letter was on a thin white sheet of paper that rested comfortably on my dark oak table. The soft lines of the cursive writing were unmistakable; this note could only have been written by Alisa. Never did I expect to receive such a thing from the woman who claimed to never want to see me again. After my failed proposal three months ago, Alisa had avoided me like I was the Black Plague personified. Not that it bothered me too much anymore.

I ran my fingers through my light blond hair. This was a difficult choice to make since there are many limitless possibilities of what could unfold whether I went or stayed. As my mind played through different scenarios, my eyes strayed to a mirror which hung just above my dresser. A handsome young man with the brightest green eyes glanced back with confusion shining within his hues. Light blond hair was tousled slightly from all the activity of the day and a blue hat was perched on top which completed his usual look.

Shaking my head, I opened the door and let the evening light shine into my home. I glanced back once at my bed and smiled before I departed. The scent of rain was heavy in the air; I knew I had to hurry with what was to be done. My feet were light on the dew laden grass as I made my way slowly to the boat where Kirk would be waiting for any last minute departures to the other islands.

Windows in the other houses were bright despite the darkness thanks to the inhabitants turning on the lights. A booming laugh came from the house closest to me and I recognized the sound of Taro as he started speaking. Smiling, I continued on my way until I reached the boat. By now, anxiety was making my heart pound hard in my chest and my pulse race. Another factor that contributed to such a change in me was fear.

Fear that I might not know what to say and everything would back fire.

Kirk said nothing as I boarded the boat. I liked the thin man, he never asked questions when he didn't need to. His greying head bobbed as I told him that I wished to travel to Meadow Island and it became obvious to me that he was aging since I could see that the spot which had been thinning only a month before was almost completely bald. I couldn't explain it, but a rush of sadness suddenly struck me. Perhaps it was because with this realization I figured that soon Kirk would become frail and would eventually die. I didn't have much time to dwell on it because the island came into view.

"Thanks, Kirk," I murmured, placing a pouch of gold in his hands and disappearing farther inland before he could protest.

Crickets chirped and song birds sang their night time melodies to those who would listen. On the island, the grass was far greener and had more moisture; the ground beneath my feet was soggy and slightly hard to walk on without stepping where the ground became muddy and which would swallow up to one's lower shin. Why she wanted to meet here at this time, I'd never know.

I caught sight of her before she saw me. She was standing upright, her head tilted skyward as the stars began to make their appearance. To me, it looked like shiny little pins on a dark velvet pillow. Even from the distance and the murky darkness, I could imagine her soft, caring blue eyes alight with wonder at the majesty of the sky. Her cherry blossom coloured hair flowed down and curled inwards to the nape of her neck. My breath caught in my throat despite my efforts to maintain a neutral, calm presence. Tonight she did not wear her usual blue dress with the off-white garb which signified her status as a nun; instead she wore a pair of worn out jeans and a light blue tank top.

I stepped forth until I was close behind her and I cleared my throat quietly. She spun around quickly and when I saw her blue orbs shine warmly my heart gave a painful thud against my rib cage as if it desired to escape and leap into the hands of the woman in front of me. Inwardly, I scolded it for its futile efforts. It took me a month to gather all the pieces of my shattered heart; I was far more careful with it.

"Mark," Alisa's voice wafted to me on the light breeze which had just sprung to life and I shivered. Only she could get a response like this from me.

"What do you need to say, Alisa?" I asked as I took a step backwards to compose myself. Pain lit her gaze and I cringed but I held my ground.

She stared at me for several moments before she burst forth and wrapped her arms around me. Her head rested against my chest and her hands rested on my shoulder blades. Tears must have been running down her face since I could feel little bursts of warmth on my shirt.

"I love you, Mark. I'm so sorry for sending you away all those months ago. I thought that I had all that I wanted, but now I know that I want nothing more than to be by your side. Forever. Please, just give me one more chance and I'll prove to you that I can give up my past life and choose you over all that I know.

"Please say yes, Mark. That's all I ask," Alisa looked up at me with eyes that reflected her soul. Tears shone on her cheeks like a thousand tiny diamonds and it took all my strength to lightly push her away so I could hold her at an arm's length.

Her eyes searched mine with pain, longing, and confusion. Obviously this was not the reaction she had expected from the boy who had wanted to marry her. Now, I wondered if she realized that that boy was now a man.

"Alisa," I spoke softly, gently as if it was an injured animal I was confronting at the moment, not a woman. "It's too late."

Before either of us could say another word, a voice rang out in the darkness as clear as a bell.

"Mark?" Natalie was looking at the two of us, confusion in her chocolate brown eyes. She wore one of my t-shirts and a pair of blue jeans. Her darker pink tinged hair was hidden beneath a black cap that resembled mine.

Looking back at Alisa I noticed that she looked at Natalie with undisguised loathing and jealousy. She was angry at me, but also at herself for rejecting me all that time ago. Everything was out of her power now and she was aware of it.

After a small eternity, she looked up at me with an understanding that made her normally fathomless eyes look hollow. A sad smile rose and disappeared on her beautiful face. She was about to brush past me when my hand lightly clasped her shoulder. Empty blue eyes looked up at me.

"You are and will always be my first love." I whispered so only Alisa could hear my voice.

"You will always be mine and I will always be yours," with that, she was gone and my heart went with her.

After a few more months of courting, I asked Natalie to marry me. The day we went to the church, I stood by Nathan the pastor and straightened my bowtie. The suit I wore was specially tailored from the city and instead of being white or black like the more traditional ones, mine was a darker blue and it was the exact shade of Alisa's eyes.

The nun was sitting in the front pew, her eyes shining with unshed tears. A red dress clung to her body and its curves. When she looked up, I met her eyes for a long time before the organ began to play the wedding march. Natalie walked towards me a few seconds after the music started, her face showing her immense happiness. She looked radiant and was the exact image a blushing bride was meant to be. Her hair was done up and her wedding dress was a pristine white. Her brother, Elliot was leading her up the aisle his eyes on his feet as if he didn't trust them.

While we were exchanging our vows, my eyes darted to Alisa whenever I got the chance which was not often. Every time she would mouth something and smile sadly. It was only that night after the celebration that I realized what she had been saying. Silent tears ran down my face as I stood and looked out the window. Stars dappled the sky and I closed my eyes. Alisa's voice played in my mind.

Always.

I hope you enjoyed this tale I wove out of the blue. Truly, I'm not overly sure where the inspiration for this one-shot came from. It just happened. I'm quite proud of it and I'm even debating on whether or not I should turn it into a full story. Please rate and review.