She stood before him like a child, with her eyes sparkling, as if comprehending a delightful and exciting secret, as a girl would have gazed upon the Christmas tree laden with presents. Her cheeks, delicate and soft, were flushed pink, and her loose dark tresses, luxurious and beautiful under the winter sun, flew freely in the winter wind with pretty playfulness. There was a deep, spontaneous light that shone in her dark, fathomless eyes, and those eyes, which had seemed to be so unfathomable, so remote, so careless, so ruthless even, were now lighted with the light that shone directly from her pulsating, fluttering heart, overcome finally and completely. She stood there, wringing her hands, gazing shyly up at him, dark lashes battering against pale skin.
And he stood before her, motionless, struck by this moment of momentous discovery and realization, that he could not speak, nor could he think, or do anything but stand, frozen to the spot, gazing with an unmoving mind at the wondrous unfolding of one of nature's most glorious secrets. And indeed, it was like the unfolding of a flower, fresh and luminous, whose petals were delicate and whose color, passionate and yet gently soothing, reflected directly on one's inner heart. And that brightness dazzled him, nay, indeed, blinded him, for he had never before witnessed such a scene of silent ecstasy. It was killing him, destroying his heart, giving exquisite, delightful pain, as he struggled, without resistance, against the breaking away of his individual self and the merging, silently, with such spontaneity and glory, brought to by such chance circumstances and yet at the same time predestined, into that divine goddess which shrouded herself in such a mould of gentle passion. He worshiped her, and knew that he would always worship her, adoring her, casting himself at her feet, looking upon her pedestal as pagans worshipped their goddesses. And he would willingly give his hold on life, on reality to her, completely and without complaint. He wold give into her, and allow, suffering with silent strength of mind and passionate joy, her to fuse her being into his, and to break away his solid barricade of individuality.
Oh, such glory, such beauty, such holiness, such divinity! Such wondrous hope and despair! Such spontaneous delight and pain! Such unspeakable dark currents of passion and fulfillment!
He knew, instinctually and naturally, as if he had experienced this before, and drank from this well of eternal and surreptitious knowledge of divine providence, which flowed without ceasing into his heart. For it was the well of life, congested and impregnated with whirling thoughts, emotions, and dark, unbelievable secrets, which hides in us all, and of which we know not. His breath came in short, hasty gasps, and, as his eyes filled with the light of discovery, an entire new world was opened up to him. And he felt himself different, changed, more complete, somehow, and that old him, which just yesterday had been criticizing the childish idiocy of romantic writers, seemed curiously old and remote, as if it had been a dream, and nothing more. A whole, entire, new, exciting, wondrous, unexpected, inexplicable, and yet inevitable reality was throwing its harsh, glorious light on his heart, and his soul cringed and wept broken sobs of sudden revelation and beatitude. His eyes, light green and fathomless like hers, and which had before been so cold, so distant, and so unreal, that all used to shudder under his glance, were lighted with a brilliant, supernatural light, like that of a madman. And he, himself, was shuddering, shaking, trembling with fear, exultation, and expectant uncertainty, as he began, slowly, shaking, timidly and yet steadily, laying bare the robe of aloofness that shrouded his heart, and laying his heart bare, prostrated himself at her feet, gazing with a thrilled and unswerving gaze as she had done herself.
He looked at her, this young, fresh, blooming flower of youth and beauty, of unspeakable divinity and charisma, of a holiness and darkness that nobody but him knew and understood, gazing at him with limpid, burning eyes, like seas churning with restless waves, disturbed by some relished perturbation. And he felt that she was killing him, and that he was dying, but he would not have stopped this wild, beautiful, painful ecstasy. Not for the world. And this girl, this young woman, was like a well to him, filled to the brim with the wine of happiness and passion, pulsating with life, her heart beating with so many dark and unspeakable secrets. Oh, so many secrets! And he longed to know those secrets, he yearned like he never did before. Oh, such an unfathomable and dark, such a fatally attractive creature!
She took one small step towards him, and was so near that he could see the clear tears swimming in her eyes, bare, in all their candid na?veté, and could feel the warm, wet feeling of her breath, like that of a flower. And she put his hand over her heart. A shock ran through him, as of electricity, and he listened to the passionate beatings of her heart, resounding clear and loud in the depths of his own heart. And he felt, at that moment, the perfect infusion of their two beings, two hearts beating together with and for each other, electricity and energy flowing from one into another with reciprocal ease and rapture. And he was lost. He looked down, and saw her eyes. And that new and wondrous reality was finally and completely unlocked for him.