It was that moment of the day when the sky started to turn orange and some parts were even purple, that hour of the afternoon that many believed to be the most romantic one. Maybe it was, but for Owen it was only a reminder that he was running out of time, the sun would set down soon and with that, darkness would fall upon them. He knew Claire had agreed to go to those kids' musical, but what would happen after that?

It had felt like the sun light was what kept him going, enjoying every second of the clear sky like there was no tomorrow, and with the sun his hopes were starting to fade behind the horizon.

He couldn't help smile at the beautiful lady who had her fingers intertwined with his. He could feel her free hand tightly gripping his bicep while she kept taking steps through the rocky path they were walking.

They were on their way to the musical, the kids' school behind the hill they were hiking. She laughed after taking a misstep and clawed her fingers in his shirt, trying to avoid slide down and fall on her butt.

Owen held tight from her and took a second to just hold her against his frame. He let his hand rest on the small of her back, releasing hers so he could help her up the tricky little path.

He had convinced her to go through the hill instead of around it, made a fun experience out of it. They wouldn't be the first or the last to embark in the journey, it looked like a very popular area for locals to take a walk or even go about in their bikes.

They had been walking along that hill for twenty minutes when they reached a rest spot. Claire sat on the concrete bench near by, admiring the view of the city below them. She looked up at the sky, she knew they didn't have much time before it got dark.

Owen quietly sat next to her and tilted his head trying to find her eyes. He had so many things he wanted to say, that he wanted to ask. His heart was starting to ache at the reality that she would soon ask to be walked back to the subway station and they would have to part. He needed to know how she felt, tell her he had fallen in love with her.

"I'm exhausting you." He chuckled watching her try gain some strength to keep walking and catch her breath. They had been engaging in so much physical activities, the redhead had no idea how she was still going.

"It's fine." She giggled nervously, her green eyes gently finding his, "I would do it all over again, even if I'll be sore tomorrow and probably for a week." She nibbled on her lower lip.

Owen's hazel eyes lighten up at that confession, he reached out and fixed some of her messy hair, her braids almost undone by then. He smiled and took the impulse to start loosing her hair and brush it with his fingers. The soft feeling of it through them sent shocks of electricity up to his heart, making it start beating faster. He could spend an eternity playing with her red locks.

Claire smiled softly and shifting closer, she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes; the way his fingers felt in her hair injecting this peacefulness into her. She nosed into his neck, letting her arms wrapped around his waist.

Owen smiled and couldn't stop himself from pressing his lips against her forehead, the redhead slowly looked up and let her green eyes fall on his lips. Claire gulped softly, letting one arm pulled away and caress his cheek gently.

"Do—do you want to dance?" He asked a little nervous. All he wanted was an excuse to hold her close to him, have her in his arms and take in her scent.

She chuckled lightly, she looked around, "there's no music." She blushed, but still gently stood up and reached out for him to take her hand and lead her.

Owen smiled and taking her hand on his, he brought it to his lips and press a soft kiss on it before standing up and wrapping his other arm around her waist. He brushed her cheek with his fingers and pulled her lightly so her body could be pressed against his.

Claire blushed, once again lacing their fingers together while her other hand rested around his shoulder.

"Wait..." He curved an eyebrow, making her green eyes watch him with curiosity. He let go of her hand and reached into the front pocket of his jeans.

Claire laughed at the sight of the Hit Clip, "I thought you hated that song." She teased him, taking one of the earbuds to set it on her ear. She took the other one and set it on his opposite one.

"I never said that." He said softly, "but it's true." He chuckled before pressing play on his mini player and clipping it to his collar. The slow melody started playing and his fingers once again laced with hers.

Claire smiled softly and slowly let her feet follow his pace, her head resting against him. The redhead gently nuzzled into the crook of his neck, closing her eyes feeling the embrace of his arms keeping her warm while the temperature stared to drop and wind blow through the trees behind them.

Owen gently bent her backwards, making her giggle once the earbud had come off her ear. He pulled her back up and twirled her around before setting the earbud back on her, her fingers reaching out for his.

She gently pushed him closer, her arm around the back of his neck, feeling his lips brushing against her other ear, "I think I dreamt you into life..." He hummed part of the lyrics to her. The redhead smiled, closing her eyes. She felt her heartbeat peeking slightly, her fingers now brushing through his hair on the back of his head.

They kept the same slow tender pace through the song, and didn't stop once it was over. Claire had kept her eyes closed while they just danced to the rhythm in their heads, no need for music when both their hearts were synchronized.

"What's that?" She murmured, breaking the silence once she opened her eyes. There was a brown large animal behind Owen, one they hadn't noticed. He didn't let go of her, just turned his head back to have a look.

It was a chocolate Labrador wearing a sparkly red tag. He had been sitting behind them, watching them dance. He tilted his head to the side, witnessing how the couple had pulled back and Claire had gone fetch her blazer from the bench.

"We should get going, before it starts getting dark." Owen suggested, putting his mini player back into the front pocket of his jeans and gathering all their things. He had been the one carrying the shoebox with her heels, purse, and blazer.

The redhead nodded and reaching out for his hand, resumed their walking. The dog quietly started to follow them.

Owen kept guiding them towards the rocky path, helping her out when she reached out for assistance. The dog walked past them and nudged Owen with his snout before taking on a parallel path that was just starting next to theirs. He sat down a few feet away from the couple and wagged his tail.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Owen suggested and waited to see if Claire was up for it. The path the dog was choosing did seem to be an easier one, the redhead nodded and stepping to the side let Owen go first.

"Hey buddy." The man greeted the dog whom stood back up on his four legs and resumed his walking now that the couple was behind him. The Labrador kept wagging his tail and from time to time would look behind to make sure Owen and Claire were still following.

He was taking them through the trees, the path still plain and not as rocky as the one around the mountain. It was getting darker and the trees were growing thicker.

"I think he's lost." Claire groaned a little desperate. Regardless of how Owen had proven himself throughout the day, she really didn't want the night to find her in the middle of that hill.

Owen looked down at her and let go of her hand. He got closer to the dog and rubbed behind his ears before taking a look on his tag — a very unusual one at that; 'Hello, my name is Aristotle. I like making new friends and walk with them through the hill.' Owen then turned the tag to read the back of it, 'I'm not lost. I know how to get home on my own.' Owen curved an eyebrow and patted the dog, "I think he knows this place better than anyone." He finally called out. "His name is Aristotle."

Claire slowly walked through the dusty path, meeting Owen and their new friend Aristotle before the dog would resume their way through the trees. It took him about twenty minutes to take the couple to the other side of the mountain. They had to admit the dog had saved them some time by leading them through the thick trees.

He barked at them and started to walk back, turning to his left. "C'mon, lets go." Claire pulled from Owen's sleeve wanting to go to the right, follow the path.

"He knows what he's doing." Owen tried to convinced her. "Five minutes, if he is just walking around then we come back." He promised.

Claire whimpered not sure about this, she didn't find any logic behind going back from where they had come from, "please, babe?" He begged, taking both her hands in his and pressing them against his lips.

The redhead nodded, the dog still sitting there waiting for them. He did that every time they stopped, never leaving them behind. Aristotle didn't need more than five minutes to prove himself to the redhead; he did know what he was doing. Except...not in a way the woman would approve of.

"No." She shook her head.

"It's the fastest way down." Owen laughed. Aristotle sat back down, he wouldn't leave until made sure they had made it down safely. He liked running along the zipline while kids slid down the hill to the park below.

"I've done many things today." She kept shaking her head, almost begging him. Claire rested her hands on his shoulders and shook him lightly, "and I would do almost anything with you, except this." She frowned biting on her lip. She was scared of heights, but she was not going to admit it if she didn't have to.

"Think about something you've been wanting to do today, lets make it happen the moment we are both down!" He promised, trying to find a way to make her see they will be alright. Claire pursed her lips and blushed, "Do you trust me?" He wondered, holding the pulley close by. It was a short slide, about 32 feet long, very intended for kids to play in it rather than the professional ones found in touristic jungles.

Claire sighed and nodded, not believing she was agreeing to this. "Do you want to go first or last?" Owen wondered.

"First!" She immediately requested, "no, last... last. I'll go after you." She nodded.

"I see you, Freckles." He laughed and shook his head, she wanted him to go first in case the cable broke or he got stuck.

She giggled and shrugged, "we will meet down there though, so there's nothing to worry about right?" She reminded him condescendingly.

Owen nodded, "kiss for good luck?" He tapped his cheek and Claire gently kissed it, her fingers holding tight from the sides of his shirt.

Owen adjusted and looked down to Aristotle who was wagging his tail beside him. The man pulled his legs up and held tight from the pulley, the dog jumped and ran down the cliff along with him. Claire watching them from the top and resting her hand on her chest once she saw them reaching the ground.

She had now witness that it was just a matter of a minute or so what it took to get down to the other side of the hill. She was still a nervous wreck, it was up to her to hang from that pulley tight and make it in one piece. She took a deep breath and grabbed tight, she fixed her eyes on Owen who was waiting for her down there. She pulled her legs up and closing her eyes, she started to scream until she made it all the way down.

She didn't open her eyes until her shoes announced she was safe. She smiled towards Owen and bit her lower lip. He had the proudest look in his face, he had been able to tell this had been something hard for the redhead to overcome. Claire let go of the pulley and threw herself into his arms. He hugged her, pushing her hair back from her face and fixing it behind her ears. The redhead pressed her lips against his, without any previous warning that she was about to kiss him.

Owen immediately kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her waist while she pressed her body against his, her fingers brushing around his neck keeping their lips connected for a couple of seconds.

Now that he had finally tasted her lips, Owen knew he wouldn't be able to live without the softness of her kisses. He wanted the moment to last for the rest of his life. He felt Claire slowly pulling back, but he didn't let her. He tighten the grip around her waist, pressing her against his chest and leaning over, he let his lips catch hers again. This time he kissed her gently, letting his lips memorize the texture of hers.


Ready...Set...Go!

The vintage Sega Manx TT machine displayed on the screens before Owen and Claire could start riding their stationary bike and engage in an old school video game racing.

The couple had been playing around an arcade they had found on their way to the musical, they had at least an hour to kill before it started. So far they had played Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Owen and Claire had gotten about five dollars in tokens and were looking for those old machines with video games they both were familiar with, Claire's knowledge keeping them in a vintage selection.

"Nooooo!" The redhead complained tilting her bike to the right away from Owen who had decided to mess with her inside the game. He was doing fairly well, while she was stuck trying to figure out how to ride her bike. Every racer had one lap ahead of her, he found her in the same spot on the track and passing her over once again, he pushed her out of the track, making her little guy fall over his bike.

It made Owen laugh, specially because he knew how competitive she was and for the first time in the day, she was losing.

Owen left her there, her little guy slowly getting back on his bike while the rest of automated riders and Owen kept racing through the track. He was already on the last lap, Claire riding her bike across the grass.

"What are you doing?" He laughed.

"Taking a short cut because you assholes couldn't stop and wait for me." She was aggravated.

Expect, of course, the game didn't allow that kind move and so the green field was endless. She ran out of time, every rider had crossed the finish line.

"C'mon, we have to get going." Owen got off his bike and offered his hand, interrupting a very disappointed Claire's silence. "You can have my medal..." He promised her, kissing her temple upon bringing his arm around her shoulder.

"What? You are gonna have that stupid machine spit you one?" She frowned but happily hugged his waist upon feeling his embrace.

Owen shook his head and walked to the booth to get their stuff back and buy her one of those chocolate medals. He presented it to her, the redhead couldn't keep herself from kissing him upon taking it. "I love this." She held it against her chest, "I'm never eating it." She promised.

He smiled and taking her hand, they walked out of the Arcadia and headed towards the school four blocks away from there.

"YOU CAME!" Wendy and Tinker bell called out upon recognizing the couple who were trying to find their way to the auditorium through the halls.

Both adults smiled and tilted back at the sight of all sixteen kids in costumes running towards them and giving them a massive group hug.

"We saved you a seat!" The kids dressed as The Twins announced taking each of Owen and Claire's hands respectively and guiding them through the hall, into the auditorium, and over to their front row seats.

The redhead and Owen thanked them and waited seated for the musical to start. Claire bit on her lower lip and crossed her legs before letting her knee brush along his.

She looked around, the place slowly getting packed with whom she figured were other students and family. Her eyes then fell on Owen who was reading the program, going through the list of characters to learn who their friends would be playing. The lights slowly went down, leaving the room completely dark. The musical was about to start.

He slowly turned look up at Claire after feeling her tap his shoulder, his eyes immediately shut down letting her take advantage of the black out. He gently kissed her lips back. The redhead brushed her fingers along his nape, letting the tip of her tongue slightly tease him before deepening the kiss for a few seconds.

The music to 'The Second Star to the Right' interrupting them.