He wrapped his left arm around Jiutiao Meijie and rested his right hand on her shoulder, gazing down at her delicately upturned face.
Jiutiao Meijie closed her eyes.
The sunlight fell on her face.
Her cold, soft lips touched Dubian Che's breath.
Her heart felt like it was sinking to the bottom of a crystal-clear lake, yet soaring through white clouds into the blue sky.
◇
Beside the lake, illuminated by the camping light, Dubian Che admired the oil painting centered around him and Jiutiao Meijie.
Five people sat around a table, with a charcoal fire in the middle, a grill atop the fire, and the grill laden with corn, sausages, asparagus, shrimp, skewered meats, and more.
The campfire burned nearby, sparks rising like a mist of rain.
"How is it, Mr. Dubian?" Mrs. Kiyono pouted her crystal lips, blowing on the asparagus, worried about getting burned.
"It's a realm I can never reach, no matter how hard I try." Dubian Che said admiringly as he set down the painting.
