Bound by Affectionate Silence LbNA #64877

As we flew north on 205, the silence in the car grew heavy. The impending date of a flight to boot camp was the unspoken elephant in the 1995 Saab. Staring out of my respective window, we passed exit 6, I tried hard to hold back the emotion crashing against my eyes. Pulling off into a view point looking over Oregon City and parking by the second Oregon history sign, I turned off the car. The woman in my passenger seat had been my lover for over a year and the fact that we would be separated was ripping me apart. We had pledged loyalty during our long distance but reassurance did not yield relief. My iPod on shuffle, Dancing Away with my Heart came on my stereo. Impulsively, I left the car and walked around to the passenger side door. Her hand was soft in my mind as I helped her out, our eyes meeting in the dark. I pulled her close. Our foreheads touched as the music moved our feet. Silenced, no words uttered, we spoke to each other, understanding each other through the changes in our bodies. Three minutes and fifty three seconds later, we climbed back into the silver hatchback. Driving out of the viewpoint, I could not meet her eyes. Staring at the end of the guard rail, in the bottom section, I spoke the only words needed between us. I <3 u.