It was like lilies blooming in the first breath of spring.

After everything, the months apart, the yearning, the regret, you were drawn back together, like you always would be no matter what. After that dinner at the Ritz, who wouldn't be drawn back to Carol?

You were no longer the same people, you had both changed so much. It was almost like meeting each other all over again. You had grown, gotten a job at the Times, and pursued your dream as a photographer. Carol had practically lost her daughter and fully lost that housewife life that came with it. It was a time of rebirth for her, for the both of you.

Carol's apartment was larger than yours. Exactly as she described it, just big enough for two. As soon as you step foot into it, you knew this is where you belonged. Here, with Carol, on Maddison Avenue. There was plenty of space for you both to pursue hobbies and work. There was a storage unit downstairs where Carol could keep furniture before turning it into the store where she had recently got a job. There was a spare room that you could turn into a dark room and develop photos for personal enjoyment and work. It was almost too perfect.

And of course, once you put your things down and hung up your coat, an intense gaze shared between you and Carol turned into blur of kisses and gentle gasps. Clothes ended up on the floor and limbs intertwined, wrapped up in the blankets on Carol's bed.

Everything was familiar, but entirely new at the same time. The feeling of her nails gently scraping over your ribs and the soft firmness of her hands on your thighs. Oh how you had missed it. You almost had forgotten what it felt like. She never failed to make you feel so cherished, so loved, like the most perfect and special girl on the planet.

And now, as your heartbeat slowly returned to normal, as Carol gently pulled your practically boneless body close to her, you felt as if you were the only two people in the world. Everything else blurred together and faded away. Nothing mattered except for Carol, for the way her skin felt on yours.

It was the best feeling in the world.