She was there, in the dark, lying in her bed and fixing the ceiling, looking desperatly for sleep. The steady breath of her partner, at the other end of the mattress, soothed her in a comfort suitable to rest. Yet, she couldn't sleep.

Was it because of the thrill of the party in her honor that had been held all evening? She still had the sensation of hearing the hectic rhythm of music beating in her ears. Even though she cherished these moments with her loved ones, being the center of the attention had never been her thing; the gazes pointed at her, the smiles she had to tirelessly give to her guests, the incessant conversations that demanded her to strive out of her shell. All of this drained her. She had wished, the whole evening, to find a shelter, even for a few minutes, to give her time to focus on herself, to recharge her batteries. Now that she could finally relax, her mind had decided otherwise.

She extended a hand to her partner but stop her gesture before touching him. He seemed so peaceful and she didn't want to bother his sleep for such a futile reason as to calm down the continuous flow of her thoughts. So, she slowly sat up on her bed and set her feet on the floor. Her tiptoes retracted on contact with the cold ground with her bare skin. She waited that her vision adjust to the darkness before getting up and going out of the bedroom.

Downstairs, everything was calm. The banner on which was written "happy birthday" was still hanging in the middle of the living room, the empty plastic goblets, the half deflated balloons and the confetti scattered throughout the room, enthroned in the dark, as remains of the past party. She ignored them and walked softly to the kitchen. Here, she took a glass that she filled with water and stood before the window.

The moonbeams struggled to pierce through the thick layer of clouds. Lulled by the wind, the shadows of the pines swayed in front of the house, imitating a macabre dance than only storm knew the choreography. It was both enchanting and terrifying.

She opened the window, letting the fresh air coming in. The cold of the night made her shiver, but it didn't bother her. She passed her finger through the gap, letting the breath of the breeze caress her skin. It was soft and exhilarating, a remedy for her invasive nocturnal thoughts.

However, she knew it, this distraction wouldn't last. She wanted more, needed more. From where she stood, she could only see the grove stuck in the sand. The dune hid her sight. She abruptly slammed the window before swallowing her glass of water. She head toward the entrance of the house, grabbed her sweatshirt that hung along the coat rack and put on her boots.

She left her house and walked toward the trees. The twigs cracked under her weight, punctuating her steps. The closer she approached her destination, the heavier her legs became, sinking into the loose soil. The high silhouettes of the pines spread before her and seemed endless. The scent of woods, heated by the summer sun, still floated in the air, despite the cool temperatures once  night fell.

The wind rose, stronger than before, howling its song through the branches and the thorns of the conifers. Its breath insinuated through her hair and clothes, twirling the fabric and pushing her forward, as if to accompany her along the path.

At last, she reached the edge of the wood, the top of the dune. She stopped a few moments. Her eyes rested on the horizon, where the black clouds appeared to collapse into the tumult of the ocean. She kicked off her shoes and went down to the beach, the cold sand grains rolled under her feet.

She walked with her eyes half closed, to taste the sea spray that crashed on her face as she got closer to the water. The iodized smell, carried by the wind and the drizzle, filled her lungs, giving her the perfume of freedom that only the natural places offer. She stopped just before the foreshore, to keep her feet dry and admired the sight before her again.

Unlike the others, she preferred the beach at night. The agitation of the day, punctuated by the screams and laughter of the tourists, were only accentuating this overwhelming sensation that gripped her ribcage. So, she prefered to come at night, when everything was quiet.

She had grown up by the sea, and already as a child, she considered it as her closest friend. When she was a teenager, while her classmates secretly went out of their home to party, she sneaked to the coast. She could stay for hours, sitted on a rock, admiring the waves break on the shore, observing the movement of the water sway with the swell. She was like the ocean: behind her calm demeanor, a storm was always ready to explode, hustling and engulfing her thoughts in an infernal spiral, like the waves capsizing a ship.

This very night wasn't an exception. In the distance, she could perceive the clouds cluster changing into a storm. The first thunderclaps echoed the din in her mind. The wind blew harder and she tightened her sweater around her chest, trying to protect herself from the cold. However, the more time passed, the more the tempest rumbled and the less she could shield herself from the elements. She stayed here, motionless, contemplating the show nature was offering her. Captivated by the terrifying beauty unfolding before her, she felt herself being caught, trapped, as if she was far away from what surrounded her.

Yet, a soft warmth enclosed her and it took her a few seconds to realize that it was her spouze, who had joined her and wrapped his arms around her. He rested carefully his chin on her shoulder and admired with her the storm that was slowly getting closer. She closed her eyes, impregnating herself with his musky scent that mixed with he salty fragrances of the ocean.

She eventually turned around in his arms to face him. The weak moonbeams lit his face and she was able to embed her eyes in his serene gaze. He leaned over her and his hot lips imprisoned her mouth, which made her heart pulse faster in her chest and brought her back to the reality of the moment. They parted without moving their faces away from each other, mingling their breaths. She was the one breaking the silence.

"How did you know I was here?"

A light smile crossed her partner's face.

"Because I know you," he simply answered.

And it was true. Since all these years, he had learned to identify her vulnerabilities and how to fil them. She was always astonished to see how much he was able to predict her reaction, to guess her anguish. As if he could read her mind. This night again, he proved her that he would always stand by her, as a rampart to the emotions that was consuming her.

She buried her face in his neck, focusing on the contact of their skin so as not to get lost again in the depths of her brain. He passed a hand through her hair and place his mouth near her ear :

"Come, let's go back to our place."

She nodded without a word, letting herself guided by the quietude emanating from him. Then, without a single glance at the storm that was still raging behind them, they took each other's hands and walked back to this special place called home.

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