Descriptions on the Spot - Photo Bounty
Special thanks to @nords, not just for the photograph, but also for letting me use it for this. Check out his other work while you're on his blog; it's worthy of some upvotes at least. :D
The night air was cold, but he'd dressed warmly for the occasion.
Bundled up in thermals and a thick coat, the only cold he had the pleasure of experiencing was exactly what he'd hoped for: breathing in the frigid night air and exhaling a cloud of water vapor. He leaned back against the windshield of his small, two-door pickup and looked up at the dark sky, marveling at the aquamarine aurora dancing across the sky.
"These don't come by nearly often enough," she said, looking up at the sky with him. She'd dressed even warmer than he had, but then she was no fan at all of cold, across her face or otherwise. Still, she couldn't pass up an opportunity like this; it was like one of the first dates they'd went on.
"No, no they don't," he said, chuckling a little as that thought crossed his mind. "Remember the first night we came out here to catch the light show? I've never seen someone so utterly guarded and nervous. I thought you were going to shoot me just in case." They both laughed together, but she shook her head, giving him playful glare.
"Well, when a boy you really don't know all that well drives you down some dirt road at night, you get to wondering as a girl," she retorted, jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow. He turned to look at her, admiring her quietly for just a moment. She had a wool beanie over her ears, but her long, beautiful blonde hair hung down across her back freely. A smile crossed his lips; she'd complained it was too straight and didn't have any volume, but he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he was the lucky wretch she'd deigned to marry. She noticed his eyes on her and turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.
"What? Do I have another ear growing out of my neck or something?" He smiled brighter and shook his head, turning his head back to the night sky. With a roll of her eyes, she turned back, scooting as close to him as she could.
"I love you, you know," he said, after a few moments of silence between them. "We'll be together forever." She couldn't help smiling, squeezing closer to him and hugging his arm.
"Forever and a day, baby," she replied. They sat there in silence, looking up at the beautiful auroras lazily moving across the sky, shifting through brilliant shades of green, blue, and violet. They didn't say another word, comfortable in each other's company, hearts beating in time. He could have stayed like that forever, reclining on the hood of his small pickup with the woman he loved, but the sting of tears, cold from the night breeze, broke the reverie.
He sniffed a little bit, reaching up with one hand to wipe at the corners of his eyes.
Once the tears were taken care of, he turned to look down at the photograph clutched in his other hand. It was one they'd taken about five years ago. He wasn't quite as handsome as he used to be, with his once coal black hair grayed and thinning, and half a gut where a flat stomach used to be. She, on the other hand, looked every bit as beautiful as the first day they'd met. Sure, there were some wrinkles around the eyes and the corner of her lips, from all the smiling and crying they'd done together. Her blonde hair was shorter, cut to be fashionable like other more mature women, but it was still as radiant and beautiful as ever. They were both smiling, and he couldn't have been happier with it, even if it made his heart hurt to look at it.
"I love you, honey. Forever and a day," he whispered, tucking the photograph back into his pocket. "I'll be up to see you soon, I think. Meantime, I'll keep enjoying the night skies like we used to, so I can tell you about them when I get there." Alone again in the frigid darkness, he climbed off the hood of his pickup with some effort and back into the driver's seat. It started up on the first try, accompanied by the faint whining of an old fan belt, and he put it in gear, starting the lonely drive back to his equally lonely house.