I ran! Oh, how I ran; my heart pounding loudly in my ears. He was still behind me. But how close? I could no longer tell the difference between his steps and my own. The sound of our feet beating against the ground seemed to mesh with the beating of my heart hard up against my ribs.

      My mind was racing almost as fast as I was running. Could I get away? Or would he catch me? What would he do if he did? A cave lie ahead with two ways in; maybe I could lose him, maybe I couldn’t. But I’d know how serious he was about catching me by which entrance he chose.

       Into the dark I ran. But before I could tell if he was still behind me our bodies smacked into each other in the blackness. Instantly his arms were securely around me. I started to struggle but his grip only tightened. My hands were planted on his chest, arms locked between us.

       In the moment that passed next I could hear his breathing and feel his heart as if they were my own. It was only a few seconds, but it felt so much longer. Which of us would make the next move? What was the next move? Break free? Was that even an option at this point? Suddenly the next step was clear as the morning sky; he must have known it too. In a moment that passed like a swift autumn breeze; my hand slid behind his head. With a magical flash that joined heart to heart, and soul with soul; our lips met in a tender kiss.

       As we held each other near, my head upon his shoulder, whether it was truly dark in the cave or not – I couldn’t tell. The afterglow from that kiss illuminated even the darkest corners of my heart. Emerging from the cave hand in hand, I was glad I had ran. He had given chase and I had caught the man who would steal my heart.