Gray of sky, heaviness of still, they rested before the hearth, clean and smokeless fire with subtle pops of heat-split wood and the sweet of cherry’s burn. Both in lie, a distance between, they read in the heaviness’ hold, both in sense of the near to what was not yet arrived, sky’s burden in the weight.
Room alit by only fire’s light and the dim of sky in gray, they were patient for the come, sense-burden in the wait.
Then, from silence of the still there came hush that rose to drum in rain’s arrive, fast-changed front of light fall into heavy of a pour, a sudden cool and rush upon them in the freeing of the sky.
Eyes from books and opened page to finding of the others. Sudden-cool and after warmth in read of paired eyes’ find. Roll of her body from side-facing to back, match and pair of his above; fast-pass of gentle-begin into strong hold and embracing of the full; gray of her fleece parted, close heat of new-bared heavy in the levity and free of waiting’s burden ended.
Strength of the storm, force of their love, clean scent of cherry’s burn; loving through parting of the gray into warmth and white of opened under-sky; a changed world, a changed sense, freed of the weight, freed of the wait into rest-exhaust’s find and attain through pour and storm’s release.