Louis and Tawny were seated on a park bench the next day. This time, the uncertainty was gone, the shadow lifted. They knew they would be here again as many times as they chose to, wherever in the world their path took them. The path that they would take together, hand in hand.

They sat in silence for longer than usual, staring into space in front of them, as if contemplating the path they had trodden up to then and the endless possibilities that lay on the path ahead of them.

"So we really made it, huh?" Tawny asked pensively, turning her head to face Louis.

Louis's eyes met Tawny's. "Yeah," was all he said.

They said nothing more. They just took in this moment in silence, a moment that they knew that no more words could do justice to.

The minutes and hours passed. The two companions had reached a milestone on their long journey and were taking a fittingly long pause on the roadside. Yet as the minutes and hours passed and the thoughts flowed, Louis couldn't resist the urge to let them out before it would already be time to begin the next part of the journey.

"Tawny," he said, breaking the silence. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Tawny was looking intently into Louis's eyes. Just say it, Louis, her eyes seemed to be telling him.

"Tawny," Louis said, pleadingly, though he knew he didn't have to plead with her. "I… I just want to be with you forever. It's the only thing I could still wish for."

Tawny was ready for it, as ready as ever. "I want it just as much, Louis," she said, her voice full of assurance. "All we have to do is take it one step at a time, as we always have. There's a long journey ahead of us." Tawny smiled as Louis could feel her grip on his hand tighten, the bond between them feeling as unbreakable as ever. "All we have to do is keep trusting each other, Louis, as we always have."

Louis nodded, letting Tawny's words just sink in. He knew that he trusted her. He trusted her with his life in her hands, as she did with her life in his. And that, ultimately, was all they needed to know as they set out on the rest of their journey. An endless horizon awaited them on the path that lay ahead.