The cabin was lit up with the oil lamps as McKenna approached it. As always, her heart lifted at the sight of it, knowing that Dane would be inside waiting for her. A warm fire would be burning in the fireplace.

She stopped for a moment, her eyes taking in the modest house. The cabin was no longer just an old shack. It now sported a fresh coat of white paint on the outside. The broken windows had been replaced. The flowers planted along the front were new. The stoop had been replaced by a wrap-around porch complete with a swing.

The sound of the door opening made her glance up. Dane was standing on the threshold, his face lit up with a smile. He was barefoot and shirtless, his twenty-year-old face still young and handsome. "Hello, McKenna," he said. "I've been waiting for you."

She took in the sight of him, her spirits soaring. It had always been this way. Even after ten years, he still waited for her, and her heart still leaped when she saw him. The promise they made to each other on the beach had never been broken by either of them. She promised she would never attempt to take her own life. He promised he would always be there for her.

"Hello, Dane," she said softly. "I've missed you, too."

He held out his arms, and she stepped into his embrace. With one hand, he lifted her chin. His lips were soft and warm on hers. "Come inside," he whispered against her mouth. "I have a fire burning. It's nice and warm."

With his arms wrapped around her, she walked through the door. The cabin was transformed inside. The walls had been painted, the floor repaired, and a beautiful hardwood covered it. The furniture was new when she first bought it, but it now started to show wear. There was still no electricity, and she found that she preferred that. The oil lamps held too many unforgettable memories.

Dane led her to the couch, and she sat down. He sat down beside her and took her hands in his. "Happy Birthday, McKenna." His eyes shone brightly from the light of the fire.

She cast her eyes down and stared at their entwined hands. "I don't want to celebrate any more birthdays. I'm twenty-eight now. And you're still twenty. What happens when I turn thirty-eight or forty-eight? My hair will go gray, my face will get wrinkled. You're never going to change. You’ll always be twenty and beautiful."

The smile disappeared from his face as he studied her. "I love you, McKenna," he said. "Nothing else matters as far as I'm concerned. It shouldn't matter to you, either."

McKenna lifted her eyes to the fire burning in the fireplace. "It feels nice and warm, Dane. Have you figured out yet how you're able to start a fire and light the oil lamps?"

"I have," he answered, his face lighting up. This was a subject they discussed a lot over the years. "So in between your visits, I've been experimenting a bit. You see, I've discovered that I can do things in this world. But..." he held up one finger when he saw she was about to interrupt. "I can only do things and pick up things that were here when I was alive. I can light the oil lamps because they are from my time. I can build a fire for that reason. Anything that I did when I was alive, I can still mostly do as long as the things I'm using are things I used when I was alive or things that are from my time."

"Amazing," McKenna's eyes widened as she turned her attention to him. "So, I guess that's why you can kiss me and make love to me? It's something you did in your own time, hmm?"

Dane threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Not even close, my love. I can do this," he leaned forward and brushed her lips with his, "because I love you and because I knew you before.’

“And I can do this," his fingers lightly touched her breast through her shirt, "Because I love you and because you have one foot in my world. And I can do this," he drew an arm around her and gently pulled her down on the couch. He didn't say anything else. He didn't have to.

© Copyright 2026 k.l.warzala. All rights reserved.