A man sits alone at sunrise. He is undressed now and sitting on his bed. With a look of regret he remembers the evening past.

He sat alone on a black elegant leather couch. A wineglass empty in his hands. He doesn’t notice this as he is contemplating other concerns at the moment. Long, slow, unchanging time passes as he sits there in turmoil. Finally he gets up and moves over to the coffee table where there rests a bottle of fine champagne in the cold water. He pours the remainder in his now full glass.

He walks slowly carefully toward the balcony doorway, which is open with long, thin, teal curtains blowing inward from a breeze. (You notice now that this man is wearing a tuxedo with the bow untied and hanging down. His top buttons of his shirt have been released and his cuffs are undone as well.) He pushes apart the shifting curtains and walks onto the balcony. Once at the edge, he stops and takes a deep breath. He is taking the odors of the beach. The salt water, shore plants, and animals that live beneath him where the ocean meets the land. He hears the waves break on the shore and can imagine the spray drifting all the way up to touching his face. He gazes out and notices there is no moon nor clouds out tonight. Looking up he sees the bright points of light glistening all over the sky. He slowly drops his gaze downward taking in the numerous stars in seemingly endless patterns. Just where the sky contacts the ocean, he notices a familiar pattern. Cassiopeia is just setting to the west, with one foot already below the horizon.

He sips at the champagne in his glass absently and notices movement off to his right. Hanging off from the railing is a deep blue scarf blowing in the wind. Moving over he gently and carefully picks up the fine silk material in his free hand. He feels the texture in between his fingers and brings it up to his nose. The smells of sweet fragrances rise up to greet him. He pauses a moment to gain the full effect of the aroma cascading into his awareness. One hand lowers the scarf while the other lifts the glass to his lips. He stares at the scenery before him a moment longer before moving back into the cottage.

He walks to an end table and absently sets his glass down. The remaining fluids shift from side to side rocking back and forth as he turns to a door behind him. Along side the door is a beautiful sea aquarium. It is very large and realistic, having a mixture of real plants, animals, and sediment from the ocean below. The newest fad of aquatic lovers, a balanced ecosystem in their own home to gaze upon for hours. The man doesn't seem to pay any attention to the wonder as he passes it on his way to the closed door. The door slowly opens. It had been left unlocked by the woman inside, since she trusted completely her company for the evening.

He moves inside and carefully closes the door behind him. She is asleep now. Not too long ago, she had bid him goodnight and left him alone on the couch. She was in a large bed, maybe a queen or king size. There was only a sheet covering her naked body, as it was a warm night. The finely dressed gentleman continuously walks over to the desk adjacent to her bed and lights a single candle that lay atop of it. Carefully he moves the chair to face the bed and sits in it.

He brings the scarf up to his face once more, and feels its fine texture against his skin with its slight soothing fragrance. Closing his eyes for a moment he takes a deep breath and holds it for a second. He lowers the silk fabric and releases his breath as his eyes gaze over to the woman lying in her bed. His fingers gently absorb the texture of the scarf as his eyes absorb the beauty before him.

The sheets cascade over the form of her body transforming it into a picturesque landscape. His eyes slowly move up her body from her small feet up to her calm, peaceful face. There his glance is held. There he begins to remember something, to remember the evening past. The laughs at one another's comments and the experience shared, the long drive home talking about nothing in particular, the deep conversation shared over a bottle of wine, her gaze upon him, her smile. He sat and remembered for a seemingly endless expanse of time. Slowly going back to when they met that one day and how their friendship grew through the many experiences they shared. Time passed and light slowly came through the window opposite him. Taking one more glance he moved to the door. There he paused and wished he understood, wished he knew, wished to be. Slowly he turned away with a look of sorrow in his face, a deep look of regret in his eyes and a pang of loss in his soul. He left the room and closed the door as carefully as he opened it.

Alone, he moved across the area that they had spent the late evening together conversing. To the door that led to his room. He enters his room and closed the door behind him. He undresses and sits on the side of his bed. He lays down and waits…waits for another secretly lonely day to begin…