When I first glimpsed the flickering, yellow light, I was confused. I had never seen such a phenomenon before. The sun was just dropping behind the hills when the lights started appearing in the air. Then it hit me: fireflies! Where I was raised they were only ever seen in the media and learned about via popular culture.

I parked the car and we climbed out. I never thought I would be so strangely elated by seeing a glowing bug. The groceries in the trunk quickly found themselves abandoned in the kitchen as I searched through the cabinets for a suitable, makeshift firefly container. Eyrich came into the kitchen and gave me a quizzical look when I presented a Tupperware container. "Want to catch some fireflies with me?" My boyish grin and youthful exuberance made him laugh softly. We headed out into the cool, damp evening air, ready to hunt.

Moving carefully through the grass, stalking insects with my hands at the ready, sent me directly back to my childhood. Days spent trudging through chest high grass looking for snakes, lizards and other small critters to capture and study. Staying out into the night until finally my mother called me to come inside. Scrubbing tree sap from my small, calloused hands and planning on doing it all over again the next day after school.

The fireflies were proving more difficult to catch that I had imagined they would be. They only lit their soft yellow glow for mere moments before winking out to blend back into the night. Making matters worse, my depth perception was almost nonexistent in the dim light. Sometimes I could swear I caught one, only to slowly open my hands and find them empty.

Eyrich laughed and smiled with me as our meager collection of fireflies slowly accumulated. Getting the fireflies inside before any of the others could escape was not always successful. I wouldn't even begin to call ourselves proficient hunters. However, unlike in the movies, the fireflies weren't too keen on lighting up inside their plastic prison. Though they did have the curious tendency to crawl up towards the sky, no matter how I turned and rotated the Tupperware.

Our search for better hunting grounds than the small side yard, led us behind the apartment building, overlooking a large, open field. We were not terribly far from the tree line where the field ended. Dozens of fireflies illuminated and disappeared as we watched with fascination. Backdropped by the trees, with just enough sunlight remaining to see the grass ripple made the flickering dance all the more beautiful. I looked down at the prison holding the dozen fireflies we'd managed to capture and only noticed how they remained dark, searching for a way to freedom. "I think we should let them go," I muttered. Eyrich nodded and pulled the lid free.

Seemingly confused by their emancipation, they didn't fly away; they stayed in the container until I flipped their world upside down and shook them free. Once all the fireflies had gone their separate ways, I found a comfortable spot in the grass and squatted to watch the dancing night lights. I didn't want to sit because I knew other insects lurking in the grass would attack my bare legs; however, Eyrich had no such worries and sat in front of me, leaning back into my open arms. I rested my head on top of his and held him close.

We stayed like that for a time, silent and enjoying the performance. I was happy and nothing but the moment, and the man in my arms, concerned me. I committed the experience-a quite romantic one at that-to memory as I watched. In less than a week, I knew I would be thousands of miles away from him. There would be no moments like this for an awfully long time; longer than I cared to acknowledge. So, I held him tighter and watched until my feet couldn't take it any longer. I stood and pulled him to his feet. "Let's go back inside." He nodded and, before I could turn around, pressed his soft, sweet lips to mine.

I was caught off-guard, but soon our arms wrapped around each other. We only stopped for quick breaths-we were both a bit sick, thanks to me. There was nothing erotic about the way we kissed. Our hands didn't stray far. I just wanted the moment to last, to never forget this time we shared together because time was a luxury we didn't possess.

Eyrich pulled back and, even in the dim light, I could see his shy, awkward smile and ruddy cheeks. His smile turned into a pout and he quickly turned his face away from the knowing grin I wore. I adored his shyness and loved when he showed it, even if he didn't. He pulled free of my arms and grabbed my hand as he passed, pulling me along, back toward the apartment. I interlocked my fingers with his, looked back one last time at the dancing night fire, and pulled him close. Before we went inside I whispered into his ear.

"Love you."