We sat side by side on the edge of a rooftop balcony.

Looking out to the night sky, a light breeze played with Anne May's wispy chestnut hair and caressed my straight blonde hair.

I consciously placed my hand on top of hers, letting my fingers slide in between hers. She squeezed hers around mine in response.

I looked at her. She looked at me. She smiled softly, a smile so genuine and delicate that I feared waking up from a fragile dream.

"I still can't believe I'm with you- like this. Holding your hand and looking into your eyes, I feel like the world is mine," I almost whispered.

She giggled sweetly. "Is it really that unbelievable?"

I nodded.

It was then that her smile fell. She slowly turned away and looked down for a few seconds before her gaze got lost in the moonlit sky. It was as if she was contemplating the mysteries of existence. She looked lonely, lonely as a sailor lost at sea without a compass or anything to guide their sense of direction.

"Anne May..." I lifted a hand and gently turned her face towards mine. "What's wrong?"

Tears had formed in her shiny eyes, dewdrops on her dark eyelashes.

"Talk to me, please," I looked into her eyes, trying to be the compass of her heart.

"Maybe you're right," she lamented.

I felt a sharp sting in my heart. A storm was brewing, the needle in the compass spun wildly.

"What am I right about?" I blurted.

"You and I? Maybe we're nothing but an unattainable dream."

Even as tears welled behind my eyes, I refused to let them out.

I let go of her hand and quickly took hold of her other cheek, lifting her head close to mine.

"Listen to me, Anne May. We're not a dream. We're not a dream. You hear? We're real. Look into my eyes and tell me I'm not real. We're as real as the sun sets and the moon rises every night."

Anne May closed her eyes and took a deep breath. At this point, we were facing each other and sitting on our knees. I closed my eyes too, trying to control the compass.

I wouldn't let the storm break the compass. A sailor needs a compass- a compass will bring her home.

Our breaths synchronized. In... and out. In... and out. We were in a quiet bubble, away from the pounding music and chatter of the crowds. It was just her and me. Alone, yet together. We took deep breaths together. In... and out. In... and out.

I felt myself fading away... falling through the floor. It wasn't frightening as it was soothing. It was like sinking in water without drowning. I was going deeper and deeper. A sudden drowsiness overtook me, tempting me to sleep. A subconscious voice whispered in my ear... it told me to sleep a sleep from which I'll never have to wake from.

"Don't you want to be with her forever? What better way to be together than to exist in a dream permanently? Rather than be a temporary visitor, stay here forever. Stay with her. Go with her. Let yourself fall..."

"LET GO OF ME!"

I broke through the surface of my tranquil lake, and opened my eyes just in time to see my one love rip my arms away from her.

"Anne May-" horror struck my face. "Did I do something wrong?"

She was panting rapidly. She placed her fists on the cement floor, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry," I stammered.

"Stop. Please," she begged.

I didn't understand. What did I do wrong?

Reluctantly, she looked up. "Tanner... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She began to whimper.

"Why are you sorry?"

"We can't be together."

The compass cracked. The waves grew bigger, threatening to sink the sailor and her boat.

"Don't say that. Of course we can be together. Tell me what to do- we can work this out," I begged.

Anne May stared at me with sad eyes.

Two islands drifting apart. That's how I felt. It's amazing how fast something can form, and crash down in a few moments.

I was tempted to reach for her hand- her arm- anything just to hold on to her and tell her that everything would be ok. Except I couldn't, I was scared that she'd reject it.

We stared at the ground silently for a full minute.

"I think it's for the best..." she started. I looked up, but she kept her gaze averted.

"It's for the best... if you stay away from me."

I was taken aback. This was the girl who'd led me to the secluded hall upstairs. This was the girl who had held my hands as she confessed her feelings for me. Who was this?

Suddenly, it dawned on me why she had changed her mind. Maybe she realized what a stupid mistake she'd done, confessing to a boy outside of her social status. I'm not popular, and I never was.

I snickered.

"What's so funny?" She finally raised her head, a confused look on her face.

"I get it now, I really do."

"Get what?" Her face changed to that of alarm.

"You're taking back your feelings because you're embarrassed of being with me."

"What?" She was fully attentive now.

"Don't play dumb. What will your friends think? Gorgeous Anne May is dating some nobody called Tanner? Whoops! Can't be friends with her now!"

"What the hell Tanner? Who do you think I am?!"

"I think I got the wrong perception of you. You know, at first I thought you were different from all those other girls. I thought you were sweet and gentle. I was wrong. You're just the same."

She gasped, and choked back a sob. "You're wrong."

I sneered and stood up.

"You don't know anything about me!" She yelled.

I looked back into those tender ebony eyes one last time and told her, "Good. I wouldn't want to."

I turned and walked away, mentally blocking out the weeping of a distressed Anne May.