In the distance, Ryan saw a petite figure seated upon a swing that was rocking back and forth gently. Immediately he knew it was Madison. Ryan headed towards her, trying to come up with the right thing to say. Once he approached the swing, he couldn’t utter a word before she spoke and beat him to it.

“Ever wish you were still a kid?” Madison asked, as she stared down at a simple heart she’d drawn in the sand with her toes. She wasn’t really asking to get a response, she was just talking. Every time she did this, Ryan was reminded of one of the first times that they’d spent time together, on that horse-drawn carriage in the park. He loved hearing her talk, because he was never quite sure where it would lead.

“Feelings were so much easier then,” She continued. “Love was simple. You loved your crayons, you loved your toys, you loved your friends… caring about something – someone – was never complicated. Emotions consisted of happy, sad, and mad. There was never any of this other stuff. No jealousy, paranoia, bitterness. Because when you’re a child, you don’t have time to experience those emotions; kids are so far from being as tainted as adults are. When you’re young, you’re just pure and you’re innocent and you’re all of this beautiful things mixed into one. But then you start to grow up, and you start to face reality, and that’s when everything starts to go downhill. Bad things can’t just be fixed with a band-aid and a reassuring kiss on the forehead. It’s not that easy. That love that you began with slowly fades away, as does your hope, your faith, you trust, and all of those good things. All of that is tested. I miss being pure and innocent. I miss being a beautiful mess of qualities. I miss the simplicity of the way life used to be, because now it’s difficult for me to decipher right from wrong.”

Ryan said nothing but Madison knew that he’d taken in every word that she’d spoken. She finally looked up at him, noticing the way the moon illuminated only half of his face, casting a dark shadow on the other half. The contrast of the light on his face in that very moment represented exactly what he was. Half of him was this bright, loving, affectionate, incredible person that anyone would be lucky to know. And then there was that other half that was dark, secretive, and quiet; a persona that nobody aside from himself really knew about. Silently, Madison lifted the camera from her lap and snapped a photo of him, standing there, just like that.

“Where’d you go tonight?” She asked finally.

“I had to take care of some business,” Ryan told her solemnly. Madison closed her eyes and let a steady breath out.

“Ryan…”

“You know I can’t say.”

“Okay,” she said quietly. “Ryan, I know that this isn’t the first time that this has happened. These weird phone calls in the middle of the night are nothing new, nor are your late night escapades to God knows where. I know that you sometimes leave in the middle of the night and attempt to sneak in before I wake up in the morning. I know about all of that-”

“Maddy, it’s not-” Ryan tried to interject but Madison continued on.

“And I want you to know that your recent actions have given me no reason to – I trust you. Okay? I trust you and I know that you won’t disappoint me. I’m counting on you not to disappoint me, here, Ryan. I never have faith in anyone. But I have faith in you, and that has to count for something.”