Joy.

Her dreams were always unsettled, unless she was in Dane’s arms.  It didn’t matter how much distance was between them, or how much time had passed, all that mattered was his return to her.

Phaedra’s smile was waning, however.  The concern visible on her face as she wondered.  She tried to pass the time with well-meaning friends and the odd-sounding laughter that accompanied these moments, but in her heart she knew it was all a facade, for her real smile had largely disappeared.

It was only during those rare events where she received some type of correspondence from Dane that her smile would be seen again.  His voice, his words in a letter and how eloquent he was, or a quick email in between the activities of the day – it was what kept her alive, this is how her heart kept beating.

Indeed, time passed for her, albeit quite slowly.  Sometimes her mind would wander to a life without him, and she would break down in the very thought of losing him.  Whether to the horrors of war, or just from the distance and time they’d been separated, this was a very real fear, and she felt every bit of it.  But she couldn’t think on that right now, for she and Dane were meant to be together, and nothing could destroy that.

She was loathe to say it out loud, but she strongly believed that he was quite literally created just for her by a very loving God.

Imagining that being taken away was enough to rob her of breath.

As she looked at his last letter again, mostly for the comfort his mere words could bring her soul, she felt his love and held it close.

“My Dearest Phaedra,

I’ve come to realize something while I’ve been away from you.  I’ve learned that across these great distances I can feel you.  I feel your smiles, which have been lessening of late, and I feel when you’re afraid.  I know when something is wrong, and when your mind races to the worst possible ‘what-ifs’.

Please, do not fret for me.  And do not fret for us.  There has never been another I’ve trusted so much in my life, and I know you’ll be there with open arms upon my return.

In my studies of the world around me, I’ve wondered more and more about the intangibles.  Specifically of love.  There is something between you and me that equates to a form of ‘quantum entanglement’, the idea that two or more quantum particles once ‘entangled’ (having interaction with one another) become mirrors of each other (over simplified version, but you get the idea) even over great distances.

At the end of the day, I’ve learned the most valuable thing I can learn…that I know absolutely nothing.  And you know what?  I’m okay with this, because I have your love, because I can feel you, and because nothing can change these things.

Hopefully soon, you’ll be back where you belong – in my arms.

~With Love,  Dane”