That day, autumn played on the streets, walking them up and down with the feet of rain. Feet made from playful raindrops that naughtily tapped on the red of the leaves that were still seen on the branches or on those seen on the wet asphalt, which had the color of the gloomy sky that was stretching toward the horizon and covering Westport almost entirely. All those were pieces of dreams, part of them being detached from that rain, which was also shyly touching the big window of the coffee shop „Aisling,” window that those rain feet had been touching since the morning when the drizzle started. Rain that made Kate finally smile because she found it naughty and weird at the same time, just as she found that rain so alike to the one that had been tapping on the window of the coffee shop a year ago and on her umbrella, and when she’d seen two blue eyes watching her while walking through the rain and heading toward the coffee shop.

A year ago, Alex had stood in front of the window and looked at the outside rain and her. At that moment, it was Kate looking into the distance through that window. She wasn’t standing but sitting on that large windowsill, with a cup of hot coffee in her hand, so in love with the madness of autumn.

She wasn’t alone in the coffee shop at that moment, but she also didn’t care about this: neither about the clients who kept whispering to each other, talking about books and not about her nor about Robert, who often smiled, seeing her taking Alex’s place in front of that window. All Kate cared about at that moment was the beautiful distance, gray because of the fog that was seen right from the morning and which was still there even with the rain that lasted for hours. A gray of the distance, which spurred her to dream and take melancholy in her arms, just as Alex did so many times before while he’d been dreaming of her all those ten months of separation.

Yet, Kate wasn’t at all sad at that moment but dreaming. Wearing that white woolen pullover and those comfortable pants, she fell prey to the rainy day and dreaming, although she had promised herself to start writing a new book that day. Nevertheless, the love from her soul, something that was also related to the outside rain and memories, didn’t allow her to start working on that new book. Instead, they brought her in front of the window, put her on that windowsill, and spurred her to dream, something Kate did with all her heart because she really had permission for pure love at that moment.

Actually, Kate had permission to love since three weeks ago when she’d seen Alex again and he asked her to be with him forever. Yes, he asked her to be with him not for a while or know each other better, but for their entire life. And, as a testimony of those beautiful feelings, an engagement ring was seen on her finger and a wedding one on top of it because Alex seemed to have taken to heart Erin’s words, something she told him one day, „As long as the woman doesn’t wear someone else’s surname in her passport and his ring on her finger, she can always be of someone else.”

He didn’t remember the exact words Erin had told him that day. What Alex remembered was the meaning of those words. That’s why he asked Kate to be his wife that evening when they saw each other again. Actually, he asked her this when they were still in the park when he asked her to sign her autograph under the lines written by both of them. Instead of the autograph, he had her vow. Better said, he had her answer to the question, „Do you accept being my wife?”

„I accept,” Kate wrote that day, laughing. She did that without thinking too much about that question, and she did that not because she would have been reckless and wanted to get married at any cost. No, Kate wanted that with all her heart. Both of them thought about this all those months of separation, months when they understood that their happiness was the other one and not living a lonely life.

That’s why, it hadn’t been at all hard for them to be together for a life. Waiting and useless promises had no point at that moment. At the same time, it was useless waiting to „know each other better,” as Kate’s parents told her when she told them about her sudden wedding. Even so, none of them impeded her from doing that because they witnessed her suffering in those months when she’d been away from Alex.

Honestly, Kate’s parents changed a lot in those few months. Not even she knew the reason for that change. All she knew was that they had become closer in those months. They even got to talk to each other about certain things and trust each other. Was it because her parents got older or was she getting older? Kate wasn’t sure. Even so, she didn’t think too much about that. All she knew for sure was that she changed a lot, and, along with her, her entourage changed.

Not only did Kate’s entourage change but also her character. He got to make friends with others easily and live each moment with an open heart. She has come to trust herself and other people. Thus, loneliness became something of the past, something that had made her sad so many times before, and, why not, they also made her stronger. That’s why Kate didn’t hate her past but considered it an experience - moments that helped her to stand up so many times alone and move on, proud of all she managed to do in her life.

After seeing Alex again and having the simple wedding, „only with the family,” as Doyle and she wanted, Kate really felt that she was fulfilled. She stopped thinking about the past and the future. She did that because she decided to live in the moment and be happy as long as she could do that. Kate knew that this would have made her happy because it couldn’t be different while she lived next to the man she loved for a year even if he didn’t promise anything to her or asked her to stay with him.

Alex was really there, for her, at that moment, and this was all that mattered to Kate. She was also next to him and she also saw him changing. Alex didn’t change too much, this was also true. Nevertheless, his change was a good one because he stopped fearing people and stopped living only in his world, making time to see his friends more often.

Kate found out the reason for that change by pure chance after Alex told her about Lucas Murphy and that he didn’t return alive from Syria. It’s when Kate saw sadness in Alex’s eyes and understood that he really cared about his friend. Nevertheless, Alex didn’t talk too much about Lucas, but this didn’t mean that Alex would ever forget him. All his friends knew that, just as all their friends intended to do the same as Doyle did - to remember Murphy forever as the „poet,” the one who often made them innocently smile, and for those words that he often said like a joke - that the women didn’t love him because he was a simple „poet.”

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When she remembered these words, which she heard from Alex, Kate smiled. „Still, he’d been a good man,” she whispered, sipping from her coffee. „He must have been a good man because Alex couldn’t appreciate so much just a passer-by through his life.”

Yes, Kate came to appreciate Murphy, even if she hadn’t ever known him. The reason? His letter - something that gave Alex some courage to go to see her. Alex was actually determined to do that after he received the book from her and the invitation to that book launch. Yet, he’d been afraid to do that openly because he wasn’t sure eventually if she was single, had waited for him, or simply regretted not having kept him with her that day, and this made her so unhappy.

All this passed eventually and, instead of them, happiness returned to their lives. Beautiful moments spent together came, evenings when they played the piano or simply read a book, evenings when each of them dreamt of something in their own way. All those were evenings when they wanted a future together and Kate wanted so much a family.

Better said, Kate wanted a part of him… She wanted a small part of their happiness because this would have fulfilled them undoubtedly. She dreamt of a girl with her eyes and long chestnut hair or a boy with beautiful blue eyes. Yet, there was still earlier for such dreams. They had just seen each other again and started to live together. Nevertheless, this didn’t impede her from dreaming of such a future and a family that could have undoubtedly meant happiness for both of them.

Actually, Kate was sure that she’d hold happiness in her arms one day. A vivid example for her was Erin and Mark, who got to be together after years of liking each other silently. They were so happy at that moment, expecting their first child, news they found out from Erin a few days ago. In fact, Erin and Mark told them first about this because they considered them as being their soul friends and not only family.

Not only this great news, that Mark and Erin’s dream happened, made Kate admire her sister-in-law so much. No, it was also because Erin knew to reach that happiness while proudly looking in front, being strong, and having those she loved with her, aware that only together they could be happy. Erin was also strong in Kate’s eyes because she hadn’t even fallen into despair, something Kate had done so many times before.

Nevertheless, regrets were something of the past already. At that moment, there was a place only for the future and happiness. Particularly, there was a place for the two of them only… for her and Alex, those who deserved to hold each other in their arms forever, steal a kiss from the other one in front of the fireplace, or when they slept in the same bed. A kiss that undoubtedly led to something more… to what they had been dreaming of all their life, but which they had left behind for a very long time.

And yes… happiness was something present in Kate’s life at that moment. Better said, that happiness headed toward her at that moment. He confidently stepped on the autumn asphalt, having a big red umbrella above his head, an umbrella that protected him from the autumn’s caresses and tears. Yet, all those were still tears of happiness because it’s what Kate felt at that moment.

Seeing him coming toward her, Kate smiled. She put the cup of coffee on the windowsill, put the sports shoes on, which she left next to the windowsill, and rushed to get out of the coffee shop. In the doorway, she stopped, seeing Alex in the middle of the road and looking at her in amazement and with a large smile on his face.

Looking at him, Kate burst into laughter. She also didn’t know why she did that, just as he didn’t know it. Yet, none of them asked too many questions about this. They simply enjoyed the moment because Kate really looked beautiful while running through the rain just to get into his arms eventually.

Held into his arms, Kate stuck to his chest under that big red umbrella. Looking up, Kate saw the autumn leaves painted on it… real leaves, fallen from above, which stuck to the umbrella’s fabric while looking for love. „Just as I hope to find that love at your chest for my entire life.”

Alex smiled. „Only at my chest do you hope to find that happiness?”

„Without a doubt,” she replied right away. „Do you know why?”

„Because I’m the port your boat looked for an entire life?”

„No, it’s because you are my happiness hidden behind two blue eyes and this beautiful smile. And yes, maybe you are also the port where I’ve decided to stop the boat of my life eventually, after years of looking for you because… I’ve really missed you and your eyes, Alex.”

Instead of the words that could have completed what she said, Alex chose the kiss. He chose to feel the taste of her lips, those that had the smell of coffee on them because he saw her sipping from the sweet-bitter coffee while sitting on the windowsill and looking at him. An aroma that made them fall in love and brought them together for an entire life.

Alexander Doyle was really happy at that moment. He lived the happiness he had promised to Lucas that he’d have one day. Alex promised that to his friend that day when he read the letter and understood that Murphy wanted to see at least him happy. „Something I’ll have one day, no matter what,” Alex whispered that day, as though talking to the poet Murphy. „And something I feel now with all my body,” he whispered to Kate, still holding her to his chest.

„What exactly?” She asked. Kate was a little confused. Thus, raising her glance, she fixed it into his eyes.

„Happiness… in a cup of coffee, with you,” said Alex, smiling. Then, holding her to his chest again, he let the drops of autumn be the witnesses of their love, just as he allowed the passers-by to be, who looked at them confused because it seemed weird to them to see the two in-love young people living their love in the street and under the tears of autumn.

Who didn’t find this weird were Kate and Alex because this meant happiness for them. For them, living in the moment, was the most important. That’s why Alex suddenly gathered the umbrella, smiling at Kate when he’d seen her looking at him in amazement. She did that even if she felt what he wanted to do. Even so, she still waited for a confirmation on his part. And, to make sure Kate understood what he wanted to do at that moment, Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him down the street, both running through the rain… just as Alex had dreamt of doing one day. He had dreamt of being with the beautiful owner of the ripe chestnuts hidden in her hair, to lose himself forever in her black eyes while his blue eyes like the clear sky watched her with love… Those eyes that had something from those drops that blessed the earth and their love from above at that moment…